charity. >> who are these people? [ laughter ] >> who set it up. [ laughter ] >> stay dry. >> caption colorado, llc comments@captioncolorado.com good morning to our viewers in the west. it is wednesday, february 29th, 2012. leap day. welcome to studio 57 at the cbs broadcast center. i'm charlie rose. two big wins for mitt romney as he beats rick santorum in both arizona and michigan. we'll talk with bob schieffer about what it all means. wild weather strikes the nation's hartland. a maker blizzard heads east. i'm gayle king. new questions this morning over what prompted an ohio teenager to kill three other students. we'll talk with the parents of one of those victims. i'm erica hill. many eyes on a massive debris hill that is floating across the pacific heading toward the u.s. plus actor don shields stops by studio 57.

first as we do every morning, we begin with a lock at today's "eye opener." your world in 90 seconds. thank you, michigan. when a win. this is a big night. thank you, guys. >> mitt romney regains republican momentum winning primaries in arizona and michigan. >> we didn't win by a lot but we won by enough and that's all that counts. >> mitt romney winning closely in his home state like charlie sheen barely winning a primary in a hooters. >> he may have to use his backup plan for future more monies to posthumously bap advertise him president. >> months ago they didn't know who we are, but they do now. >> my daughter is okay. >> a tornado outbreak in the plains kills at least one and levels a small kansas town. >> the extent of the damage and i'm sure you'll be surprised also that more people weren't hurt. >> that was right by the shooter when he pulled the gun. >> who was the shooter? >> his name is thomas lane. >> the accused ohio school

gunman admits pulling the trigger as three families mourn children lost. >> don't go, don't go. >> a coast guard helicopter that has crashed in mobile bay. >> four people were on board. they're still out there looking for three. >> blizzard warnings remain in effect for portions of minnesota and throughout the dakotas as well. >> dow 13,000. the extechtive chair manual will be stepping down from his post. >> all that. >> we could be giting our first look at the new ipad a week from today. >> the horse has been rescued from quicksand like mud on the beach in australia. >> and all that matters. >> 850 people got together in new orleans to form human dominoes. one by one they all came tumbling down. >> on "cbs this morning." >> leap day, you guys. this is something that only happens once every four years or as newt gingrich calls that, a

happens once every four years or as newt gingrich calls that, a situp. captioning funded by cbs wellcometo"cbs this morning" in this up and down republican race, mitt romney's up again at a crucial time. romney won the arizona and michigan primaries on tuesday. he beat rick santorum by three points after a bruising campaign. that gives romney a big boost going into next week's super tuesday contest. chip reid is in detroit to begin our coverage. chip, good morning. >> good morning, erica, charlie. good morning to our viewers on the west coast. for mitt romney it certainly is a tremendous relief that he won here in michigan, but the fact that the race was so close and that it was so fiercely fought suggests that the republican party is still deeply divided about mitt romney. >> we didn't win by a lot but we won by enough and that's all that counts. >> it sounded like a big sigh of relieve from mitt romney who

held off rick santorum for a badly needed win in michigan, the state where romney was born and raised. in his victory speech he never mentioned santorum turning all of his fire on president obama. >> these days when he's not spending our money or infringing on our rights, he's busy running for re-election. >> in arizona romney, as expected, won big beating santorum by 20 points, but in michigan it was a nail biter to the end. >> we came into the backyard of one of my opponents in a race that everyone said, well, just ignore. you have really no chance here. and the people of michigan looked into the hearts of the candidates and all i have to say is, i love you back. >> reporter: santorum made the race close by targeting blue collar voters and keying in on social issues dear to the hearts of evangelical christians, including birth control an religious freedom. now the fight moves to

washington state, then to the ten states of super tuesday where more than 400 delegates are up for grabs. 66 of them in ohio. a new poll in that crucial state shows rick santorum with the advantage, 11 points ahead of romney. despite the uncertain republican race the white house is keeping its focus squarely on romney. yesterday in a speech to the united auto workers union president obama praised the 2009 federal bailout of the car industry and took a swipe at romney who strongly opposed the president's plan. >> the other option was to do absolutely nothing and let these companies fail, and you will recall there were some politicians who said we should do that. >> reporter: mitt romney is not wasting any time today. he's heading straight for ohio where he and rick santorum are expected to wage another big battle. if santorum has his way the questions and the doubts about mitt romney will begin all over

again. charlie and erica? >> chip, thanks. with us now is bob schieffer, as we call him. >> chief. >> our chief "face the nation" correspondent. did romney win it or did santorum lose it? >> that is a very, very difficult question. when you think about was it the fact that romney was bragging about how many cadillacs his wife had and at the same time rick santorum is deciding to run against john kennedy in the speech he made back in 1960. i tell you, charlie, this is not going to be a chapter in the great profiles of really smart political strategy i don't think. >> this is a divided party. >> it is a very divided party. you know, the numbers really kind of told us that last night when you look at them. about 30% of the people who voted last night told us that the most important thing to them was who can beat barack obama. now romney just crushed santorum. he got about 60 something

percent of the vote there. then you go a little further down to the people who said what is the most important thing to me? it is good, strong character. in that category santorum crushes romney. so, i mean, this is a party that is still trying to think about what it really wants here. >> so there's no momentum coming out of michigan or very little? >> well, i'll tell you this. romney won, and that means he doesn't have to spend this week talking about why he lost in his home state. he can go on and move on, but now you've got polls showing that rick santorum looks very strong out there in ohio. >> looking up 11 points in ohio. the big issue, especially in ohio, the economy, jobs. as we saw in michigan at least when that was the most important issue for voters, they did tend to go for romney. does rick santorum have the economic message they need to hold on for that lead? >> we'll find out. i'm not sure we've seen that so far. he keeps saying he's not basing his campaign on social issues

and he goes out and makes speeches about social issues. can he broaden that out? i think that's the question and what we'll all be looking for. >> what does romney have to do? >> i guess just keep hanging in there. i mean, he just keeps on keeping on. is there any place where he -- well, i guess in nevada he got 50% of the vote out there. >> he won all the delegates in arizona. >> but he can't seem to get up to 50% of his own party. in nearly every one of these primaries more people have voted against mitt romney or voted for somebody else than voted for him. so he's still got a selling job to do. >> it's on to super tuesday. when you look at romney, why does he commit all of these gaffes? you've been around politics for a while. >> it's very difficult to kind of understand this. i read this book, the real romney. >> written by a km couple of bon

globe reporters. >> once you come away understanding that this is a man who is truly a man of faith. his aith is mormonism. he was a missionary. he was a leader in his church. he's given tremendous amounts of money in his church. he's reluctant to talk about that. people will tell them mormonism is a cult. pretty good governor of massachusetts. he didn't raise taxes. people seemed to like him. he doesn't want to talk about that -- >> because of health care. >> people accuse him of being a moderate. he was a very successful businessman, but if he talks about that people say, oh, but you only paid 15% in income taxes. so there's about 3/4 of him that he can't seem comfortable talking about. and i think that's part of -- >> it reminds me, let reagan be reagan. someone said, which reagan. >> yeah, but there was a reagan. >> there was a reagan. >> there was a reagan there. republicans are not convinced

yet, this big part of this party, that he really is a conservative. that seems to be where his selling job is. >> great to have you back. >> chief, thanks. >> proud to be here. >> thanks, chief. a lot of severe weather across the country this morning. tornadoes causing heavy damage overnight in kansas, missouri, and in illinois where at least three people are dead. one more person was killed in missouri. a state of emergency has been declared in harveyville, kansas. it's south of topeka. dozens of buildings there were destroyed and two people critically hurt. at least 32 injuries are reported in branson, missouri, a major tourist destination. mike cork ran of our springfield, missouri affiliate is in branson. >> reporter: as you look over my shoulder, the sun has come up. residents are waking up to an entirely different scene. hotels, restaurants, and a lot of tourist attractions have been absolutely destroyed by this storm overnight. as of last check, about 30 people have checked into a local hospital all with minor

