( applause ). >> axelrod: 296 days before the first primary in campaign 2016 republicans eyeing the white house size up the competition in new hampshire. our political director john dickerson is there. >> oh, my god. >> axelrod: cabin pressure redefined when a plane gets stuck on the tarmac for more than six hours. >> do you feel good about your job? >> axelrod: the backlash against espn reporter britt mchenry. what does it tell us about online shaming? and thinking caps on. say team of quiz wizzards goes for the gold at the u.s. academic decathlon. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news." >> axelrod: good evening.

i'm jim axelrod. we begin tonight in new hampshire, home, of course, to the nation's first primary, which is still more than nine months away. but for nearly 20 republicans who have either announced they will run for president or are contemplating a run, new hampshire is the center of the political universe this weekend. the state republican party is hosting a two-day conference so that new hampshire voters can hear from everyone from the front-runners to the little-knowns, all looking to get some traction. while differenceon issues ranging from climate change to social security to the economy divide many of these republicans, the most significant unifier is actually a democrat. >> this is hillary clinton's speech-- i'm sorry, this isn't my peach. >> hillary clinton must not be president. >> hillary clinton couldn't be here again today. >> i ran against the clinton political machine. >> when hillary clinton travels there are going to be two planes, one for her and her entourage, and one for her baggage. >> axelrod: joining me now cbs news political director john dickerson who is at the

republican leadership summit in nashua. john, a lot of republican candidates in new hampshire either announced or prospective. any names that are starting to emerge and separating themselves from the pack?" >> reporter: not yet. we're 10 months out from the primary, and there seems to be no winnowing going on. there are about a dozen candidates who are all kind of bunched together here. in the past, in republican politics there has been one candidate who put all their chips on new hampshire and everybody has to fight against that. here everybody is competing in a wide-open race so there's a lot of choosing yet to be done. >> axelrod: so if it's still wide open in terms of specific candidates, what are you learning about the kinds of characteristics that republicans would like to see in a candidate in the state for the primary? >> reporter: well, because it is so wide open, you talk to activists, and they're look at different characteristics-- young versus old, forward versus backward. and one that's emerged here is

senator versus governor. when the pollster, frank luntz, surveyed the activists here this morning he asked those who wanted a senator to be in the white house to raise their hand. about three to five then. then he asked the same question about those who wanted to see a governor in the white house, and more than 100 people raised their hand. there is a clear bias towards somebody who has been governor, who has been in situations that most closely approximate the kind of tension and crises you might see in the white house, jim. >> axelrod: so in this first primary in the nation, the prospective voters know what they're looking for if not who they're look for yet. john dickerson in nashua, new hampshire, thank you. we should add that after the republicans finish up this weekend, mrs. clinton will arrive in new hampshire monday to begin her own two-day swing through the state. and while it is early in the 2016 campaign, it's not too early for a hot-button issue to emerge-- an education issue specifically the common core standardized tests. so far this year, more than

250,000 students across the country have opted out of taking the tests which measure proficiency in math and language arts. julianna goldman now on how the common core debate is playing out on the campaign trail. >> reporter: with parent and teachers protesting what they say are burdensome, confusing, and time-consuming standardsized tests, common core is emerging as a key issue on the trail. >> common core is an issue very close to my heart. i want to know your stance on common core. >> reporter: and it's forcing presidential hopefuls to navigate politically-fraught terrain right out of the gate. >> high standards assessed the right way combined with real accountability is when we need. >> reporter: former florida governor jeb bush has been a staunch supporter of the program but yesterday in new hampshire, he emphasized that participation is voluntary. >> here's what we don't need-- we don't need a federal government involved in this at all. >> reporter: bush's position puts him at odd with his

republican rifles like senators ted cruz-- >> we need to repeal every word of common core. >> reporter: and marco rubio who says common core takes power away from state and local governments. >> those standards will eventually be used to force on states policies the federal government wants or you won't get federal money. >> reporter: common core also splits democrats pitting the obama administration and reform advocates against teachers' unions, who have criticized the way it's been implemented. >> the common core started off as a bipartisan effort. >> reporter: in iowa earlier this week, democratic presidential front-runner hillary clinton backed the controversial standards. >> it was to try to come up with a core of learning that we might expect students to achieve across our country, no matter what kind of school district they were in, no matter how poor their family was that there wouldn't be two tooers of education. >> reporter: clinton didn't endorse the way common core is

being implemented. jim, it's a highly contentious and complicated issue, and it will likely become even more politicized as the campaign gets under way. >> axelrod: julianna goldman in our washington newsroom, julianne athank you. now to the weather which hit south texas pretty hard last night. thunderstorms brought heavy rains, intense lightning, and ping-pong-ball-sized tail. a circus performance had to be stopped, and the crowd evacuated when the tent look liked it might collapse. some bad weather forced flights to denver to be diverted yesterday, and one of those flights from kansas city ended up in colorado springs instead, where passengers stayed grounded on the tarmac for more than six hours. vinita nair shows us how that played out. >> reporter: this is cell phone video shot on board. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: you can see passenger frustration and you can hear it. >> technically, they don't have to do anything with us until we've been on-- out here for

