air disaster. a russian passenger plane crashes shortly after takeoff killing most of those on board. closing in, mitt romney sets his sights on president obama as he looks to widen his lead in the race for the gop nomination. >> we don't have to guess where the choices the president would take will lead america. and rescue at sea. the coast guard is called in to save two sailors injured during an around-the-world yacht race. >> one of the main emotions this year. this is the "cbs morning news" for monday, april 2, 2012.

good morning, everybody, good to be with you. i'm terrell brown. we begin with a russian passenger plane that crashed this morning in siberia. the twin engine plane went down in a snowy field. it was taking off from a major regional center about 1300 miles east of moscow. russian emergency officials say there were 43 on board. at least 32 were killed. the survivors are hospitalized in serious condition. the cause of the crash is under investigation. russia has had a series of very deadly crashes in recent years. back here in the u.s., republican primary voters go to the polls in wisconsin, maryland and the district of columbia tomorrow. mitt romney is predicting victory in wisconsin. if he wins, he could reach the halfway point in the number of delegates needed to clinch the gop nomination. rick santorum says he'll stay in the race no matter what happens tomorrow but a number of senior republicans are calling on him to quit. >> reporter: mitt romney is leading the pack but he still needs to more than double his delegate count in order to

secure the gop nomination but that's not stopping him from going after president obama as if he is leading the republican party. mitt romney predicts he'll win tomorrow's wisconsin primary and the republican nomination. >> i can't wait to get america back on track. >> reporter: while campaigning in middleton, wisconsin, mitt romney looked forward to a november battle with president obama. >> this president can't run on his record, and so he's going to try every way he can to divert to some other attack and try to have people disqualified for nominee, which will probably be me. >> reporter: a win in wisconsin could put romney firmly in control. he only needs 18 more delegates until he's halfway to the number needed to clinch the nomination. 42 delegates are at stake in wisconsin. rick santorum says he has no plans to bow to pressure from the party establishment to drop out. >> the establishment keeps thinking that if we do friend of

theirs, you know, they may not vote for republicans. if we deal with them, we can win. >> reporter: mitt romney could face an uphill battle if he wins the nomination. a new "usa today"/gallup poll shows president obama with a nine-point lead over the former massachusetts governor in battleground states. >> i think governor romney is out of touch. >> reporter: president obama's team is already launching attacks again the front-runner. >> this is about the middle class. it's just returning the old policies. >> reporter: mitt romney argues his background makes him the best candidate to challenge the president on the economy. an issue voters say is the most important this november. mitt romney has 554 delegates, that's more than twice santorum's count. >> thank you. meanwhile a group of more than 70 nations, including the united states, has decided to send millions of dollars of aid to the syrian opposition groups. at the friends of syrian people summit in istanbul, secretary of

state hillary clinton called on u.n. special envoy kofi anan to set a timetable for the peace plan. u.s. and others are getting involved 37 >> the united states is also going beyond humanitarian aid and providing support to the civilian opposition. including communications equipment that will help activists organize, evade attacks by the regime and connect to the outside world. >> kofi annan reports to the u.n. security council this morning. this morning there appears to be evidence that north korea has stepped up preparations for a planned rocket launch. satellite images taken wednesday show a mobile radar launch and what looks like empty fuel tanks. north korea says it's launching a satellite into orbit. washington calls it cover for a long-range missile test. the launch is scheduled between april 12th and 16th. to the trayvon martin case now. this weekend there were rallies across the country calling for justice and prayer vigils supporting martin's family.

elaine quijano reports. >> what do we want? >> justice! >> reporter: five weeks after trayvon martin was killed, his parents joined thousands of people in miami demanding justice for his death. michael brought his young family to the rally. he worries what happened to martin could happen to his own son. >> i look at him and i can't even imagine something like that happening. >> reporter: the case has sparked questions nationwide about whether race played a role in the killing. martin an unarmed black teenager was walking home in sanford, florida, when a neighborhood watch volunteer, george zimmerman, shot and killed him. zimmerman says it was self-defense, but martin's family does not accept his story. >> justice must be won! >> reporter: activists marched on the sanford police department demanding zimmerman be jailed. naacp president organized the rally. >> people have grown tired and frustrated with seeing him go free, not be charged, not be locked up, not brought to

justice. >> reporter: the passion stirred up in the wake of martin's killing shows no signs of subsiding. >> as much as i can, i think it's something we need to continue and continue until we get justice. >> reporter: a florida special prosecutor has begun her investigation and says she'll have no comment until its completion. the fbi is also investigating. elaine quijano, cbs news. snooi. fi fighters have all but contained that wildfire south of denver, colorado. colder temperatures and snow is expected in the fire area today. fire started last week, apparently when a controlled burn flared. at least 27 homes were destroyed or damaged and two people killed. a u.s. coast guard cutter is carrying two injured crew members from an australian racing yacht to san francisco this morning after a rescue at sea. it was one of ten yachts taking