injuries. no severe injuries at this point. no fatalities at this point. we're bringing you more details throughout the morning as they become available. for now reporting in branson, i'm mike, "cbs this morning." that line of storms is pushing into western kentucky, tennessee and arkansas. it is expected to bring heavy downpours, hale, and severe winds throughout the day. the upper midwest where major blizzard warning is causing big trouble. freezing temperatures and up to a foot of snow are expected from the dakotas to wisconsin. the storm is set to head east after that. jamie yuccas is watching the storm in brainard, minnesota. >> good morning, as you can see, snow is steadily falling. it's coming from our west and moving eastward into wisconsin. before it dumps on that state it could leave three inches to a foot of snow here in minnesota. our first significant snowfall

of the season. it has plows out trying to get these roads less treacherous. lots of ice and snow out there for drivers. to the south, lots of rain as we've seen over the last several days. now this will track to the east. it's going to be in new york by thursday, but we are going to keep an eye on the west coast because we could still see the system pump in more snow over the next several days or weeks. for "cbs this morning", i'm jamie yuccas in brainard, minneso minnesota. this morning officials in chardon, ohio, say the suspect t.j. lane did not even know them. >> three of the wounded students have died. one other victim is still in serious condition. michelle miller is in chardon this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. well, prosecutors have begun to unravel what up until now has been a mystery. why? why did this shooting happen here? they have until tomorrow to bring charges against their

suspect. >> reporter: accused gunman t.j. lane arrived for his first court appearance tuesday shielded by a heavy bullet proof vest. inside the 17-year-old sat out of camera range with his grandfather and two aunts. prosecutors say they'll likely charge lane as an adult with three counts of aggravated murder in monday's deadly rampage. >> 911, where is your emergency. >> we just had a shooting at our school. we need to get out of here. >> okay. okay. ma'am, we've got a school shooting. ma'am, what school? >> chardon high school. >> reporter: newly released 911 tapes captured the terrifying scene as it unfolded. >> yes, i'm a student. i was right by the shooter when he pulled the gun. >> okay. who was the shooter? >> his name is thomas lane. >> reporter: prosecutor david joyce says lane has admitted to taking a knife and a .22 caliber pistol into the school, pulling the trigger ten times. >> he chose his victims at random. this is not about bullying. this is not about drugs.

>> reporter: three victims, russell king jr., demetrius hewlin, and danny parmertor died. two others were injured, including 18-year-old joy rick kers who was released from the hospital tuesday. assistant football coach frank hall is being credited with saving lives after he chased lane out of the school. >> chardon's always been great. it's going to be great and i want to thank everybody for their thoughts and prayers. >> reporter: last night thousands of residents in the tight knit community gathered once again to remember the victims. >> just coming together as a group. coming together in the same spirit. what better way is there than that to begin the healing? >> reporter: school will be open today for students and staff to seek grief counseling. classes resume tomorrow. i had a chance to speak to the parents of 16-year-old daniel parmertor. bob and dina and their eldest

son wanted people to know that danny was a good boy, that he enjoyed laughing and making other people laugh and that he dreamed of going to ohio state university to study computer science. they say he didn't deserve this. >> there was a call and it had danny's picture on my cell phone. i said,'s he calling me. he's okay. and i answered, and it was commotion and it was the fire chief or something. i don't know. and he said, danny is being life flighted to metro hospital right now. you have to go to metro. i said, i want to talk to him. i want to talk to him. >> they were still doing cpr on him. they had tubes in his throat. he was bloody. so very young.

fight. fight. fight. he tried. he did. >> i said, don't go, danny, don't go. >> don't go, danny. >> he just didn't have no brain waves left. >> reporter: in 24 hours your life was turned upside down. how do you deal with that? >> it's terrible. no parent should think about going through it. sitting in a casket. picking out a casket for your son. i don't want to do it. we're supposed to be going to colleges. supposed to go visit ohio state

next month. i'm mad now. i'm mad. that's my little boy. he was so little. just 16. he was 16 years old. his life was taken. he didn't do anything to anybody. he didn't deserve this. i want him back. i want him back. i can't think about that. i just want him back. my heart is broken. it's broken. >> the world came tumbling down february 27th. i know my life will never be the same again. >> no. >> i will get better, but right now i'll never be -- there will always be something missing.

>> reporter: charlie, erica, two other families are now sharing that grief. >> michelle, thank you. as you watch that, i've never seen such a powerful testimony to what it means to lose yochil and as people watch that they will know many hearts are broken. break breaksing news out of london. rupert murdock's son is stepping down. the phone hacking scandal involving his british

this national weather report sponsored by starbucks.

introducing starbucks blond roast. the lighter roast perfected. >> a fas sif massive field of debris is getting close to hawaii. what's being done to prepare the west coast. more than a thousand people aboard a crippled italian cruise ship won't reach port until tomorrow. we'll see what congress is doing to investigate cruise ship safety both here and abroad. you're watching "cbs this morning."

this portion of "cbs this morning" sponsored by dr. seuss's "the lorax" in theaters this friday. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day,

can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaids, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. yes.

yes. noooo! [ male announcer ] yep, subway broke the 200-calorie breakfast barrier. with delicious fresh fit mornin' melt breakfast sandwiches. subway. eat fresh. but i wanted more support for my heart. i found centrum specialist. a complete multivitamin enhanced for what's important to me. vision. energy. prenatal. heart. [ man] new centrum specialist helps make nutrition possible. ♪ [ female announcer ] all the hopping. all the squirming. all to their delight. kids don't worry about getting dirty. and with all oxi-active, neither do moms. it has up to four times the cleaning power... and helps get out your family's toughest dirt and stains the first time, every time. get our most powerful clean. all oxi-active. it's all clean. it's all good.

time out. sweet. [ female announcer ] with charmin ultra soft, you can get that cushiony feeling you love while still using less. charmin ultra soft is designed with extra cushions that are soft and more absorbent and you can use four times less versus the leading value brand. ♪ ah. [ female announcer ] we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin ultra soft. and it's your fault. instead of blaming me, try advil congestion relief. often the real problem is swelling, not mucus. advil congestion relief reduces swelling due to nasal inflammation. so i can breathe. [ mucus ] advil congestion relief.

