day can begin. in fact, it's been 700 as opposed to 600 years since a pontiff resigned as opposed to ruling for life. pope benedict spent his last night in the papal vatican as the clock ticks down to his historic resignation. he'll step down after meeting with cardinals around the world and saying one last good-bye to followers. he gave an emotional farewell to 150,000 people in st. peters square yesterday. >> it did mean a lot, and to see the affection of the people the appreciation of the crowd, it was -- it was touching. >> reporter: later today the pope will take a ten-minute helicopter ride to castel gandolfo, the pope's summer retreat on the outskirts of rome. >> he'll spend a couple months there until there's a new pope and things are ready. he'll be basically spending a life of prayer in a convent on the vatican grounds. >> reporter: most of the 115 cardinals who will elect pope benedict's successor are already here in rome and speculation is

spreading fast about who will replace him. >> i think it's going to be from africa or latin america. >> what matters most is that it's something who can dwight the church into the future. >> reporter: pope benedict who was elected in 2005 after the death of pope john paul ii says he is leaving because he's grown too old and frail. they hope to elect a pope in time for the holy week of easter, which is now just a few weeks away. one interesting tidbit, anne-marie. swiss guards will be outside of the main gates. the moment 8:00 strikes and the pope is no longer pope they'll leave and come back in anticipation of the next pontiff. >> vinita before you leave, there's more church business to begin. when does the choosing of the pontiff actually begin? >> reporter: that is a good

question, what exactly are the dates. talking to the clergy here in rome, they tell us they anticipate the conclave could start on the 10th or the 11th with a pope in power by the 17th. hopefully that would be ideal. anne-marie, back to you. >> thank you very much. cbs will cover the pope's departure from the vatican in a special report later this morning. president obama meets with congressional leaders tomorrow, the same day those massive automatic budget cuts take effect. the fiscal stalemate in washington remains unresolved and it's so bad that not one of the 12 annual spending bills that began in october has passed congress. susan mcginnis is in washington with more. good morning, susan. >> good morning, anne-marie. and more votes take place today on both democratic and republican proposals with little hope of those passing. also this meeting happening tomorrow between the president and congressional leaders seems to be comingkomcoming on the same

day that the budget cuts are set to take place. that's kind of illustrating a growing acceptance that there's no stopping these cuts now. president obama has softened his language about the impact of the across-the-board budget cuts which kick in tomorrow. >> this is not a cliff, but it is a tumble downward. >> still he warned a group of business leaders in washington, d.c., wednesday night that the cuts will hurt. >> this is going to be a big hit on the economy. >> both sides do seem to agree on one thing, the cuts will begin tomorrow. each side blames the other for lack of action. >> they prefer to keep it alive as a political issue instead. >> senate democrats will offer up a plan today, but republicans are likely to reject the bill because along with spending cuts, it includes new revenue from closing tax loopholes. >> all we're offered is a gimmicky tax hike that's designed to fail. >> and a government bill being proposed today isn't likely to pass either. it gives the president

flexibility to decide where to make spending cuts but it does not bring in any new revenue. >> at some point, hopefully soon republicans will understand the need to compromise here. >> congressional leaders from both parties meet with the president at the white house tomorrow. and they spoke briefly at the unveiling of the rosa parks statue here on capitol hill wednesday, but if the faces of the president and house speaker john boehner during a conversation are any indication, compromise is not in their sights. now, new numbers out from the congressional budget office at the nonpartisan group show under the plan the white house supports, the deficit would actually increase for the first two years before it starts shrinking. anne-marie? >> susan, before you go a quick question. if and when these cuts go into effect, is there any way back? >> certainly they're not

permanent. they can cut it today by passing legislation. they can draft legislation to reverse the cuts, restore the funding all or in part. >> susan mcginnis in washington, thank you. well as early as today the senate judiciary commission may vote on four separate gun measures including a ban on assault weapons. yesterday the commission heard emotional testimony from a father of one of the victims of the connecticut school shooting. bigad shaban reports. >> reporter: on capitol hill 50-year-old construction worker neil heslin wept. he spoke on the assault weapons like the one that killed his 6-year-old son jesse in the massacre. >> it's something that should have never happened at the school. >> reporter: his words drew tears but not support. senator dianne feinstein proposed the ban that would outlaw assault weapons and magazines that carry more than ten rounds. >> and that is legal today.

