sunday's showdown. pushing for a weekend vote on historic health care legislation, democrats unveil a $940 billion plan. >> it is not a done deal. but i can tell you there's a lot more confidence. kicking the habit. the government cracks down on marketing cigarettes to young people. and march madness. the ncaa tournament tips off with a string of upsets. this is the "cbs morning news" with a string of upsets. this is the "cbs morning news" for friday, march 19th, 2010. captioning funded by cbs thanks for joining us. i'm michelle gielan.

democrats released a final version of their health care reform plan aiming for a historic vote this sunday. the $940 billion measure has been 16 months in the making. the congressional budget office says it will trim the federal deficit by $138 billion over the next decade. democrats are hopeful, but the outcome remains uncertain and the president has rescheduled an overseas trip. whit johnson is in washington with details. good morning, whit. >> reporter: michelle, good morning. the president boasts his health care bill is also the biggest deficit reduction package since the '90s. house democrats have a little over 48 hours to hit that magic number. >> every vote around here is a heavy lift. >> reporter: leaders are using every ounce of political muscle to secure the 216 votes needed to pass health care reform.

they've added last minute sweeteners like insurance subsidies for consumers and rebates for seniors facing high drug costs. they're also celebrating the latest numbers from the congressional budget office. >> absolutely giddy. >> reporter: the cbo thursday estimated the plan would cost $940 billion over the next ten years, but it would reduce the deficit over that same period by $138 billion. those savings would grow to more than $1 trillion in the following decade. >> so i urge every member of congress to consider this as they prepare for their important vote this weekend. >> reporter: with reform hanging in the balance, president obama postponed his trip to asia. instead, he'll leave the white house this morning for virginia to make yet another health care pitch. >> this is history and this is progress. >> reporter: while democrats are confident reform is within their reach, the gop intends to step up its fight. >> our plan is for it not to come to the senate.

our plan is for it to be defeated here in the house. >> as the american people are saying stop and they're screaming at the top of their lungs. >> reporter: as time runs out, things on the house floor are getting more and more tense. >> the house will be in order. >> reporter: setting the stage for what's sure to be one of the biggest showdowns congress has ever seen. president obama is putting it all on the line. this is the second time he's postponed his trip to asia. this time he says the visit won't happen until june. michelle? >> and, whit, this weekend isn't the end of this process, is it? >> reporter: no, the process then actually goes back to the senate for reconciliation where they will pass those fixes agreed on by democrats. that, too, could take some time and perhaps more fireworks, as well. >> all right, whit johnson in washington. thanks. for the folks in fargo, north dakota, there's not much more to do but wait. the red river is expected to crest on sunday at 20 feet above flood stage.

residents in fargo and neighboring moorhead, minnesota, have spent the last few days sandbagging and building dikes. the good news is that the river is expected to crest at three feet lower than last year's level when the high water caused an estimated $100 million in damage. a report this morning says the white house is nearing a deal to close the guantanamo bay prison. the agreement would allow more detainees to be tried before revamped military commissions according to the "wall street journal." the court would offer more rights than the usually military tribunal, but not as many as afforded by a civilian court. 48 of the most dangerous criminals could be held indefinitely. there is a disturbing and dangerous trend of americans linking up with overseas terrorists and plotting attacks abroad and in this country. jan crawford reports. >> reporter: she's a blond

american who converted to islam and called herself jihad jane. colleen larose pleaded not guilty to conspiring with muslim extremists to kill a swedish cartoonist. hours later in chicago, another american, david headley, pleaded guilty to helping plan the deadly terror attacks in mumbai, india. headley admitted attending terrorist training camps in pakistan and making five trips to india to videotape locations for the 2008 attacks. 170 people were killed. although cia director leon panetta told the "washington post" this week that al qaeda is on the run overseas, the recent arrests of americans in the war on terror shows islamic extremists still have tentacles in the united states. >> unfortunately what you've seen is a number of americans falling in to the orbit of al qaeda or other extremist groups. >> reporter: five students from the washington, d.c. area were charged in pakistan with terrorism. in yemen, a new jersey man is in

custody with suspected ties to al qaeda. and dr. hasan killed 13 colleagues in ft. hood. he had connections with anwar al awlaki, who last night released an audiotape that seemed to call for more attacks. >> how can your conscience allow you to live in peaceful co-existence with a nation that is responsible for the tyranny and crimes committed against your own brothers and sisters? >> reporter: national security experts say the internet is emerging as a key recruiting tool and one very difficult to police. jan crawford, cbs news, washington. today marks the seventh anniversary of the start of the iraq war. the fight began with an overnight air strike by the u.s. shock and awe that targeted senior iraqi leaders. hours later u.s. and british

