missile defense. president obama clarifies comments he made to russia's president about a proposed missile shield and the upcoming election. supreme court showdown. the justices consider the centerpiece of president obama's historic health care overhaul law later today. and deadly wildfire. a fast-moving fire in colorado leaves at least one person dead and forces hundreds of others to flee their home. captioning funded by cbs good morning, everybody. good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. this morning president obama is clarifying comments he made to

russian president about u.s. plans for a european defense missile shield. his comments were picked up by an open mike. he told medvedev he needed more space and, quote, this is my last election. after my election i'll have more flexibility. well, this morning at the nuclear summit in seoul, mr. o said arms controls are complex and it's not surprising a deal can't be reached quickly. >> this is not a matter of hiding the ball. the only way i get this stuff done is if i'm consulting with pentagon, if i'm consulting with congress, if i've got bipartisan support, and, frankly, the current environment is not conducive to those kinds of thoughtful consultations. >> republicans were quick to criticize the open mike comments. speaking in san diego gop presidential contender mitt romney says it appears the president is about to cave in to the russians. >> that is an alarming and troubling development.

this is no time for the president to be pulling his punches with the american people. >> russia wants a pledge that its missiles would not be targeted by the proposed anti-missile system, and some control on how it would be used. well, for the second day in a row the supreme court hears arguments on president obama's politically charged health care overhaul law. today is the main event. the nine justices are considering the heart of the issue, which is the provision that makes it mandatory for all americans to have health insurance or pay a penalty. susan mcginnis is in washington to explain it all. >> hey, good morning, betty. today is the most critical of the three days at the supreme court and folks are camped out outside, hoping to get a seat inside to witness the arguments in this case because the outcome is going to impact virtually every american. day one of the historic case before the supreme court brought out protesters. today justices tackled the most

controversial part of president obama's health care law, the so-called individual mandate. it requires americans to buy health coverage or pay a fine. attorneys general from 26 states have sued, saying the government can't do that. >> we have all kinds of national problems brks it global warming or anything else. if they suggest that have to buy a service to solve that problem the relationship has changed forever. >> reporter: a cbs news/norm times poll survey shows more than half of the respondents don't like the survey and more than 47% disapprove of the overhaul. four justices were appointed under democratic president, five under republicans. monday lawyers argued other weather the court can decide now or wait until people without insurance pay for their choice, which would be in 2015, and that involves whether it's considered a tax or a penalty.

justice steven brier says the law never used the word "tax." >> they never called it a tax for a reason. >> reporter: legal experts say it appears justices won't wait. tomorrow is day three and the final day of arguments. the justices will hear arguments about whether if the individual case is negated whether the entire health care overhaul should be thrown out as well. at least one person has been killed by a fast-moving wildfire in colorado. the largest fire is burning about 25 miles southwest of denver. the fire started yesterday. apparently a flare-up from a controlled burn. the fire took off, pushed by wind gusts of up to 55 miles per hour. at least five homes have been destroyed and residents in more than 900 houses have been ordered to evacuate. >> i'm grabbing personal papers, my dog, my cat, some clothes, some pictures that can't be replaced, things like that, medicine.

>> first time in 36 years i had to move -- get out of here. so heavy-duty. >> officials say firefighters spent the night protecting homes. more than 4 1/2 square miles have been burned. the family of trayvon martin was put on the defensive after new information came to light about his past and the night he was killed. the 17-year-old was shot to death one month ago by george zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer. now, zimmerman claims he acted in self-defense and has not been arrested. on monday police confirmed that zimmerman had made those zbagss. authorities in san diego confirmed what zimmerman told police on the night of the shooting. zimmerman says martin approached him from behind. after two exchanged words zimmerman said martin punched him and started baking his head on the sidewalk. that is when zimmerman said he fatally shot trayvon martin. >> even in death, they are still

disrespecting my son. >> at a town hall meeting exactly one month since the chuting his parents said the sanford police department leaked the details in order to demonize their son. >> they killed my son and now they're trying to kill his reputation. >> martin's family acknowledged trayvon had been suspended from school after traces of marijuana had been discovered in a plastic baggy in his bookbag. >> whatever he had been suspended for had absolutely no bearing on what happened on the night of february 26. >> hundreds packed sanford's civil center and thousands more showed their support for trayvon martin outside. demonstrations calling for justice took place in cities across the country. the case is raising questions over whether race factored into the decision not to arrest zimmerman. >> if a black vigilante killed a 17-year-old white child near his father's house, he would be in

jail today. >> in the meantime zimmerman has hired an attorney and is allowing some friends to speak on his behalf. >> we don't know what went on between the time he was in his vehicle and the time the gun went off, but i can tell you race had nothing to do with it. >> state and federal agencies are looking at the case, and a grand jury will look at it on april 10 and there's a possibility that information about the case was leaked from the police department. law enforcement officials are investigating a possible hate crime in southern california. iraqi immigrant shaima alawadi was found badly beaten in her san diego suburban home last week. she died shortly after. a threatening note was found near her body that read, go back to your country, you terrorist. the family said they had received another note but never reported it. coming up on the morning news, newt gingrich's new method of funding his campaign. plus, caught on tape.

