the murder of 16 civilians triggers protests and demands for answers from the afghan government. base under fire. the army base where the attack was stationed is in trouble. primary push. captioning funded by cbs good morning, everybody. good to be with you. captioning funded by cbs captioning funded by cbs good morning, good morning,er. good to be with you. right now in afghanistan, growing outrage following a

deadly attack by a u.s. soldier. this morning they visited the village where 16 were killed sunday morning. in eastern afghanistan hundreds of students held significant protests calling for a public trial. the taliban are threatening to behead american soldiers. mandy clark joins us live from afghanistan this morning. mandy, what do you know about this morning's attack? >> well, it seems that the attack could have been an ambush because the attackers struck from a number of sides. it's unclear at the minute if anyone has been killed or injured, but we do know t delegation was visiting the villages as part of a government investigation into the shooting and that two of afghan president hamid karzai's brothers were a part of the delegation. >> u.s. officials warned americans in afghanistan, soldiers and civilians alike, of the prospect of more violence. could we see violence like this in the days to come? >> reporter: that's a very real possibility.

in the past, we've noticed that as protests carry on, they seem to get angrier and angrier and more and more violent, and violent protests seem to be a slow burn in afghanistan. so the possibility that violence could spark off again is very real, and everyone still on high alert. >> mandy clark in afghanistan this morning. mandy, thank you. we'll be in touch. meanwhile we're learning more about the soldier accused of killing 16 afghans. a 38-year-old father of two. u.s. officials say he is a training sniper and suffered a head injury while serving in iraq. secretary of defense leon panetta says he may face the death penalty. president obama says sunday's massacre was tragic but they'll not speed up u.s. withdrawal plans. >> what we don't want to do is make a rush for the exit. we have to make sure that the afghans can, you know, protect their borders and prevent al qaeda from coming back in.

so we're going do it in a responsible way. >> but "the new york times" this morning says the obama administration is considering accelerating withdrawal of u.s. sold forces from afghanistan. the name of the suspected gunman has not been released burke we know he's from a base south of seattle. as ben tracy reports, the base has seen its trouble. >> reporter: iraq war veteran jorge gonzalez was shocked by the murder of afghan civilians but not where the soldier was based. >> i thought, it figures that he's from here. >> reporter: gonzalez runs a veteran known coffee shop for the base where he offers comfort to troubled soldiers. some here have had four or more combat tours in iraq and afghanistan. >> nobody can take that much combat, nobody can take that much stress. and they're final going to hit the wall and explode. >> reporter: this base has

grappled with a series of high-profile incidents. four soldiers from lewis-mcchord were convicted in the 2010 thrill killings of three afghan civilians. an a soldier murlded a park ranger on mt. ranier. since 2010, 26 lewis-mcchord soldiers have committed suicide. >> they give up. they have nowhere else to turn and they thought the military would have their backs for life lr last month a medical center administrationer was placed on leave for released soldiers who were told they have post-traumatic stress disorder. megan mccloskey is reporting on the "stars and stripes" independent military newspaper. >> there have been allegations that it was for reasons of money. soldiers -- it just being too expensive to take care of soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder.

>> reporter: members of congress are looking into allegations of ptsd. meanwhile more than 5,000 soldiers from this base are currently deployed in afghanistan. ben tracy, cbs news, lakewood, washington. the politics now. game-changing primaries in alabama and mississippi. for the republican presidential hopef hopefuls, it's an all-out battle to claim the nearly 100 delegates up for grabs. mitt romney wants to close the deal. rick santorum is looking to gain some momentum and newt gingrich may need a win to stay in the race. we have more. >> good morning, terrell. at this stage of the game, the remaining candidates are clawing for any possible advantage. you will begin seeing strategies evolve, and right now the man with the most improved is newt gingrich. during his final push for votes, newt gingrich told them he's in the race for the long haul. >> i do not believe the other two candidates can beat obama and i believe it's the most important race of our lifetime, and i will not leave the field.

