spring storms, round two. already battered by tornadoes, residents in the south prepare for more severe weather. credit concern -- an unprecedented warning to the u.s. government to get the deficit under control. and a mcstimulus package? mcdonald's steps up to fight unemployment with 50,000 job openings. captioning funded by cbs good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. it's like a recurring nightmare. just days after the south suffered a record-setting assault by violent weather, forecasters say more is on the way. the threat today is for strong storms in portions of the mississippi and ohio valleys

with more to come tomorrow. this follows a long weekend where hundreds of tornadoes and storms killed at least 44 people. ines ferre has more from north carolina. she joins us live. good morning, ines. >> good morning, betty. we spoke to residents who say they're still in shock when they look at the damage and the daunting work ahead of them. >> reporter: residents across the south are barely getting a chance to pick up the pieces. >> there goes the roof off of a house. >> reporter: just days after a powerful storm sparked hundreds of deadly tornadoes, yet another storm is bearing down on the region. forecasters are predicting a triple threat of rain, hail, and more twisters. they warn this time parts of oklahoma, illinois, indiana, kentucky, arkansas, and missouri could be hit the hardest. north carolina bear the brunt of last weekend's storms. in raleigh, michelle raced to get her roof fixed before the new round of nasty weather moved

in. >> they're saying more rain is on the way. so anything we can prevent for further water damage and just to make it a bit more secure than it has been. >> there's hope today's storm won't cause the same wide spread damage. here in north carolina alone, at least 22 people died and hundreds of homes were destroyed. monday night, residents of this mobile home park in stoney brook were allowed back in for the first time, but only to salvage what they could. >> some of the mobile units are totally destroyed and it will not be inhabitable. >> in parts of virginia, there's so much debris, officials believe it will take months to clear. >> everybody who's been in here imagine those few trees down. and they'll come in and they just say, this is devastating. >> reporter: in oklahoma, fema and disaster relief organizations are expected to be on the ground all week. and as in many other battered states, neighbors are also coming together to rebuild. and the overwhelming sentiment around here in this neighborhood is perseverance, including the owners of the home behind me.

they were in the basement when the storm hit. their children's bedroom upstairs completely gone. but the owners say they will rebuild right here in the same spot. betty? all right, ines ferre in raleigh, north carolina. thank you, ines. it's slow going this morning for rescuers at a idaho silver mine where a miner has been trapped since it caved in on friday. ironically, the mine is lucky friday located in the town of mullan in the idaho panhandle. rescuers say it will take two days to drill through the rock just to determine if the miner is still alive. fellow miners are worried. >> i was scheduled to work together. but i'm not working today because of the situation. miners, you know, want to see the -- they're just like brothers. they want to see them, you know, come out. >> there's been no contact with the miner since the mine tunnel collapsed. the controversial birther bill passed by the arizona

state lenlgts lay legislature will not become law. it was driven by disproven claims that president obama isn't a u.s. citizen. it would have forced candidates to submit proof of citizenship to arizona officials to be on the state ballot. governor jan brewer vetoed today saying, quote, designating one person as the gatekeeper to the ballot could lead to arbitrary or politically motivated decisions. president obama is hosting a bipartisan meeting on immigration reform today at the white house. in an interview with cbs denver station, kcnc, mr. obama said illegal immigration is a pressing issue for the country. >> we are looking at employers who are exploiting undocumented workers. and we've got to make sure that we are having a comprehensive law that looks at the folks who are already here and figures out how do we get them on the pathway to citizenship. >> participants in today's meeting will range for

former california governor arnold schwarzenegger to new york mayor michael bloomberg. like all americans, the first family had to face tax day monday. here's what they revealed. they earned $1.7 million in 2010 down from 2009 of $5.5 million due to lower sales of mr. obama's books. the obamas paid $453,000 in taxes. that's about 26% of their income. meanwhile, the obama administration is downplaying the significance of the u.s. government possibly losing its triple a credit rating. in an unprecedented move on monday, standard & poor's, a key rating firm, warned of serious financial consequences unless the nation's massive deficit is cut. susan mcginnes is in washington with the latest on this. susan, explain what this means? >> good morning, betty. congress is on recess this week. not a lot of progress is expected. this is a big debate on how much and how to cut the deficit. but this is definitely a wakeup call. >> the warning sent shock waves