18 years old. stuck in the mud near melbourne, australia, his owner never left him as rescuers dug them out and yes, we have good news. astro is okay. >> good for astro. >> very calm, too. >> good for astro. some islands about to be hit by debris from a japanese tsunami. bits of houses, boats, clothes, cars all heading towards the united states as we approach the one-year anniversary of that

disaster. >> we'll ask philippe cousteau what's most disturbing frank mallicoat ... cell phone video shows the efighters good morning. it is 7:26. in the bay area headlines, cell phone video showing the flames that san jose firefighters arrived at a burning duplex this morning. the fire on denise way displaced four people. the fire started in the attic so smoke alarms downstairs didn't detect it right away. everyone is fine. nearly 500 san francisco school employees will get warnings that they could lose their jobs next fall. the school district expects $83 million deficit over the next two years. and it's back to court this morning for eliana lopez. the wife of san francisco sheriff ross mirkarimi is arguing that video showing a bruise on her arm should not be allowed as evidence in the domestic violence trial. that's happening today. we'll have an update on your traffic and weather coming right up. ,,,,,,,,

good morning. 280 out of downtown san jose, you can see the rain colling down and definitely slick out there, you can see the rain coming down. drive time 20 minutes between 101 and cupertino. elsewhere also wet and windy. check out the nimitz. 880 through oakland, very difficult to see traffic this morning. earlier we had some flooding reports by downtown oakland. we actually saw a couple of different accidents one near high street backing things up. it's an improvement from what it was about an hour ago. at the bay bridge still stacked up to the maze. 20-minute wait. high wind advisory here and the san mateo bridge. that's traffic. for your forecast, here's lawrence. >> those winds have been whipping around as the frontal system moves through sagging further south right now. take you live outside right now into the san francisco area, more fog developing there. we are seeing delays at sfo of just about an hour on arrivals. the heaviest amounts of rainfall now locate in the south bay. we have seen heavy rain into san jose. temperatures this afternoon with some showers continuing into the 50s, more showers on the way for tomorrow, then drying out warming up for the weekend. ,,,,,,,, mitt romney had some trouble

winning his home state. for a politician, losing your home state is unthinkable. you imagine being rejected from the place you call home. that would be like bill clinton getting thrown out of a strip club. welcome back to "cbs this morning." the floating trash from the tsunami a year ago is halfway across the pacific ocean. scientists expect some of it to reach hawaii in the next couple of weeks. the west coast of the u.s. will see it after that. eventually, we're told as much as 100,000 tons of debris could wash up on u.s. shores. john blackstone takes a look at what happens when it does. >> from automobiles to fishing boats, the japanese tsunami

swept an estimated 4 to 8 million tons of debris into the pacific. much of it sank close to the japanese coast, but oceanographer 1 to 2 million tons was aushd out to sea. it's enough trash to cover 500 football fields six feet deep. now it's at the mercy of the ocean current. >> it's not a floating mass of trash or debris, i should say, but rather, it is dispersed over a large region of the pacific ocean. >> a computer generated model shows the widening area where the debris is now likely to be found. spread along a path a thousand miles wide and 2,000 miles long and headed toward the united states. >> what we do not know is when exactly that debris will make landfall, how much will make landfall and largely, what is the composition of that debris that will make landfall. >> so within a couple of years, beach combers on the west coast may be able to find remnants of

the tsunami carried all the way from japan. but only about 5% of everything that's floating out there is expected to make it to shore. in hawaii, oceanographer nikolai maximenko said it could arrive there this year and by next year reach the coast of washington and oregon. >> good news is that amount of debris that is actually going to impact the coastline is only a small fraction. >> what doesn't wash ashore will become trapped in the middle of the ocean. it is there that the remnants of the tragedy in japan are destined to remain floating far out at sea for years. for "cbs this morning," john blackstone in san francisco. >> with us now is an environmental advocate, philippe cousteau. good morning. >> good morning. >> what is the impact of all of this and especially the impact on the ecosystem?

>> you know, what's first and foremost important to remember, charlie, is that this was an unpreventible disaster. the tsunami and it's still affecting the lives and livelihoods of people in japan. it's still a disaster. marine debris as a whole is preventible. this is a stark reminder of a bigger problem. it's polluting and trashing our oceans all over the world. >> as you look at that philippe, the debris around the world. let's focus on this field. what within this massive amount of debris concerns you the most? >> well, the unpredictable nature of it. what you heard in the report with the scientists, we just don't know exactly what exists out there that makes this unique. parts of houses, lumber, cars, even refrigerators could be floating out there. exactly where it's going and how those dynamics work with ocean current is still relatively a young science.

we don't know a lot about where it's going to show up, how much will show up. as you heard, we think that some of it will start showing up in the outer hawaiian islands, midway island this march and continue you on for the next year to year and a half. >> realistically, how much can be done before that? i mean, is there any way to get in there and take some of this debris out, especially the items you're most concerned about? >> you know, there could be hazardous waste, certainly dangerous materials that are floating in that debris field. it's very, very difficult because of the nature of the way the oceans work and how spread out over thousands of miles that debris is. it's really difficult to go in and remove any of that debris effectively. a lot of it right now is just a wait and see game and it's kind of scary. it reminds us of this bigger issue of ocean pollution. >> gps allows us to track it all, does it not in. >> well, unfortunately, it's so spread out. initially, when the debris was concentrated off the coast of

japan, satellites were able to track it. but now that a few million tons of debris has spread out over thousands of miles, some of it is suspended just below the ocean. so it's very, very difficult to track it with any kind of gps. it's really a relatively new unpredictable science. a lot of people forget that the oceans are a dynamic place and there are so many different current and eddies and wind patterns can affect them. it's almost impossible to predict with any extreme accuracy where the different dee brees will end up. >> philippe cousteau, good to see you. thank for joining us. >> thanks for having me. a new couple who survived the costa concordia wreck will share their terrifying story today with congress. we'll hear about their ordeal. and tomorrow, rebecca jarvis looks at a new trend. shoe clubs. this is not just for me and gayle. charlie is interested too.

>> who needs more shoes. i love that my daughter's part fish. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctolot. and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. everyone wants to be the cadbury bunny. cause only he brings delicious cadbury crème eggs, while others may keep trying. nobunny knows easter better than cadbury! maybmaybe you can't.re; when you have migraines with fifteen or more headache days a month, you miss out on your life. you may have chronic migraine. go to mychronicmigraine.com to find a headache specialist.

and don't live a maybe life. we bring a bold, savory twist to noodles. mmm. [ male announcer ] and now so can you. with 4 succulent noodle entrees from p.f. chang's home menu. the boldest flavors in the freezer aisle. >> announcer: one fabric softener has that special snuggly softness your family loves. >> hi, i'm snuggle. snuggly softness that feels so good. look, i get towels fluffy... [giggles] blankets cuddly... and clothes stay fresh... [sniffs] for 14 days, with my snuggle fresh release scent droplets. and i cost less than the leading brand. let's make the world a softer place. let's snuggle. [ male announcer ] juice drink too watery? ♪ feel the power my young friend. mmm! [ male announcer ] for excellent fruit and veggie nutrition... v8 v-fusion, also refreshing plus tea.

could've had a v8. everything. 8 v-fusion, also refreshing plus tea. but why energy? we've got over 100 years worth. is it safe to get it? but what, so we should go broke with imports? look, i'm just saying. well, energy creates jobs. [announcer:] at conocophillips, we're helping power america's economy with cleaner, affordable natural gas. more jobs, less emissions. a good answer for everyone. we gotta be careful. it's cleaner. it's affordable. look, if it's safe, i'm there. [announcer:] conocophillips. there's another way to minimize litter box odor: purina tidy cats. tidy cats premium line of litters now works harder to help neutralize odors in multiple-cat homes. and our improved formula also helps eliminate dust. so it's easier than ever to keep your house smelling just the way you want it. purina tidy cats.

keep your home smelling like home.