part in a round-the-world race. on saturday it was hit by a huge wave that knocked out its steering. other racers battled the same conditions. >> not surprised. we saw huge waves and winds. so, yeah, anything can happen really. >> the crew plans to repair the boat and continue that race. up next on the morning news, shopping snafu, visa customers were left a little frustrated this weekend when they couldn't use their card to make a purchase. first, a preview of tonight's evening news. unlocking secrets of our past. how records more than 70 years old may reveal your own family's history. tonight on the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. hello. we're doing a taste test. ocean spray cranberry juice versus vegetable juice. first the cranberry. mm! tasty. now, the vegetable juice, with more than 10 times the sodium of cranberry juice. we have a winner!

b a big lunch doesn't mean a big price. start with a savory soup or a fresh salad. then choose a texas toast half sandwich, like our classic turkey, served with fries, all for just 6 bucks at chili's. hundreds of russians who live on a pacific island north of japan picked the wrong day to go fishing sunday. a huge ice floe broke loose and

went out to sea. took emergency crew and helicopters more than six hours to rescue the fishermen. amazingly, they all got back safely. the wife of the jetblue pilot whose alarming behave forced the landing last week is thanking those. in a statement connyes on bowe said she and her family, quote, would like to recognize the crew and passengers of flight 191 for their effective yet compassionate handling of the situation. pilot clayton osbon was removed from the plane after the co-pilot landed in amarillo, texas, last week. she says he was clearly distressed but she doesn't believe he was intentionally violent. more proposed cuts for a snack maker hostess and a 7-year-old mcdonald's worker decides she's ready to retire from the french fry station. ashley morrison with more. >> good morning to you. visa says its credit card system is up and running again after an outage on sunday afternoon. some customers were unable to make purchases with their cards for about 45 minutes.

visa says the outage was caused by a recent upgrade to its network. the company added the problem has nothing to do with the security breach reported last week. overseas markets were mostly higher. tok tokyo's nikkei added a quarter percent, while hong kong's hang seng lost less than half a percent. we'll get the march jobs report but the markets will are to wait through the weekend to react. they'll be closed in observance of good friday. last week dow wrapped up best first quarter since the 1990s adding 130 points for the week while the nasdaq gained 23. according to a report in "the wall street journal" hostess' plan emerging from bankruptcy is to ask union workers to accept a salary freeze. they went into bankruptcy court early this year. the company says freezing wages for about 16,000 workers will save it more than $6 million. and mcdonald's said good-bye to one of its oldest employees

this weekend. 97-year-old dorothy evans retired from the central california mcdonald's where she's worked since 1993. when she started out she was a hostess, then moved to the kitchen. she says she enjoyed working because it got her out of the house and a paycheck always came in handy. certainly well deserved retirement. >> people in their 20s and 30s you can't get to work. she doesn't want to stop. >> she has a great attitude. >> good for her. ashley morrison here in new york, thank you. coming up next, your monday morning weather. in sports could this be the world's greatest skateboarder? he just might be. and he's only 12 years old. york, thank you. coming up next, your monday morning weather. in sports could this be the world's greatest skateboarder? g. what? that lovely girl, caught your eye? 20 piece mcnuggets are only $4.99. you offer to share them. a conversation begins. that's pretty smart. i been around.

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i came to find my 'new normal' and i love it! ♪ activia and try new silky, fruity activia harvest picks. another way to enjoy activia. here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. new york, sunny, 58 degree. sunny in miami, 87. partly sunny, 68 in dallas. los angeles, 78 and sunny. let's check your national forecast. a stormy day from the northern mississippi valley to ohio. damaging hail likely in the ohio valley. much of the northeast will have showers with snow in northern new york and new england. mostly sunny along the east coast. south and southern plains will have sunshine and record heat. rain and mountain snow will stretch from the pacific northwest to the central rockies. in sports this morning, it's being reported the nfl players association is warning new

new orleans saint defensive players they may face criminal charges in the team's bounty case. sources tell the associated press the union hired legal counsel to represent the players if needed. the nfl says from 2009 to last year as many as 27 saints players received thousands of dollars in cash bonuses for hits that knocked targeted opponents out of the game. in the ncaa women's college basketball tournament it's down to notre dame and baylor. last night brittany griner led the team and tuesday night's final, the lady bears will try to be the first basketball team in ncaa history to go 40-0. earlier notre dame's natalie scored 20 points including a put-back shot that left the game tied at the buzzer. fighting irish beat connecticut in overtime 83-75. by the way, a reminder, cbs will bring you tonight's ncaa men's final, the kentucky wildcats versus the kansas jayhawks. all the action right here 9 p.m. eastern on cbs.

to the nba, chicago at oklahoma city and the thunder lived up to their name. they storm past the bulls. 27 points for westbrook including a fast break jam. in the second quarter, 26 from kevin durant with an alley-oop jam off a fast break pass from westbrook in the third. the thunder will win this one 92-78. finally, why is 12-year-old tom grinning? this weekend in southern california he became the first skateboarder ever to complete what's called a 1080, three complete twists in the air and a complete landing. the world's best skateboarders have tried this trick. they have not managed to do it. this guy did it. leave it to a 12-year-old to get the job done. when we come back, a historic moment in burma. one of the world's most famous political prisoners celebrates a landmark election victory today. isoners celebrates a landmark election victory today. b and got this one free. really?

