a hijacking in the skies over africa. a jetliner bound for italy is taken over by the co-pilot mid flight before landing in switzerland. fatal bite. a kentucky preacher and reality tv star dies when he's bitten by a poisonous snake during a church service. >> and as team usa racks up victories in the winte olympics, we'll show you some of the medals some athletes will receive that are out of this the medals some athletes will receive that are out of this world. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for monday, february 17th, 2014. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. well, hijacked ethiopian airlines jet landed safely in switzerland this morning. police say the situation is under control. charlie d'agata is in our london

bureau with the details. charlie, good morning. >> good morning, anne-marie. police in geneva confirmed the co-pilot who is under arrest was the co-pilot of the plane. he used the bathroom and then locked the main pilot out. he then diverted the plane from its intended destination of rome to geneva where he claims he was seeking asylum. now, once landed in geneva, the passengers were escorted out on the tarmac with their hands in the air as a security precaution. all were uninjured. they made a reaching stop in sudan before being diverted from its final destination from rome to switzerland. he surrendered himself to police on landing, lowered himself down from the cockpit by a rope. anne-marie? >> charlie d'agata in london. thank you, charlie.

well, this morning the upper midwest is getting whacked with snow from iowa to ohio, snow and freezing rain. winter storm warnings and advisories are posted from da coy ta to michigan. up to six inches of snow is expected in chicago today. thousands lost power. parts of massachusetts got as much as 15 inches of snow. meteorologists say the unending stream of storms is tied to extreme weather in other parts of the country. >> we've been in a pattern that's stuck. if you think about a see saw, one part of that see saw is up and one part is down. in the united states we've been under extreme high pressure. and the augusta national golf club, one of the iconic trees fell victim to a snowstorm. the so-called eisenhower tree so named because it was donated by

presidenti izeisenhower had to removed after it was hit. a deadly avalanche is blamed for deaths of skiers in colorado. as omar villafranca reports, this is the third deadly snowslide in colorado this week. >> reporter: search and rescue teams found the bodies of two skiers on a mountain 80 miles south of denver. officials say it happened saturday afternoon while a group was cross-country skiing in the backcountry. two suffered broken bones. another had a collapsed lung. >> it was just unfortunate what happened. >> reporter: forecasters say record amounts of snow and warmer temperatures are creating unstable conditions. 14 people have been killed by avalanches across the mountain west since december. six of those deaths occurred last week alone. skiers are being urged to take an avalanche education class. >> we get a lot of people up here cross-country skiing all winter long. one of our biggest fears is just what happened. >> reporter: avalanche warnings are posted from washington state

to utah. omar vee fria franca, cbs news. in central california farmers are praying for rain. they're struggling in the midst of one of the worst droughts in decades. on friday president obama pledged more than a million dollars in federal aid. carter evans reports. >> reporter: president obama spent about two hours friday tour some of california's drought-stricken fields and he got an earful from beleaguered farmers like joe duboski. >> that will be close to half a million, that one field. >> reporter: his fields are normally lush with almonds, cherries and melons, without rain his farm will have to survive on the water he saved from last year and there's only enough for half of his crops. >> the other half like the field behind me, it won't get planted. >> reporter: he says he'll lose roughly half his income this year. >> california is our biggest agricultural producer. so what happens here matters to every working american right down to the cost of food that

you put on your table. >> reporter: the president pledged more than $100 million in disaster aid to help farmers weather the drought. >> their fields have dried up. this is going to help them feed their livestock. >> we'll all be applying for it because it's going to hit all of us. >> reporter: she's already sold off 25% of her herd. the rest of her hungry cattle feed on expensive alfalfa bales hauled in from oregon. she's losing about $2,000 a month. >> we'll make it to may and that's it. >> reporter: duboski and others are wondering how long they can hold on. >> if we have another dry year next year, i think you'll see many, many farmers going broke. >> reporter: financial aid, he says they financial aid can pay some of the bills now, but without rain, the drought releave funds only amount to a

drop in the bucket. carter evans, cbs news, los angeles. well, secretary of state john kerry wraps up a visit today where he mocks those who don't believe in climate challenge. >> good morning. secretary kerry had harsh words for all of those who question climate change and his words like shoddy science and those who bury their heads in the sand, it came after a deal was made between u.s. and china this weekend to comb cooperate more closely on combatting climate change and his words were designed to inspire more countries to come on board. as the east digs out of a snowstorm and the south battles that similar to a dust bow he fierce climate challenge is. >> we certainly should not sit around wasting more time sitting around debating whose responsibility it is to deal with this threat while we come

closer and closer to the point of no return. >> reporter: secretary kerry says he's ordering all countries to tackle it. >> there is not agreement around the fact of exactly what is causing this. even the president's own science and technology office head, mr. holder, says no one incident is due to climate challenge. >> she calls it unproven science and even if congress acted, it might not have a global impact. >> because of climate change or global warming. that's real. we know that climate change is happening. >> kerry wants to shift away from fossil fuels to cleaner energy sources. notably absent from secretary kerry's remarks was any mention of the keystone xl pipeline. this is a pipeline that carries

crude that's particularly heavy on carbon from canada to the united states. the construction of this pipeline is on hold pending a decision from president obama. anne-marie? >> susan mcginnis, thank you. coming up on the morning news, what's next in the florida murder trial that raised questions about race and self-defense. the suspect is convicted of shooting into a car full of black teenagers but a mistrial is declared on the most serious charge. a mistrial is declared on the most serious charge. [ male announcer ] let the rich robust flavor and irresistible aroma of nescafe clasico stir what's inside of you.