you snow the german chancellor, angela merkel. you know about her. angela merkel. she was at a thing and a waiter dmped a tray of beer on angela merkel. >> what's worse, angela merkel? a, a waiter spilling five beers all over your shoulders? or b, george w. bush giving you an unsolicited shoulder rub. if you guessed b, you are correct? see you next week on what's worse, angela merkel? >> angela merkel. >> oh, my. >> there's a disabled italian cruise liner still a day away from safety in pirate infested waters. helicopters are dropping food to more than 1,000 passengers and crew on the costa allegra. >> one passenger has a brother who survived the costa concordia disaster. their mother is understandably

worried sick. >> it was a nightmare that we didn't have we'd have to relive. especially within six weeks. we've count ourselves as very unfortunate. >> the issue of cruise ship safety has made it to capitol hill this morning where a house committee will hear more from survivors of last month's tragedy. whit johnson is on capitol hill this morning. whit, good morning. >> erica, good morning to you. that disaster aboard the costa concordia last month has put cruise ship safety in the worldwide spotlight. with 12 million americans traveling on cruise ships each year, lawmakers want to make sure something like that does not happen again. >> emily lau and benji smith just two weeks before the boston couple boarded the costa concordia. a honeymoon cruise that turned into a nightmare on january 13th. >> we felt like we were going to die. >> when the ship grounded, then capsized after veering too close to the italian shore, the couple says safety and order were lost in the panic. >> we don't know where our life

jackets are. we know to go the fourth deck where the lifeboats are but we didn't know where on the fourth deck to go. it was really scary. >> our survivors, maritime experts and cruise line representatives are all expected to testify today in the first of two congressional hearings. the costa concordia is owned by carnival cruise lines, but was under italian jurisdiction. a common dilemma. florida congressman john micah hopes to address it. >> the united states can only control ships leaving from its port. we're also subject to international conventions and regulations. some of those we may need to lobby to get updated. >> but the cruise industry is already making changes. all ships must now go over safety with passengers before they leave port. something that wasn't previously still, many are asking questions about the sheer size of these floating cities and whether they're too big to evacuate in a true emergency. >> that's an issue that we need to be looking at.

>> but the cruise industry insists, bigger ships are actually better. >> the technology that you can apply to address safety issues is much greater on a bigger vessel. >> some survivors remain

you know that old saying, i'll sleep when i'm dead? sleep, though, it turns out could help you live a little longer. we'll show you how getting enough rest might also fight off alzheimer's disease. that's next in our "healthwatch." you're watching "cbs this morning." [ woman ] dear cat, your hair mixes with pollen and dust. i get congested. but now, with zyrtec-d®, i have the proven allergy relief of zyrtec®, plus a powerful decongestant. zyrtec-d® lets me breath freer, so i can love the air. [ male announcer ] zyrtec-d®. behind the pharmacy counter. no prescription needed.

♪ ...romance... ♪ ...documentaries... or whatever else, then you'll love netflix. netflix lets you watch unlimited movies and tv episodes over the internet, on your pc or tv via game console or other devices. and best of all: it's instant. watch as many movies and tv episodes as you want for only 8 bucks a month. start your free trial today. for only 8 bucks a month. ♪ jump in on big savings... during the petsmart spring into savings sale. save up to 25% on hundreds of items, and save up to $5 on blue dog & cat foods, including new grain-free blue freedom™. at petsmart®. consider the journey of today's athletes: ♪ their training depends on technology. [ beeping, ticks ] and when their devices are powered by a battery, there are athletes everywhere who trust duracell

so whether they're headed for london or the journey has just begun... they rely on copper to go for the gold. duracell. trusted everywhere. chili's lunch break combos are full of delicious choices, starting at just 6 bucks. choose from savory favorites or our new philly cheesesteak sandwich. layers of shaved steak and grilled peppers served with fries and a tasty soup or salad. chili's lunch break combos.

[ man ] hi, there! whoa! chase freedom is offering 5% cash back at gas stations this quarter. that's great. i know, right? just learned how to drive this yesterday. one second. i'll be right back around. here's that 5% cash back you earned. wow. thanks! courtesy of chase freedom.

[ whirring ] oh, boy. [ male announcer ] earn 5% cash back at gas stations this quarter. activate your 5% cash back at chase.com/freedom. ♪ freedom watch this. you are about to see a world record shattered. paper airplanes that you're watching traveled 226 feet, 10 inches inside a hangar in mcclel an air force base outside of sacramento. broke the record by nearly 10 feet. the guy used to play quarterback for cal. >> that's longer than a football field almost. >> impressive. to make it go that far, color me impressed. it is leap year as you know and today is leap dayment do you know why we need this extra day every four years? >> turns out, charlie, there's a very good reason for it. we're going to have everything

you need to know about leap day and leap year including why it's a good day for women to pop the question. ladies. >> first, though, time for "healthwatch." here's dr. holly phillips. >> good morning. in today's "healthwatch," sleep and your memory. it turns out the amount and quality of sleep you get at night may affect your memory later in life. a new study tested sleep patterns of people between the ages of 45 and 80 who did not have any memory problems. those who slept less than 6 and a half hours or had tiny wakenings throughout the night were more likely to develop plaque in their brains. the plaque is a hallmark of alzheimer's disease and usually shows up years before memory loss begins. although it's too soon to be sure, researchers think lack of sleep could be a risk factor for alzheimer's. improving sleep could pry prevent or slow the illness. it's important for memories

throughout our lives, especially in childhood. sleep deprived kids don't learn as efficiently and sleep plays a role in turning short term memories into long-term ones. that's essential for learning new information. ultimately, the research is more evidence of how important sleep it to our physical and mental health and another reminder to try to get enough shut eye every night. i am dr. holly phillips. >> cbs "healthwatch" sponsored by alka seltzer plus. available in a liquid gel. un-stuff your nose. really? , nyqt [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your stuffy nose. [ deep breath ] thank you! that's the cold truth! thank you! ♪ pop goes the world ♪ it goes something like this ♪ everybody here is a friend of mine ♪ ♪ everybody, tell me, have you heard? ♪ ♪ pop goes the world

♪ pop goes the world [ female announcer ] pop in a whole new kind of clean with new tide pods... a powerful three-in-one detergent that cleans, brightens, and fights stains. pop in. stand out. ♪ abracadabra. new hershey's milk chocolate with almonds in pieces. your favorites, in pieces.

would they switch? notice a difference? it feels a bit tight. [ female announcer ] soap leaves behind soap residue that can cause a tight draggy feeling. with 1/4 moisturizing cream, dove cleansers rinse cleaner than soap. it's bring your happiness to work day. campbell's microwavable soups. in three minutes -- the deliciousness that brings a smile to any monday. campbell's -- it's amazing what soup can do. [ female announcer ] if you have rheumatoid arthritis, can you start the day the way you want? can orencia help? [ woman ] i wanted to get up when i was ready, not my joints. [ female announcer ] could your "i want" become "i can"? talk to your doctor. orencia reduces many ra symptoms like pain, morning stiffness and progression of joint damage. it's helped new ra patients and those not helped enough by other treatments. do not take orencia with another biologic medicine for ra due to an increased risk of serious infection. serious side effects can occur

including fatal infections. cases of lymphoma and lung cancer have been reported. tell your doctor if you are prone to or have any infection like an open sore or the flu or a history of copd, a chronic lung disease. orencia may worsen your copd. here's information you need to know. orencia is available in two forms, infusion and also self-injection. talk to your doctor to see if orencia is right for you. and see if you can change "i want" to "oh, yes i can!"

gayle is hanging out in the green room. she now has a look at what's coming up in our next hour. >> i do. thank you, charlie. it's leap day. have you ever thought about what it's like to have a birthday that comes once every four years. beth dolan will tell us about that. it can be scary day for men with commitment phobia. we'll tell you why. mitt romney had a big win last night. some are still wondering what this campaign is doing to the republican party as a whole. bab schieffer is in the green room he hung around. don cheadle is in the green room too. congratulations, you were picked up for a second season. >> why they make you sit on the table? they don't have a chair for you? >> it's a low budget show, don.

we do the best we can. i think you're staying in character with marty. because he's a bit of a -- >> easy. careful. >> careful. well, see, you made the comment about no chair. i had to say something about marty kan. how do you describe him? >> he's a delectable human being. he says delectable. i say despicable. but who is paying attention. the ipad 3 is coming out. >> i heard i was getting one as a gift. >> do you have an ipad 2. >> i'm looking forward to the 3. >> you're not getting one today either. don't forget to check us out on facebook.

