breaking news. record shattering rains lead to a state of emergency up and down the east coast as residents are forced to evacuate rising floodwaters. we'll bring you the latest from the hardest-hit areas. a close call in the air as a jumbo jet and a small plane nearly collide over san francisco's airport. what went wrong? and how did it happen? we'll take you inside the faa's investigation. sandra bullock's husband checks himself in to sex rehab. so has she said enough is enough? and her chips are down, but she is fighting back. our exclusive interview with the woman who won $42 million, only to have it vanish into thin air. "early" this wednesday morning, to have it vanish into thin air. "early" this wednesday morning, march 31st, 2010. captioning funded by cbs

finally starting to clear. there is more bad news for the east coast this morning weatherwise. good morning, everybody, welcome to "the early show," i'm maggie rodriguez. >> good morning, everyone, i'm jeff glor in for harry smith this morning. we also have a special guest this morning, louise chavez, you just saw, who thought she won $42 million. she's here with us in studio exclusively. they did give her a free room, breakfast, and $23. same thing? >> instead of the $42 million? >> yeah. >> yeah, i don't think so. >> we'll explain her story. >> and how she's fighting back. which we love. also this morning there's a controversy brewing in dallas over r&b singer erykah badu's new music video. have you seen this? >> i did. >> she is never the area where john f. kennedy was assassinated stripping naked. she did not have a permit for this so all those people you see around her had no idea this was happening. children are watching her. unsuspecting people are watching her and then, look how it ends

with her mimicking the assassination completely naked. people are in an uproar about this. they say not only is it wrong, she didn't have a permit, but especially it's very disrespectful. >> she says she did this for a reason and you'll hear what her explanation is. but it just is, odd. >> no question about that. we'll have that but we begin this morning with breaking news. the relentless rain may finally be coming to an end later today in the northeast. but the flooding up and down the coast could be the worst in decades. rhode island is expected to be hardest-hit, and president obama has already issued an emergency declaration for that state. cbs news correspondent whit johnson is in cranston, rhode island, with the latest. good morning, whit. >> reporter: maggie, good morning. believe it or not there is a bridge behind me, but it's completely submerged in the pawtuxet river. this river usually hits flood stage at 9 feet. it's now more than double that. with rivers on the rise, residents are on guard. >> it's a disaster. >> you can never be ready for it. you never know how much rain is going to come.

>> reporter: in a rush to save their homes and property, people in cranston, rhode island, lined up for sandbags. what's the demand been like? >> it's been nonstop. we've been seer since 7:00 yesterday morning and we haven't stopped. >> reporter: and they've been here before. in the big nor'easter two weeks ago the pawtuxet river broke a record rising to almost 15 feet. yesterday, it reached 17 feet. officials now predict it will top off at 19 to 20 feet by this afternoon. a full 10 feet above flood stage. stories are the same up and down the east coast. in connecticut, almost 6 inches of rain triggered while pools and a suburban boston road buckled after seven inches caused a manhole explosion. >> almost sort of like dynamite blowing up. >> reporter: the rainfall totals are just as impressive. providence broke its record for rainiest month ever with 15 inches. boston beat its 57-year high with 13. >> my message, first of all, to the public out there is frankly from a flooding standpoint, the

worst is still ahead of us. >> reporter: and it's not lost on anyone. how signs of the economic times are also reflected in the floodwaters. >> i have a for sale sign out in the front yard. i'm trying. would you want to buy this? >> it's a mess. the house is already under water financially and now it's literally under water. >> reporter: across the state of rhode island, hundreds of people have been evacuated. dozens of roads have been closed, including a portion of interstate 95. the flooding is likely to cause problems for days to come. maggie? >> whit johnson in cranston, rhode island, thanks, whit. joining us now is the mayor of cranston, allan fung. good morning. >> good morning, maggie. >> what is the situation there this morning? are you in unprecedented territory? >> we're definitely in unprecedented territory. right now, the city is still under water in many areas. the pawtuxet river behind us still has not fully crested. we had shut down this major

artery between our neighboring city warwick and ourselves early yesterday in preparation, and now the waters continue to rise. it's taken over several city blocks right now. completely inundated the elmwood avenue bridge behind us. probably just about an hour ago i received the bad news that one of our sewer pumping stations has just failed. we're in very difficult times. a lot of our schools are closed and many of our major roadways have some closures on them. >> i can't imagine what it must be like for residents of your town. what has this done to morale? >> it's really frustrating. there's a lot of anger out there. people are just frustrated because it's their homes. we certainly understand it's taxing on a lot of our police, fire, public works, our resources, our public works department has been open 24 hours for two straight days now. fire rescue, as of yesterday, was still evacuating people from