from wall street to washington. for the first time, standard & poor's lowered the outlook for u.s. credit to negative, citing a significant risk that congressional negotiations could result in no agreement. >> if we think the efforts of congress and the administration fall short, the rating will fall. >> the white house says the assessment is overly pessimistic. but the s&p says the risk is real and warned of real consequences if washington can't cut the debt and get a grip on its finances. with the current triple a rating, it costs the government 6.5 cents to boar low a dollar 6.5 cents to borrow a dollar for two years. but greece with a double-b rating has to pay 20 cents for every dollar it borrows. a lower credit rating would mean we would all pay more to borrow money with higher interest rates on everything from mortgages to car loans to credit cards because every penny is tied to what the government pays for it. >> that means going forward,

u.s. borrowing costs are a little higher and it trickles down to the rest of the economy and increases the costs to everybody. >> reporter: u.s. debt remains one of the safest investments in the world. of the three major rating agencies, only s&p has threatened that a downgrade is possible. and there are political consequences as well. some analysts say the white house could be under more pressure now to buckle to republican demands for big spending cuts, this is even before we get to the debate over raising the debt ceiling, betty? >> all right, susan mcginnis in washington for us, thank you, susan. the pentagon has cleared army general stanley mcchrystal of any wrongdoing. this stemming from a rolling stone magazine article that cost him his job as top commander in afghanistan last year. the pentagon said it could not confirm that mcchrystal's staff made disparaging remarks about president oh bbama's national security team and vice president

biden. rolling stone said the story is accurate. a key operation is under way to stabilize japan's damaged nuclear power plant. workers are now pumping out high highly radioactive water from the basement of building of the reactor number two. removing 25 tons of contaminated water will give workers more room to repair the broken cooling systems that were knocked out by last month's tsunami. just ahead on "the morning news," yet another air traffic controller incident compromising air safety. plus, the murder of a young woman in canada that may have been caught on a web camera. this is the "cbs morning news." we all want a world with fewer chemicals. we all want the best of both worlds. introducing all free clear oxi-active. a powerful new detergent without dyes or perfumes that helps get out your toughest dirt and stains. its added natural cleaning boosters help get your whole family's wash incredibly clean. tough on stains. gentle on skin. new all free clear oxi-active.

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an additional $1,000 bonus cash. [ male announcer ] ragu, packed with two servings of veggies in every half cup of our now thicker, richer, healthy sauce. ragu has a great taste your family will love. ragu. feed our kids well. we are learning this morning of yet another incident of an air traffic controller not keeping track of aircraft. a controller was suspended for watching a movie at a regional radar center in overland, ohio early sunday morning. the supervisor at that facility was also suspended. eight air traffic controllers and supervisors have been suspended since last month.

for the first time in almost three decades, there are new guidelines for diagnosing alzheimer's disease. the national institute on aging describes three phases of the disease as early brain changes, mild cognitive impairment, and full-blown alzheimer's. researchers say the new finding suggests that the brain-ravaging disease exists well before the symptoms appear. the police in toronto are investigating the bizarre death of a chinese exchange student. the woman's body was found at her townhouse last week. police believe her boyfriend in china with whom she had been talking to on a web camera may have seen the killer. >> you could actually see the fact that, a, there's a knock on the door. she's getting up, responding to the knock. we know that the person at the door is asking to use her cell phone. we know the fact that at that point, there's a struggle that ensues.