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the lighter roast perfected. ♪ a dramatic rescue in california yesterday after a truck plunged 300 feet down a ravine north of los angeles. the driver, a 56-year-old woman, was thrown from the vehicle sunday night and then spent the night in the rain. officials say she has severe head injuries and is suffering from hypothermia. she was flown to the hospital and is in critical condition. newt gingrich has come up with a way to help raise money for his presidential campaign. he was in delaware yesterday, three weeks before that state's primary, and charged supporters $50 to take a picture with him. those photos used to be free. on the "cbs moneywatch," in new data on the housing market and one of the most valuable baseball cards is going up for auction. labor morrison is here in new

york with more on that. good morning, ashley. >> good morning, betty. big rally for overseas markets. tokyo's nikkei gained more than 2% since last year's tsunami while hong kong's hang seng added more than 1.5%. federal reserve chair ben bernanke suggested interest rates will stay low fueled a big day on wall street. stocks finished at their highest levels in years and posted the biggest single day gains of 2012. the dow added 160 points. the nasdaq gained 54. we'll get a fresh report on home prices today that could erase some of those gains. the head of the real estate site zillo.com is predicting home prices will fall nearly 1% this year. he said prices will be held back as more foreclosed properties make their way onto the market. we'll also get new data on consumer confidence. analysts are concerned that rising gas prices may cut into consumer spending and trigger inflation. the average cost for a gallon of glass is now 10 cents short of last year's high price.

southwest airlines is blaming higher fuel costs for an increase in ticket tickets. on monday southwest raised fares by as much as $10 per round trip. it it is the third rate hike for southwest this year. it warned it will not earn a profit for the first three months of this year because of rising fuel costs. the maker of the meat additive known as pink slime is suspending production at all but one of its plants. beef products uas insists the product it calls beef product is safe but the company wants to address what it calls misconceptions about the product. it's made with meat trimmings and treated with ammonia before it is added to ground beef. and a missouri man is hoping for a home run when he puts a rare baseball card up for auction today. bill goodwin hopes this 1909 honus wagner card will score $1 million and possibly more when it hits the online auction block.

historians believe it's one of only 60 wagner cards in existence. betty, why can't we find something? >> a million dollars for a card like that? who knew? and what do you do with it after you buy it? >> i'd find a lot of things i could with it. straight ahead, your tuesday morning weather, and in sports it gets ugly under the basket as tennessee and baylor battle to make it to the final four. tennessee and baylor battle to make it to the final four.

here's a look at today's fo here's a look at today's forecast for some cities around the country. new york mostly sunny, 50. miami, partly sunny, 82. chicago, afternoon thunderstorms, 68. dallas, you're going to see partly sunny skies, 83. l.a., same thing but 67 there. let's get a check of your national forecast. break out the sweaters because it is going to be cold but sunny from the great lakes to the northeast. temperatures are expected to be 10 degrees below normal. isolated thunderstorms are possible from southeast kansas to illinois. a few thunderstorms will pop up from southeast texas to oklahoma and heavy rain and a foot of mountain snow expected northwest in california. in sports it's officially tebow time here in new york, and he got the star treatment yesterday. it's the first time tebow talked to the media since being signed as the new york jets' backup quarterback. broadway tim as he's being called, said he looks forward to

helping the jets win, and to working with current starter mark sanchez, no problem. >> i think we'll have a great working relationship. you know, we talked about that, just supporting one another in our roles. and, i'm excited about that opportunity. you know, think we'll -- i think we'll have a grade relationship and hopefully we'll be able to drive today. >> and the jets didn't waste any time. tim tebow's jersey is already in stores and is flying off the shelves. in women's college basketball, baylor is headed to the final four. another great game from brittney griner. she blocked shots and hit the tough shots against tennessee. she finished with 23 points. 15 rebounds but was tossed out of the game when coming off the bench during a scuffle. baylor trounces lady balls. they're now just two wins away from becoming the first men's or women's team in ncaa history to win 40 games in one year. when we return, the pope makes a historic trip, and new hope for type 2 diabetes

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here's a look at today's forecast for some cities around the country. washington, d.c., mostly sunny, 58, atlanta, mostly sunny, 75. st. louis, windy, 82. denver, partly cloudy, 69, and rainy in seattle, 56 degrees. here's another look at this morning's top stories. today the supreme court will hear arguments regarding the heart of president obama's health care law. can the government force you to buy health care insurance. yesterday the justices considered whether it's too early for them to rule on the law. and the colorado wildfire has killed at least one person. the wind-blown fire started yesterday. at least five homes southwest of denver have been destroyed and hundreds forced to evacuate.