>> reporter: gingrich's strategy has been the focus of southern states. the latest poll shows he's in a fight for first and second in both alabama and mississippi going into primary days. rick santorum supporters have called for gingrich to drop sought so the conservative base can rally behind the former pennsylvania senator. santorum says it's time for this to be a two-man race. >> whether he pulls it out or not, where does he go from here. i mean we go next to illinois and he's sitting at 10% in the state of illinois. we're at 31%. >> a new cbs new york times poll shows nationally rick santorum has a four-point lead over mitt romney among likely republican voters, but the survey also reveals 73% of those polled think it's romney who will end up clinching the nomination. the former massachusetts governor didn't let the weather stop him from campaigning in mobile, alabama on monday. >> if you think washington is a mess, i hope you'll send me there so i can fix it. >> reporter: romney is looking to pull off at least one victory

in the south today to prove he can win over evangelical voters and carry very conservative states. alabama has 50 delegates up for grabs, mississippi has just 40, but every one, terrell, counts. >> thank you. for president obama, some troubling news from a just released cbs news/new york times poll. the president's approval rating topped off at 50% last month but has dipped to 41% now, the lowest of his presidency. among the all-important independent voters, just 37% approve of how mr. obama's doing his job, but the same poll shows the president leading each of the four republican presidential candidates in a head-to-head matchup. illinois officials don't know why the federal government denied funding to the town of harrisburg. last month a tornado all but destroyed the small town, killing seven people. seems the damage did not constitute a federal disaster.

the tornado was a string of violent storms that hit the midwest. two state, indiana and kentucky, were granted federal disaster relief. we'll take a quick break on this tuesday morning. coming up, who's getting blame for the rising cost in gas. plus shrks e cut a deal with prosecutors, so why isn't the girlfriend, heidi bulger, going to testify against him. first, scott pelley has a preview of tonight's cbs nightly news. >> he was bullied. this 12-year-old boy decided to tail croak. 85 pounds lighter he's motivating his family and his community to phyto beesty. meet this young man tonight on cbs evening news. romyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can plan my days and accomplish more.

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the long-time girlfriend of reputed mob boss reportedly cut a deal with federal prosecutors that will let her avoid testifying in federal court.

she helped him evade capture for more than 16 years. they were finally tracked down and arrested last year in southern california. bulger is 82 years old, charged with 19 murders. >> the new jersey jury of the so-called webcam trial of the rutgers university student could begin dib deliberations as early as today. the defense rested yesterday without calling him. he's charged with a hate crime for setting up a webcam rah to spy on his roommate for an intimate encounter with a man. he later committed suicide. on "cbs moneywatch," americans are blaming president obama for the rise in gas. for the latest details, ashley morrison here in new york. ashley, good morning. >> good morning to you, turrell. asian markets are up. japan's nikkei rose slightly while hong kong's hang seng advanced about 1%. the federal reserve's policymakers will meet for the

first time since january today. they're not expecting major announcement but it is believed they will keep short-term interest rates a at record low for the foreseeable future. the dow added 37 points while the nasdaq dropped 4. the obama administration is bringing a new trade case against china in an effort to level the playing field. the white house wants to see china end its export restrictions on high-tech goods such as tvs and hybrid car batteries. the u.s. will ask the world trade organization to facilitate the talks. >> americans are wondering if anything can be done to slow down the rising price of gasoline. according to aaa, the national average for a gallon of regular is now $3.81. that's about 31 cents away from the all-time high. a cbs/new york news poll shows the majority of the americans, 54%, believe president obama can be doing more to keep the price down. one thing the president can do is release oil from the strategic oil reserve, but