then, the interesting factor is that the computer just turned off. >> a report says the victim may have been killed by an injection. police say an acquaintance is a person of interest in that case. on the "cbs moneywatch", a rough day for stocks in asia. ashley morrison has the latest on all of that. good morning, ashley. asian markets slid following worries about the u.s.'s credit rating. japan's nikkei shed more than 1% to a three-week low. while the hong kong hang seng was lower and oil slipped below $107 a barrel. today, wall street gets the latest on housing starts. on monday, stocks suffered over the credit worries. the dow dropped 140 points, the worst day in more than a month, while the nasdaq lost 29. >> the government is looking to get out of the car business. "the wall street journal" is reporting the u.s. treasury plans to sell a significant part of its remaining stake in gm this summer, even though that would almost certainly mean that taxpayers take a loss. gm stock has weakened recently, falling below $30 on monday. just to break even, the treasury would have to sell at $53 a

share. meanwhile, gm is raising prices on nearly all buick, chevy, gmc, and cadillac models by $133. the increase is to make up for the high price of oil and metal. it goes into effect may 2. air passengers are paying more to fly delta. the carrier has raised fares by $10 on most round trip u.s. routes. other carriers have not yet matched that hike. this is the 11th attempt to raise base fares so far this year. tablet computer buyers have a new option. the blackberry tablet hits the stores today. it has a front and rear camera, a seven-inch touch screen and can connect to a phone. early reviews have been positive with the major complaint being the lack of apps to run. analysts thinks it has the best chance so far of taking on the apple mighty ipad and sells for

the same price with the cheapest version going for $500. excuse me, with the nation's unemployment rate hovering below 9%, mcdonald's is holding a national hiring event today. it wants to fill 50,000 owners for everything from cashiers to maintenance workers to restaurant managers, and, of course, don't forget the burger flippers, betty. i think i want to be a fry girl. >> was going to say. >> two for me, one for you. >> all right, ashley morrison here in new york. thank you, ashley. straight ahead, your tuesday morning weather. and in sports, the shot of the night in the nba playoffs. check it out, it was made from midcourt. depression is a serious medical condition. i feel like i have to wind myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about pristiq -- a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain -- serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. anti-depressants can increase suicidal thoughts

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you're quite the pickup artist! [ male announcer ] 2 in 1 swiffer sweeper gives cleaning a whole new meaning. here's a look at the weather in some cities around here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, showers, 55, miami, sunny, 85. chicago is going to be rainy there, 41 degrees. listen to this, scattered thunderstorms. but 93 degrees in dallas. l.a., mostly cloudy. 67. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows cloudy skies across much of the great plains and midwest. while the west coast is looking for clear skies. later today, strong thunderstorms will develop across much of the midwest and ohio valley. the southern plains remain hot and dry with temperatures in the 90s. and winter continues its grip on the northern plains with a few scattered snow showers. in sports, another playoff win for the bulls. chicago's derek rose took a steal for a jam in the second period. look at that. indiana's t.j. ford tied it with a shot nearly three-quarters of a court away. can you believe that?

rose led the way with 36 points as chicago beat indiana, 96-90. bulls lead the series, two games to none. in miami, dwyane wade helped lead the heat to a big playoff win over philadelphia. with a big lead at the half, lebron james took over scoring 29 points in the game. the heat won, 94-73. in baseball, a convincing win for the world champion giants. first inning in denver, pat buehrle hits a three-run homer. and the next batter, nate schuerholz adds a solo to give san francisco a 5-0 lead. after that, it was all tim lincicome who held the rockies hitless to the seventh. the final, rockies, one, giants, eight. and in kansas city, the cleveland pinch-hitter gets an rbi double sparking a four-run inning and they won it 7-3. when we return, a look at the top stories. and it may be safe to eat seafood from the gulf a year

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[ male announcer ] fresh butter taste with 70% less saturated fat than butter. [ kim ] you can have it all. francisco. a live report on the search for the suspects. a late night breakthrough in the standoff over sacred burial ground. the deal that will allow an indian tribe to stay put. saving cal train. why commuters may be chipping in to keep stations open. a golden opportunity.. the fast food chain, serving up thousands of jobs today. and.. he wasn't napping. why yet another air traffic controller ,,,,

