nuclear nightmare. the severity rating at the crippled japanese power plant is now on par with the chernobyl disaster. clipped wings -- two jets collide in a scary runway incident in jfk airport. and a fallen fan, baseball takes a break to urge an end to spectator violence. this is a "cbs morning news" for tuesday, april 12, 2011. captioning funded by cbs good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. the radiation crisis at the nuclear power plant in japan continues to deepen.

the officials now put it at the same level as the chernobyl disaster of 1986. joe brown is live in washington, good morning, joel, what's the latest? >> reporter: betty, good morning to you. the severity of chernobyl is a dubious benchmark that japan does not want to meet, but for the first timex perts are admitting that it could. >> reporter: the crisis at japan's nuclear power plant is as serious as chernobyl. the officials raise the severity level at the fukushima daiichi plant from a five to the seven, the highest possible after re-assessing the impact of radiation leaks on food, air, and water. the country's nuclear agency insists that radiation levels are still less than the 1986 disaster in the former soviet union. but the operator of the plant warns emissions could exceed chernobyl if the crisis continues. engineers in japan are desperately trying to get the situation under control, but aftershocks continue to rattle the region. this photo shows a fire that

broke out at one of the reactors following a magnitude 6.3 earthquake. and just yesterday, another aftershock briefly cut off power to the plant. >> this nuclear crisis has more twists and turns than chernobyl did. with fukushima, it always seems like they're going to stabilize, and then it gets worse. >> reporter: more than a month after the devastating earthquake and tsunami, experts believe the only way to solve a crisis as bad as chernobyl is with the same solution -- burying it in sand and boric acid and entombing it in concrete. up till now, the officials have played down the risks of the risk to the environment, but the damage will likely be substantial and last for decades. betty? all right, joel brown joining us live in washington. thank you, joel. federal inspectors are trying to find out why three workers in nebraska were exposed to excess radiation. it happened april 3 at the

cooper nuclear station southeast of lincoln. the officials say the amount of radiation workers received was higher than expected but did not exceed safety limits. here in new york, aviation officials are investigating a ruppway collision between a jumbo jet and a smaller commuter aircraft. it happened last night on a taxi way at kennedy airport. the wing tip of an airbus a-380 the largest plane, clipped the tale of the comair jet spinning it like a toy. air france flight seven was heading to paris. the conair jet was headed to boston with 66 people onboard. the passengers from the smaller plane was shaken. >> suddenly a big bang from one side of the plane. it sounded like smashing glass or something -- something's broken. >> both jets were towed away for inspection and repair. >> the mayor of washington, d.c. has been released from jail after being arrested after a budget protest. mayor vincent gray and other

city officials were demonstrating against new financial restrictions placed on the district as part of a new federal budget deal. gray and 40 others were arrested. congress is gearing up to vote on the 2011 budget agreement. the house is expected to vote tomorrow and the senate on thursday. the agreement cuts $38 billion from current spending, including $3 billion for transportation projects, and billions more for defense, education, labor, and health. some programs were spared, including head start preschool, planned parenthood, and public broadcasting. tomorrow president obama will unveil his proposal in dealing with this nation's tremendous debt. danielle nottingham has that part of the story. >> reporter: a government shutdown was avoided friday with just an hour to spare, but now both sides have their eyes set on the next spending battle over the nation's current debt limit. the current law says the u.s. can only borrow $14.3 trillion. the country will hit that number

by the middle of next month. that means lawmakers must approve an increase or the u.s. will default on loans. that won't happen without a fight. >> there will not be an increase in the debt limit without something really, really big attached to it. >> it is playing with fire to say i will not renew the debt ceiling unless i get my way. >> later this week, president obama will try to take control over the debate. he'll lay out a new plan aimed at slashing more money out of next year's budge. white house advisors say the president will propose cuts to popular programs like medicare and medicaid and increase taxes on high-income earners. >> we have to do it in a balanced way. it can't be all on the backs of the seniors and the middle class. >> but the white house proposal probably won't be enough to make republicans happy. >> we want to move from talking about saving billions of dollars to going on to save trillions of dollars. >> right now, the clock is ticking and both sides seem far apart from getting to a debate

