>> good. she will be at starbucks in 10 minutes. >> caption colorado, llc comments@captioncolorado.com good morning. . good morning. fueling concern. as the latest cbs news/"new york times" poll finds, the president's approval rating falling, mr. obama steps in and orders a federal investigation of skyrocketing gas prices. but will it have any impact on consumers at the pump? heros. senator john mccain visits troops in libya praising their efforts to overthrow gadhafi's regime. while the u.s. steps up its role in the fighting. we'll get the latest on the battles in misrata and tell you what senator mccain hopes to accomplish with his diplomatic missions. and one week to go. the royal wedding gets the queen's official okay as more details emerge about the big day, including how kate middleton will follow in princess diana's footsteps when it comes to her wedding vows.

we'll go live to london for the royal countdown, "early" this friday morning, april 22nd, 2011. and good morning. on this good friday morning. i'm chris wragge. >> and i'm erica hill. good to have you with us this morning. a lot of people buzzing in washington this morning about some new numbers. >> there's some numbers out there causing concern for a lot of people. not only president obama but also for people out there that are looking to, just fill up the car today. >> or go out and buy groceries that you need. or perhaps even pay the mortgage, pay your rent. all of these things are impacting us. the latest cbs news/"new york times" polls in terms of some of those numbers that we're talking about here. likely not being very well received at the white house this morning. that's because the president's approval rating now stands at 46%. that is down three points from january, and it may explain why

he is now taking on one of the most important issues for the average american, who are of course voters, and that is high gas prices. we're going to get the very latest on that from cbs' rebecca jarvis in just a moment. we want to begin at the white house with cbs news chief white house correspondent chip reid. sorry, you're in los angeles traveling with the president. still the chief white house correspondent. as we look at some of these numbers that dip in the approval rating, publicly i would imagine the white house is going to say, hey, we're not that concerned. privately likely a much different story. how concerned are they? >> you're exactly right, rebecca. you know, whenever we ask white house officials about poll ratings, they always say, oh, the president's not focused on the polls, he's focused on the policy. but we know he's concerned about it this time. because he brought it up himself last night at one of his fund-raisers here in los angeles. he said he believes the reason his ratings are going down is because gas prices are going up. and that puts them in a bind, because he has said repeatedly there's virtually nothing that he, as president, can do in the short-term to bring gas prices down. >> nothing in the short-term.

but he is announcing this task force which will look into gas prices. what could that potentially translate to for american consumers? >> well, it's hard to say what it would do in terms of gas prices. it's going to be a multiagency task force. at least four departments, four agencies, all looking for manipulation by speculators or traders in the oil market. but there's a healthy degree of skepticism about this, because it's the kind of thing presidents have done many times in the past to try to assuage voter anger, and neither the president, nor the attorney general, stated any specific evidence of illegal activity. erica? >> has there been any talk about possibly going to strategic oil reserves? >> well, we have asked the president about that on multiple occasions. and every time he says they're studying it, but, rising gas prices is not enough to make it happen. there's got to be a major disruption in supply. and apparently they don't believe at this point that that has happened. so the strategic petroleum reserve, for now, is not on the table. >> all right, chip reid, traveling with the president in los angeles. chip, thanks.

we do want to check in now with cbs news business and economics correspondent rebecca jarvis, who is at a gas station on the new jersey turnpike this morning. rebecca, as we go back to this task force we were just talking about with chip, it's going to look at the role of speculators. how much influence could that have on prices? >> well, right now, in the near-term, like chip said, the influence on prices is probably going to be a limited one. speculators, it's widely considered that they do play a role in these markets, but the question has consistently been, how much of a role? and no one has been able to sort of quantify that. and like chip mentioned, the president, as well as other federal bodies have looked at this previously, and no one has been able to pinpoint that manipulation in the market. it's a very difficult thing to do. so making a very significant change to prices in the near-term or even potentially over the long-term is a very hard thing for regulators to do. >> what about prices, though, this morning? what are you seeing where you are? >> well, here in new jersey

we're very close to new york city here in new jersey, they're actually $3.73 a gallon. or i should say $3.72 a gallon. but what we're looking at potentially in the summer driving season is prices even higher, because historically speaking, prices hit their peak around the memorial day weekend, and this year we're up about 70 cents a gallon already on the year. if you go back to 2008, where prices were at their peak, $4.11 a gallon for the year at their very peak, in 2008, we're actually still $1.13 away from that. they were up $1.13 that year. >> but they are still rising. you saw them jump just 11 cents this morning alone in the time that you've been there. how is all of this impacting the american family, and how they're dealing with their personal pocketbooks, and the economy? >> well, when you look at the cbs news poll, 80% of people think that the economy is in bad shape, or somewhat bad shape. 39% of them think that it's

going to get worse. and what you see is that, as gasoline prices, which are up 6% this year, also, as food prices are up 6.5% for the year, what ends up happening is that as that takes up a very big chunk of people's wallets, they end up spending less money elsewhere on things like buying homes, buying clothing, buying electronics, buying cars. so, as soon as people pull back in these other areas, erica, all of a sudden you see a differentiation in terms of the job creation that we have going forward, because when people are buying these things, there isn't a need for the things, and there isn't a need for the jobs to create the things and sell them. >> it is all about cycle. rebecca jarvis joining us from the new jersey turnpike this morning. rebecca, thanks. >> you look over her shoulder and you see $3.72 just for regular. and there are six straights, including the district of columbia where it's already over $4 and it's going to continue to grow. the polls we were talking about with chip reid has more bad news for the president and for other government leaders in

washington, as well. just a litany of bad numbers this morning. let's bring in cbs news political correspondent jan crawford who joins us from d.c. this morning. jan, good morning. >> good morning, chris. >> biggest takeaway from this poll here. there don't seem to be a lot of positives. like i mentioned. >> no. there are none. and there is a clear message from this poll. people are just sick of washington, and of washington politicians. they're just fed up with everything. they're worried about where the country is going. think about some of these numbers that we see in this poll. 70% of americans say the country is on the wrong track. now that is up 20 points from when president obama took office. americans just think things are getting worse, not better. >> jan, in terms of being on the wrong track, the 70% that you mentioned there, what seems to be the main cause of frustrations for americans? >> well, i mean, like you and rebecca were just talking about, it's the economy. that is what people are most worried about. in between those rising gas prices, high deficits, unemployment, they just don't see things getting any better. but here's where the numbers, i think, in this poll get really interesting. chip was talking about president

obama's overall approval rating. we ask voters specifically if they approved of how president obama was handling the economy. 57% said no. that's his highest disapproval rating on the economy since he took office. that is potentially a real problem for the president, because as we know, the economy is going to be a key issue in next year's presidential elections, and the majority of the people, and by the way those key independent voters, just don't like how he's handling it. >> jan, another question, yesterday nevada senator john ensign abruptly resigned. he's been under investigation the greater part of the last two years stemming from an affair with a top aide's wife and some subsequent hush money payments. why the abrupt resignation now? >> well, it looks like the senate ethics committee, which was investigating those payments, was just closing in on him. last night, we saw the democrat and republican who lead that committee say in a statement that his decision to resign was appropriate, that's what they called it. so his resignation stopped the committee's investigation.

now the committee will probably still issue a public statement outlining what they found. although i have to say the way this unfolded suggests to me there's been some kind of plea deal between ensign and the ethics committee. but ensign, of course, still could face criminal charges. >> all right. cbs' jan crawford for us this morning in washington. jan, thank you. >> thanks. all right. >> other news. >> now in libya this morning, republican senator john mccain is meeting with rebel forces and calling them his heroes. meanwhile president obama has okayed the use of unmanned predator aircraft to attack ground targets there after nato air strikes failed to stop momento gadhafi's forces from attacking the city of misrata. on wednesday, the brutal fighting killed two photo journalists, including tim hetherington. cbs news correspondent, allen pizzey, one of the few journalists who has gotten in and out of misrata, joins us from benghazi this morning. allen, good morning.