b-s five... i'm grace lee. good morning. 7 am 56. i'm grace lee with your cbs 5 headlines. thigh sierra is getting much- needed snow from the current storm that we are seeing. 80 is closed east of applegate and chains are required on u.s. 50 east of placerville. sunnyvale-based yahoo is threatening to sue facebook. now, this is over technology used by the menlo park-based social network. yahoo says it has the patents for some of that technology. the san jose city council has voted to expand a pilot program of 15 miles per hour speed limits around schools. it is currently in force only at trace elementary school but soon this program will extent to several more schools in the city to force people to slow down around the students. we'll get an update of traffic and weather coming up. ,,,,,,,,

good morning. rain in san jose causing drives to really slow down out of downtown san jose. live look at 280 traffic. earlier accident at alum rock is cleared but you can see the drive time is in the read out of downtown towards cupertino. kind of a similar story on the nimitz. no major accidents out there now but obviously a lot of drivers are taking it extra easy on the roads. very slow right now past the coliseum all the way towards the downtown oakland exits and the san mateo bridge is backed up, as well. we have high wind advisories on the san mateo bridge and bay bridge. lawrence has the forecast. >> the rainfall shifting further south. let's take you outside. lots of clouds in the skies and the rain continuing into mount diablo, pleasanton and also into the south bay. they are seeing heavy rainfall into the san jose area. it is going to taper off to showers over the next couple of hours. temperatures are going to stay cool. plan on highs only in the 50s outside. more showers for tomorrow. major warmup over the weekend. ,,,,,,,,

santorum got to the point where he released a robo call calling democratic voters to vote for him since michigan's republican primary is open to voters of all parties. mitt romney did not care for this tactic. >> it's outrageous and disgusting. >> do you have a clip of romney from his past not only admitting to this practice, but admitting it in a 12-year-old gleeful, girly voice? >> when you register as an independent, you can vote against bill clinton. i used to vote against ted kennedy. >> i used to vote against ted kennedy! look at romney. still has an adrenaline rush from doing it. who needs coffee when you have

cross-party voting? is i'm going to be up all night. >> is a girly voice bad in a man? thank you, john stewart. mitt romney has the momentum back after a big win in arizona and a narrow victory over rick santorum in michigan. with super tuesday next week, the race of the republican campaign, the pace of the republican campaign is what she's trying to say, is not about to let up. it's 8:00. welcome back to "cbs this morning." i'm gayle king. >> and i'm charlie rose. this morning, we want to look closer at how the campaign is affecting the republican party as a whole. chief washington correspondent, host of "face the nation" is with us again. also, andy card from the white house chief of staff of president george w. bush. good morning. welcome to the broadcast. you're at college station in the bush library. >> the bush school, the bush library, the bush museum. happy leap day to you. i want to say happy leap birthday to my hometown of

holbrook, massachusetts. incorporated in 1872 on leap year day. >> good for them. let's start with politics and this question. how badly divided is your party? >> you know, it's not as badly divided as everybody thinks it is. i actually think the party is going to start coming together pretty quickly. mitt romney had a big night last night. not only did he win in arizona, he had a pretty good victory in michigan, especially when you consider some of the mischiefous tricks played by the democrats. i think the margin is much bigger than it looks on paper. i think he had a great night. >> some are arguing that if santorum had run a better campaign, it would have been a better result for him, but santorum ran a bad campaign, got tied down by social issues and did not talk about the bread and butter economic issues that most voters in michigan care most about. >> well, i think that all of the candidates -- first of all, they've been running a terrific campaign. from a political science point of view, this is exciting times. we love watching it.

we're all learning about the process of winning a nomination. we'll learn about process of electing a president. i hope the republican party starts to come together and focus on the real mission. that is to make sure that the white house is not going to be held by the democrats for a long time. >> andy, i just heard you say that republicans really don't have to worry, but the other day john mccain did an interview and said it's like looking at a greek tragedy. if you're a republican and you've supported the party for many years, when should you start worrying, if now is not the time? >> well, i think we're starting to see -- the voters are starting to coalesce around a likely candidate. it's still a process where mitt romney has to earn the victory. he can't coast to victory. he has to earn the victory. the super tuesday states are going to be very interesting to watch. this is an uncharted territory for the republican party because we don't have win-or-take-all primaries in every state like we used to. this process was designed to play out for a longer period of time, and it will. but i think mitt romney has the momentum and is likely to be the

republican nominee. >> bob is with us also. >> hey, andy. i haven't talked to you in a long time. i was interested to hear you say how this is helping things. why is this helping? here these guys are tearing each other apart. i mean, they're getting into things that weren't even on a lot of people's minds. rick santorum talking about people ought not to go to cle college or whatever he said. why is that good? >> every tactic has not been good, but i think the process has been very inviting to a lot of people. a lot of people are paying attention. the media is paying attention. the people are paying attention. they're going to learn more and more about our nominee. they'll also learn more about -- >> but what if learning about that nominee is not so good? like all the gaffes mitt romney is committing. some things aren't necessarily the interest of the party or the candidate. >> i agree we are giving fodder

in the fall. i think our candidates will be bette tested through this process and stronger because of it. this election is going to be about the changes necessary to put america back on the front lines of the world of economic affairs and diplomacy and protection. i think that's what the voters will come to recognize. we have a very late convention this year for both the republicans and the democrats. but there are at least three campaign seasons before we get to the general election between now and november. so i think we're going to have a process that plays out pretty well. it's exciting if you're -- i'm on the fence. i'm not supporting any candidate in the republican primary nomination process. it's the first time in my adult life i've been on the sidelines. but i've enjoyed watching it. i enjoyed thinking about collecting the votes to win the nomination. i don't think it's going to be a broken convention, but it could be. >> andy, are you saying that if it's between mitt romney, newt

gingrich, and rick santorum and ron paul, you're undecided? >> i am on the fence. it's not that i'm undecided. i'm very respectful of the position i hold -- >> what's the difference of being on the fence and undecided? >> well, no. i will cast my vote. i know how i will vote. but i am not endorsing a particular candidate during this primary process. i will be for the republican nominee. i will be enthusiastically for the republican nominee once we have one. >> andy, when do you think they'll have a nominee? you said you don't think it's going to be a broken convention. but do you think republicans may actually get to the convention without somebody having the delegates they need for the nomination? in other words, do you think it could be contested? >> well, in 1976, it was the last republican convention where the nominee of the party was not known when we got to the convention. >> i was there. >> you were. i was there as well. that 1976 in kansas city. gerald ford ended up getting the

nomination of the party. it was a very, very interesting convention. ronald reagan gave a great speech after he didn't get the nomination. but i actually feel that this time we're likely to find that the republican party wants to win november, and we'll start coalescing around the likely victor for our party, i think, before we get to the convention. we could have a convention where we don't know the real winner when we get there, but when the delegates show up and get on the floor, we'll realize winning the presidency is more important than fighting. >> if you had to guess, who do you think they'll pick? just a guess. >> i think mitt romney has the infrastructure in place and the

we only see leap day every four years, so imagine if today was your birthday. millions of people around the world were born on february 29th. we'll talk to some of them and show you why we even have leap days, and we'll also look at big news from apple. could it be a brand new ipad? i'm thinking yeah. you're watching "cbs this morning." morning" ♪that special something that will carry you through...♪ ♪that little reward for all the things you do.♪ luscious, creamy filling, perfectly combined with our intense, slow-melting chocolate,

the one and only ghirardelli squares chocolate. for all the things you do. ghirardelli. moments of timeless pleasure. like splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweeteners. this bowl of strawberries is loaded with vitamin c. and now, b vitamins to boot. coffee doesn't have fiber. unless you want it to. splenda® essentials™ are the first and only line of sweeteners with a small boost of fiber, or antioxidants, or b vitamins in every packet. mmm. same great taste with an added "way to go, me" feeling. splenda® essentials™. get more out of what you put in. but one is so clever that your skin looks better even after you take it off. neutrogena® healthy skin liquid makeup. 98% saw improved skin. does your makeup do that? neutrogena® cosmetics. are made with sweet cherries

and the crisp, clean taste of our cranberries. i cannot tell a lie. 'tis tasty. okay, george washington, did you take my truck out last night? 'tis tasty.