three hours. >> reporter: republic airlines operated the flight grounded by lightning. federal rules say an airline is only allowed to keep passengers on the tarmac for three hours unless there's a security or safety issue or if taxiing in disrupts the airport. passenger lisa davis says she sat on the tarmac much longer. >> we landed here at 7:24, and we were stranded on that plane for seven hours. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: passengers say the pilot told them if they got off the plane they would miss any connecting flight. they had no air conditioning and served nothing but water and crackers and claimed the aircraft started to smell. when we reached out to republic airlines they had a very different version of events saying the time on the plane has apparently been exaggerated. heather leonard with the colorado springs airport fears this was all miscommunication. >> we're not sure what the issue

is with united not being able to taxi to the gate. they-- we have available gate space here. >> reporter: passengers eventually got to the gate and were bussed to denver international airport. vinita nair, cbs news, new york. >> axelrod: and there is more severe weather might have gone to the middle of the country. let's bring in meteorologist lauren casey of our minneapolis station wcco. lauren, where exactly is this nasty weather going? >> yeah, well we have a dime and i can wide-reaching storm system that is going to bring threat of severe weather from the central plains to the mid-atlantic this weekend. numerous revere storms are likely tonight in parts of kansas oklahoma and texas in areas under enhanced risk. enhanced is the highest category on the new modified scale. tornado and severe thunderstorm watches are in effect from nebraska down to central texas until 9:00 p.m. central tonight. and then attorney general that threat spreads eastward to include the southeast and mid-atlantic. cities from little rock to atlanta to charlotte may

experience storms producing large hail and damaging winds. >> axelrod: lauren casey with the bad weather in our nation's midsection. lauren, thank you. two people remain in critical condition after a gas explosion in frez no, california. 15 were injured in the blast yesterday that sent flames shooting 100 feet into the air. many of those hurt were prisoners doing road work at a sheriff's department gun range. isis is being blamed for a suicide attack in afghanistan that killed at least 35. it happened at a bank in jalalabad as people were in line to get paid. even the taliban condemned this attack, calling it "evil." a 71-year-old chinese journalist named gau yu is now looking at seven years in prison after being found guilty of "rejeelg state secrets." she denied accusations that she published a document detailing the communist party's plans to crack down on human rights. in beijing, seth doane has more on the challenges facing

journalists in china. >> reporter: journalists like gau yu and i can obtain information the government does not want published, zhang jialong told us, and put it on line for people to see. this 26-year-old journalist was fired from his job at a financial news web site for leaking secrets and sensitive information. what's it like to be a journalist in china these days? "you're constantly in fear of having your work removed or getting punished, "he told us. "in the long run you start to censor yourself." instead, znang decided to expose chinese censures. central authorities have been tightening the net-- by publishing gag orders issued to chinese journalists. this one from 1212 resident:

"you can only say what the the government wants you to say," znang told us. foreign journalists are not given censorship orders, but the chinese government threatens to withhold visas as a way to control overseas press. znang was a part of a group of journalists to meet with secretary of state john kerry last year in beijing. behind closed doors, zhang complained about censorship. soon after, he lost his job and remains unemployed today. "it's wrong for journalists to cover up what they know," he told us. "i cannot help the government cover people's eyes and ears." 44 journalists were sitting in chinese jails as of late last year. this sentencing may serve as a

high-profile warning and is indicative of the increasing crackdown on press freedoms here. seth doane, cbs news beijing. >> axelrod: it's been the must-see interventionist week. now the backlash against that espn reporter in the parking garage is raise something questions about online shaming. where the buffalo roam from home when the cbs evening news continues. only one to combine a safe sleep aid... plus the 12 hour pain relieving strength of aleve. be a morning person again with aleve pm. why are all these people so asleep yet i'm so awake? did you know your brain has two systems?

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28-year-old britt mchenry went viral... even after she was suspended by espn and despite being forgiven by the woman she berated, social media won't let it go. crisis manager mike paul. are people allowed to have a bad moment without the possibility of losing your job? >> in today's environment, no. that's the catch-22. we want to be the judge and jury of every single thing that's happening, which it what we're saying swe're perfect. you need to be perfect too. >> okay, what. you don't ( bleep ) finish? >> reporter: technology has made it easier to catch people behaving badly. earlier this month, video surfaced of an n.y.p.d. detective yelling at an uberdriver. >> how long have you been in this country. >> reporter: the police commissioner quickly stripped the domestic of his badge and

gun. he was transferred out of the f.b.i. elite task force. in 2013 public relations executive justine sack oafs fired from her job after she wrote a tweet that read, "going to africa. hope i don't get aids. just kidding. i'm white." media consultant bill mcgowan explains the strong public reaction. >> i think it triggers something in all of us. i think we've all been in the shoes of that cashier where maybe somebody has iced out out socially, kind of said mean things to us. so i think that association is really strong. >> reporter: the video that surfaced of mchenry was edited and we don't know what else may have been said by the employee. jim, that's part of the reason why some mchenry supporters are now using the hashtag team britt. >> axelrod: jericka, thank you. some buffalo roamed a little too close to home this week in arkansas. after escaping from a farm six buffaloes spent thursday evading

capture on the streets of hot springs, arkansas. four have since been rounded up, but two are still missing, raising the obvious question where exactly does a 2,000-pound buffalo hide. sailing back into history 235 years back.