that's only to be done in the event of a severe supply disruption. we're learning more about the $25 million settlement. court papers filed monday show the bank will pay about $20 billion to help home owners avoid foreclosure. $5 million will go to federal and state governments. some will be used to send $2,000 checks to 750,000 americans who were victims of improper foreclosure procedures. it's good to see someone's taking accountability. >> we'll have to watch that one. ashley in new york. good to see you. nasa released new pictures of the second largest moon, rhea. the raw images were taken saturday. rhea's about 950 miles in diameter, roughly one quarter the size of earth's moon. its surface is rough and heavily cratered, it has a very thin atmosphere and perhaps a small ring like saturn's. pretty cool. up next your tuesday morning weather. and in sports, a

champion-winning shot that will have you asking how in the world did he do that. stay with us. you have got to see this next. you have got to see this next. [ dog barking ] ♪ [ female announcer ] life is full of little tests, but your basic paper towel can handle them. especially if that towel is bounty basic. the towel that's durable and scrubbable. in this lab demo,

bounty basic is stronger than the leading bargain brand. everyday life. bring it with bounty basic. affordably priced. tested by everyday life. 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! here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. scattered showers, 72 in new york. mostly sunny, 82 in miami. mostly sunny, 64 in chicago. dallas, partly cloudy, 82, and

los angeles, 66. let's get a check of your national forecast for the pacific northwest. and northern california to the northern rockies will have wind and rain with snow in higher elevations. the plains and mississippi valley will have sunny skies and warmer temperatures. showers and thunderstorms will dot the southeast from east texas to the carolinas. some severe are likely from the mid-atlantic states to new england. in sports this morning tiger's not great but his latest injury may not be so bad. after hitting to the water at the championship in miami on sunday, tiger woods pulled out of the tournament. but on twitter last night he wrote this. got good news from doc tonight. mild strain from left achilles. can resume hitting balls late in week and hopeful for next week. next week will be march 22nd at the arnold palmer invitational. to the nba. celtics and the l.a. clippers. boston led in much of the second half. slammed down an alley-oop. clippers chipped away, in the lane for a sparking left-handed jam.

in the fourth, though, celts' paul piers dropped a three. kevin garnett hit a turnaround from the wing. that nailed down a win for boston. and in chicago jeremy lin makes a great steal. the knicks led the bulls in the third quarter. lin couldn't stop derrick rose though. 32 with seven assists and the bulls. the knicks have lost six straight. finally, remember this name. josh adams. and this is why. watch. >> for the win off the iron. it goes. he got it in. >> yes, sir. an amazing chip-in shot at the buzzer in overtime to give him a high score and colorado its first state championship basketball game there. josh adams, 6'1" senior headed to byu. we may see him again. he probably will not be able to top that one. we'll take a quick break. whew.

when we come back, some not-so- sweet news why a quick hit of sugar can cause heart problems, especially in guys. sugar can cause heart problems, especially in guys. okay, team! after age 40, we can start losing muscle -- 8% every 10 years. wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve,

and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! the first round... making is way to the north bay right . details on how this will aft your morning commute. plus, he's agreed to a plea deal, so what's next for ros mirkarimi? the options.. the san francisco mayor is w looking at. and new attacks in afghanis. the group that was targeted, while visiting the site of a shooting rampage. join us for cbs 5 early edin ... beginning at 4:30. ,,,,

here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. dc, p 5, albany, 78, st. louis, 76, mostly sunny. denver, 71 and sunny, seattle, 44 degrees. in medical new this morning, a spoonful of sugar may help the medicine go down, as the old saying goes, but a new study shows that men who down sugary drinks suffer heart attacks more than those who don't. dr. jon lapook has more. >> reporter: americans consume almost a tenth of their calories by drinking beverages packed

with sugar. dr. willits is a co-founder of the study. >> your typical 12-ounce soda contains about ten teaspoons of sugar, and many people are consuming 20 ounces of soda in a standard soda. that's about 15 to 18 teaspoons of sugar. that's a huge amount in a short time. >> reporter: willits says that quick hit of sugar can seriously affect heart health. researchers enrolled more than 31 spae fofr frpt sfwlap are are are o' moking and exercise in 22 years. men who drank one 12-ounce sugar sweetened drink a day 42,000 men and followed their diet, weight, smoking and skper cease in 22 years. men who drank one 12-ounce sugar sweetened drink a day had a 20% higher risk of heart attacks. >> continuously taking in high amount of glue cows result in stresses that in the long run show up in heart disease and diabetes. >> reporter: but showing a link between sugary drinks and heart attacks does not prove sugar is causing them. dr. stephen nissan is cardiac