as we looked around the web this morning, we found a few reasons to make a long story short. the forbes website points out an old irish custom. february 29th is the day it's okay for women to ask men to marry them. guys, if you've been dodging that question for a while, you have been warned. >> ladies, have have it. a story about an asteroid that scientists are worried about now. they're worried now even though it's not going to approach earth until 2040. why? well, it's almost 500 feet wide. one week from today, apple is holding an event to introduce

something big. bloomberg news says we'll get our first look at the ipad 3. the health blog at time.com says a broken heart hurts just as much as a broken bone as far as your brain is concerned. there's a new staid that says a part of the brain that recognizes physical and emotional pain. i think a lot of people probably agree with those findings. >> yes. have you met me? this is true. people.com reports that benn affleck and jennifer garner are parents for the third time. garner gave birth to a boy. he already has two older sisters. congratulations to them. that's long story short. i love these stories when people have two of the same kind of child and then they have another child. so erica hill -- >> i'm not having another baby. >> if you have another one, i would like it to be a girl. >> but you would still love it if it was a boy. >> yes, i would love it. do you have any news to break p>> i don't.? you're not going to have to worry about it.

you can just love my two boys i have now. >> i love them. gayle is a good name for a girl. >> gayle is a beautiful name. >> just saying. this day is huge for 5 million people. they get to celebrate their birthday for the first time since 2008. that's no fair. we'll look at leap day and why it rolls around every four years. you're watching "cbs this morning." >>s this portion of "cbs this morning" sponsored by prudential. there are no obstacles, just challenges. bring your challenges. [ male announcer ] new starbucks blonde roast

is another way to look at the bean. another way that reveals the lighter, mellower side of our roast. introducing delicious new starbucks blonde roast. the lighter roast perfected. ♪

the lighter roast perfected. ,, (car horn) paying with your smartphone instead of cash... (phone rings) that's a step forward. with chase quickpay, you can send money directly to anyone's checking account. i guess he's a kicker... again, again! oh, no you don't! take a step forward and chase what matters.

in a tough economy, we're always looking for new ways to earn money. the one of the most interesting things out there. peer to peer services. >> that can be run renting out an extra bedroom for a night.

financial contributor carmen wong you will rick is here to talk about it. i never heard of this peer to peer. >> p to p. >> what is it? >> it's part of the sharing economy now. this is community, collaborative consumption where people are going online and basically putting up items that they own or services that they have and putting them up for sale. you have people selling and making transactions with other people as opposed to retailers. >> sort of like a new way of a classified ad. >> the contemporary version of the flyer you put up in your neighborhood for dog walking. here's the thing, because you have the web, easy access to putting your skills out there, what you have out there and the ease of the financial transaction, which is all the credit cards now. you don't have to wait for checks to clear. >> there are a lot of options, personal ones. you can rent out your home. >> you can. this is one that's been tried and true. one of the biggest site for this is air b and b.

it's international. so it's thousands of cities across the world. in this nation, there's plenty, millions of homes booked. here's the thing, you go and put in for example i put in my zip code to see how much could i get if i rented out an extra room in my neighborhood. 75 bucks a day. >> i get that. you sort of lost me when i heard about a community loo. i don't like that. >> i'm with you on that one. >> this is an app. >> the community loo is claude claa. it's a mart phone app launching in the spring. basically with your friend network, your social network, through facebook and twitter, links your friends together to let you put up for sale the use of your bathroom. if you're in an urban area, a city and looking for starbucks and your friend needs to go. they go on to the app and you get paid a little bit of money, couple buck. but they have corporate sponsorships that will stock your bathroom with paper

product. >> you know what's wrong about that? >> it's your friend. don't charge them. let them use your bathroom. >> what about safety issues. i'm thinking there's really -- is there a way to vet people? >> there is. this is a thing that a lot of the sites realize, they have to make sure there's protection in hand. when you're dealing with strangers using your merchandise, that's something you have to take care of. they have background checks if it's about your services. also, air b and b has an extra $50,000 policy should anything happen to your home. you need to make sure your renters or homeowners insurance is up to date. some policies won't cover you if someone is using something that you own. >> which brings up cars. there are now people who are renting out time with their car. i would think insurance is an issue there. >> it is an issue. get around.com and relay ride. here's how they work. they'll put a security system on your car in a way that someone

can go to your car. that's a $500 up front fee. >> like a different car. >> turn your car into a zip car. >> they get a third of the hourly rate. their numbers are this. ten hours a week you rent out a car, that's about $3,000 a year. it's something. it's additional. but you have to make sure, there is extra insurance on some of the site. but in many states, you will not be covered under your auto policy, liability if somebody takes your car, rents it and hurts somebody else. >> be very careful. >> i'm not sold on the bathroom. but something to think about. thank you, carmen. >> if you need mine, you can use it. carmen you too always. >> don cheadle is also with us this morning. he's the man everyone loves to hate in "house of lies." you're watching "cbs this morning." your local news is next. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

than an hour to put out a duplex fire in san jose. the fire started around three this morning. cell phone video shows the good morning headlines, it took firefighters an hour to put out a fire had san jose. it started at 3 a.m. this is cell phone video of the battalion chiefs. there is a massive fire. the fire on denise way left four people homeless. no injuries. in court this morning, eliana lopez the wife of san francisco sheriff ross mirkarimi. she is argue the video showing a bruise on her arm shouldn't be allowed as evidence in her domestic violence trial. prosecutors say mirkarimi hurt his wife during an argument on new year's eve. and the sierra getting some much-needed snow from the storm dumping rain right here in the bay area now. a lot of snow up in the mountains. interstate 80 by the way closed to most vehicles. big rigs especially right now

east of applegate. chains are required on u.s. 50 east of placerville. we'll have an update on your traffic and weather coming right up. ,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. outside, a lot of traffic out there this morning. here's a live look at the nimitz. 880 through oakland. you can see it is jammed solid past the coliseum in the northbound lanes. drive time more than a half hour between 238 and the maze. traveling southbound 880 at whipple we have a multi-vehicle

accident there blocking lanes and check these different incidents in the south bay. sounds like the rain is coming down hardest there. 280 traffic backed up heading out of downtown san jose. one one not a lot better. san mateo bridge we still have wind advisories in effect san mateo bridge and the bay bridge. raining right now, live toward mount diablo, cloudy, scattered showers, south bay lots of rainfall heavier in that area. hi-def doppler picking up on that. cold front moving out of town still leftover showers this afternoon. and the temperatures are going to remain cool. plan on highs only in the 50s, high surf advisory along the coastline starting at 1:00 in the afternoon. some swells there. 13 to about 14 feet. up to 4 feet in the sierra nevada this weekend but down in the lowlands more showers in through thursday. warmer weather dry over the weekend.

poke your eyes, pull your hair, you forgot what clothes to wear. >> you're not wearing yellow and blue on leap day. >> so what? >> leap day -- ♪ will he bring his bucket of sweet for mom and pop and me. >> what is going on in here? >> leap day william is visiting. >> leap day william? >> did you not grow up with leap day william he emerges every

four years to trade children's tears for candy. >> never heard of leap day william either. you charlie? >> no. >> we do not know this character. welcome back to "cbs this morning." we do know, though, that it's a very confusing day because yesterday was february 28th, so today should be march 1st, right? but no, it's actually february 29th. which only comes once every four years. >> and then this begs the question that if today is your birthday, are you one-year-older, four years older, maybe a personal preference. we've been talking to people who are celebrating today. good morning. >> good morning, erica. it seems very confusing. they're called leapers. those born on this day, share a special bond joined by shifting birthday celebrations and always having to explain this rather peculiar day. >> 30 days hath september. >> april june and november. >> what's wrong with february anyway?