>> good morning, chris. well, the biggest news here in benghazi, of course, the arrival of senator john mccain. that kind of vip trip is exactly what the transitional national council has been looking for as they seek recognition from someone that can be dealt with. now senator mccain told us today that what he really thinks should happen is that $30 billion in assets that are already frozen, that belong to libya, should be released to the transitional national council so that they can get this part of the country working. we also asked him whether or not he thought the idea that predator drones would be armed was mission creep or an idea whose time has come? >> i hope the president will be effective, and it will hopefully prevent further humanitarian disaster taking place in misrata. >> now, the people of misrata, of course, will be very happy to see predator drones, but the lines are so close together, nato can't do very much.

and as the battle just keeps going on, casualties keep mounting up. in fact, in the hospital where we were yesterday, they came in in a steady stream and that was considered a light day and the more that can be done, the more the people of misrata will be happy, chris. >> cbs' allen pizzey for us in benghazi, libya, this morning. allen, thank you. we want to get you now a look at some of the other stories we're following for you on this friday morning. jeff glor standing by at the news desk with a look at that. >> erica, good morning to you. good morning to everyone at home. as police in littleton, colorado, this morning try to figure out if explosives found in a mall have any connection to this week's anniversary of the columbine massacre, a new photo of a person of interest has been released this morning. and rick sallinger, our denver affiliate, is in littleton this morning. rick, good morning to you. let me ask you, the joint terrorism task force is involved here, fbi, atf, state and local police. have they narrowed in on a suspect yet? >> well, they have what they call a person of interest, jeff. the authorities are being very tight-lipped about this case.

but, we have learned through sources close to the investigation that they have found that the propane tanks used in the bomb were purchased right here beside me at this target store. it's located just across the mall from where the bomb was placed. so what they're doing is looking at surveillance tapes, and talking to these target employees, trying to put an identity on this man. >> rick, the latest photo they released clearly is an older male, not like the kids involved in columbine 12 years ago. have authorities said any more about whether they think the two incidents may be linked? >> well, what they are saying, jeff, is that there is no positive connection linking the two incidents, but they do have a number of similarities. the columbine shootings happened april 20th, 1999. 12 students and a teacher were shot to death. and it was exactly 12 years later that this bomb was found here in the shopping mall, which is located just about a mile away from the school.

>> yeah, and rick, let me ask you about that bomb and the potential similarities. there was one, obviously, as well in the columbine school cafeteria. are these bombs similar at all? >> yes, there are similarities, jeff. both bombs at columbine and here at the shopping mall were made out of propane tanks that failed to explode. and, also, pipe bombs. and, as we indicated, authorities are now testing them to see exactly how they were made up. >> all right, rick sallinger of cbs 4 in denver. rick, thank you very much. there's word this morning of a new kind of treatment for the flu. and it might be a breakthrough. researchers say. the medication is inhaled, not injected, and was developed at the university of texas. mice were given potentially lethal doses of the influenza virus and all survived. the treatment boosts the immune system and unlike current vaccines it appears to fight all flu strains. the new treatment has not been tested on humans yet but researchers say it holds, quote, great potential. the flu kills up to half a million people worldwide every year.

in japan, the president of tepco, the company that tones the crippled nuclear power plant, visited an evacuation center this morning for the first time. he bowed and he apologized for the disaster. tepco has been accused of ignoring warnings about earthquakes and tsunamis and reacting too slowly to damage. toyota announced this morning that because of japan's earthquake, it cannot resume full production of vehicles before november or december. toyota has a major shortage of parts that are made in northeast japan. meantime, nissan says they're checking all of its new vehicles for radiation to make sure those vehicles are not contaminated. some of those parts also came from northeast japan. one week from today, arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords is scheduled to watch her husband mark kelly's launch aboard the "endeavour" space shuttle. giffords is recovering, of course, after being shot in the head in january. kelly talked to katie couric about what his wife wants in the future. >> one thing she frequently comes back to is, you know,

going back to work, going back to her office. and, you know, how important it is for her to serve her constituents. she talks about that all the time. going back to tucson. i mean, she -- she wants to get back to tucson. she wants to get back to her district. she wants to get back to washington. >> you can see more of katie couric's interview with mark kelly monday on the "cbs evening news." and, by the way, katie will be here in our next half hour with a preview of the royal wedding, as well. it is 15 minutes past the hour. and how wonderful would it be to see gabby giffords get back to work, right, guys? >> it would be great. i know a lot of people are pulling for her. going to be a big day next friday, as well. >> it is. we're keeping katie busy. >> the launch and the royal wedding. it's still on? >> as far as i know, it's still on, yes. there's been some talk of jitters but i don't think they're that strong so we're good. marysol castro joining us with a look at our friday and weekend weather in theory. >> in theory. good morning, erica and chris.

good morning, everyone at home.

>> thanks so much. that's your latest weather. erica and chris, i'll have better news for your weekend forecast later on. >> thanks a lot, marysol. thank you. still ahead here on "the early show," an innocent man on death row. now he's free. now he's fighting for more than a million dollars denied him because of just two simple words. >> also ahead this morning, one week from now prince william and kate middleton will officially be husband and wife. katie couric is with us this morning to look ahead to the royal wedding. and our coverage here at cbs, including how kate middleton may be following in princess diana's footsteps when it comes to a very important part of that

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♪ we're ready. just ahead, see all the people milling about in front of buckingham palace. london is teeming with people excited for the royal wedding. >> one week. the countdown is officially on. >> a lot of excitement here, as well. we're going to get you the very latest this morning on the royal bride-to-be exactly one week before the including the fact that she may not say obey in her vows. >> shouldn't be surprised. prince william's mother diana didn't say it either. all the royal news and wedding preparations just ahead here on "the early show." >> this portion of "the early show" sponsored by kay jewelers. every kiss begins with kay. one look, and it's easy to see why his rings are worn by hollywood's biggest stars.

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today... san francisco's "muni" transit agency is expected to fire a driver who was caught text messages whil good morning. time for news headlines. i'm frank mallicoat. today san francisco muni transit agency is expected to fire a driver who texted while driving. a passenger recorded video while a drive was texting in a muni bus in february. yesterday that same passenger saw the same drive driving a bus. muni admits a mistake. people in san carlos are being warned to lock up their doors and windows after some home burglaries early this month in an area west of el camino real. in two case the burglars got in through unlocked windows not in view of the streets.

sharks are now one win away from advancing in the stanley cup play-offs after a 6-3 win last night in l.a. game 5 could clinch it tomorrow night here in san jose. traffic and weather around the bay area in just a moment. stay with us. ,,,, [ jerry ] look at this!

