afghan protests. anger against the united states in afghanistan grows after islamic holy books are burned at a nato base. santorum on satan. rick santorum says he stands by comments made four years ago that the devil is attacking the united states. >> and the father of lies has his sights on what you would think the father of lies, satan, would have his sights on. and presidential pike. president obama shows once again that he's got them. president obama shows once again that he's got them. ♪ baby don't you want to go captioning funded by cbs this the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, february 22, 2012. good morning everybody. thanks for joining us.

i'm betty nguyen. we begin overseas. where the embassy is locked down amid growing anti-american protests. the violent demonstrations began yesterday triggered by the burning of muslim holy books at nato's main base. the protests have spread to several afghan cities. it's reported that police opened fire on demonstrators today. the white house apologized for the inappropriate treatment of the religio international military assistance for the opposition forces in syria.

syrian forces continue their brutal crackdown on the city of homs. activists say 30 people were killed there yesterday and 27 others were killed today in northern syria. it's unclear what role the u.s. would play in assisting the rebels. an international conference on syria is being held this weeng in tunisia. rick santorum finds himself defend being comments he made four years ago. there are sure to be questions at tonight's debate in arizona. mitt romney has long been favored to win next week's primary there. but a krn time magazine poll released yesterday shows the race is getting tighter. susan mcginnis is in washington with more on this. good morning, susan. >> hi, good morning betty. this is the first gop debate in nearly four weeks. it's the first one since rick santorum surged in the polls and the first since the comments he

made surfaced from long ago where he talks about satan's plans for the u.s. rick santorum predicted his next big win campaigning in phoenix, arizona, with his family. >> we're here to win arizona. >> santorum trails mitt romney in the polls there. but he has surged ahead nationally. along with his new front-runner status comes more scrutiny. several online publications releesd audio of santorum talking about a spiritual war where satan attack the united states. >> the father of lies has his sights on what you would think the father of lies, satan, would have his sights on. a good, decent, powerful, influential country. the you state of america. >> santorum made that speech at ave maria university in florida in 2008. tuesday he responded. saying if they want to dig up old speeches of me talking to religious groups, they can go ahead and do so. but i'm going to stay on message. santorum goes on to say, i'm going to talk about things that

americans want to talk about, which is creating jobs and making our country more secure. santorum will likely have to respond to those remarks and recent comments he made about president obama's energy policy tonight. that's when all four candidates debate in arizona. it's the last time they'll meet before the next round of primaries. mitt romney is in a battle for his home state of michigan. the latest poll shows him five points behind santorum. but romney insists he's not deterred. >> i plan on winning. hope to win. >> newt gingrich won't compete in michigan so he can focus on the ten states up for grabs next month. in that speech, santorum also said the corruption of decency in america is evident in the nba, in rock concerts and in the movies. betty, it will be interesting to see if any of this comes up tonight and romney's reaction, where he prefers to concentrate on business kre kepgss. saw san mcginnis in

washington for us. the am obama administration will unveil a proposal for lowering the tax rate. 35% corporate rate is one of the highest in the world. the obama administration is proposing to cut that to 28%. now, in exchange, corporations would have to give up dozens of loopholes and subsidies. there would be a minimum tax on foreign earnings. but the proposal requires an act of congress, unlike to happen in an election year. on the "moneywatch," the dow takes another shot at cracking 13,000 today. jennifer lewis hall is here in new york. good morning, jennifer. >> good morning, betty. there was a lot of excitement on wall street tuesday as stocks hit their highest level since 2008. about two hours into trading, the dow crossed the 13 touz bearer. the market stayed and finished at 12,965. after the united states credit rating was downgraded last summer, the dow fell to

