flood fears grips southern california. a major pacific storm starting dumping heavy rain on parched communities, prompting hundreds of evacuations. and the same weather system threatens to deliver more snow to the east coast. the crisis in ukraine deepens. pro-russian forces begin to lay claim to a critical border region, while the ousted ukraine president prepares for his first public appearance since anti-government protesters forced him to flee the country. credit cards will be available, social security number, personal information. >> and hunting hackers. how u.s. authorities track down identity thieves around the

globe. captioning funded by cbs ng. good to be with you. i'me-ma this is the "cbs morning news" for friday, february 28th, 2014. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. this morning drought-stricken southern california is getting hit hard by a powerful pacific storm. but it may be too much of a good thing. this is the second and stronger half of a one-two storm punch to hit the west coast. the fear is all the water will produce flooding and mud slides in areas recently overrun by wildfires. evacuations have been ordered east of los angeles. and the rain is already falling in l.a. residents in the mountains east of the city were warned they face injury or death if they don't leave. serene branson of our los angeles station kcbs reports from glendora, california. >> reporter: glendora police warned evacuating residents if they left, they couldn't come back. >> saturday afternoon. it's really going to depend on the amount of rainfall. >> reporter: many chose to stay despite the evacuation order.

>> they said if anything happens, we're not going to come and get you. yeah. so we're on our own. >> reporter: jackie and her family said they're taking their chances. >> we have dogs, i have a medical condition, i have a mom with alzheimer's. it's too many issues to take with us to a hotel room. >> reporter: the higgins family who live throughout glendora was busy sand bagging and have tractors on standby. >> we're prepared. we're going to see what happens and we're going to go from there. >> reporter: are you going or are you going to stay? >> no, we're staying. >> reporter: bill higgins sr.'s home was covered in a mud slide here years ago. 200 homes were destroyed. 39 people were killed during a heavy storm that came after a fire. >> this house is the house right there that was completely knocked off its foundation. >> reporter: barbara albany shared "national geographic" images. she lived right against the charred hillside left by the

colby fire. >> i look at what it could be and it's kind of disheartening. >> reporter: although there's more development now, she hopes they're more prepared. still she packed up her car and headed out to a friend's house. >> i've taken out everything that means anything of sentimental value, and after that, what am i going to do here, you know, other than get crazy when and if the mud comes. >> reporter: and the closure and mandatory evacuation order for about a thousand glendora residents will remain in effect until possibly saturday, depending on what the storm brings. the city has also dropped off sand bags and 1.6 miles of k-rail in these neighborhoods just to keep residents safe. for cbs news, i'm serene branson in glendora, california.

kcbs meteorologist jackie johnson has more on weather in the midwest. >> some rain finally hitting the west coast but maybe too much all at once. take a look at this large storm system that's moving in. we've got flash flood watches and warnings that are in effect and a possibility 106 inches of rain in the mountains of southern california, not to mention the threat of thunderstorms in higher elevations. up to 4 feet of snow a possibility with winds gusting up to 75 miles an hour. as we head further to the east, arctic air continues to dominate the midwest with highs in the single digits and the teens from the northern plains to the great lakes with windchills well below zero, so it is going to be another cold one. now, our storm out west will eventually move to the east and just blast the northeast with heavy snow and isolate sunday into monday. significant snow accumulations are expected anywhere from boston to new york to d.c. i'm jackie johnson in los angeles. the polar jet stream moving south from canada poses a threat of significant snow over the weekend. north of toronto yesterday blowing snow and low visibility are being blamed for a collision involving nearly a hundred cars and trucks. no serious injuries are

reported, but the highway was closed for most of the day. and heavy snow is suspected to have caused a roof at an outlet mall to collapse yesterday in northern michigan. two people were injured by the cave-in at the polo ralph lauren factory store. this morning the political crisis in ukraine is turning even more volatile. the newly appointed ukrainian government says russian soldiers have taken control of one airport in crimea. unidentified armed men are controlling another. ukrainian interior minister calls the action an occupation and earlier today ukraine's ousted president is expected to speak out from russia. clarissa ward joins us on the phone in kiev. clarissa, good morning. >> reporter: anne-marie, good morning. well, a lot of confusion from crimea. this is a very fluid situation, but what we're hearing is that two airports have been taken over. the main airport, the civilian airport in the regional capital

of sevastopol, appears to have been taken over by unidentified masked gunmen. they're in the control tower. they're roaming around the terminal. they're patrolling the outside. they're wearing uniforms without any insignia, and they refuse to talk to journalists on the ground there. so it's not immediately clear who they are, but, of course, the suspicion is they're a pro-russian military team. in conjunction with that there are other reports that russian military personnel have blocked an airport in a different city in crimea. that airport is near a large russian naval base. russia's black sea fleet is denying that its forces have been involved in seizing or blockading this military airport, but they did concede that they have stepped up measures with their anti-terror units to, quote, protect areas where parts of the fleet are located.