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good morning from the traffic center. highway 4 recovering from an earlier accident westbound at a street. all the activity over to the right shoulder. still a little sluggish through there. but pretty light overall. check this out. the bay bridge looking good. metering lights are off. no delays through the maze. you're clear off the eastshore freeway. also san mateo bridge problem- free. easy ride between 880 and 101. and golden gate bridge no delays to report in fact marin county accident-free, as well. lawrence has the forecast. >> thank you. a lot of clouds making their way into our skies right now. we have had patchy fog down below, mid- to high-level clouds up above. that's what's in the bay now. clouds at this hour more of that throughout the day today. that's going to help to hold those temperatures down a bit. highs today mid-60s, the warmest spots inland inside the bay low 60s here in oakland. mid-60s into san jose. out at the coastline let's plan on highs only in the 50s on this "good friday." as we look toward the weekend, mostly cloudy skies, slight chance of showers over the weekend. looks like drying out warming up next week.

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♪ half past the hour as we welcome you back to "the early show." you may have heard, this kind of big event next week in london on this day. next friday. and in just a few minutes we're going to get you all the very latest news from london on the upcoming royal wedding. katie couric is also with us here in the studio. she is leading cbs' coverage, live coverage of the royal wedding for us next friday. she's going to give us all the goods. >> katie's done a ton of reporting on princess diana over the years, as well. we're going to ask katie if she thinks kate middleton can make as big a mark on the public's imagination as princess diana did. we'll get to that in just a couple of minutes. first jeff glor at the news desk with another look at the top

headlines this morning. >> chris, good morning to you once again. this morning, president obama is flying back to washington after a west coast campaign swing. mr. obama was welcomed at a los angeles fund-raiser last night. but a new cbs news/"new york times" poll shows not everyone approves. just 46% of americans polled approve how he's handling this job. almost as many disapprove. that same poll shows much more that same poll shows much more

tomorrow night, "48 hours" mystery features a fascinating and infuriating story. grave injustice. it's the saga of anthony graves who spent 18 years behind bars for a mass murder he didn't commit. now two words missing from his prison release papers are costing him more than $1 million in compensation. here's a preview.

>> this is definitely a life and death struggle. this is a man's life on the line. >> reporter: in this fire-gutted house, firefighters found six bodies. >> whoever committed the crime was in a frenzy. there were 66 stab wounds. >> reporter: 66? 66. >> there's a lot of pressure to find this person or these people that have done this. >> they got their man, and that's the end of the story. they did not do their jobs. >> oh, my god, what happened here?l >> manipulating witnesses, fabricating evidence. >> does this man get to live? does this man get to die? >> well, joining us now from houston, texas, is professor nicole casarez of the university of st. thomas. she and her journalism class were instrumental in the release of anthony graves. she joins us this morning. mr. casarez, good morning. >> hello. >> this man served 18 years.

now, in your mind, what was the one piece of evidence that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that mr. graves had nothing to do with the commission of this crime? >> you know, there were actually a number of things. the state evidence that supposedly convicted him really didn't stand up. once we took a look at it, the quote/unquote evidence that convicted him was just really nothing. there was no case. but, then, on top of that, anthony had alibi witnesses to show where he was at the time of the crime. so i would say probably he was with his girlfriend that night, and she swore that she was with him all night, that he never left. and i guess, you know, she told me years later, why would i lie for a baby killer? i'm married. i have children of my own. and why would i continue to lie these many years later for someone who killed children?

>> okay so you find all this evidence. it looks on the surface as though he had nothing to do with this case. how, then, difficult was it to convince the d.a. to overturn this conviction? >> well, that was practically impossible. you know, over the years -- i worked on the case for about eight years. and there were different district attorneys. there were representatives from the attorney general's office, and, really, they didn't want to give us the time of day. it wasn't until the latest elected d.a. in the county hired a special prosecutor, a woman by the name of kelly seegler and she basically did what we did. and that was to really reinvestigate the case. and look at it with objective eyes. and then she came to the same conclusion we did. >> all right. miss casarez, thank you very much. he's also owed $1.4 million. $80 for every year he was incarcerated but because two words, actually innocent, don't appear on the paperwork, he can't get his money. we'll find out much more about this on saturday night. thank you very much for joining

us this morning. you can see the full story on "48 hours mystery" grave injustice tomorrow night at 10:00, 9:00 central, right here on cbs. well, coming up next, royal wedding preparations are reaching a fever pitch. we'll have the very latest from london. katie couric will look ahead to next week's coverage all right here on cbs. you're watching "the early show." and we're back right after this. ♪ ♪ wake up ♪ it's a beautiful morning ♪ honey ♪ while the sun is still shining ♪ ♪ wake up ♪ would you like to go with me? ♪ ♪ honey ♪ take a run down to the beach ♪ ♪ oh, mama ♪ i wanna go surfing ♪ oh, mama

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one week to go, ♪ one week to go, and as we prepare to head to london for the royal wedding, a brand-new poll finds nearly eight out of ten people in britain and nearly six out of ten americans are following at some of the hoopla surrounding the royal couple. we are happily among those folks. cbs news royal contributor victoria arbiter is outside buckingham palace this morning with the very latest wedding news. victoria, i would say the biggest headline this morning is about the vows and whether or not kate will use the word obey. good morning. >> good morning, erica. well, it's interesting. we've got a very modern couple but a very traditional wedding service ahead of us. according to the daily mirror newspaper, the -- kate has chosen to omit the word obey from her vows, but when we asked clarence house to comment this

morning, they said that was spectacularly speculative. we'll have to wait and see on the day. but if kate should choose to omit the word obey, she'll be only the second royal bride in history to do so. the first being princess diana in 1981. >> spectacularly speculative sounds so british, i love it. also making some headlines this morning, harry is talking about what he won't be doing on the day of the wedding. >> well, harry has quite a reputation for being the party boy. he's definitely the life and soul of any shindig and you want to have him around. but he does appreciate the significance of his role as best man at william's side on the day. so he has said that he is not going to have anything to drink until after his best man speech at the dinner. but i'm sure he'll more than make up for it afterwards. >> make up for lost time. victoria, thanks. we're looking forward to seeing you and being with us next week. joining us now here in -- >> thank you. >> here now in the studio with us is "cbs evening news" anchor katie couric who leads our coverage of the royal wedding next friday. >> good morning.

