what happened in the what happened in the cockpit of malaysian airlines 370. investigators focused the last minutes of the messages to air traffic controllers. a television news helicopter crashes down on the streets of seattle killing the pilot and veteran journalist on board. >> today we have the chance to set the record straight. >> and overdue honor. two dozen veterans are given the medal of honor years after they should have received the nation's highest military citation. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, march 19th, 2014. good morning. thanks for joining us. i'm marlie hall in for anne-marie green.

it was 12 days ago that malaysia airline flight 370 vanished in midair with 239 people on board. thailand says it saw something on radar that may have been the plane. it's generally believed now that the plane's path was deliberately altered from the cockpit, but it's not clear by whom. the search spans an area from central asia to the indian ocean, but this morning, there's more speculation than hard evidence. susan mcginnis is in washington. susan, good morning. >> good morning, marlie. yeah, nearly two weeks later and there are still many more theories out there than facts. today there are questions surrounding the radar data and specifically why thai officials waited ten days to turn the information over. thailand's military says its radar detected signals from an unidentified plane flying toward the malacca strait shortly after flight 370's transponder signal

went down. they didn't report it because it wasn't requested. the u.s. is among a dozen nations covering a giant arc about the size of australia in search of the airliner. >> we're in direct support with the malaysian government and malaysian people. we are tasked accordingly. >> reporter: they say the flight was off course. sources say there's evidence that someone reprogrammed the flight's management system after the jet took off from kuala lumpur. so far investigators have found nothing on the personal computers and e-mail of both the pilot and co-pilot nor on the flight simulator taken from the pilot's home. some questioned why he had that device. >> i asked him why he built that simulator in his home. he says it's because it's his

hob. >> they're being criticized for their handling of the search. >> they should have realized this involves expertise beyond our capacity. >> people at the airport at kuala lumpur continue leaving condolence messages for the 239 people on board. now, also malaysia has renewed its request from neighboring countries of some sensitive military tracking data. there are a lot of doubts about which nations may come forward with that information as it may reveal some military capabilities and their military weaknesses, marlie. >> susan mcginnis in washington. thank you. now to ukraine. it's reported that flight defense forces stormed the headquarters in the crimean port of sevastopol. the "associated press" reports that the flag was raised over the building. president putin signed papers making crimea a part of russia.

poland called it nothing more than a land grab. putin says russia does not plan to seize any more of ukraine, but as charlie d'agata reports, his words don't hold a lot of weight. >> reporter: along the border of russia, ukrainian forces are getting ready for war. sasha and him are childhood friends from donetsk. they found little in president vladimir's speech to like. >> the biggest lie that he respect ukrainian, he's still of the ability that russia is older are all our brothers and we have to leave or don't go at all. >> do you thank that as a warning? >> absolutely. crimea as a warning. >> reporter: a warning that the takeover of crimea is just the beginning. like many fathers here they describe themselves as half ukrainian, half russian. >> the biggest thing of mr. putin is he provoked this fight between brothers.

>> reporter: brothers or not, ukraine's defense ministers have put the calls out for tens of thousands of volunteers to take up arms in case of a russian invasion. >> i'm not ready to fight with russians, with ukrainians. i don't want to die for our country. i want to live for our country. >> reporter: they're worried about relatives who live in crimea who now live in another country. do you think ukraine will ever get crimea again? >> no, no. i think no. >> it's over. >> yes, it's over, it's over. >> reporter: we asked both men whether they would leave donetsk if fighting broke out here and they were torn between their responsibilities to protect their families and their duty to protect their country. they couldn't answer me and they hoped they wouldn't have to make that decision. charlie d'agata, cbs news, donetsk, ukraine. the national transportation safety board is investigating a

crash of a tv news helicopter in seattle. two beam on board the chopper were killed in the fiery wreck. government officials say they should have a preliminary report by next week. bigad shaban has our report. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: flames and smoke filled a seattle intersection after a local news helicopter crashed onto the street, hitting at least three cars. the pilot gary pfitzner and veteran photographer bill strothman were killed. strothman's son dan who is also a photographer on tv is still trying to come to grips with his father's death. >> he was a great photographer but he was just a great person. >> reporter: the helicopter for the seattle station komo-tv was lifting off from this rooftop near the city's famous space needle when witnesses say the chopper began to tilt. the national transportation safety board and the faa are still investigating the cause. >> our investigative team are looking into the mechanical as

well as the environment as well as the pilot. >> reporter: the mayor plans to examine its policies of permanent helicopter pads. >> we're going to look at how the policies have worked and been implemented in the last several decades going into the '60s. >> reporter: dan said his dad and mom had just bought their retirement dream home. >> they bought their own piece of paradise that they were planning on sailing off into the sun set there, you know. she -- my mom, you know, she's definitely having the hardest time. >> reporter: the wreckage is now being relocated to a hangar about 30 miles away where federal officials will continue their investigation. bigad sheehan, cbs news. a pentagon report on last year's washington navy yard shooting found the attack could have been avoided. last september aaron alexis walked into a navy yard building and gunned down 12 people. the contractor alexis worked for never told the navy about the mental problems he was having.