ukraine's interior ministry is calling this an armed invasion and occupation, but so far to the best of our knowledge, there haven't been any incidents of violence, and in that large civilian regional hub in the city of see vast sevastopol, the airport is still operating regularly. >> all right. clarissa ward in kiev. thank you very much, clarissa. the obama administration is urging restraint in ukraine and keeping a close eye on russia. susan mcginnis is in washington. susan, good morning. >> good morning, anne-marie. vice president joe biden talked with the newly appointed ukrainian prime minister and told him that his government has the full support of the united states. also, russia's foreign minister told secretary of state john kerry that military exercises on the ukraine border were planned and are unrelated to current events. the foreign minister also said russia will respect ukraine's territorial integrity. cbs news national security

consultant juan zarate says the u.s. wants ukraine to remain a unified autonomous state. >> i think the u.s. is trying to demonstrate support for the integrity and the sovereignty of ukraine, trying to do everything possible to not only avoid a russian invasion but the split-up of ukraine. i think that's the last thing the u.s. wants to see. try to do that not just through its own words and diplomats but also through the european union, meetings and words coming out of nato as well. >> now, secretary kerry said that everyone involved in ukrainian crisis needs to avoid provocations. anne-marie? >> susan mcginnis in washington. thank you, susan. a critical underground nuclear waste dump is closed this morning. investigators are trying to find the source of a radiation leak at the site near carlsbad, new mexico. 13 workers above ground were

exposed earlier this month. they inhaled radioactive particles. air monitors a half mile away detected elevated levels. officials say it's too soon to determine the health effects. well, coming up on the "morning news," the hunt for hackers. we'll take you inside a secret service operation to track down cyber thieves around the world. this is the "cbs morning news." bs morning news."orning 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.

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actually, could you leave those in? sure. want me to run him through the car wash for you, too? no, no, i can't. get a dexos 1, synthetic-blend oil change, tire rotation, and inspection for just $39.95 or less. chevy certified service. identity thieves are busier than ever. the ftc says identity theft is its number one consumer complaint. almost 300,000 americans were victims last year, and 25% of those say the theft involved credit card or bank fraud. law enforcement is trying to fight back. wyatt andrews got an inside look at that effort. >> reporter: inside the secret service's criminal investigation division, special agent in charge ed lowery gave us rare access to a room where agents track cyber criminals around the world. these screens show an internet

chat room based in russia where hackers are brazenly selling what they've just stolen. u.s. social security numbers are offered at $2 each. >> the credit cards are available, social security numbers, personal information. >> reporter: this is marketplace? >> this is a marketplace? >> reporter: a marketplace where thieves also sell the latest know-how. the recent attacks at targets lasted for weeks and neiman marcus for three months when highly sophisticated thieves broke through the companies' firewalls, stole millions of card numbers but never raised an alarm. here on this forum, av, malware is one of the skills for sale. >> reporter: av check? >> av check. there are businessings out there that their business is ensuring if you have built a piece of malware, that it will be undetectable by any service.

>> reporter: they all noticed a spike. more than 800,000 credit cards were offered as once. investigators posed online as buyers and bought a sample of cards and made a connection to charges at target. >> these individuals, they're the highest level cyber criminals. they study their targets, they are extremely patient. >> reporter: now the focus is on finding and arresting the individuals who use these chat rooms, knowing they're being hunted. >> reporter: they believe if they commit the crimes they're anonymous and they believe they're safe from u.s. law enforcement. >> reporter: they just think you can't catch them. >> that would be a safe assumption. >> reporter: are they right? >> i believe our successes in the past would show they're not right. >> the secret service says their investigations have led to 4,900 arrests in cyber threats or fraud. they say the malware probably came from eastern europe or russia but the manhunt for who did this is global. wyatt andrews, cbs news, washington. on the "cbs moneywatch," janet yellen blames the weather,

and a smartphone that self-destructs. jill wagner is at the new york stock exchange with that and more. good morning, jill. >> good morning, anne-marie. fed chair janet yellen told lawmakers on capitol hill that the central bank is closely watching the economic slowdown. yelin testified before the senate banking committee yesterday. she pointed specifically to weaker than expected consumer spending and job growth, which may have been affected by this severe winter weather. she assured lawmakers that if the slowdown persists, the slowdown of the fed's economic stimulus could be reversed. here on wall street, some solid earnings reports sent stocks higher. the dow rose 74 points. the nasdaq finished the day nearly 27 points higher. and the s&p hit an all-time high. most asian markets did not get a boost from wall street. tokyo's nikkei lost half a percent. hong kong's hang seng was flat. a pilot shortage may just be an issue for regional airlines.