>> hi, erika. how are you? >> you know, as i hear more and more, it's, i mean the level of detail is a bit ludicrous. we learned yesterday that kate middleton purchased some underwear. >> yes. >> and i was really happy to hear that. can you imagine? >> sale price. >> she went to something that is sort of the british equivalent of j. crew to buy a number of her dresses, apparently, for her honeymoon, it's called warehouse. it's just so funny that everything that they're doing seems to scrutinized and reported on. but, having said that, i am excited. i think it's so great to be able to cover a happy story. you know, it's been such a tumultuous year when you look back on the news events so far. we start with gabby giffords on january 8th. and then egypt, japan, libya. so i think everybody's sort of excited to cover and hopefully watch something that's a little more joyful. >> yes, exactly. >> there's a lot of interest, too, of course, because this is prince william and there was such a love for princess diana in this country. a lot of people trying to make the comparison between princess diana and kate middleton. you covered diana for a long time.

but you also, you know, had some encounters where you were actually right there next to her. >> well, i think we all know what a -- what a tortured life, in many ways, diana led. and how sad she was. i actually sat two seats away from her at a luncheon in chicago when she was here doing some charity work, and i remember saying to her, you must be excited about going home, because this must be exhausting, all the people you have to meet and greet and be gracious to, and she said, yes, i am excited. but i'm going home to an empty house. and i thought, oh, that's so sad. i suggested that she invite some girlfriends over for a sleepover and she looked at me like i had two heads. but that's okay, i guess. but, you know, i mean, i think there was a certain sadness about her. and i don't think she was prepared, at all, to deal with the pressures and the attention that came with her job, and her life. and i think kate middleton seems so much more grounded. first of all, she's ten years older than diana was. diana had just turned 20 when she got married. and, you know, it was so difficult for her. i think the level of scrutiny

she got, and then, of course, the marriage itself was so fraught with problems. you know, there are three people in this marriage. and i think -- you really do get the impression that kate has, you know, there was such a long period of time when they dated, that she's been able to acclimate herself. and i think one of the reasons that he didn't propose earlier, not that i know or have any inside information, as people called her waity katie is i think, you know, it's a hard thing to step into. and i feel for her. i mean, to at such the center of attention. >> yes. >> but she really does seem like a very together young woman. doesn't she? >> she does. and there was a lot of talk, too, that william was so concerned about that because of what happened to his mother. >> exactly. >> that he really loved this girl and didn't want anything to happen to her. >> i think she seems absolutely terrific. she seems like the kind of girl that we'd want to be friends with. i know that sounds really weird. she seems normal. she seems smart. she seems grounded. and you feel like she's going to do everything she possibly can to stay that way. >> and that really is part of

her appeal, that you feel like she's sort of quote/unquote normal. >> yeah. >> you kind of made a joke about the fashion and her shopping at the equivalent of j. crew. >> like in top shop and h&m. hasn't she bought clothing there? >> she has. at sort of all of these places that more normal people would shop at. but she does seem to be having quite an impact on fashion in general. >> i think she's sort of taking a page out of michelle obama's book. and i think it's also kind of an effort to be more responsible. you know, these are hard times all over the world economically. and i think the fact that she's sort of also mixes up high fashion with things, i think she wore a suit recently that she'd had in her closet for years. which you've got to love. she doesn't seem to be a slave to fashion. she's so beautiful and she always looks so elegant. i like her style because she sort of exudes class. in the right way, without sort of being a snob about it. >> yes. which is nice. >> yeah. >> and she covers up, which is nice. other than that heinous-looking see-thru thing --

>> that didn't do it for you? >> other than that, i feel like she wears sort of very, you know, appropriate, tasteful -- thank you, good word, tasteful clothes. >> when it comes to next friday. you'll be leading coverage? >> oh, by the way, this time next friday, they'll be married. >> they'll be married. >> and apparently the royal kiss is going to come in about 40 minutes, next friday at 8:20, they'll be going out on the balcony in the middle of the luncheon that they're having for them at buckingham palace. i guess our invitations were lost in the mail. >> maybe if we knock on the door of the palace, they will let us in. you'll be at westminster abbey at 4:00 a.m. >> yes. you'll be at buckingham palace. >> i heard they're going to ring the bells for three hours straight. do you have special ear plugs? >> no, but i bought a lot of advil. i packed a lot of advil. i'll be like erica is at buckingham palace. i guess it's nice that they're doing that. >> stop screaming. but it's going to be a little annoying by, you know, by the time 2 hours and 15 minutes pass, don't you think? >> put it that way. it's great. it's going to be a lot of fun. >> i'm looking forward to working with you. >> i am, too. >> what are you wearing? >> i don't -- it's like kate

middleton, i don't want everybody to know. >> okay. >> we'll keep it on the d.l. >> we'll do the big reveal next friday. thanks, katie. >> i'll be seeing you in london. >> looking forward to tonight on the "cbs evening news." and cbs news will be bringing you the royal wedding next friday, right here, live from london. things kick off at 4:00 a.m. eastern time. katie will have complete coverage of the "cbs evening news" that evening as well, followed by a prime-time special "the royal wedding: modern majesty." the highlights of all the day. all wedding, all the time. that is at 8:00 p.m. next friday, 7:00 central right here on cbs. there's more "early" show to come on this friday morning. stay with us. we'll be right back. ♪

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when we come back we're going to talk about discounts for seniors. actually it pays to be over 65. there are some great deals out there, you just have to know where to find them. and we're going to help you with that. ,,,,,,,,

today a muni driver is likely to be time for news headlines from cbs 5. i'm frank mallicoat. today a muni driver likely to be fired after a passenger caught her texting while on the job. the passenger took cell phone video of the driver text, gave it to muni a few weeks ago. but muni now admits that somehow that same driver was operating a bus just yesterday. oakland police have arrested a man in a string of sexual assaults. they nabbed a 20-year-old parolee yesterday at a halfway house. he is suspected of robbing and sexually assaulting a woman near lake merritt earlier this week. he is linked to similar incidents since last year. pg&e's ceo and president peter darby will step down next saturday. he will leave with a retirement package worth nearly $35

million. also pg&e says it will never find documents for some of us older gas pipeline, so it may have to test them with high pressure water instead. traffic and weather around the bay area in just a moment. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. you're on the brakes through petaluma compliments of a broken-down big rig south 101 at washington blocking lanes. only one lane gets by through

there and traffic really building so give yourself some extra time. once you get south of there, along 101, not bad. marin county commute okay. you're clear across the golden gate bridge. nine minutes on that south 101 ride from 37 to 580. san leandro a surface street problem lewelling at washington. injury accident with lanes possibly blocked around that area, san mateo bridge good no delays through hayward or foster city across the span. that's traffic. here's the forecast. >> all right. lots of clouds making their way into our skies right now and looks like we are going to see plenty of those throughout the day today. over the bay plenty of low clouds there but mid- to high- level clouds up above as a weak disturbance is moving onshore bringing with it cloudy skies and some cooler temperatures all around the bay area today. plan on highs on the warm end only in the mid-60s. lots of 60s inside the bay. 50s at the coast. the big question is, this weekend we have mostly cloudy skies in the forecast. slight chance of a shower late saturday night into sunday morning. then we'll dry things outlooks like warmer weather next tuesday. ,,,,,,,,

welcome back to "the early show" on a beautiful friday morning here. hope it is shaping up that way for you wherever you're joining us from this morning. i'm erica hill along with chris wragge. it's going to be a nice start to the weekend. >> it is a good friday. >> hopefully a little something better will be coming through. just ahead we'll look at some really stunning numbers and disturbing actually as well. some experts estimate 200,000 people die in u.s. hospital s every year from mistakes, and these are mistakes that could be prevented. just ahead, you'll hear the heart-breaking story of one couple who lost their only child to a careless error and we are going to do our very best to

help make sure you and your loved one no, sir h-- know how o stay safe. then how to save on travel to banking to car insurance. the only catch, you have to be a senior citizen, although some of these discounts are available to people as young as 50, so i've got something to look forward to, only a few short years away. >> right around the corner for you. >> we'll reveal some big discounts. but there are some really great deals to be had. >> i love this. i get my love of a bargain from cheryl. we want to get to the latest headlines and jeff glor is standing by with that for us. >> big fan of cheryl. >> cheryl is great. she loves you too. >> she really is lovely. good morning, guys. a new cbs/"new york times" poll shows americans are growing more and more pessimistic about the economy. 80% of those polled said the economy's condition is bad, just 19% said it's good. 39% said it's getting worse. just 23% said it's getting better.