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a florida man faces decades in prison after a florida man faces decades in prison after he was found guilty on multiple counts of attempted murder saturday, but the jury could not agree on the most serious charge. as manuel bojorquez reports, that has sparked a protest in jacksonville. >> reporter: there was anger outside the duvall county courthouse when after almost 30 hours of deliberation the jury deadlocked on a first-degree murder charge. >> by the end of the day we walk away saying jordan davis is dead

but not vindicated. >> reporter: jurors did reach verdicts on michael dunn on three counts of attempted murder. dunn fired ten shots at an suv carrying four teenagers at a jacksonville convenience store parking lot in december 2012 after an argument over their loud music. over the week he testify head had no choice but to grab his gun and shoot after what he saw was a barrel of a shotgun. >> i thought i was going to be killed. >> reporter: but police did not find a weapon on davis or in the suv. davis's parents spoke after the verdict was read. >> we will continue to wait for justice for jordan. >> reporter: angela corey is the lead prosecutor. >> as far as we're concerned, we intend to retry him, retry michael dunn on the charge of first-degree murder.

>> reporter: dunn is expected to be sentenced next month on the guilty counts and could spend more than 60 years in prison. straight ahead, a kentucky pastor suffers a fatal snake bite during a religious service. and in sports, an out-of-this-world medal for a select group of sochi olympians. out of this world-medal for a select group of sochi olympians. 5 in 1 formula. has ane it's clinically proven to hydrate dryness, illuminate dullness, lift sagging, diminish the look of dark spots, and smooth the appearance of wrinkles. together these 5 elements create ageless looking skin. roc® multi correxion 5 in 1. it's high performance skincare™ only from roc®. discover light & fit greek nonfat yogurt.eal pleasure? 1. irresistible flavors, like strawberry cheesecake, with a delightfully thick creamy texture. light & fit greek. taste satisfaction without sacrifice.

♪ dannon ♪come in for 50 to 60, plus 10ay mpercent off...♪ and see our new 2014 mattress selections. with up to 60 month financing. join our free member program and save even more. sears here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. new york will be sunny today. so will miami. but there will be snow in

chicago with a high of 29. dallas will be cloudy. los angeles, sunny, a high of 70. at the winter olympics in russia, team usa added to its medal count on sunday, and it was a good day on the ice for the americans as well. alphonso van marsh is in sochi with more. good morning, alphonso. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. the best american alpine skier won another medal on sunday. he's the best not just in u.s. history but olympic history. in fact, bode miller is holding the record with five olympic medals. on sunday he won his sixth. he was one of two american medalists in the super-g. miller tied for the bronze at 36. he's the oldest alpine skier to win a medal. his teammate won also.

the ware won gold in vancouver. the ice dancing competition concludes with a free dance later today. and the usa wins to go on to the finals. phil kessel scores a hat trick. they win, 5-1, over slovenia. the victory comes one day after beat russia in the shoot-out. after sunday's event let's take a look at the medal count. the netherlands is in the lead with 17 medals. u.s. and russia are tied in second place for 16 and norway and canada are in third, each with 14 medals. anne-marie? >> listen. i heard you have some information about a very special medal some athletes will be taking home. >> reporter: that's right, anne-marie. in fact, there's a little bit of controversy in sochi over officials from one russian province who want to give medals that are quite literally out of

this world. one year ago a massive meteorite exploded into russia's region. now pieces of the space rock are set on top of bonus medals on display at olympic park. they're for the olympic winners on the anniversary of the crash. >> only ten people will get a commemoration to their real one. officials say they're not willing to share the spotlight with some space rocks. the night before the meteorite medals were supposed to be awarded, the international olympic committee shut down the bonus medal plans saying they could only be given out after the olympics were over. the meteorite medallion maker said they didn't intend for their silver and gold medals to take the shine off the real thing. >> it will be a really, really good memory of the local olympic games.