the government accountability office says the u.s. airline industry will need to hire up to 4,500 new pilots over the next ten years. 11 of 12 regional airlines did not meet their hiring target this year, but that's not the case for major airlines which pay significantly more than the regional carriers. and, anne-marie, the aircraft manufacturer boeing has designed a self-destructing high-security smartphone. the phone is called black. if it's tampered with, black automatically deletes any data and makes itself inoperable. the phone isn't made for mainstream use. it's made for the government and the president. >> sounds like something james bond would have in his arsenal. thanks a lot, jill. straight ahead, lebron james goes incognito against the knicks, and one major league baseball team is challenging

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batman and he didn't seem to mind wearing it. james finishes it with 31 points, taking down the knicks, 108-32. it's been seven months since ryan braun stepped up to plate but yesterday in his first at-bat in spring training the former mvp goes deep. braun was suspended for milwaukee's final 65 games last year for violating the mlb's drug agreement. and the san diego padres are asking fans to swing for the fences. the team will give away two season tickets to any fan who can hit a home run at petco part. now, fans will get to take one cut at a ball fired at them from a pitching machine, and it's worth noting that petco park is one of the toughest stadiums for a professional to hit a homer in. good luck to the fans. when we return, school controversy. outrage over this video showing

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here's a look a today's forecast in some cities around the country. a michigan teacher is fighting for her job. she's accused of recording video of a child in distress rather than helping. the incident happened in noerchlt teacher nicole mcvai is heard asking the boy if he wanted to get tasered. the 10-year-old has asperger's syndrome. his head and arms are stuck in the chair. a lawyer for the boy's mom says he was stuck for up to 15 minutes. the principal who's resigned is heard saying it's not an emergency. and they're ready for rain

in hollywood. the stormy weather is in the forecast up until sunday's oscar ceremony. the crews set up a clear plastic tent to protect the famed red carpet. a stretch of hollywood boulevard is closed and covered. that's where nominees and other celebrities will arrive. first lady michelle obama isn't just eating her vegetables. she's dancing with them. >> jump up and down. one more time. >> give it everything you've got. >> the first lady showed off her moves with a giant carrot, eggpla eggplant, and broccoli. she danced with the maryland preschoolers to promote healthy activities in eating. the program encourages an hour a day of physical activity. >> president, are you ready to move? >> absolutely. let's do this thing. let's move! >> the oval office is getting into the act. president obama and vice president joe biden presented a video to support the first lady's "let's move" campaign. it shows the menopausing from their work to get in some exercise. they jog through the halls of the white house.

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here's another look at this morning's top stories. a powerful storm is moving into california. it could bring an inch of rain an hour triggering mud slides and flooding. nearly a thousand families have been ordered from their homes east of los angeles. and ukraine could be headed for more conflict this morning. pro-russian forces have taken control of an airport in crimea and dozens of armed men are control a second airport in the region. they raised the russian flag over government buildings. president obama has launched an initiative to build opportunities for minority boys and young men. it's called "my brother's keeper," and as major garrett reports, the president shared his own personal challenges growing up.

>> reporter: president obama talked about growing up angry and alienated without a father, a story that resonates with at-risk youth. >> i made bad choices. i got high without always thinking about the harm that it could do. i didn't always take school as seriously as i should have. i made excuses. and the only difference is that i grew up in an environment that was a little bit more forgiving, so when i made a mistake, the consequences were not as severe. i had people who encouraged me. not just my mom and grandparents but wonderful teachers and community leaders. they never gave up on me. and so i didn't give up on myself. >> reporter: after five years in office the plight of black and latino men and boys has the president's attention. his new initiative hopes to build on the successes of programs like kip high school in the bronx. this year 100% of its seniors have applied to college. >> i think that young men of color face a stacked deck. >> reporter: ramon dejesus is a

kip counselor. he was the first in his family to graduate from high school and then college. mr. obama, he says, that cuts through. >> his appearance, that's all the kids need. he doesn't have to say a word. i am the president of the united states. don't i kind of look like you? >> reporter: adrian portella is one of dejesus's mentees. four colleges have already accepted him and he's waiting for more. >> i really want to go away and i want to see the world for what it is and not just be trapped by where i live now. >> reporter: high standards and up close motivation personify mr. obama's "my brother's keeper" ethic. >> everybody knows that you're going to do something besides work for the rest of your life if you come straight out of high school. everybody believes that you will get a diploma. everybody believes that if you want to try and go to harvard, why not. >> reporter: it's a question the president is asking too.

major garkts garrett, cbs news, the white house. well, coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," more on the severe storm hitting california. we'll be live from glendora where evacuations are under way. plus a warning about a facebook loophole that gives users access to inappropriate ads. and we'll hear from pastor rick warren on the drive to turn out moviegoers for the new film "son of god." that's the "cbs morning news" for this friday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com or watching. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

and i'm frank mallicoat time is 4-- here's meteorologist lawrence with check of weather.

kpix five's cate cauguiran t one of the traffic trouble s