>> reporter: but republicans like senator lindsey graham say the bill would violate a person's right to bear arms and avoid the lack of enforcement for current laws. >> i'm a bit frustrated that we say one thing how important it is but in the real world we do absolutely nothing to enforce the laws on the book. >> reporter: the senator questioned milwaukee's police chief on why so few people are prosecuted. >> i want to stop 76 -- i want to finish the answer. >> no. >> i want to stop 76,000 people from buying guns illegally. that's what a background check does. if you're think we're going to do paperwork prosecution, you're wrong. >> reporter: vice president joe biden and new york mayor michael bloomberg met at the white house to share their support for the ban. >> jesse was the love of my life. >> reporter: but change will come too late for neil heslin's son. bigad shaban cbs news. well, today the united states is expected to announce they will provide limited aid to syrian opposition forces. the move is a major policy shift

for the obama administration. secretary of state john kerry is attending the "friends of syria" meeting in rome. he met with foreign ministers this morning. sources say the u.s. plans to deliver meals, medical kits, and other nonlethal assistance to the rebels fighting the ha sad regime. coming up on the "morning news," space adventurers wanted, the search for a man and a woman to take part in the first human mission to mars. this is the "cbs morning news." morning news." r ] this is bob a regular guy with an irregular heartbeat. the usual, bob? not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem a condition that puts him at greater risk for a stroke. [ gps ] turn left. i don't think so. [ male announcer ] for years, bob took warfarin and made a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but not anymore. bob's doctor recommended a different option: once-a-day xarelto®. xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients

with afib not caused by a heart valve problem that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. like warfarin xarelto® is proven effective to reduce the risk of an afib-related stroke. there is limited data on how these drugs compare when warfarin is well managed. no routine blood monitoring means bob can spend his extra time however he likes. new zealand! xarelto® is just one pill a day taken with the evening meal. and with no dietary restrictions bob can eat the healthy foods he likes. do not stop taking xarelto® rivaroxaban without talking to the doctor who prescribes it for you. stopping may increase your risk of having a stroke. get medical help right away if you develop any signs or symptoms of bleeding like unusual bruising or tingling. you may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take xarelto® with aspirin products, nsaids or blood thinners. talk to your doctor before taking xarelto® if you currently have abnormal bleeding. xarelto® can cause bleeding which can be serious, and rarely may lead to death. you are likely to bruise

more easily on xarelto® and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. tell your doctors you are taking xarelto® before any planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto® tell your doctor about any conditions, such as kidney, liver or bleeding problems. ready to change your routine? ask your doctor about once-a-day xarelto®. for more information including cost support options call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com. a mission to mars could be the ultimate road trip for one lucky man and woman. a private foundation is searching for a lucky couple to send to the red planet in just five years. the project is being spearheaded by dennis tito who paid a million dollars for a trip to the space station. the trip is expected to take 500 very long days. >> you're jammed into an rv that

goes the equivalent of 32,000 times around the earth, and youiquette get out for about a year and a half and you've got everything with you jammed inside. >> well, when you put it that way, it sounds great. the mission will cost around a billion dollars. way to sell it. on the "cbs moneywatch" now, jc penney in the red, and retirement becomes more elusive. ashley morrison is here in new york with more on that. good morning, ashley. good morning, anne-marie. well, asian markets rallied on the expectations that italy will continue its fiscal reform. tokyo's nikkei rose nearly 3% its biggest gain in three weeks while hong kong's hang seng added 2%. ben bernanke did it again. he told the house committee wednesday he stood behind the banks' low interest policy and that sparked another rally on wall street. the dow shot up 175 points to a new five-year high while the nasdaq rose 32 points. jc penney is still struggling.

the company said wednesday the revenue plunged by nearly 30% in the fourth quarter. the department store has posted massive quarterly losses for the past year. ceo ron johnson says jc penney will start offering sales every week in the hope of luring back customers. >> jack lew will be sworn in as treasury secretary today. the senate confirmed him yesterday. lew served as president obama's chief of staff and will replace timothy geithner. he'll take over one day before the automatic spending cuts are expected to take effect. hyundai has agreed to settle many lawsuits that it exaggerated its fuel economy on its cars. it says it will make a lump sum payment to around 600,000 owners of cars and suvs from the 2011 through 2013 model years. kia is also named in the suit and has not decided if it will participate in the settlement. and a new normal for people thinking of retiring. according to a new survey by

careerbuilder, 60% of workers age 60 and older say they will look for a new job after retiring from their current company. that's 3% higher than last year, and 12% say they will never be able to retire. now i'm just depressed hearing that. >> i know. start thinking about your career after your career. ashley morrison here in new york. thanks a lot, ashley. well, straight ahead, your thursday morning weather. and in sports, the mystery of milwaukee's racing sausage is solved. milwaukee's racing sausage is solved. [ male announcer ] time won't stop you from feeling beautiful. introducing nexxus youth renewal. now, visibly combat 8 signs of aging hair. ♪ ♪ our breakthrough nexxus youth renewal elixir replenishes and revitalizes. for vibrant, youthful-looking hair in 7 days. [ woman ] now, timeless beauty lives on. [ male announcer ] combat 8 signs of aging hair. nexxus youth renewal. raise your standard.