>> all the rest have 31. >> messing up a perfectly good poem with its weird number of days. >> say february with 28 days clear and 29 in each leap year. >> the month isn't all that. there's valentine's day for lovebirds, two of our greatest presidents were born in february. abraham lincoln and the father of our country, george washington. plus, february is black history month. the shortest month of all trying to squeeze in one more day every four years. what's that all about in. >> leap day is the result of a simple fact. that the time it takes earth to go around the sun is not evenly divisible by what we call a day. >> astro fiscal vis neil degrasse tyson explains while the calendar says it takes 365 days for the earth to orbit the sun, in fact, it takes slightly longer than that. almost six hours longer.

or one quarter of a day. >> you can't stick a quarter of a day on a calendar. it doesn't work. you pocket that fraction of a day and you wait how many years, four years. for four of the quarters to add up you got a whole day. put it back in the calendar. >> leap day was created by none other than emperor julius cesar who realized that the calendar was slipping. but he added too many leap days. so 1500 years later, pope gregory xiii corrected the error. the modern gregorian calendar was born. >> if you don't have the leap days correcting things, the first day of spring could show up in the summer and in the winter. >> so with the seasons aligned and calendar correct, a new category of people was created. >> i'm ar yell and i'm six. >> i'm randy and i'm going to be 13. >> i'm sherri and i'm 11. >> i'm jana and i'm 12.

>> i'm brianna, i'm going to be seven. >> we brought together a group of leapers. >> i'm going to be 13. but i'm losing my hair. >> those born on february 28th whose birthdays come only once every four years. a nearly one in 1500 chance. >> my parents actually started a tradition, they used to wake me up at a minute to midnight and sap happy birthday really quickly and give me a bite of ice cream cake and then i'd go back to sleep. >> there's a kinship among you leap year babies. you just met today. >> yeah. >> you think you had known each other forever. >> we have that special connection already. even far away. >> we have a unique personality. we're very naenergetic, out goi, fun-loving. we love to party. >> who feels special because they were born on leap day? >> so happy birthday leapers. all 5 million of you.

>> i have to say that they do seem to have a unique connection. i like it. >> they had just met on that day. in fact, we put out the call for leap year day babies and they're still saying we want to be a part of this piece. they're really proud of this day and do share this bond. >> i think it's kind of a fun thing. it's easy for me to say i'm not a leap day baby. is it ever tough for them, when they're getting a drivers license shall a form. do thet get a hard time. >> the toughest thing is they have to answer the same question, when do you celebrate your birthday? there's always -- >> what is the answer to that? >> some celebrate at the end of february and some say they wait until march 1st. right before midnight, the last day of february, she celebrates. >> i love the ice cream cake. you know what else was interesting, neil degrasse is such a rock star in the world of science. who would have thought that leap year was tied to science? i thought that was interesting. >> in figuring out the math,

it's actually quite confusing. century years do not have leap days unless they're divisible by 100 -- by 400. it's confusing me. >> very confusing. >> for instance, we did not have a leap day in 1900 but we did have a leap day in 2000. >> they're not divisible by 400. >> right. >> we're going to have -- >> happy birthday to the leapers. nicely done. >> seth, thanks. as always, if you missed the eye-opener this more than, you are in luck. you can access it from your smartphone. star star 26. you can also find it on our website. don cheadle was part of oceans 11. now he's making waves. we'll talk about his series ♪

♪ hit the road, jack ♪ and don't you come back no more ♪ ♪ no more, no more, no more ♪ hit the road, jack ♪ and don't you come back no more ♪ [ male announcer ] want your weeds to hit the road? hit 'em with roundup extended control. one application kills weeds and puts down a barrier to stop new ones for up to four months.

roundup extended control

the incredible don cheadle is funny and very scary in the hit show called "house of lies"ment he plays a consultant schmoozes his way into companies. >> it's been renewed for a second season. don cheadle, welcome. >> thank you very much. >> who is this character you play? >> he's mean, charlie. he's despicable. >> you called him delectable. >> in a mean way. >> i play a management consultant who goes into companies and tells them how to fix and streamline. i'm sure you've dealt with these creatures before. >> gayle you have. >> charlie, he lies, he cheats. he is so -- it's almost like he has no moral compass when it comes to the job. you would agree with that. >> win at all costs. >> a lot of very good actors like you are finding places to play characters they want to do

on television. >> yeah. >> and also on subscription television like hbo. >> a lot of the great writing is now on television. you can do more than in features nowadays. especially mainstream studio pictures. they are tending to sort of trend more toward hitting the largest base that they can. a lot of the specifics and fun stuff you want to do you can't do any more in movies. it's fun to come to a place like show time and do this. >> were you reluctant for tv. i would never do tv after movies? >> i started on tv. i was on a show, picket fences for years. i don't have anything about it. to me,ist where the material is. >> i heard your first break was on golden girls as a hotel clerk. >> golden palace. >> there's a difference between those. >> i know, charlie. but the copy said golden girls. i said i watched it. i don't remember you. >> no, i was not on golden

girls. i was on gold n palace. >> did you play a hotel clerk? >> i did. cheech ma rin played the chef on there. that's where i met cheech. betty white and -- >> it was a spinoff, then? >> it was a spinoff. it's not totally off the mark. >> not totally off the mark. >> beyond television, beyond this series, suppose somebody came to you, a studio head and said tell us the movie you want to make. what o it be? >> it would have to be a movie where i've had a back in. i would have to make an astronomical amount, ten, 11 figures at least. no, i don't have a specific -- >> you said that with a straight face. i'm trying to go, one, two, three -- >> a lot of zeros. >> seven figures is a million. >> i want 11. i want to be a precedent setter. the movie that i'm still trying -- we're putting together is a miles davis movie.

>> why that? >> it's just a very rich story. it's a life that i've been interested in a long time. been into jazz since i was ten, 11 years old. >> would you play him? >> yeah. >> direct and produce. >> no. producing it. we'd have a director. >> i can see this already. >> do you play jazz yourself sm. >> yes. >> do you have musical talent? >> i've played jazz for many years and trumpet for the last couple years. the new ax. >> you're one of the most interesting and kind of different characters you ever know. >> if that doesn't work, i'm going to develop a lot of apps. i hear that's the new thing. >> that's lucrative. >> i remember you from oceans 11. george clooney, i love george clooney. >> he's a known prankster. have you ever been the victim or subject of a george clooney prank? he's well-known for that. >> the last one that he pulled, i got a note that was from the

desk of brad pitt and it was a note that brad was going to be doing the -- >> producing the miles davis movie and jamie foxx was going to star. >> don cheadle, but jamie foxx. >> was i interested in playing charlie parker in the film. it smelled a little clooney. it was. >> a house across from the house where you've been, it was run down or something. they're making it into a big apartment or something. you went over there with a sleeping bag to spend the night. >> he's on medication. he shouldn't tell this story. >> brad was there too. >> brad, myself and eddie we all went there. we just wanted to explore and see if it was really -- it's an old abandoned villa across the lake. it was a dare. we all took the dare. he did not. he chickened out. george chickened out. >> grown men still take dares. >> today is february 29th. leap day. it's the day that women can propose to men.