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. d.c. mostly sunny, 63 degrees. partly sunny, 86 in atlanta. partly sunny, 88 in st. louis. 59 in seattle. top stories now on a monday. russian passenger plane crashed in siberia this morning shortly after takeoff. there were 43 people on board. russian emergency vehicles say at least 32 were killed. the cause of the crash is being investigated. and there are republican primaries in wisconsin, maryland and the district of columbia tomorrow. mitt romney could reach the halfway point and enough delegates to win the gop presidential nomination. in burma this morning human rights leader aung san suu kyi is claiming victory in parliamentary elections. if confirmed, it would be a remarkable turn-about for suu kyi. she spent two years under house arrest. not even able to saep the noble

peace prize she won. seth dillon reports from burma. >> reporter: celebration broke out on the streets of rangoon, as supporters packed the area outside aung san suu kyi's party headquarters. >> i'm very happy for my country. >> reporter: as opposition tallies started to trickle in, she woman felt she was watching more than just election results. how does democracy feel? >> here? i don't know how it feel because we don't get it much before. i hope we can see democracy. one day i hope i can show you how democracy feels here. >> reporter: election day started early in the rural district suu kyi fought to represent. before dawn, a crowd gathered just to get a glimpse of the noble peace prize winner. it's her first bid for elected office, just the latest in her decade's long battle against the military-backed government here.

on the way to the polling station, there was no mistaking suu kyi's car as hundreds of ethnic kareni people, in their ethnic tin-dai, or formal dress, flocked to her. suu kyi's party is competing for just 44 seats of the 664 in parliament. the military and its political party dominate the governing body. aung san suu kyi just walked into this polling station behind me here. they're keeping the press at bay from this school so she can have a few moments to talk to the people she hopes to represent. we found this family of farmers just off the main road in this hamlet. you voted for aung san suu kyi -- they voted for the lady as she's known here because they see her as courageous. international election monitors only invited at the last minute seemed initially optimistic despite widespread concern and reports of voting irregularities.

on friday suu kyi said it's not power we're trying to win but democracy for our people. so the official results are not expected for a couple days, it may be the exercise of voting that really counts. seth doane, cbs news, burma. back to politics in this country. mitt romney's campaign stop must be pretty confident because they pulled an april fool's prank on their boss. he was told to expect a small crowd at a stop in wisconsin. >> next president of the united states! >> april fool's! >> he's like, wait a minute, where is everybody? expecting a small crowd, not that mall. and to rub it in, his staff posted it online.

hopefully they still have a job this morning. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," oprah winfrey talks about her future in tv. i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news." ♪ ♪ ♪ grande caramel macchiato. iced grande caramel macchiato. make that iced. actually, hot, please. [ male announcer ] come into starbucks for the espresso drink you love, hot or iced.

movie goers still had a big appetite for "the hunger games." topping the box office for the second straight weekend taking in $61 million. in film about jobs, following jobs from wayward hippies to one of the most respected entrepreneurs of our time. production is expected to start in may when kutcher is on hiatus

from "two and a half men." ashton kutcher was one of the presenters at last night's academy of country music awards. there were plenty of big winners, amazing performances and even a wedding. we have a wrap from the night's big night. taylor swift won over the fans who voted her entertainer of the year. >>. >> thank you so much to the fans. >> reporter: it was a big night for husband and wife artist blake shelton and miranda lambert. shelton not only co-hosted the show but took home the award for male vocalist of the year. lambert won female, vocalist of the year and album of the year and she told me how important that award is to her. >> i'm here. that's all i really, really want. ♪ red solo cup >> reporter: the acms feature country's biggest stars. >> how's everybody feeling tonight? >> reporter: also included celebrities outside the world of country. ashton kutcher even took a crack at singing. ♪ a love as true as mine

>> reporter: fans got to see a lot more music this year. 24 acts hit the stage, the most in the show's history. rascal flatts and steve martin took part in a tribute for earl scruggs, who passed away last week. we'll never forget about our spouses. we'll always honor them. >> reporter: their families watched the wedding from home, along with millions of country music fans. theresa garcia, cbs news, las vegas. >> you will never forget that. wn. ,,,,

>> our first look of a dramatic co-starred rescued in the pacific.