one reason for the glum mood is high gas prices. president obama has ordered a task force to investigate whether oil traders and spec laters are manipulating gas prices too much. >> we're going to make sure that nobody is taking advantage of american consumers. for their own short-term gain. >> that poll shows a slippage in mr. obama's job approval rating. mr. obama got a warm welcome at a los angeles fund-raiser last night. however, just 46% of americanss polled now approve of how he's handling his job. 45% disapprove. as weak as the president's numbers are, there is much more disapproval of congress. 75% of those polled disapprove of the job congress is doing, just 16% approve. senator john ensign of nevada is expected to officially hand in his resignation letter today. he is leaving amid an investigation by the senate ethics committee.

he admitted having an extramarital affair with his former aide, cynthia hampton. she is under investigation for helping her husband get a lobbying job. ensign insists he did nothing wrong. senator john mccain of arizona is on a surprise visit with rebels in benghazi, libya, this morning. from libya he told cbs news that the opposition fighters need to get some of the libyan money frozen by sanctions. >> i don't think it is either wise nor necessary to put american boots on the ground. but i do believe that the air campaign needs u.s. assets. the fact is they do not have the capabilities that we do. >> mccain said the rebels in libya are his heroes. meanwhile the u.s. military has added a new element to its air campaign in libya, predator drones. missiles fired are accurate enough to provide air cover for rebel ground forces, even in house-to-house fighting. concerns about the privacy of smartphone users is growing

this morning. the "wall street journal" is reporting that dpogoogle also collects data on users of the android phones. this found after apple does the same thing with iphones and it pads. both companies declined to comment. today is good friday, the day most solemn on the christian calendar. in jetstrewel the faithful gath at the site of the resurrection of christ. it is 8:04 on this good friday morning. back over to chris and erica, guys. shaping up to be a nice holiday weekend. >> we hope so. marysol castro is here with a check of the weather. it could be a mixed bag but we'll focus on the good parts. >> of course, of course, good morning to you. good morning, everyone at home. we want to start off with high temperatures. some are very bomby. brownsville 93, los angeles 69. 71 in kansas city. new york will be 73, just a little below normal.

as we look at the national

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join us at poochprotest.com. [ male announcer ] ask your veterinarian about k9 advantix ii. in this in this morning's healthwatch, medical mistakes. this month the government announced a new initiative to prevent hospital errors that are blames for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year and cost american taxpayers billions of dollars. cynthia bowers reports on one family's tragedy.

>> reporter: from the time they met and married, fritzie and cameron burkett dreamed of having a houseful of children. but after suffering through two miscarriages, that dream appeared less and less likely. >> when i got the second miscarriage, it was a little discouraging, but like i just believed and had faith that when it was god's timing, it would happen. >> on september 6, 2010, their son, genesis, was born at lutheran hospital in chicago, three months premature. >> you've got your eyes open for your dad, huh? i was overjoyed. he was our first child. he had some of my features i could see and it's amazing that we created, you know, that child together. >> reporter: but while in the neonatal icu, fatal mistakes were made. during a routine procedure, genesis was given 60 times the normal dose of sodium in his iv bag. blood tests revealed he had

extremely high levels of sodium in his body. despite doctor's orders to have him checked, nothing was done for more than eight hours. six weeks after his birth, genesis burkett went into cardiac arrest from an overdose and died. unfortunately, these nightmare scenarios are playing out in hospitals across the country. by some estimates, 200,000 patients die each year from preventible medical errors and countless more are injured. >> as many as one in seven, maybe even one in three of every hospital admission of patients are injured by the care that's supposed to help them. >> reporter: now the burketts have filed suit against the hospital, claiming they were negligent in their son's care and that he died due to a preventible human error. >> a simple mistake could have been picked up several times along the way by a pharmacist, then by a doctor, and they were not. and as a result, a little baby that was well on his way to

recovery died. >> our organization takes full accountability for the tragedy leading to the death of the baby, and has been transparent and disclosed everything we know about it in a commitment to improve care. >> every week we would measure him. >> reporter: the burketts hope publicizing their pain can draw awareness to the deadly dangers that are hiding in a place of healing. >> you have these dreams that you work towards making those dreams happen and then like -- it's kind of like a nightmare comes in a second and takes away everything. >> gosh, that's heart breaking. joining us is medical correspondent dr. jennifer ashton. the scariest part is this is frighteningly common. this actually even happened in your family. how do we prevent these mistakes? >> sometimes, erica, there's not much that a patient and their family can do. in this particular case in the piece we just heard about, in a neonatal icu we're talking about often very premature babies, very small, very fragile, very sick newborns.

errors in that setting are eight times more likely to occur than they are to occur in adult settings. again, some of them may be equipment or mechanical errors, some of them, as it was in this case, might be human errors. strategies are being put in place as we've heard to reduce or minimize that, but, you know, you just have to hope for the best and be active and involved when someone in your family is in that setting. >> so that's one of the most important things you can do. you have to do what you can on your end. before i even set foot in the hospital if possible, what do i need to be thinking about and what should i do? >> you want to do your research, first of all. you want to find out about the hospital, you want to talk to your doctor if possible, if atmospheit's an elective or scheduled operation. ask as many questions as possible. if you're talking about being admitted, it's a good idea to bring a friend or relative with you and have someone there at all times that's not as emotionally vested in what's going on but can pay attention, can hear what's being said to you as it's being explained and be able to repeat that back to

you if necessary. >> and once you are in the hospital, there are important questions you should ask or bring someone with you who will ask those questions, i guess. >> exactly. the key is to be active, to be involved, to be an advocate. a lot of people are embarrassed or ashamed and don't want to speak up or cause trouble. that's actually the opposite of what a patient or their family should do. there are a couple of key tips. number one, always check that anyone touching you or your relative has clean hands. doctors and nurses should actually wash their hands or use hand sanitizers in front of you before coming to the patient's bedside. you want to confirm the procedure. ask why it's being done. what body part is being tested. ask as many questions about that procedure as possible. you want to review all allergies, all medications, repeatedly. you cannot overemphasize that type of information. and lastly, it's always a good idea to ask for written information. i write down all specific drugs, tests, procedures, the names and the doses on a piece of paper and give it to my patients

because, again, this is common information and language for me, not so common for the patient. >> and that can be important too when you head home, things like written instructions, because you want to make sure that you continue that care when you leave. >> absolutely. follow-up is critical and a lot of mistakes actually occur after you leave the hospital or doctor's office. if someone says we'll let you know if the results are abnormal, not sufficient. you want to follow up and make sure you get the copy of that result and the test result, if possible, in printed form. >> great information this morning. jen, thanks. >> you bet. just ahead, the best senior citizen discounts, everything from hardware to hotel rooms, airlines to banks, and you don't always have to be 65 or older. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. cbs healthwatch sponsored by subway. try the steak, egg and cheese and experience bold breakfast flavor. with a protein-packed breakfast like the sunrise subway melt. try it with juicy tomatoes for a breakfast that stands out from the pack. subway, the official training restaurant of apolo ohno and athletes everywhere.