troops invaded. as the war enters its eighth year, more than 96,000 american troops remain in the country. just ahead on the "morning news," south carolina governor mark sanford agrees to pay ethics fines. plus, a tricky landing on a frozen lake that's going to require a lot of deicing. but first, katie couric has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." >> it's a growing phenomenon. thieves stealing large quantities of prescription drugs for sale on the black market. what's behind the spike in this dangerous trend? tonight, only on the "cbs evening news." nly on the "cbs evening news." [ jennifer garner ] there's a lot of beautiful makeup out there...

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(announcer) advair contains salmeterol. salmeterol may increase the chance of asthma-related death. so advair is not for asthma that's well controlled on another controller medicine. advair will not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms... ...and should not be taken more than twice a day. talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of advair. if you take advair, see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. if you're still having symptoms... ...ask your doctor how to help prevent them with advair. (announcer) get your first prescription free and save on refills. advair. now you know. you're probably pilots are familiar with the problem of icing but not this way. a small plane landed on a frozen lake yesterday. the crew got out with only one minor injury, but local officials say getting the plane out of the ice won't be easy. here at home, a new controversy has erupted

involving a toyota prius that crashed earlier this month in a new york city suburb. the woman driving the vehicle says it accelerated on its own even though she tried to brake. but federal safety officials say computer data from the car show that the driver was not using the brakes. police say their investigation is not complete. on the "moneywatch," stocks in asia finished mostly higher this morning and emily smith is here with that and more. >> reporter: the nikkei added around 0.75 of a percent and the hang seng was up a fraction. wall street's on a winning streak with eight up days in a row. thursday good news put investors in a buying mood. the dow gained 45 points, the nasdaq added 2. seven out of ten consider their jobs just as stable or more stable than last year according to an american express survey. that can help stimulate the economic recovery because when people feel secure about their jobs, they're more likely to part with their money.

there is another new sign that the global economy is recovering. federal express considered an economic bellwether says business is literally picking up. they say profits soared in the past three moments by nearly 500%. a new survey says porsche is the most reliable car on the market. the annual jd power and associates list gives the sports car top honors. the lincoln took the number two spot and there was a tie for third between gm and lexus. no matter what kind of car you drive, you're paying more at the pump. the cost of gas is up to its highest level since october of 2008 with a nationwide average of $2.79. that's almost 90 cents more than last year. and the world's third richest man gets dressed up as guns and roses singer axl rose. he's doing it for a new geico web ad. it's a subsidiary of berkshire

hathaway and those are actually real employees, as well, in that video. >> i think they have great ads. they always catch my attention. all right, emily smith here in new york. thanks. south carolina governor mark sanford is trying to put last year's scandal behind him. sanford has agreed to pay $74,000 in fines to resolve ethics charges filed after he admitted to an extramarital affair with a woman in argentina. and a judge has approved his divorce from his wife, jenny, after 20 years of marriage. the fbi is examining a photograph taken in aruba that may show human remains on the ocean floor. the report suggests a possible link to the disappearance of alabama student natalee holloway in 2005. it was taken by a pennsylvania couple who was snorkeling in shallow waters off the resort island. they say they didn't notice the ghostly image on the seabed until recently.

actor fess parker died yesterday at his home in southern california. parker was a tv idol for the baby boom generation playing a hero in a coonskin cap. walt disney chose parker for the role of davy crockett. the show was an instant hit. kids were soon wearing the caps. he went on to other roles including daniel boone. but for americans of a certain age, he will always be remembered as the king of the wild frontier. fess parker was 85 years old. ♪ ♪

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not to let your immune system become a statistic. support your immune system with patented ester-c. ester-c provides up to 24 hours of immune support. ester-c. the better vitamin c. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, sunny and beautiful at 70. miami, 73. chicago, partly cloudy at 57. denver, snow, 37. los angeles, 74. time now for a check on the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows that skies are cloudy over the rockies and northern plains. and most of the east is waking to another beautiful morning. later today, the east will enjoy another gorgeous day as temperatures climb into the 60s and low 70s. a blast of much colder air will be invading the plains. the mercury will be 30 degrees lower than yesterday. in sports, just one day in and the madness of march is in