that could go down to the wire. republican mitt romney has taken the first step in getting in the race for the white house. he announced he has established an exploratory committee. that action allows him to start raising money and hire a staff. romney says the goal is to, quote, put america back on a course of greatness. the white house has chosen retired army general stanley mcchrystal to head a new advisory board for support for military families. this comes a year after president obama fired mcchrystal as the top u.s. commander in afghanistan. the family support program was initiated by first lady, michelle obama. the navy released video showing the first test of a showing the first test of a new laser weapon at sea. the target was a motor boat off of the central california coast. a warship fired the powerful laser from a mile away, setting the boat's engyps on fire. the boat's engines on fire. on the "cbs moneywatch,"

stocks fell sharply on the day yesterday. ashley moore is here with the latest on that. good morning. a rough day for asian markets. tokyo's nikkei lost 2%. while hong kong's hang seng was down just over 1% and oil fell to nearly $108 a barrel. wall street gets the latest on trade and a new budget report. on monday, worries over oil and gas kept stocks down. the dow added 1.0. while the nasdaq lost nearly nine. walmart is going back to basic, launching a new ad campaign next week focused on low prices. it's a return to roots for the america's biggest retailer. their business suffered in recent years over mistakes made on pricing and increased competition from dollar chains and online discounters. walmart decided to re-stock thousands of items it had stopped carrying in an effort to clean up its stores. if you're looking for a one-year cell contract from verizon, you better get it now.

the company is eliminating all one-year plans. the vast majority of its customers opt for a two-year plan anyway and the free month-to-month plans will be available. the one-year deals are officially gone next sunday. facebook has won a big money court battle in a long-running legal dispute. twins tyler and cameron winklevos claim that former harvard classmate mark zuckerberg stole their idea. the feud was made famous in "the social network." instead of billions they were looking for, the appeals court ruled on monday that the twins agreed to a previously agreed to cash and stock settlement worth about $160 million. betty, i could live with that, probably? >> billions compared to $160 million. once you get up there. >> big difference. i could make it work. >> big difference, no doubt. but still a lot of money any way you cut it. ashley morrison here in new york. thank you for that. just ahead on the "morning

news," the hunt for a serial killer whose list of victims continues to grow. plus, how low can you go? robbing a little girl selling lemonade to raise money for a sick cousin? in your shoes. one day i'm on p of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. get back to the things that matter most. good job girls.

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all right, check this out. an attempted robbery of a jewelry store in hawaii didn't go quite as the would-be robbers planned. just before the store closed saturday night, two men barged in, one waving a shotgun. they tried to break the protective glass case, firing the shotgun at it. but it held. the two not-so-wise guys left empty-handed. a grand jury in virginia will consider the murder case against university of virginia lacrosse player george hugely. he's charge in the death of another lacrosse player, yardley love, in may of last year. the case should go to the grand jury. it will decide whether to indict hugely on murder and other charges. police in new york have found two more possible victims of a serial killer.

since december, bodies of at least eight victims, possibly more, have been found on secl e secluded areas of the south shore of long island. seth doan reports. using chainsaws to cut through thick brush, investigators discovered more bones in two separate locations several times from where eight other decomposed bodies were found. >> state trooper using a cadaver dog did locate some bones. >> law enforcement officials told cbs news what may be a human skull was discovered among the remains. these could be the ninth and tenth victims of a serial killer. back in december, the first four victims were uncovered in these brambles just off of gilgo beach, each white women in their 20s who had advertised escort services on craigslist and had been missing as far back as 2007. then two more bodies were found in the last four weeks, reportedly, one could be a toddler. wally zions is an nypd detective.