don says why are you looking at me in. >> bring it. >> i'm going there, don. you have been with your significant other for 20 years. >> that's right. >> two children. >> that's right. >> are you just opposed to marriage or waiting for her to propose or should i call her up and say today is the day. >> yeah. she keeps missing the opportunity. i'm waiting. >> it's her fault. >> of course it is. >> it's either that or she says i've got a good thing going. if it ain't broke, don't fix it. >> i think that's it. >> i just think -- i like marriage, marriage. you're saying, it works for us. >> we're not going anywhere. she's not going anywhere. i have so many secrets on her. she could never leave. >> she may have a few herself. >> she does. we're 20 years in. 21 years in. >> you look in great health. what do you do? >> there's an app for that actually. >> speaking of apps. >> you do look great. >> wouldn't it be nice as a gift on leap day to have somebody give us an ipad 3? >> wouldn't it. >> it would be a nice thing to

have. >> where does that come from? >> no, i love gifts. >> it would be thoughtful. >> i always -- not a proposal. how about a gift? >> charlie, you know people. call somebody and get don cheadle. he didn't have an ipad 2. call somebody. >> he wanted to leap over to 3. >> can i say one thing about "house of lies" before you go. i love the character who plays your son. he's a cross dressing little boy. i don't know if he's gay, i don't know if he wants to be a girl. i'm not quite sure what he is. what i like is that he's so sweet and lovable and so kind. you all try to keep it murky about what he is or what do you want us to take away from this character? he's fantastic. >> i think it's the source of consternation for marty as well. he doesn't know what's trying to do. he doesn't know -- there's a scene where he says what do you do if you like a girl and you like a boy? he says, i don't know. he doesn't know. so it's something that i think over the course of the series is

going to develop. we're going to figure out what it is what roscoe wants. i don't know if roscoe knows what he wants. >> i think it's great fun. you despicable you. >> thank you. >> thank you, don cheadle. does anybody has someone who writes them a letter and put it in the mail. we're talking to a man trying to bring those days back with forever stamps and a dream. i like that idea. you're watching "cbs this morning." ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

record day here at cbs this morning. you saw the paper airplane if you were with us earlier. how about the human dominoes? 850 people falling down in a row

yesterday. happened in new orleans. the old record was 550 people. we don't know that they're in the official guinness world record, but it's pretty impressive nonetheless. >> i'm thinking that looks like fun. welcome back to "cbs this morning." tens of thousands of postal workers have lost their jobs. one of the reasons is believed to be the internet that it's made letter writing almost obsolete. >> now there's a new grassroots campaign to revive that lost art. subscribers receive a letter a week from a well known writer. it was started by writer stephen elliott. good morning. >> good morning. >> how did this come about? >> well, i just finished directing my last movie "cherries" earlier this year. and i had some time, and i had this website, and i had just this idea maybe we start sending letters in the mail to people, you know. it was kind of a throwaway idea. i didn't think it was going to be a big thing. i had the idea on january 2nd.

>> what did you think would happen? >> you know, a lot of people read the website where we launched this. and i thought we'd get a couple hundred subscribers. and right away we had 200 subscribers in the first two hours. >> wow. >> and then "the new york times" writing about it, "usa today," now i'm here with you guys, which is an honor and i appreciate it. >> what do you think it is about a letter? i mean, 200 people in two hours, that shows that people want this. >> i think it's a couple of things. it's nostalgia and it's novelty. people like me, i miss getting and sending letters. >> you do. >> you know? like i have a letter writing history, you know? and i was in my early 20s, back in 1995, a girlfriend of mine was traveling through europe. and i had already written a novel, so i was writing a lot. she was traveling through europe, i started sending her

letters post. 20, 30-page handwritten letters and they'd arrive waiting for her in the next town. and it was very fulfilling for me. she wasn't much of a writer. >> you were clearly, stephen, very in love. >> i was very in love. but ten years later i was in love again. >> think about this. the mail that you get every day, lovely handwritten note. >> it stands out. >> it stands out. and you think about it. much better than an e-mail. >> totally different way of connecting. you know? when you get an e-mail, you kind of read through it quickly, there's other e-mails waiting for your attention. it's much more utilitarian. >> it reminds you that somebody made an effort. >> yeah. >> that's why a thank you note is so nice. it's not just a gesture, it's the fact that they sat down and took the time to write it out. >> stephen, i'm so fascinated by you when you read somebody like

mep i thought you would walk in with a suit and a vest, you come in with jeans and piercings. you were so not at all what i expected to be behind a letter writing campaign. >> they made me take off my hoodie, actually. your producer thought it was inappropriate. >> we're taking names. who was that? >> getting called out. >> this is great you're doing it. fantastic. >> i love writing letters, i love receiving them. and people really connect. you know, i sent out the first letter, almost every week a letter from a well known author. dave eggers is doing one. dave just told me yesterday he's almost done. ten pages already, written by hand. handwritten. >> and they love doing it, too. >> authors love this. the epistolary form has a real history. >> thank you so much. that does it for us. up next your local news and we'll see you tomorrow right here on "cbs this morning." that does it for us. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

a duplex fire on denise wayt al good morning. it's 8:55. i'm frank mallicoat. we have some headlines for you here in the bay area. a duplex fire on denise way and almaden road in san jose left four people homeless. the fire started around 3 a.m. in the attic. cell phone video here showing the massive flames as firefighters arrived. people barely had time to get out. nobody was hurt. investigators looking for the cause of a two-alarm fire in berkeley this morning that broke out in a vacant building on bancroft avenue near 6th street around 4:00 there. were no injuries reported here. neighbors say the place was raided just a few months ago as a marijuana grow house. and layoffs may be coming for san francisco school employees. nearly 500 workers will give warnings that they could lose their jobs next fall. the school district expects $83

million deficit over the next two years. it's wet outside. you don't need me to tell you. that here's lawrence with more on your west forecast. >> we are seeing the storm system make its way through the bay area now. behind that cold front, though, skies trying to break up a little bit over san francisco. we are going to see showers on and off throughout the day. this is going to be a beautiful day of rainbows, as well. that cold front now making its way into the south bay. that's where we are seeing the heaviest concentration of rainfall this morning. it will begin to taper off throughout the day leaving behind showers and some cool temperatures too. highs today only in the 50s all around the bay area. a little breezy especially at the coastline. tomorrow maybe a couple of leftover showers but after that, high pressure begins to build in. we dry things out on friday and the weekend looking spectacular! some of those high temperatures running up into the 70s. we are going to check your "timesaver traffic" camera coming up next. ,, ♪ strea-ea-ea-ea-eam ♪ stream, stream, stream... ♪ strea-ea-ea-ea-eam ♪ stream, stream, stream...

♪ when i want you... ♪ ...in my arms... ♪ when i want you... ♪ ...and all your charms... ♪ whenever i want you, all i have to do is... ♪ ♪ strea-ea-ea-ea-eam [ female announcer ] stream full seasons of shows and top movies instantly. introducing streampix.

good morning. well, things are clearing out and drying out at the bay bridge. a high wind advisory is still in effect but it is only backed up to the middle of the lot. only in the busiest lanes. the metering lights are on. 280 slick and drive time still in the red. so still backed up through downtown san jose. northbound 280 almost a half hour between 101 and the cupertino exit. the nimitz still heavy traffic past the coliseum in the northbound lanes. it is jammed solid all the way towards downtown oakland. and we still have that accident southbound 880 at whipple blocking one lane.