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welcome back to "the early show" here on cbs. we know it's tough getting older so this morning it's time to

make young people jealous. seniors get lots of discounts that can save big money and aol consumer adviser regina lewis is here with some of the best deals that exist out there. >> hi, chris. >> let's define senior, first of all. >> we're talking about 50 to 65 is the starting range for a lot of these deals. younger than people think. the notion of senior discounts actually stems from respect for our elders and the fact that it's good business. they have a lot of discretionary income. we don't want to make young people jealous, you can get in on this because if you're start of the extended family start thinking the eldest person in your family might have the most buying power. >> so it's good to respect those elders like you mentioned. >> yeah. >> some deals are for 50 and over but a lot of them are for 65 and over. let's start with travel, because you've got some time on your hand, you're nearing retirement, there are a lot of great deals out there for you. let's start with that. let's start with basically airfare. get some airlines. >> airlines. this kicks in at a later age, usually 65. the tricky thing about booking through the airlines is that you won't see the senior discounts

on their website. which is how a lot of people book travel these days. so you do have to call. what you want to do is check the websites first so you get the lowest price so when you call for the senior discount you're comparing it with whatever specials are out there so you know you're really getting the lowest price. >> also, the applies to bus travel, train travel. >> yeah, that's more straightforward. on amtrak it's 15% discount. greyhound has a discount, as well. as well as trailways which is charter buses, and that starts at age 50. >> like you said, you have to kind of call each carrier to see if different discounts apply for different ages but also the different carriers you can get from 5 to 15 to sometimes 30% off. >> 5% on an airline ticket is legit. >> when it comes to renting a car. the insurance aspect is somewhere where if you've got your aarp card. >> yeah, that can be helpful there. it can be helpful without renting a car for your own car. if you are a mature driver this won't kick in automatically but in your 50s you can take the mature driving test and aarp has a link to all of the places

where it's offered by zip code and you'll save 10% on your insurance. god willing you're driving another 20, 30 years that really adds up. >> so we've basically furnished some discounts for you to get there. now we've got to talk about some destinations spots where people can go. >> sure. when it comes to hotels here's how it usually works if you have an aarp card -- i'm sorry, let's talk about these places. the national park service. this could be the best deal yet. you get a lifetime pass for $10 and you could have a whole carful of people and you get them in. you really want grandpa to be driving. that compares to $80 per year. so big, big discount. then $3 off at places like sea world or busch gardens. >> and dozens of great national parks out there. some great destinations. now let's get to those hotels. once you've picked out a destination you have to stay somewhere. it's always nice to save a dollar or two. >> i mention the aarp card. what that does is get you a discount to kick in at age 50. the aarp membership is $16 a year. so it pays for itself pretty quickly. if not, it kicks in at 62 with or without the card. and that means 10% to 30% off at all of these big names.

>> quality inn, 20% to 30%, motel 6 up to 40% off. holiday inn up to 30% off. before you do travel you do need to save some money and there's some great banking deals out there. >> banking because they're recurring fees. so if you can say to your bank, wachovia, which is now part of wells fargo and bank of america also has a program, look, what can you do for me, i'm a senior. and it's free check renewals or free online bill payment, all of those little costs but because they're recurring hopefully over several more generations it really adds up. >> the one thing we do, i guess, we implore to everyone is to do your research. not only with travel, not only with hotels, but if you do do some great research you can find some great surprises, deals out there from different places, even down to movie tickets. >> yes. >> they cost so much these days but if you go at the right time or the right place. >> amc, 30% for seniors, 60% off on tuesdays. a place like hall mark has a

discount on a certain day of the week. but it varies by store so you have to ask your local hall mark which day can i best shop. >> and other places at&t, kmart, rite aid, banana republic, ross stores, the salvation army. there are so many options out there. so much money that can be saved. you just have to know where to look. >> and we're going to have links to all of these places and the specific deals on the cbs website. >> thank you for doing my job for me. for more senior discounts, go to our website, earlyshow.cbsnews.com. all those discounts are there. go out there and save some money. still ahead on "the early show," saving the earth and a little money, too, as well. the new eco-friendly products for earth day and every day. your local news is next. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

faces child cruelty and prostituti . it is 8:25. time now for some news headlines. a mother of five faces child cruelty and prostitution charges. oakland police arrested jill mcveigh in a sex sting after they say she solicited an undercover officer. officers found her one month old twins in a nearby car with the window cracked. a shooting suspect is in oakland police custody it morning after gunfire nearly killed a teenager. the shooting was yesterday afternoon in west oakland. the suspect is also a juvenile. he is in custody for firearms possession. the plan to build a whole new neighborhood on treasure island is moving forward. late last night, san francisco's planning commission advanced the massive $1.5 billion redevelopment. the proposal now heads to the board of supervisors.

traffic and weather coming right up. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. i'm gianna franco in the traffic center. let's go straight to the eastshore freeway where we're monitoring an accident in the noncommute direction. eastbound 80 right at ashby. temporarily they shut down all lanes to clear this wreck over to the right shoulder but it was very brief. it's a little slow and go on

the eastbound side. westbound not bad, very light traffic looking clear towards the bay bridge toll plaza. off the maze no delays to report. heading to san francisco, traffic looks pretty good. live look at 880 northbound cruising along into the maze. southbound no delays to report as you head towards hayward. and mass transit, bart, ace, muni metro and caltrain, all running on time with no delays. that's a look at traffic. here's your forecast with lawrence. >> all right, lots of clouds out there, gianna. we are going to see that today, cloudy today. mount vaca you can see breaks in the clouds expect mostly cloudy skies throughout the day today. that's going to hold down temperatures a little bit. highs this afternoon probably mid-60s in the warmest spots. you have a lot of 60s inside the bay and 50s at the coastline. as we head through the weekend we'll see a weak system dive into the bay area bringing with it mostly cloudy skies. slight chance of some showers overnight saturday night and into sunday. doesn't look like a big deal. then it moves out. then it looks like by monday we see more sunshine and by tuesday, we have some temperatures headed up into the 70s. should stay warm through the middle of next week. ,, ,,,,,,,,

bottom of the hour, friday morning. it's good friday. the flowers in bloom here in new york. welcome back. bottom of the hour, as i said. welcome back to "the early show." chris wragge along with erica hill, marysol castro, jeff glor. everybody getting ready for the weekend. >> that's a good song. >> look out, ryan seacrest, jeff glor right here. just ahead, costco big bucks, they literally sell everything from a hunk of cheese that can feed a small nation,

they sell caskets in some cases. >> diamonds. >> diamonds. and to go with those diamonds. >> please. >> wedding dresses. they now sell wedding dresses. you may have noticed if you or someone you know is getting married, but it seems like wedding dresses are available almost everywhere these days and so much more reasonable than they used to be. so we're going to take a look at some of the stores with the best bargains on wedding dresses. there's ear big wedding in like a week. >> i don't know which one she's talking about. >> unbelievable. >> she's giddy with excitement. also ahead, we celebrate earth day. marysol will take us to a schoolful of

thank you so much. that is your latest weather. chris. >> nice job. don't you go anywhere. >> i'm not going to.