chairman at cleveland clinic. >> i suspect they're drinking these sugary drinks with burgers and fries and other kinds of unhealthy fast foods, so it's very likely that people who choose to drink sugared soft drinks have a variety of habits that are not heart healthy and it may well be those health habet that are responsible for the increased risk. >> i know my patients are going to ask me about this study and i'll remind them, this is an association and does not prove cause and effect. as always i'll focus on known risks, high clos trel, lack of exercise, high blood pressure, and obesity. cutting down on sugary drinks will likely be part of the game plan. dr. jon lapook, cbs news, new york. an incredible groundbreaking procedure could have people who are paralyzed walking again. researchers managed to get a paralyzed rat running in days after reattaching a nerve ending. they're hopeful the same could

be done on humans. >> coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," the on the 16 killed by a u.s. soldier. extra butter tickets, swoon penguin journey junior mints moviefone evil prince bollywood 3-d shark attack ned the head 5% cashback right now, get 5% cashback on movies. it pays to discover. but there are foods that i had no idea had so much acid in them. my dentist said that the acid in fruit, or fruit juice or fruit teas softens the enamel so that then it can potentially erode. once that enamel is gone, it's gone. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel to help harden that enamel so that it's not brushed away.

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within hours of japan's devastating earthquake, reactors at the fukushima nuclear plant began melting down. one year later the surrounding area is considered a no man's land. bill whitaker got into the exclusion zone for this report. >> reporter: the area is totally off limits without a government pass, not something handed out to journalists. we went in with volunteers preapproved to monitor radiation levels. >> we are now approaching the checkpoint. we have to get through this before we can get into the no-go zone. we are now in. we safely got through the checkpoint. we're now in the no-go zone. >> reporter: dead zone is more apt. this area was hit by a tragic

trifecta, earthquake, tsunami, radiation. more than 70,000 people became nuclear refugees. the first town we entered was odaka. a year ago 13,000 people lived here. today, zero. every store on this once-busy shopping street abandoned. every neighborhood in the city, abandoned. there are signs of happier times. now traffic lights flash, but no traffic. the only sound, the ticking of our guide's geiger counter. he found a hot spot. big towns and small towns, all ghost towns. houses left in haste. only a few unfortunate cows roam empty streets. we drive south toward the cause of all this. >> we're now about a mile from the fukushima nuclear plant, and listen to this geiger counter.

it's going crazy. this is why people have been evacuated from here. this is why this is a no-go zone. at one point it got up to 30.8 microsieverts. anything above 3.8 is considered unsafe. we got out of there quickly. about ten miles down the road, we met a couple. despite warnings, they refuse to leave. she grew up here. for 12 years she's been caring for her mother with alzheimer's who told her she wants to die in this house. she's staying to grant her mother's risk. >> but you're right down the road from the fukushima nuclear plant. >> reporter: she told us wherever you go in japan, there are nuclear power plants. there are 54 in this country. where is safe? we left them and leave the exclusion zone, in and out in three hours to limit our exposure. plant operators say it could take decades to completely dismantle the fukushima nuclear plant. how long will it take for the surrounding dead zone to come back to life?

nobody has set a ime for that. bill whitaker, cbs news in the no-go zone around the fukushima plant. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," the latest on possible attacks here in america following the killing of 16 afghan civilians by a u.s. soldier. for now, though, that is the "cbs morning news" for this tuesday. as always, appreciate you watching. i'm terrell brown. take care, everybody. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

against your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. the first protest being carried out against the u.s. soldier who killed 16 people in afghanistan. the new attack at the site of the shooting spree. san francisco sheriff