on the "cbs morning news," a look at today's weather. strong thunderstorms return to the ohio valley. much of the southeast remains dry and sunny. a few scattered snow showers are likely across the northern plains and the west enjoys a pleasantly mild and dry afternoon. here's another look at the top stories. an unheard of credit warning to the u.s. government. standard & poor's said the country could lose the gold-plated credit rating if the deficit is not brought under control. and with the south still recovering from a deadly weekend of severe storms and tornadoes, there's more on the way. on the eve of the first anniversary of the oil spill in

the gulf, there are new reports that the compensation process has been slow. kenneth feinberg said yesterday he's paid out $3.8 billion of the $20 billion set up by bp. feinberg said 8,000 of the claims he's received border on fraud. more than 200 gallons of oil were released in the gulf during that bp disaster. officials say it's safe to eat the seafood. but for local fishermen, the damage may have been done. we report from empire, louisiana. >> reporter: oyster fishermen in empire, louisiana bring in their haul to the wholesaler. the harvests are smaller and out of state orders have dropped. the wholesaler ships about 3,000 bags a month. before the oil spill, he sold five times as many. bp paid out more than $3 billion to settle claims. but he said he only received a small fraction of what he lost

and gets it runaround from bp lawyers. >> every time you talk to somebody, nobody can give you an answer. >> reporter: right now, most of the gulf of mexico is open for fishing. only a 1,040 square mile area near the bp rig is closed. researchers are conducting frequent testing of seafood in the gulf to make sure it's safe. the recent assessment shows no sign of contamination, reassuring to the acme oyster house. >> the oysters? >> wonderful, wonderful. >> reporter: the manager says images of oil gushing into the gulf cost acme customer and profits. but one year later, the restaurant business is rebounding. but the oil spill hit oyster fishermen hardest. >> i had plans to build this so i could turn it over to my son. and i don't see that happening now. >> reporter: and the wholesalers, the crisis is far from over. randall pinkston, cbs news, empire, louisiana. this morning, new guidelines on detecting alzheimer's disease, i'm betty nguyen, this is "cbs morning news." alzheimer's

disease, i'm betty nguyen, this is "cbs morning news." 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.

the price of gasoline keeps marching upwards. the national average is now $3.84 a gallon, up five cents from last week according to the energy department. in six days, the average for gas already tops $4. prices are expected to keep climbing through the summer driving season. now, at this rate, some expect the overall average cost of gas to approach the all-time high of $4.11. it's no surprise that the rising price of gas has a lot of car buyers considering hybrid vehicles. up front, they cost more than a traditional fuel car, but they are worth it in the long run?

semi dodd crunches the numbers. >> reporter: before jennifer bought her hybrid, she drove an suv that costs $75 to fill up. >> i thought, this is not sustainable. because i'm spending so much money on gas. >> she found a few cars she liked and started crunching numbers. >> i considered criteria like the purchase price, the fuel costs over the life of the car and maintenance costs. >> reporter: if u.s. drivers switch to electric vehicles, green house emissions would drop 50%. reducing your carbon footprint is a good reason to buy a hybrid. but is it financially smart. here are the calculations you need to make. first, determine the cost of the hybrid and gas engine cars you're considering. we compared a prius 4 and honda civic esl. the prius is about $3,000 more. >> you have to decide if the mileage and the benefits on the prius will work for your conditions. that's what we call the hybrid penalty. >> if price is $3.75 a gallon and you buy 15,000 miles a year, annual fuel costs for a prius would be $1,125. for a civic, fuel would run

$1,938. in this case, the extra cost of the hybrid would be earned back in fuel savings within three years and eight months. if your driving conditions don't favor a hybrid but you're keen to be green, there's gas cars like the cruz, fiesta, and focus that offer good emissions and good mileage. >> won't approach the 50.51 of the prius. it's the same hemisphere. if you back into that there's no additional costs for the gas-engine costs, there's a lot of other benefit there that isn't about pushing numbers on a spread sheet. coming up a little later on "the early show," a look at the rising cost of gas and how it may affect the recovering economy. also, safeguarding the royal wedding, the security measures being put in place for next week's historic event. and if you want vacation

ideas close to home, we'll hear about beautiful landmarks here in the usa. that's "cbs morning news" for this tuesday, thanks for watching, everyone. i'm betty nguyen, have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com