[ mom ] with my little girl, every food is finger food. so i can't afford to have germy surfaces. but after one day's use dishcloths can redeposit millions of germs. so ditch your dishcloth and switch to a fresh sheet of new bounty duratowel. look! a fresh sheet of bounty duratowel leaves this surface cleaner than a germy dishcloth, as this black light reveals. it's durable, cloth-like and it's 3 times cleaner. so ditch your dishcloth and switch to new bounty duratowel. the durable, cloth-like picker-upper. what are those? mmmmmm. mcdonald's new fish mcbites! ♪ fish-ay! fish-ay! ♪ ♪ fish, fish mcbites, mcbites ♪ ♪ fish, fish mcbites, mcbites ♪ [ male announcer ] the delicious alaskan pollack fish you love, only smaller. mcdonald's new fish mcbites. ♪ ba da ba ba ba ♪

here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. new york, expect showers today, 49 the high. miami, 76. flurries in chicago. lots of sunshine in dallas, though, 58. the high in los angeles, 79. and time now for a check of the national forecast. it will snow in northern new england and rain in the southeast part of the region. most of the midwest will be dry, but look for a wintry mix over parts of the ohio valley. it will be dry in the south, and it will snow in the higher elevations of the west. in sports now, the golden state warriors get the best single-game scoring performance from a player this season. stephen curry goes off 54 points against the knicks. curry hits through 11 three-pointers, and that is one shy of an nba record for threes

in a game. here's the problem. golden state lost anyway. carmelo anthony hit some. the knicks win 109-105. another big upset in the college ranks. number 4 michigan visiting penn state. it looks like the wolverines are pulling away in the second half, but penn state hangs around. junior jermaine marshal scores 19 points and the nittany lions go on to win, 84-78. it's penn state's first conference win in more than a year. now, in milwaukee the case of the stolen sausage has been solved. two weeks ago, guido, the italian sausage costume went missing. it's one of five outfits used during the very popular sausage races at the milwaukee brewers game. the bartender in cedarburg wisconsin sayed two men dropped guido onto a bar stool last night and told her, you didn't see anything. a mustard company's actually offered a year's supply of mustard to anyone who recovers

the seven-foot-tall sausage. stealing a sausage. those brats are the worst. when we return a permanent place. a civil rights legend makes history again as the first black woman to be honored with a life-size statue on capitol hill.

[ male announcer ] how do you make america's favorite recipes? just begin with america's favorite soups. bring out chicken broccoli alfredo. or best-ever meatloaf. go to campbellskitchen.com for recipes, plus a valuable coupon. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. day as head of the roman catholic church. his final message to his most devout followers. plus: new video of the santa cruz cop-killer's last stand. and now we're learning about his creepy past. and it caused a flood of water in one bay area neighborhood. the latest on repairs and who's picking up the tab for this muddy mess. join us for kpix 5 news this morning... beginning at 4:30. 97

here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. washington, d.c., and atlanta, both partly sunny in the low 50s. st. louis, expect snow showers. 38 the high. denver, 38 the high as well but partly sunny. and seattle, rain, a high of 50. on wednesday, lawmakers put party politics aside briefly to celebrate a civil rights legend. randall pinkston reports on a dedication ceremony for a woman who inspired so many more than half a century ago.

>> reporter: president obama joined congressional leaders in welcoming a civil rights hero to the u.s. capitol. rosa parks is the first african-american woman to be honored in the capitol's stat statuary hall. >> it signifies everything rosa parks stood for. >> reporter: the occasion brought a rare moment of peace between democrats and republicans who agree that when parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in montgomery, alabama, she helped launch the civil rights movement. moo people don't realize rosa parks was engaged in the civil rights movement long before the bus boy caught and for decades afterward. she was a lot quieter than as described in the history books. jeanne theoharris is an autobiographer. >> she's also push eded others to

make a stand, so this is her in many ways embodying what she had been asking of others. >> reporter: theoharris says the statue is a great honor but hopes it doesn't imply the struggle is over. >> we can do no greater honor to her memory than to carry forward the power of her principal and encourage more conviction. >> reporter: a courage that brought rosa parks from that bus in alabama to the nation's capitol to make history again. randall pinkston, cbs news, washington. world renowned pianist van cliburn has died. ♪ the american became a superstar after winning a piano competition in moscow in 1958. during his long storied career, he played sold out concerts and was the first classical musician to sell more than a million records. van cliburn died wednesday after fighting bone cancer. he was 78 years old.

now coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," a live report from van can city as phone benedict steps down. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ hungry for the best? it's eb. want to give your family the very best in taste, freshness and nutrition? it's eb. eggland's best. better taste. better nutrition. better eggs. it's eb. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette you celebrate a little win. nicorette gum helps calm your cravings and makes you less irritable. quit one cigarette at a time. maybe today you'll run some errands

maybe another headache will get in the way. if you have migraines with 15 or more headache days a month, you're living a maybe life. and you may have chronic migraine. go to mychronicmigraine.com to find a headache specialist. and don't live a maybe life.

earlier we showed you the lasting tribute to rosa parks unveiled in the capitol. her actions on that montgomery, alabama, bus in 1955 made her a central figure in the civil rights movement, but michelle miller tells us about another woman who was an unsung hero in this historic time. >> reporter: claw.net colvin was just 15 when she refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in montgomery, alabama. it was nine months before rosa parks' active defiance in 1955. >> the bus driver yelled back to you. >> she said yeah give me those seats. so three of those girls got up and moved but i remained seated.

>> reporter: colvin says she drew her strength from african american abolitionists she learned about in school. >> it felt like harriet tubman was pushing me down on one shoulder and sojourner truth was pushing me down on the other. they put me in a patrol car. >> reporter: it caught the attention of community activists looking for a case to challenge segregation laws in court. rosa parks was the secretary of a local civil rights association and took colvin under her wings. >> she thought i was this overgrown teenager that sassed white people. >> reporter: and what did she realize once she met you? >> she realized that i really was intellectually mature enough to know right from wrong. >> reporter: but ultimately parks, a seamstress with a spotless reputation was chosen to be the face of the boycott.

leaders believed parks would garner strong public support unlike colvin who had become pregnant. are you sorry they didn't pick you? >> no i'm glad they picked miss parks because i wanted the bus boycott to be 100% successful. >> reporter: parks continued to lead the montgomery boy caught but it was the federal lawsuit filed by colvin and three others marie brouwer and susan mcdonald that landed a supreme court decision. that ruling in 1956 outlawed segregation on public transportation. >> there were many, many african-americans, many, many stories similar to my story. >> reporter: stories of courage in america's march for justice. michelle miller, cbs news, new york. well, coming up after your local news on "cbs this

morning," live reports from vatican city on pope benedict's resignation. we'll get reaction. plus, is actress ashley judd running for senate in kentucky? we'll take a look at how that race is shaping up. and we'll show you how chattanooga, tennessee, is leading the way when it comes to the future of high-speed internet. that's the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

=dj >> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald. hi, good morning. it is the last day of february,

thursday, i'm february. >> i'm michelle griego. time now 4:30. where did february go? >> i know. well, it's a short one. >> i don't know. hardly any rain, either. >> i know. >> and very quiet. things may change but we are going to be seeing warm temperatures again today not as cold this morning a little extra cloud cover out there now but much warmer weather on the way. we'll talk about that coming up. >> thank you, lawrence. and outside right now, here's a live look at the san mateo bridge. they are clearing an in the area. we'll have more on that and a check. bay area bridges coming up. just a few hours from now pope benedict xvi will officially become emeritus pope. this is a live look at vatican city where benedict is retiring today. vinita nair has more on what's ahead for the outgoing pope and the catholic church he led for eight years. reporter: cardinals stood and clapped for pope benedict xvi as met with them at the

vatican ahead of his historic resignation. the pontiff blessed them and promised to show unconditional reverence and obedience to the next pope. the 85-year-old called for the church to remain united and said he would continue to support cardinals in prayer. pope benedict gave an emotional farewell to 150,000 people in st. peter's square yesterday. >> it did mean a lot and to see the affectiontion of the people, the appreciation of the crowd and it was -- it was touching. >> reporter: later today the pope will take a 10-minute helicopter ride to his summer retreat on the outskirts of rome. >> he will spend about a couple of months there until there's a new pope of course and until things are ready here. then when he comes back here, he will basically be spending it in a life of prior in a convent on the vatican grounds. >> reporter: most of the 115 cardinals who will elect pope benedict's successor are already here in rome and speculation is spreading