>> serial killers like to taunt. they look at the media. see how the case is going. this is the psychological gratification they receive. >> reporter: this killer may have taunted the sister of one of his victims, calling her from the dead woman's cell phone from crowded places like penn station and times square, a male voice on the line saying you know what your sister is doing? she's a whore. he kept the calls short so it would be difficult to trace leading investigators to question whether the killer has knowledge of law enforcement procedures. either way, the search for the killer is under way. and police have denied they have a suspect. seth doan, cbs news, jones beach, new york. a georgia sheriff's office is looking for a thief with no conscious at all. he stole from a young girl's lemonade stand. 13-year-old chelsea edwards and two friends set up the stand saturday to raise money for medical expenses for chelsea's cousin. the 2-year-old cousin is critically ill. but the man came up to the lemonade stand and took the $130 chelsea had earned.

>> the man bent down. he seen the money jar and he grabbed it. why would he go up and rob three girls. >> a warrant is out for the arrest of a 20-year-old suspect. straight ahead, your tuesday morning weather and sports honoring an injured giants fan in san francisco and urging an end to fan violence. d urging an end to fan violence. these ladies have been exercising, watching their diets and enjoying activia light. well? i've lost a few pounds and i've never felt so light. at 70 calories, delicious activia light helps you be light and feel light too. ♪ activia

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here's a look at the weather across the nation today. new york, rain, 56 degrees. miami, sunny, 89. chicago, sunny, 55, dallas is going to be sunny there as well, 83. and 69 and sunny in l.a. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows clear skies over the plains from the dakotas to texas. thunderstorms have fled the region and are tracking eastward. scattered clouds can be found in the rockies along with a few snow showers. later today, thunderstorms will move to the east coast bringing windy conditions and a good amount of rain. behind the storms are fair conditions throughout much of the plains and the midwest. there will be scattered showers in the central rockies. in sports, the giants and the dodgers came together to urge the end of fan violence. a moment of silence was held before last night's game to honor brian stowe. the giants' fan was severely beaten after the season opener in los angeles. he's in a medically induced coma and may have brain damage.

players from both teams spoke before the game. >> you have rights to be frustrated when one of the teams loses. you have rights to be excited when one of the teams wins, but you have to remember that when these two teams get on the field and we play, we play with a ton of competition. we're fierce competitors. but when the last out is made, that rivalry ends on the field. >> in the game that followed, rob barajas of los angeles hit the second home run of the season and the dodgers defeated the giants, 6-1. in the nba, miami clinched the number two seed in the eastern conference playoffs. lebron james scored 34 points against atlanta. and james jones of the heat hit some heated baskets in the closing minutes as miami scored a 98-90 win over the hawks. in sacramento, kevin duran scored 32. russell westbrook added 30 as the thunder beat the kings 120-112 for their tenth straight

win. oklahoma city clinched the northwest division and they'll be seeded no worse than fourth in the playoffs. finally, former olympic gold medalist carl lewis will soon be running again, but this time it's for political office. the 49-year-old new jersey native announced his bid to represent his hometown of willi willinggrove in the state senate. when we return, a look at the top stories and the rule of cost and demand as gasoline prices rise, motorists drive less. . [ male announcer ] 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.

on t(both) literally! your photos right at your fingertips.one more in two years okay. can you zoom in on this? oh! okay. this is my boyfriend. this is my mom and dad. robin, you okay? whatcha doin'? i'm dealing with a slight underwear malfunction. oh..you need hanes panties. they don't ride up. yes please. hey, wardrobe? and now a word from hanes. hanes panties. so cute. and they don't ride up. people take over an empty san francisco building. why the owner wants them out. plus.. tensions high, for the first dodgers-giants showdown since a giant's fan was attacked. what it was like to be wearing the dodger blue. toll skippers, watch out. the hefty fine drivers could face, if they speed though the toll booth. and.. japan's nuclear crisis, now equal to the worst disaster

in ,,,, on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. thunderstorms are moving from the mississippi valley to the east coast today, bringing gusty winds, heavy rains, and cooler temperatures. mild conditions will linger in the midwest with warmer air in the southern plains.

here's another look at this morning's top stories. japanese officials say the severity of the crisis at the fukushima nuclear power plant is on par with the chernobyl disaster. they say the amount of radio activity released from fukushima may exceed the chernobyl accident. a scary accident at kennedy airport last night. the wing of a super jumbo jet clipped the tail of a commuter plane. there were no injuries. skyrocketing gas prices are affecting drivers nationwide. gas sales are down and folks are reconsidering the long vacations. sandra hughes reports. >> reporter: that's the sound of money leaving drivers' wallets. >> most of my paycheck goes to my gas these days. >> reporter: rising gas prices have put the squeeze on drivers. many people are pumping less into their tanks, reversing what had been a steady increase in demand for gas. in fact, for five weeks in a row, drivers bought less gas than they did a year ago. the last time americans cut back so much was in december when snowstorms forced people to stay home.