>> on this date in 1970, 20 million people across america started to pick up, clean up and speak out about the state of our environment. here on cbs, walter cronkite anchored the first-ever, primetime special for earth day. >> a day set aside for a nationwide outpouring of mankind seeking its own survival. earth day. a day dedicated to enlisting all the citizens of a bountiful country in the common cause of saving life from the deadly byproducts. the fouled skies, the filthy waters, the littered earth. >> marysol is here now with more on earth day 2011 style. >> tough to follow the most trusted man in america but i will try. the movement began predominantly at colleges and universities. i spent the day talking to students from kindergarten to fifth grade about their impressive efforts to help the environment.

for the students at willow elementary in ridgewood, new jersey, it's just another day at school. what's on the minds of these young, impressionable students may surprise you isn. >> i worry sometimes about what could happen when i'm older, like what could be different about the planet. >> i think the earth will be polluted and garbage everywhere. >> there might not be a lot of trees left, and i like to climb trees. >> reporter: such concerns are why these students are learning more than just how to sort paper from plastic. >> yes, go ahead. >> reporter: teachers encourage them to make healthy decisions on everything from exercise to diet, and they try to make it fun. on this day, each grade wears a specific color and brings in a snack to represent it. >> what did you bring for lunch? >> i brought carrots and cantaloupe. >> not a bad thing, definitely orange. >> reporter: they also have an extensive recycling program, from collection bins in classrooms to composting. >> after six months, it breaks down. >> and then it turns into this

weird soil, but it's actually really good stuff. >> and worms. >> and their poop is the soil. >> their poop is the soil? >> it's awesome, awesome. >> reporter: and through their partnership with the company terracycle, things like bottle caps and plastic bags are given new lives as shower curtains and backpacks. >> these are all juice pouches. these are gift cards and old toothpaste. >> reporter: so you're really doing your part here, saving the earth. one juice box at a time? >> yeah. >> reporter: in the last three years, they have cut their waste by some 1,000 pounds. >> so we're going to take our recycling out now, guys? >> reporter: but nationally, only eight states currently mandate school recycling. >> it should kind of be like every day because you should do it every day, not just one day.

>> reporter: what do you do to take care of the planet. >> i will tell people not to throw plastic stuff away. >> always try to plant one or two trees or a couple flowers and something. >> reporter: 41 years after earth day began, saving the environment is no longer a new way of thinking, it's a way of life, and these students will set the standard for generations to come. >> compost! >> reporter: compost it is, and of course we also want to mention the teachers who are there who play just an integral role with those students helping them save the planet, as i said, one drink box at a time. chris. >> compost, it's our new rallying cry. ridgewood, great school out there. thank you very much. just in time for earth day, we've got some of the hottest new products that are affordable, usable and good for the planet. emilie cowan is here to tell us how great they work.

>> thank you. thanks for having me. >> so much has changed with the way they're manufactured and the way they're produced. >> absolutely. it's an incredibly exciting time in the world of consumer products. we're seeing top manufacturers and the best designers getting together to produce sustainable and healthy products that are affordable, stylish and high quality. >> everybody is on bore. let's start with some cleaning items. how has this changed? >> this is one of my favorite products, it's called replenish. it marks a huge innovation in the way that we react with our products. it's cradle-to-cradle certified which means it's non-toxic and biodegradable. you purchase a reusable baudott and it comes with replaceable cartridges. each cartridge makes four bottles of cleaner. this is incredible. which means you cut down on such a huge amount of wasted plastic and water and it's also 50% in savings over traditional cleaners. >> everybody loves to save. >> exactly.

the bottle is $8 and this is $4. it's such a great deal and it's -- and they're very effective and they're beautiful. >> it's pretty good-looking. let's talk about this laundry soap. we waste so much when we pour it into the big cups and dump it in. i'm a huge offender but this makes it a little easier. >> it does and this is one of the industry's favorite products. this makes 50 loads of laundry. >> 50 in this little thing? >> it does. that's the same as what you're used to seeing in those huge containers and it's just four pumps. this is also cradle-to-cradle certified, non-toxic, certified. this is a great product. for me personally, i don't have to c plant-based. i don't have to carry around those huge jugs of stuff. >> this is the it bulb, a pharox bulb. it's $25 and lasts 25 years. it's amazing, it's $1 a year. and you see the light. it's warm, it's bright, it's about the equivalent of a 40 to

60-watt light bulb. it's l.e.d., no mercury, no lead. it doesn't get hot. really safe for the home. >> and you don't even need a shade. this is one of those items you go on a camping trip and need to charge your things. >> exactly. this is great for camping season. it's also really great to have on hand in case of an emergency. this is a solar panel. you charge it outside in daylight and it connects to this very well-designed retro lamp and it also has a usb charger to charge mobile devices. it provides about 8 to 45 hours of light, which is really incredible. the technology is here, it's hard to believe. >> i wanted to get to the underwear here real quickly. we do have reusable underwear. >> it's not reusable. >> you go to our website for that and of course water bottles here. everybody needs a water bottle. get a good one that's good for the environment. >> it's also great for camping season and has its own filter. >> like i said, you want to learn about the underwear, go to

our website. these products all of them on our website, earlyshow.cbsnews.com. it's something you need to read up on. thank you very much. >> thank you so much. happy earth day. >> reusable underwear, just as long as she used that laundry detergent. most modern brides don't have a budget like kate middleton. katrina szish has been looking into the low-cost trend in bride al wear. these dresses can just be outrageous. >> they can be incredibly expensive. you can buy the bridal gown of our dreams without breaking the bank. we've found several option that say will make any bride blush. take a look. ♪ going to the chapel >> it's the number one obsession of every bride, finding the perfect dress for her big day. >> is this it, guys? >> i love it. >> there is the dream of what you're going to wear the day of your wedding, and they do feel this pressure to find the dress. >> and with more and more brides

paying for their own nuptials, several mass market retailers have expanded their bridal lines, giving women the opportunity to say yes to the dress, but for less. >> whether it's the white by vera wang collection for david's bridal for $1,000 or j. crew, this dress is $995, would be perfect for destination weddings. and this dress is from a line of anthropoligie and costs $600, has a vintage, retro feel. >> the latest, big box retailer, costco. >> wedding dresses at costco! we were a little surprised. >> but for veteran dress designer, kirstie kelly, it feels like a marriage made in heaven. >> i was so happy because within this collection we've been able to incorporate a lot of beautiful details. we have lace, swarovski

crystals. >> it features six sophisticated styles ranging from $650 to $1400. >> i usually go to costco for toilet paper, not for a wedding gown, so i was excited about that. >> lupe was dress shopping for the first time. >> i think the shape of this is so pretty on you. >> it's her lucky day. >> oh, it's beautiful. >> she falls in love with the first dress she tries on. >> we're not leaving without it. >> each year, filene's basement hosts several wedding dress sample sales across the country. their famous running of the brides. >> i actually have a strategy. >> megan is first in line at the sale in chicago. she's shopped here the past four years as a brides maid. now she's the bride. >> tried to make some changes. instead of banking left, we're going to bank right. >> reporter: megan needs all the help she can get and asks me to be an honorary team member.