>> >> axelrod: history was made today on the western coast of france-- actually, it was remade.

in 1780, a 32-gun frigate named "hermione" left france for america with good news for the colonists rebelgrade against great britain. today, a replica of the ship set sail on a similar course amid great fanfare, and mark phillips was there. >> reporter: it's a replica of what may be one of the most important and the most forgotten ships in u.s. naval history. and in a way it's coming home. the original sailing frigate "hermione" left port in france in 1780 carrying the best friend the american revolution ever had to boston. the marquis de lafayette was a french arist cat and sympathizer with the the upstart colonies who served in george washington's army and who secured vital support for what was then a flagging revolutionary cause. "hermione's" trip 235 years ago brought lafayette back to the colonies with news that the french were sending men and ships to help fight the british.

now the rep lickar "hermione" is making the same trip. as recreationing of history go the new "hermione," as her sea trial showed is a spectacular example. over 200 feet long with 16,000 square feet of sail she's been built using the same materials and a lot of the same methods as the original. it took money from both sides of the atlantic to fund the project, not to mention 17 years and the wood from 3,000 oak trees to build her. and back in the age of sail, it took 250 people to handle a ship like this. the modern version gets by with just 80, most of them volunteers and most french, although there are a few americans, including woody wiest. >> one of the things about a ship like this is you get people from all around the world coming and sailing, and when you put people side by side on board a

ship, they're cleaning the toilets together, they're really bonding, and it makes-- it makes it very-- a very close and open relationship between people and it lasts forever. >> reporter: there will be plenty of opportunity for bonding on the trip to the u.s. which is expected to last about four weeks. "hermione" will visit port cities from virginia to maine beginning in june, and she'll draw a crowd. mark phillips, cbs news, france. >> axelrod: still ahead, a battle of the brains and a dynasty on the line at the united states academic decathlon. well, when you have copd it can be hard to breathe. it can be hard to get air out, which can make it hard to get air in. so i talked to my doctor. she said... doctor: symbicort could help you breathe better, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. symbicort helps provide significant improvement

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with a look at a dynasty. now we're not talking about the yankees or the bulls or even the tudors for that matter. carter evans introduces us to a southern california high school which set out this weekend to cement its standing as an academic dynasty. >> reporter: at this year's academic decathlon these students from california's granada hills charter high school hope to continue a dynasty. they were national champions in 2011 2012 and 2013. >> granada! >> reporter: so the bar was high for newcomers like natalie gonzalez. >> it was really intimidating at first. i wasn't sure i could keep up with some of the returning members. >> reporter: not only did she keep up but she and her teammates shined at last night's

super quiz, a "jeopardy-"style speed test with questions that are stoupifying just to read, but not to them. each correct answer drew a cheer from natalie's mother, a first-generation immigrant from mexico who never got to high school. you department have that opportunity. >> no, i don't have any opportunity. she-- she have it, and she got it, and she do it. >> reporter: so did jorge zapeda, also a child of immigrants. >> my dad always pushed me to read books made sure i always stayed focused in school. that was my job when they had their jobs. >> reporter: his mother maria elena. >> no video games, no facebook. >> i deleted instagram. >> reporter: you deleted it. >> i deleted instagram, yeah. >> reporter: still the student say it's a small sacrifice compared to their parents. >> she doesn't want me to kind of live that hard life that she's had to go through. she wants me to do better and have a better life, too. >> the team from granada hills. >> reporter: they are well on their way. granada hills cleaned up,

winning every major award, beating 2500 other schools. they are national champs once again. >> the emotions that i have is-- i can't describe it. i want to jump. i want to scream. >> reporter: success now means at least a little time to celebrate where champions often do. >> we're going to disneyland. >> reporter: and then it's back to the books. carter evans, cbs news, los angeles. >> axelrod: and that's the cbs evening news for tonight. later on cbs "48 hours." for now i'm jim axelrod in new york and for all of us here at cbs news thanks for joining us and good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

is sophia ver ga are a in a new war with her exfiancee. >> we have the lawsuit which claims sophia is trying to block him from using their frozen embryos. he's younger than me. he's never had a kid. >> now that sophia wants kids with joe, who will get custody of her fertilized eggs with nick? kim richards busted. what cops are telling us about hearrest. >> a lot of pressure. we visit the new chippendales.r our special acm award preview. >> they are letting me in on the tricks they have up their sleeve this year. inside