70% of gas stations say sales are down. prices have jumped about 40 cents a gallon since mid february. the national average is now $3.77 per gallon of regular. it's inching toward the all-time high of $4.11 set back in 2008. >> it's ridiculous. look at the gas prices, i can barely afford $20 right now. >> public transportation, i'm on my bike. that's the way to go. >> here in san francisco, a gallon of regular is already above the $4 mark. prices are going up faster than people are cutting back. experts say we could hit $5 a gallon in california by memorial day that could force some people to rethink their vacation plans. >> maybe no vacation or closer to home. >> even if demand for gas keeps falling in the u.s., it likely won't be enough to force the price down. worldwide demand for crude oil keeps rising. traders are betting libyan crude will return to the market soon. in the meantime, drivers are making do with less. sandra hughes, cbs news, san francisco.

this morning on "the early show," the latest on the hunt for the long island serial killer. i'm betty nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." his family knows what to expect. hun, mike's coming -- let's get crackin'. [ male announcer ] but what mike rowe doesn't know is that his parents have armed themselves with unquilted viva® towels. place looks great. [ male announcer ] mike doesn't know that every concentrated viva roll is made of strong, fiber packed sheets, making it one tough towel. but his mom sure does. wow, for me? you shouldn't have. i insist. [ male announcer ] hey, if viva can handle mike rowe's mess, just think what it can do in your home. grab a roll for yourself and grasp the unquilted difference. these ladies have been exercising, grab a roll for yourself

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♪ 150 years ago today, confederate guns opened fire on union troops at ft. sumpter in south carolina. that launched the civil war and it's being re-enacted today at the battle site. ft. sumpter touched off four years of brutal warfare, the bloodiest in this country's history killing 600,000 americans. it fleed 4 million slaves, many of whom enlist in the union army. today, 19th century records are helping to restore their memories. bill plant has the story. >> this is the document that changed my life.

>> reporter: when sheryl willis found on-line this 1866 discharge certificate from the union army where sandy willis, her great, great, great grandfather, it opened the door on history. what was your reaction? >> utter shock, my mouth went dry. clicked up on my computer like poof, like magic. it's -- it's surreal. >> reporter: that discovery led her to the civil war draft registration records at the national archives where she discovered the enlistment record of sandy willis and five others who escaped from their owner and volunteered to fight in the union army. they joined the heavy field artillery then what was then known as the united states colored troops. >> he became real to me, 150 years after his death. he came alive. >> reporter: now those civil war draft registration records are available on-line at ancestry.com which digitized them for the national archives.

they're free for a week on ancestry.com and will go back to national archive's website after five years. >> when you can connect and reach and touch what they did, it's a beautiful and empowering thing. and for my family, we will never be the same. >> i see our country lay waste and in ruins. >> reporter: documentary filmmaker ken burns found a great, great, great grandfather, a confederate solder in an application for his pension after the war. >> i know abraham burns my great, great, great grandfather stood this high and had these gray eyes. >> reporter: ken burns thinks this is just not about a movement of the past. >> we sere more and more in this country to learn more and more about the essential human question, who am i? >> reporter: and where did i come from? >> and where did i come from. >> reporter: it proves again as

william faulkner wrote, "the past is never dead, it isn't even past." bill plant, cbs news, washington. fascinating part of history, no doubt. the latest on japan in a deepening nuclear crisis now in the same category as chernobyl, plus more aftershocks. and mitt romney is closer to joining the presidential field. and katie couric reveals it best advice she's ever gotten. that's the "cbs morning news" for this tuesday, thanks for watching everybody. i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com