>> all right. well, i kind of have my running shoes on. i can also use them as a weapon. >> this will be perfect. >> reporter: with 1700 gowns up for grabs at 70% to 95% off, this is an event brides can't afford to miss. after waiting in line for nearly 24 hours, it's go time. on the floor, the wedding dress war intensifies. >> elbow, elbows. >> hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. >> reporter: as the team gathers dozens of dresses, megan finally finds her favorite. >> you're certain to tear up and i think you found it. >> yeah, i think i did. >> reporter: she takes a spin, savoring her sweet success. >> 299!

>> did i hear her say 299? >> $299. it was originally $1800. >> wow! i tried that running of the brides and didn't have that kind of luck. but it really can work. you can get a dress for $300. what's nice is there are all these affordable dresses. now you have a few for us here. a lot of these, when you buy a dress and order it, you can't return it. these a lot are available online and you could if it doesn't fit. >> exactly. these dresses are from unexpected stores. these are from stores you would actually find at the mall. and these dresses are available only online, as you mentioned, but they are returnable so if they don't if it's not quite what you had in mind, accepted -- send it back and return it. >> the first one is ann taylor. it has a beautiful fitted sweetheart neck, fitted bodice. it's a sleek, simple, elegant

gown. >> boy what, a steal, $550. >> so much better, especially when you wear it once. lace can be a little more pricey. >> lace can be pricey and this one i just picture at a beach wedding. i think it would be fantastic. this, believe it or not, is from the limited, which blew my mind. it is $239. >> oh, my goodness. you could buy like two or three and just keep changing it up. >> exactly. lastly we have this one. >> i love this detailing. >> i love the detail here. this is from white house black market's val collection. that launched just last year. this dress is $348. >> oh, my gosh. i'm in shock. everything is so much more palatable than when i got married. for folks paying for their own wedding, great to know these options are out there. thank you. if you thought you could save money over there, wait until you see how cheap you can basically redo your entire garage. it's supposed to be just for your car, but a lot of us have so much other stuff in there that cars barely fit in your garage right now so it's a good

idea to put your garage on the spring cleaning list. the host of "money hunters" is back with some easy and inexpensive storage and organizing ideas. we had one guy in mind for this segment, matt, and it was you. great to see you again. how are you? >> i'm doing great. >> why is it the one thing everybody wants to avoid is like doing your taxes. nobody wants to do it. >> it's daunting. the amount of stuff that you have into it. i know when i was a kid, we had so much stuff i didn't want to go to the garage. we would avoid the garage and my mom would make us do it once a year. the stuff we pulled out was incredible. >> i will say this, when you do clean out your garage, it is gratifying. it's one of those great feelings, finally, i can get the cars back in, i know where everything is. one of the first steps is to eliminate all the clutter. get rid of stuff. but then you've got to put up some shelves. have some organization. >> shelves are key. these shelves were $30, really easy to do. you put these all on the outside of the garage, really, really simple. another thing to do, get smart about it. get some clear containers.

you can see exactly what's in it. pillows, labels, you can see pillows in it so you know exactly what's in it. also put heavy things on the bottom, light things on the top and strap these in because you never know when they'll come falling out. make sure they're strapped out nice. if you're really ocd, grab a nice label maker. this is like six bucks. you can label everything. we've got nice little easter baskets, garden, car wash, and it will go back on the shelf where it belongs. >> you never know when you'll hit reverse or forward. i don't know if straps can help that. everybody has more sports equipment than the hall of fame in a lot of their garages and you want to organize it in a nice, orderly fashion. >> this is a great thing to do, especially with basketballs, footballs, soccer balls. a nice little rack. >> i mean $5, $6, i just got a plank of pine pretty much and

these doulwels. cut them down to six inches. grab a drill and put it in a nice dieing aagonadiagonal. a little glue, squeeze it into the hole. >> brilliant. >> so those balls won't go getting out of the garage. you can put gloves, whatever you need. >> just stack them in a nice, orderly fashion. >> boom. >> your trophy case. i love what you've done with the chicken wire. brought a farm element into america's garages. >> you can go get a basket but what fun is that? >> we don't do boring here on "the early show." >> you can get scraps of wood from around the house, grab chicken wire. grab this staple gun. just staple my hand, that's good. >> i told you, i'm not very handy. >> i'll be a permanent part of your garage. slap one in there. it works perfectly. so once that goes, all right, you can just have a nice little

place where you can have all your balls and you're not going to be spread ought all over the garage. >> if you don't like the chicken wire, go with the normal hamper? >> this is great. laundry sorter and it was only $15. you can put people's names on it. this is for rackets, skateboards, baseball bats, whatever. >> let's get to some of the tools because i know everybody needs one of these. >> we've got chemicals sitting around the house, you don't want anybody getting into those, especially the young ones. this is a great thing to do. you want to put a lock on your cabinet. the lock, $8 for the lock. this is a kitchen cart that i converted into the cabinet. and i put wheels on it, which is really fantastic, and it has the work space on top. >> the key is to keep the doors locked. you don't want to get into any of these items, especially if they're at ground level. >> there you go. great thing to have. >> this i love. you're in the garage, you've got

tools. why put them in a tooltoolbox, them on display. >> even with a pegboard, grab a sharpy and outline your tools so you know exactly where they're going to go. >> this is nice, love what you've done. >> who has a lazy susan in their garage? this is for paint cans, nuts and bolts. this is a weekend project that you can do really, really easy. >> this should be the only lazy element to your garage cleanup right there. matt, thanks so much. you can find more garage cleaning and organizing tips on our website, earlyshow.cbsnews.com.,,,,,,,,,, i am a sneeze whisperer.

i am an allergy analyst. bermuda grass. ragweed. willow. i am a dander decoder. chihuahua. i am a target pharmacist. ask me about allergy relief. before we say good-bye on this easter weekend, a royal send-off for our royalty. our "early" show royalty. >> thanks, guys. >> erica hill, who is crossing

the pond. >> heading out to london. all the good stuff starting >> heading out to london. all the good stuff starting monday morning, lots of good ,,,

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headlines... a san francisco muni driver caught texting behind the wheel.. may lose her job today. passenger took cell ph good morning i am elizabeth wenger. a san francisco muni driver caught texting behind the wheel may lose his job. a passenger took pictures of the driver texting and gave it to muni. some how the same driver just operated a bus yesterday. in san bruno, people are being warned to lock up windows and doors. two homes were burglarized west of el camino real. crisis averted, threatening to cut schedules and close stations.

traffic and your weather forecast coming up ,,,,,,,,

the fresh-tasting california sour cream your other food loves. good morning things have been quiet this morning we are accident free. 101, no delays, if you work

your way on south, everything moving along nicely in that area. we had early morning trouble spots everything is cleared 15 minute ride westbound 580, altamonte pass to 680, bay bridge has been clear all morning, nice ride into san francisco and golden gate not a lot of cars on the roadway either have a great weekend here is lauren. lots of clouds out there, we will see more today, help keep the temperatures down a little bit, a couple breaks in between some of the clouds more clouds, becoming mostly cloudy throughout the day keeping temperatures down. plan on mid-60s. a lot of the warmest spots, inland side of the bay. as we look toward the weekend, easter holiday, some people getting up at sunrise sunday, you could see a couple light scattered showers towards the forth as we have a weak system moving on through. mostly chow diskies all weekend

long a few measure -- cloudy skies all weekend long a few more clouds drying up next week ,,,,,,,,