10,655 in the faux. but rallied to gain 22%. the s&p has gained 24%. the all-time record for the dow is 14,164 set in october of 2007. wall street traders believe that mark is still far off. overseas markets, meanwhile, got a boost, the nikkei rose 1% to a six-month high and hang seng added more than a quarter percent. if there's one thing tempering the economic optimism, it's the price of oil and gas. the price of clued oil went up again on tuesday. it's above $106 a barrel. that's the highest since may. analysts say it's due to the instability in iran. gas prices continue to inch up according to aaa. the average price of a gallon of regular will set you back $3.57. that's up 19 cents from a month ago.

and 40 cents from a year ago. yesterday, while touting the passage of the payroll tax cut, president obama acknowledged rising gas prices could put a dent in the ee recovery. >> that $40 helps to pay rent, the groceries, the rises cost of gas. >> some analysts predicted gas prices could go as high as $4.25 by the end of april. so a lot pressure on consumers. >> just in time for the summer too. it's going see how interesting. thank you, jennifer. police in georgia say a gunman shot and killed four people at a suburban atlanta spa before shooting himself. five bodies were discovered at the health spa in norcross, georgia. it's unclear if there was a relationship between the gunman and his victims. police say there is no indication of another shooterment. coming up on the morning news, the debate over abortion. a closer look at one controversial law in texas that

requires women to have an ultrastound. but first, scott pelley has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." it's a financial crisis spreading across the country. public employees are getting promised pension benefits when there is not nearly enough money in the budget. we will look at one city's drastic plan just to stay afloat. that story tonight on the "cbs evening news". "moneywatch" sponsored by ice blue aqua velva. the choice of men for generations. aq aqua velva, men get it. nyquil (stuffy): hey, tylenol. you know we're kinda like twins.

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♪ vegetables picked at their peak ♪ ♪ so fresh my knees grow weak [ male announcer ] new hearty bertolli meal soup for two, with crisp vegetables and tender chicken. [ chef ] ♪ fresh tasting restaurant style ♪ ♪ bertolli soup's in the freezer aisle ♪ pronamel iso-active is a toothpaste in a can. the gel transforms into a foam and surrounds your teeth. pronametive helps protect against the effects of acid erosion. more fallout from the disaster at the fukushima nuclear plant in japan. radioactivity from the plant has been detected in the pacific ocean. almost 400 miles from the japanese coast. scientists said yesterday the readings are a thousand times higher than previous levels. but the levels are still below what's generally considered harmful to sea life or people who eat seafood.

in virginia, lawmakers could vote as early as today on a new law that would require women to get an ultrasound before having an abortion. texas is already enforcing a similar law. anna werner takes a look at how the texas law is sparking anger but may not be changing minds. >> this 23-year-old patient in dallas who asked not to be identified is undergoing the new procedure required by law to obtain an abortion in texas. >> we can see that. >> she must get a sonogram and is also required to listen to the doctor's verbal description of what is seen on the monitor. she told us she felt pressured by the process. >> kind of take my choice away to have an abortion. >> like it take your choice away? >> the decision i already made. >> under the law, patients like this must wait at least another 24 hours before getting the abortion. >> it's a burden for them -- for

the woman and the people who pass this law intended for it to be a burden. >> dr. curtis boyd runs the abortion clinic. >> if you can't make it illegal, make it as rare as possible and their sense of making is rare is not providing contraception but by putting a barrier to access to service this. >> but the law's sponsor says the intent is just the opposite. >> making sure women have all the information they need to have, making sure they're treated the same as they were before any other major medical procedure, before they make that decision. because an abortion is the only medical procedure whose goal is to take a life. >> what is it that you think a woman going in for an abortion does not know? >> i believe that a woman going in for a major procedure like an abortion, taking a life, as the same right to the same type of medical care and information that she would have if she were going in for a broken leg or cancerous tumor or other major surgery. >> one of the requirements of

the law is that only doctors or certified sonographers perform the sonogram. it's a requirement unique to women wanting abortions. cbs news found there are no similar requirements for any other sonogram procedures in texas. that legislation also requires doctors to ask if patients want to hear the fetal heartbeat. the patient we told you about said yes. >> did it make any difference to you in your decision? >> a little bit. it made it harder. >> but it did not change her mind. two days later, she still had her abortion. anna werner, cbs news, dallas. straight ahead, your wednesday morning weather and in sports, mississippi state looking for a huge upset has number one kentucky against the ropes. ropes. [ announcer ] who could resist the call... of america's number-one puppy food brand? with dha and essential nutrients also found in mother's milk.