alexis was killed during the attack. the pentagon recommends tightened security at military installations. and a report on a deadly attack at a los angeles international checkpoint found various flaws. a tsa officer was killed and three others were wounded when paul ciancia started shooting in terminal 3 last november. the report found the airport was not prepared for the crisis. airport police officers were out of position and there were numerous problems with communications. >> coming up on the "morning news," tipping point. stiff winds topple a truck crossing a bridge. this is the "cbs morning news." crossing the bridge. this is the "cbs morning news." we have a situation. what? we're out of dunkin'. emergency backup. one taste, and you'll understand. enjoy dunkin' donuts coffee anytime. pick some up where you buy groceries. america runs on dunkin'. afghanistan, in 2009.

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including g6pd deficiency, and any medications you are using. use of benzoyl peroxide with aczone® gel may cause your skin to temporarily turn yellow or orange at the site of application. the most common side effects with aczone® gel are dryness, redness, oiliness and peeling of treated skin. looked great. [ female announcer ] ask about a free sample size of aczone® gel. aczone® gel. see a dermatologist and see for yourself. to freeze, slip into a lunch box, and be ready to eat by lunch. so lunchtime is better for everyone. gogurt, it is so good to freeze, thaw, and slurp. it was tough going on the hanson bridge near twin false, idaho monday. wind gusts of 66 miles per hour blew four tractor-trailers on their side. the bridge was closed for hours,

but there were no serious injuries. look what the wind blew into this small town south of denver. tumblewe tumbleweeds. lots and lots of tumbleweeds. they're stacked so high in some places residents couldn't move their cars or get out of their houses. >> on the "cbs moneywatch," invests turn their attention to the fed and grand prize winners in the mega millions lottery. jill wagner is at the new york stock exchange with that and more. good morning, jill. >> good morning, marlie. janet yellen will hold her very first press conference at the federal reserve's two-day policy meeting ends. most believe she's not going to deliver any major economic surprises. asian stocks were mixed ahead of that news conference. tokyo's nikkei gained a quarter of a percent. hon hong kong's hang seng gained a fraction. the dow jumped 88 points while the nasdaq added 53.

toyota has reportedly reached a $50 billion settlement with the justice department over unintended acceleration troubles. the issue caused toyota to recall millions of vehicles. the deal could be announced as early as today. the japanese auto giant is expected to avoid criminal charges. another apology from gm's ceo mary berra. she said yesterday she was sorry for the jabs at the recall on the small cars. on monday she apologized to the employees. she first found out about the ignition switch problem in late january. she also named company veteran jeff boyer gm's new safety chief. and some people are happy after the mega millions lottery drawi drawing. there are at least two tickets with the numbers -- one ticket was sold in florida,

the other in maryland. the jackpot is the sixth largest lottery prize in u.s. history and if the winners take a lump sum, they'll split 224 million bucks. and the guitar that started the rock and roll revolution is up for sale. >> it will be mine, oh, yes. it will be mine. >> wayne could only dream about owning this guitar. it is the very first fender strat oh castor ever made. it was produced in 1964 and bears the serial number 0100. no one ever famous owned it but it's been kept in mints condition. and, marlie, this strat can be yours for a cool $4 million. >> is that all? thanks so much. straight ahead, the dance begin. a look at the opening games of the ncaa tournament.

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nc state's t.j. warren continues his hot play. he scores 25 points, and the wolf paquick wins. they'll face st. louis. and in the day's first game. albany tops st. mary's, tennessee. coverage of round 64 starting tomorrow when ohio state meets dayton. in the nba lebron james continues to torture fans in cleveland. lebron returns to city where his career started and he scores 43

points against the cavs. james had 25 points in the first quarter alone, matching cleveland's entire team. the heat go on to win 100-96. and after a three-year absence, 13-time champion phil jackson is back in the nba. jackson was introduced tuesday as president of the new york knicks. he will be in charge of all of the team's basketball decisions. despite having the second highest payroll in the nba, the knicks have struggled on the court this year. jackson won two championships as a player on the knicks and 11 more as a coach with the bulls and lakers. when we return, an overduhon. two dozen veterans, mostly minorities, were awarded the nation's highest military declaration in an emotional ceremony at the white house. nit. and that can take a lot of energy. introducing nature valley breakfast biscuits. four biscuits, 26 grams of whole grains that give you the energy to help keep you going.