full swing. kansas and kentucky, the top two seeds playing in yesterday's opening regional action, won as expected, and so did kansas state. but there were some big surprises, too. in the south regional, 15th seed robert morris university gave number two villanova a huge scare. regulation time ended in a 58-58 tie. and when a tough three-pointer failed to drop at the buzzer, nova won it 73-70. the wildcats play st. mary's in round two on saturday. the day's biggest upset came in the midwest regional where third seeded georgetown fell to a 14th seed ohio. the bobcats basset scored 32 points to lead ohio to a convincing 97-83 win over the hoyas. ohio takes number six tennessee tomorrow. in the west, 13th seed murray state shocked number four vanderbilt using a play the team

had never run before. murray state's thomas hit a 15-foot at the buzzer for the win. 66-65. murray state faces butler on saturday. and in the south, 11th seeded old dominion knocked out number six notre dame, again it came down to the final buzzer as a game tying three-pointer rattled in and out. and old dominion won it 51-50. the monarchs play baylor tomorrow. and of course the madness continues today. cbs sports coverage of round two regional action in the ncaa tournament begins at noon eastern time. when we return, we'll take another look at this morning's top stories. and a new government campaign to stop underaged smoking before it starts. [ male announcer ] you're surrounded by fabrics all day. wouldn't softer feel better? ultra downy softens fibers better than detergent alone... ♪

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here's a look at today's weather. it will be turning sharply

colder across the upper midwest. a mixture of rain and snow develops over the rockies. and it will be another gorgeous day throughout the east. temperatures will be in the 60s. here's another look at this morning's top stories. democratic leaders expect a house vote on health care reform this sunday. a revised $940 billion plan was unveiled yesterday. and people in fargo, north dakota, have done about all they can do to prepare for the possible flooding. the red river is expected to crest sunday. every day, a thousand young people take up smoking in the united states. the federal government has announced new rules to clamp down on the marketing of tobacco products to children. randall pinkston reports. >> reporter: these are ads the government does not want kids to see, pitching tobacco products they are too young to buy legally. mike started smoking when he was 17. >> i didn't get carded, it was

easy to buy cigarettes. >> reporter: the fda is rolling out new rules designed to stop children from ever trying cigarettes. >> the historic rule we're issuing will help our kids stay healthy by making it harder for companies to target them. >> reporter: the regulations prohibit the sale of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products to anyone under 18, the sale of packs with fewer than 20 cigarettes, sales in vending machines, and free samples. but the fda says selling cigarettes to kids is not the only problem. it's also the way they're marketed. >> i think advertising had a significant affect on people starting to smoke when they're young because they were so vulnerable to that type of stuff. >> reporter: in fact, a study shows the camel number 9 ad campaign dramatically increased brand awareness among teenaged girls. so the fda also plans to stop tobacco companies from sponsoring sports or entertainment events, offering giveaways with the purchase of

tobacco products, and selling hats and t-shirts with cigarette logos. the tobacco companies insist they're already working to prevent youth from smoking. randall pinkston, cbs news, new york. in tacoma, washington, no cookie cutter crime. last thursday, surveillance cameras outside a supermarket caught a man walking up to a table selling girl scout cookies and snatching $465 before running off. the victim, 16-year-old beverly reed, was shocked and heartbroken. >> i've been doing this for ten years and that's never happened to me. and the last weekend of cookies and someone just steals from me and that's very upsetting. i can't believe that you did that. it was very rude. >> i'd say. well, the thief has not been caught, but reed has received an outpouring of donations. one man giving her $500. and about $1,000 from a radio station.

she's giving the extra money to operation cookie drop which gives girl scout cookies to troops in iraq and afghanistan. this morning on "the early show," we'll talk to house majority leader steny hoyer on health care voting. i'm michelle gielan and this is the "cbs morning news." i'm michelle gielan and this is the "cbs morning news." so take every precaution. wash your hands frequently. maintain a well-balanced diet, get plenty of rest... and support your immune system... for a full 24 hours with patented ester-c. taken daily, ester-c gets into your system quickly... and stays all day to provide... up to 24 hours of immune support. now more than ever, trust your immune health... to clinically tested ester-c. the better vitamin c. so my old contact lenses would sometimes move out of place and blur my vision. my eye doctor said there's great news for people with astigmatism. acuvue oasys for astigmatism. they work with the way my eyes move and blink, which helps them stay in place. and this is the only lens of its kind made with hydraclear plus. i'm seeing more clearly, crisply, comfortably,

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it's friday! >> it will be 5:00 in about 20 seconds. >> it's another very nice day'