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redeem points for travel on any airline with no blackout dates. yes. yes. noooo! [ male announcer ] yep, subway broke the 200-calorie breakfast barrier. with delicious fresh fit mornin' melt breakfast sandwiches. subway. eat fresh. here's a look at today's forecast for some cities around the country. new york, partly cloudy, 58. miami, partly sunny, 80. chicago, you'll see afternoon showers, 45 there. dallas, partly sunny, 76. l.a. mostly sunny, 79. let's get a check of your national forecast now. the jet stream is sending a powerful storm towards the northwest and northern rockies. damaging winds topping 70 miles an hour will race through parts of wyoming and montana. strong thunderstorms are possible from tennessee to the carolinas and it will be breezy and mild for much of the northeast. in sports, mississippi state

puts a scare into number one ranked kentucky. the bulldogs had a big lead at the end of the first half. but the wildcats clawed their way back. with 4:00 left, kentucky finally takes the lead. the wildcats hold on for the win, 73-64 over mississippi state. a huge upset in missouri. the tigers got within three points of kansas state with 6:00 on the clock. but the wildcats kept pouring it on. kansas state knocked off number 3 missouri 78-68. this is the tigers first defeat at home this season. seton hall drained the threes to put the hurt on number 9, georgetown. the unranked pirates take down the hoyas, 73-55. here's one for the blooper reel. >> glad to have you with us along with steve wolf, i'm james bays. they're ready to rock. man. >> whoops. that fall happened saturday during the pre-game between xavier and dayton. pit didn't stop the cbs announcr james bays.

as you can hear, he keep on talking. saying it was a big time game, obviously, not a big-time stool. apparently he recovered. when we return, the president shows off his pipes again. heart disease danger. why it could be deadlier for women who don't know the symptoms. it could be deadlier for women who don't know the symptoms. ...could mean living with joint damage. help stop the damage before it stops you... ...with humira. for many adults with moderate to severe ra,... ...humira's proven to help relieve pain and stop joint damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events can occur, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, blood, liver, and nervous system problems,... ...serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common.

tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your rheumatologist how you can defend against... ...and help stop further joint damage with humira. details in a berkeley homicide. the critical minutes that passed after a man was beaten. and how close one officer was to the scene, before being turned away. plus, a south bay mom supporting her son, even as he allegedly broke the law. the crime a 13 year old couldn't commit without his mother's help. and a market milestone. the dow briefly passes 13- thousand points. the new goal... wall street. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. ((reporter,,,,

here's a look at today's forecast for some cities around the country. washington, d.c., partly sunny, 64. atlanta, partly sunny, 68. detroit, breezy, 44. denver, partly sunny, 48 and seattle, windy with showers, 50 degrees. now to last night' blues concert at the white house. there was an allstar band, but it was the president who stole the show. towards the end of the evening, with not a lot of prodding, mr. obama joined legend b.b. king in a little "sweet home chicago."