>> reporter: local officials say they respect the ioc's last-minute decision and they'll send the ten olympic champions their medals in the mail. now we understand they minted some others, they're available for private collection, but they won't tell us how much they cost. anne-marie? >> i guess it's one of those, if you have to ask, you can't afford it. right, alphonso? >> that's right. >> alphonso van marsh at the winter olympics in sochi. thanks a lot. when we return, a test of fate. a preacher uses venomous snakes as part of his services. what happens when prayer meeting danger when the "cbs morning news" continues. for a sun-ripened deliciousness that makes every day simply...extraordinary. ♪ with a name like smucker's, it has to be good.

one day we get this incredible call from cheerios saying "what about breakfast?" together we've created the family breakfast project to help families begin their day together over breakfast. say the co-pilot took commaf the plane -- and diverted i rome. shots fired outside a busy n francisco mall... the latest on the search this morning for the gunman. and the one-of- a-kind olymc medal being withheld from winning athletes... what's gone into this unique prize that's makes it so special. join us for kpix 5 news this morning... beginning at 4:3

good morning. it's monday, february 17-th. i'm michelle,,,,,, here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. washington will be sunny today. atlanta will be sunny as well. rain and ice in st. louis. denver can expect sunshine, and rain in seattle. a pennsylvania woman charged

with one murder says she's committed many more. miranda bar bore and her husband elliott are accused of killing man they met on craigslist. in a jailhouse interview this weekend she told the newspaper she wants to plead guilty. bar bore claims to have killed more than 20 other people across the country in the past six years as part of her involvement in a satanic cult. a kentucky preacher who's also a star of a reality tv series is dead after being bitten by a poisonous snake. jamie coots was handling a rattlesnake saturday night as part of his service. citing his faith he refused medical treatment. one hour later he was dead. >> to me it's as much a commandment from god as it was when he said to take the commandment thou shall not commit adultery. >> handling snakes was as much a

part of his service that he led at a church in middlesborough, kentucky. it's featured on the "national geographic" television series snake salvation. his son cody says there was nothing out of the ordinary during saturday's service. >> everybody was getting in, shouting, taking up serpents, speaking in tongue, handling fire. >> it was not unusual for his father to be bitten. his father had suffered numerous bites over the years. he said by handling the snakes he was obeying the word of god. >> i don't actually don't want to die of a serpent bite, but i'd rather die suffering a bite of a serpent bite with people standing around me praying as opposed to people standing around me in a car wreck with people cussing.

>> his faith was so strong he did not want treatment. >> if he woke up in a hospital he would have blamed every one of us. he was a firm believer. he did not want to go to a hospital. >> the coots family has run the church for generations. it is likely to second with cody. he said handling the venn mum snakes is part of what his family believes in. >> it's the word of god, and we always said it's a good word to live by and a good way to die by. >> "national geographic" said it was struck by coots' religious convictions and it was honored. the nose of a jet ran into the ground. it was parked yesterday preparing for a flight to dallas. no passengers were injured. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." >> announcer: this portion of "cbs morning news" sponsored by international delight. have a delightful day. of

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here's another look at this morning's top stories. an ethiopian airlines flight on a flight to rome has landed safely in geneva, switzerland, after it was hijacked by the co-pilot. he wants asylum in switzerland. passengers are safe. >> and thousands lost power in new england over the weekend from an ice and snowstorm. parts of massachusetts and maine got well over a foot of snow. a new storm is hitting the upper midwest today. a movie about a free black man enslaved in the 19th century american south took the top honor at the british academy film awards on sunday. >> it's awarded to "12 years a slave." >> director steve mcqueen accepted the award. it was also a good night for the space thriller "gravity." it won six prizes. including best british film and

best actor. "american hustle" took home three awards. the british academy film awards often are predictors for the oscars, which will be given out in two weeks. >> construction of a new skyscraper in los angeles is being taken to new heights. the project is a combination of city pride, ambition, and concrete, lots and lots of concrete. bill whitaker reports on what may be a building for the record books. >> this is l.a.'s version of the concrete truck valet. >> reporter: perhaps only in hollywood can a grand production be may out of wet cement. it seems like a whole lot of hype for a bunch of concrete being poured, but then again l.a. is a city built on hype. for example -- >> los angeles will be one of the greatest cities on planet earth, period, when this project is done. >> reporter: this project is a 73-story skyscraper called the wilshire grand, which, when it's

completed in 2017, will be the tallest building west of the mississippi. a bit taller than the eiffel tower, shorter than one world trade center, puny by comparison to the burres colita tower in dubai, the world's largest. so perhaps if you can't break that record, the next best thing. set a record for the longest poured concrete. >> reporter: yes, right here that record was broken. complete with recognition by guinness. 18 1/2 hours of uninterrupted concrete. that's certainly something to get hyped up about. speaking of which -- >> think of the pyramids, i think of the great castles in europe, thing of the cathedrals that draw your eyes to the heavens. this is that kind of building. >> reporter: that building might still be a big hole in the ground, but for now they have a

record set in stone. bill whitaker, cbs news, los angeles. >> congratulations, l.a. coming up on "cbs this morning," the latest on the winter that won't end and the update on the winter olympics. that's the cbs for this monday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

and i'm frank mallicoat time is 4-- here's meteorologist lawrence with check of weather. i think it's a holiday. it's president's day. >> federal holiday all of the banks are closed.

>> just the way we like it so far. we have mostly clear skies. temperatures are getting chilly. 30s and 40s. great weather ahead. we'll talk about that coming up. the overnight road work has been suspended and a lot of mass transit. everything is on some sort of altered schedule a heads up. it's very quiet on the roads. new details about a hijacking about an ethiopia airline jet. all of the passengers got off safely. it had taken off and was heading to rome when a co-pilot took control in the skies over italy and locked himself in the cockpit. he was seeking