ja a land a landmark catholic church sex abuse trial is under way in philadelphia. this monsignor is accused of protecting pedophile priests in order to save the church from scandal. he supervised more than 800 priests in philadelphia from 1992 to 2004. he is the first u.s. church official to be charged over the handling of an abuse complaint. the vatican is expected to be watched that trial very closely even as pope benedict visits cuba. tens of thousands turned out last night as he celebrated mass in santiago. this is the first time in 14 years the pope has visited the communist country. in health news teenage girls are having trouble getting plan b, the morning after pill. a new study found one in five pharmacies gave the girls wrong information over the phone, telling them it would be impossible to get the emergency contraception pill.

in most states most anyone over 17 can get plan b without a prescription. diabetes is the leading cause of death in the u.s., but now a new study has found that weight loss surgery can improve and possibly reverse type 2 diabetes. teresa garcia takes a look at these promising new findings. >> reporter: for years tim fury had a hard team keeping off the pounds and keeping his type 2 diabetes in check. >> i would go on a diet and lose weight and it would slowly sneak back on. >> reporter: doctors at the cleveland clinic enrolled him in a study. >> i would go on a diet and lose weight and it would sneak on. right after the surgery, within about a week or so, i no longer needed medication for my diabetes at all. >> reporter: the study looked at 150 obese patients with poorly controlled diabetes. patients were given one of two types of weight loss surgery plus medication to treat the disease. a third group just got the medicine. the surgery patients lost more weight and achieved normal blood

sugar levels better than the group just on medication. >> the patients at the end of one year, they were on an average of less than one medication for their diabetes, and, in fact, about 40% of the patients were on no medications. their diabetes essentially went away. >> reporter: 26 million adults have diabetes in the u.s. about 30 to 50% of them don't have their diabetes under good control and researchers are saying that for some, surgery could make a big difference. but bariatric surgery comes with risks, including digestive problems and gallstones, but tim says it was well worth it. >> i feel like a million bucks. i have more than enough energy to do the things i have to do with two little kids running around the house. >> reporter: after more than two years he's dropped 60 pounds and his diabetes is in remission. teresa garcia, cbs news, los

angeles. coming up after your local news, the director of "the hunger games." i'm betty nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." you came to the right place. because here at hotels.com, we're only about hotels. finding you the perfect place is all we do. welcome to hotels.com.

oh, look at that. thousands of people around the world got a bird's-eye view of feeding time for baby bald eagles in davenport, iowa. the camera shows mom and dad feeding three eaglets that hatched over the weekend. they're expected to grow up fast and fly on their own in about two months. hollywood director james cameron was the star of his own real life adventure where he took a trip where few have gone before. using a special submarine he journeyed to the deepest point at the bottom of the ocean. john blackstone reports. >> reporter: james cameron dove to the bottom of the sea in what he called a vertical torpedo that took seven years to design. the 2 1/2-hour descent allowed cameron three hours to explore

challenger deep. >> it was very, very soft, almost gelatinous flat plain, almost featureless plain. >> reporter: challenger deep is a slot where the tectonic plate slides below the mary a na plat. if mt. everest would drop in there, it would still be a mile below water. >> the whole sub actually squeezes down almost three inches in length. the sphere i'm in actually shrinks. the window that i actually look out pushes in toward me under 16,000 pounds per square inch of pressure. >> reporter: the only light the camera saw were shrimp-like creatures. >> it was very lunar, very desolate place, very isolated. my feeling was one of complete

isolation from all of humanity. >> reporter: the last time humans reached challenger deep was 1960. recently there's been a race among wealthy adventurers to return. jay tubb built one that he hoped would be the first to get to the bottom. >> you've worked with the people who want to take them to the bottom of the ocean. >> what drives them? >> curiosity. a huge curiosity. >> reporter: returning from his dive, james cameron made it clear his euro asti wasn't satisfied. this is just the beginning, he said, of the exploration of the most remote place on earth. that is pretty cool. and so is this. joopz check it out. a whale rescue off orange county, california. a young gray whale was spotted tangled in fishing net around his tail. whale watching boats worked all weekend and finally cut the 50-foot net loose. amazingly when the whale was finally freed it surfaced briefly and opening its mouth as if to say thanks.

>> coming up after your local news on "cbs morning news," an update on the shooting of trayvon martin. we'll hear from the attorney representing martin's parents. plus tiger woods' former swing coach hank haney talks about his new book. and country music star jason aldine stops by studio 57. that's the "cbs morning news" for this tuesday. s for watching, everyone. i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

>> rain and snow on the way, what we can expect from this latest round of wet weather. >> still desperate for clues, how the search