>> come on, baby don't you want to go ♪ >> sweet home chicago ♪ >> not bad at all. besides king, mick jagger and jeff beck also performed. heart disease is the number one killer in america, but a new study found that women, especially younger women, are more likely than men to have a heart attack without the classic chest pain. manuel gallegus explains why that's causing women to die more often in the hospital. >> this woman was having neck and jaw pain. she had no idea she was on the verge of a severe heart attack. >> you think of really bad pain in your chest and collapsing. i wasn't having any pain at all in my chest. >> new research in the journal of the american medical association shows 42% of women

under 55 do not feel chest pain during a heart attack. and hospitals often don't diagnose those women properly until it's too late. >> when women arrive to the hospital having a heart attack with symptoms different from chest pains, their care might not happen as immediate. >> researchers say that's why more than 14% of women are dying from heart attacks in the hospitals compared to 10% of men. each year in the u.s., more women die from heart disease than men. and heart disease kills more women than all cancers combined. doctors say there are signs a woman can look out for besides chest pain. >> like jaw pain, shortness of breath, back pain, nausea, fatigue and simply sweating. >> cardiologist susan steinbaum stays if you're noticing these symptoms, getting help immediately could be critical. >> the quicker you can get to treatment, the quicker we can save heart muscle and the more likely we can prevent you from dying. >> franklin had a stent put in to unblock an artery.

>> i am definitely lucky to be alive today. >> at 60 years old, feels much better. manuel gallegus, cbs news, new york. indeed. that was good information there. a lawmaker in indiana is getting ridiculed by his own party for saying the girl scouts promote abortions and homosexuality. bob morris sent an e-mail to statehouse republicans on saturday calling the girl scouts "a tactical arm of planned parenthood" yesterday a fellow republican joked he bought 278 boxes of girl scout cookies. still, morris refuses to back down. >> my family pulled my two girls out of girl scouts yesterday. and we're going to put them in american heritage girl little flowers organization. that's what my family stands for. >> the girl scouts and planned parenthood deny any of morris' allegations. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," new advances in prenatal testing.

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look at that. this ohio river bridge stood for more than 83 years. but it took only seconds to bring it down. the fort steuben bridge was demolished yesterday thanks to 153 pounds of explosives. the bridge had been deteriorating and a newer one built nearby to replace it. hundreds of rare comic books are up for auction today. a california man inherited the comics from his great uncle nearly two decades ago but had no idea how valuable they were until recently. the collection could fetch, get this, more than $2 million. included are action comic, number one, where superman makes his first appearance. that's expected to sell for $325,000.

detective comic, number 27. which has batman's first appearance. that could fetch $475,000 and captain america number 2 with hitler on the cover. that could get $100,000. and finally, wild mardi gras celebrations have given way to solemn ash wednesday. in new orleans, some revelers say this year's celebration has been one of the busiest since hurricane katrina hit back in 2005. but now the big party in the big easy has turned into a massive cleanup job. bigad shaban reports from the french quarter. >> mardi gras in new orleans is officially over. celebration rooted in tradition even has one for how it ends. police stroll down bourbon street telling revelers to go home. when the officers pass, but the crowds were back on to the streets. the california native is one of an estimated one million revelers this mardi gras. >> it's nuts.

it's so much fun. anything goes. >> mardi gras means busy streets here in the french quarter. and that means busy businesses all along bourbon street a the royal house oyster bar, that means a lot of clams. >> 30, 40, 50% increase. definitely good times for the city and brings in extra revenue for the establishments. >> revelers started in costume from a nemo to an undead beetlejuice. >> go ahead. make my millennium. >> nothing here is too strange. new orleans native luke wears the same gorilla suit every year. >> do you dry clean it in. >> i don't dry clean it. >> i have the same on the bottom of my suit this year. >> i smell it a little bit. >> it adds to the ambience, the whole flavor. >> that's not what i was going to say, but okay. the end of mardi signifies the beginning of length. she'll be celebrating on bourbon street well into the morning. >> anything goes.

>> are you be back? >> i will be back. absolutely. >> revelers are already starting to count down to next year's party. bigad shaban, cbs news, new orleans, louisiana. well, coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," the high price of gas and oil and how it can derail the economic recovery. that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching everyone. i'm betty nguyen. thanks for watching everyone. i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

"nats of closing bell" policeman your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. a fire breaks out in the middle of the night in berkeley. we'll have details and how many people are without a place today. we had a market mileston