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is it worth it? we already know the drough' driving up prices at the gry store. but we'll explain why it could also change the quality of what you buy join us for kpix 5 news this morning... beginning at 4:3 good morning. it's wedensday march 19 i'm michelle griego.,, minorities, were awarded the here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around

the country. yesterday president obama made right a historic wrong. he awarded our nation's highest medal to 24 soldiers who had been denied the honor because of their skin color or ethnicity. only three of the soldiers are still alive. david martin had the honor of meeting two of them. >> reporter: at 68, santiago arabia is well past the age when he should be trying on an army uniform. >> let's not get inducted into the army again. >> reporter: except this time the president of the united states is officiating. >> this is long overdue. >> reporter: arabia is one of 24 americans who received the medal of honor. they're the only ones still living and they all served in

vietnam. >> i decided to charge them. i was close enough. i threw a grenade at a guy. >> reporter: in 1969 arabia took out not one but four enemy bunkers that were raking his unit with fire. >> the fourth one came out of the fire hole and he was like as far as you are from me, and i took him out with the m-16. >> reporter: his company commander immediately put arabia in for the medal of honor, but instead he was honored the nation's second highest medal, the distinguished service cross. i put it out of my mind for 44 years until president obama called me and he said we're going to give you the medal of honor. >> reporter: a review of army records found 24 soldiers who deserved to have their distinguished service cross upgraded to the medal of honor. jose rodella was a sergeant with

the green berets in september of 1969 when a viet kong unit opened one a machine gun. >> they were laughing at us. >> they were laughing at you. >> yes. they had us pinned with their machine gun. >> i finally got up close to them and got all three of them. >> you took out the machine gun. >> oh, yes, i did. >> ask him how he feels about receiving the medal of honor all these years later. >> joe hega and rudy, two of my friends, they didn't come back. >> ask him about his buddies. >> in my memory they'll be there, and i'll see. >> reporter: and he will see their names inscribed in black

marble on the vietnam memorial. neither has ever been to the wall but they'll go there wearing their medals of honor. david martin, cbs news, san antonio. [ yodeling plays ] worst morning ever. [ angelic music plays ] ♪ toaster strudel! best morning ever! [ hans ] warm, flaky, gooey. toaster strudel! and irresistible aroma of nescafe clasico stir what's inside of you. ♪ [ engine revving ] [ tires screech ] ♪

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here's another look at this morning's top stories. they saw a radar billups. thailand said it's not clear if the blips are a missing jet. it's believing a change of course was programmed into the cockpit's computer but it's not clear by whom. yesterday president putin signed papers officially making crimea part of russia. virginia's governor says he expects duke energy to compensate the state for a coal ash spill last month that contaminated the dan river. it crosses both the dan river

and north carolina. mark strassmann reports. >> reporter: this spill of coal and ash from a retired duke energy power plant coated an 80-mile stretch with toxic sludge. eight days later, federal prosecutors issued the first of 23 s&ps investigating the relationship between utility and north carolina regulators. >> it's clear they have been coordinating their legal efforts. >> he says the questionable relationship became apparent last year. his group tried three times to sue duke to clean up spills but he said state regulators block them every time by fining utility instead of demanding a cleanup. >> it's an inappropriate or too close relationship between duke and the state that's contributed to that. scrutiny is due. >> reporter: the federal subpoenas demand the records of

18 employees of north carolina's department of environment and national resources or denr. the prosecutors are examining whether the regulators were influenced by utility with a monetary payment, pref rein ren chal treatment, of promise of future employment. a former employee told us she resigned last year of what she called the defanging of the agency. they said they would not comment on the investigation. utility has promised to work on plans to clean up its waste sites. mike hager worked there for 17 years. he's now a representative in the state legislature. >> reporter: your sense is there is nothing improper between utility and denr. >> right. >> and if the grand jury finds out that, in fact, some individuals did profit in ways they should. have? >> then they should be punished for that. >> reporter: that spill in the dan river included chemicals

known to cause cancer. duke energy has yet to announce its cleanup ,,,,