their homes. at last count, we're probably up to 130, close to 140 homes that we've evacuated throughout the city. so it's definitely some challenging times. taxing from all fronts. from residents to many of my workers, as well. >> i know that fema is coordinating relief efforts, and the president has authorized an emergency ee dollaration for your state. are you getting what you need? >> absolutely. right now, we've been coordinating with the state, emergency management as well as the federal government. in fact, yesterday touring with me was one of our senators, senator sheldon whitehouse. so we are getting a lot of the resources from all levels, from the state, to the federal government. but it's still just not enough because we're facing unprecedented levels of flooding. we certainly are in uncharted territories right now, in our city and our state. >> mayor allan fung our thoughts are with you and the people of cranston this morning. thank you so much. >> thank you, maggie. >> now here's jeff. >> all right, now to a scare in

the air over northern california. a jumbojet loaded with passengers and a small plane almost collided in midair this weekend. cbs' nancy cordes covers transportation for us. she joins us this morning from washington. nancy, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, jeff. this was a really close call. the two planes were just seconds apart, and it was only quick action by the pilots of the jet that averted a potential catastrophe. it was saturday, at about 11:15 a.m. pacific time. united flight 889 carrying 251 passengers and a crew of 17 was cleared to take off from san francisco international airport. on its way to beijing, china. just after takeoff, when the plane was only at 1100 feet, the control tower reported traffic at the boeing 777's 1:00 position. immediately afterwards the plane's traffic collision avoidance system issued an audible alert of traffic. traffic. the first officer pushed the

control column forward to level the airplane, and reported seeing a light wing four-seat cessna travelling from their 1:00 to 3:00 position. >> i would say that the hard left turn for the cessna was an indication that the cessna saw that great big airplane bearing down on it. >> reporter: the pilots of the 777 report only seeing the underside of the cessna as it passed within an estimated 1500 feet of the commercial jet. >> the system works. but it's a little too close for comfort, that's for sure. >> reporter: that is for sure. the faa told cbs news that the control tower was in communications with the cessna, and should have been aware of its position sooner. the faa says it is taking strong measures to make sure that something similar doesn't occur in the future, and the ntsb is investigating, as well. jeff? >> cbs' nancy cordes in washington. thank you. let's bring you cbs news travel editor peter greenberg now. peter, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> how often do things like this happen? >> well, air traffic controllers are constantly radioing pilots

and announcing traffic at their altitude. it's a common occurrence. in this particular case, both the united pilot and the pilot of the small plane did recognize each other and took action. >> things changed about 30 years ago, or 22 years ago -- 32 years ago, i should say, after an incident in 1978. explain what happened there and why these changes were made. >> that was the incident in san diego, september 25th, 1978 when a small plane actually smashed into a 727 on approach to the airport in san diego. everyone died. as a result of that, that was a huge wake-up call where the faa then instituted what's called a terminal control area, that's a piece of real estate around and above, it's not just a piece on the ground, also altitude specific around every airport approach and departure area where no plane can enter that area unless they're under positive control of the controller. >> so we talk about this tca, should it be expanded? is it too small right now? >> in a situation like this, the plane was an takeoff. about 1100 feet when the pilot retracts the landing gear and then the traffic is out.

that plane had no place in that area for a small plane. as a result of that you have to ask yourself what is that plane doing in that area, why he was not in contact with the controllers. he not only has to be in positive contract with the controllers, he has to use a transponder so the controllers know what the plane is, what altitude it is. in this situation they called the pilot of the united plane and said hey, you got traffic at 1:00. >> if the pilot of the small plane doesn't know what he's doing, there's no real way to keep him from that area. >> right now if you're not in radio control and transponder control you've got a problem. you might want to expand that diameter of the tca in very heavily congested airports. in this situation, los angeles, san francisco, new york/washington that is heavily congested to begin with. you might want to consider expanding that tca. >> for people flying this weekend, they get in one of these big jumbo jets, there were a lot of people on this plane and they see planes going by, what thud they think? >> when you see a plane going are, chances are it's an

illusion in terms of space. in this situation it wasn't. that's what they're going to investigate. >> peter greenberg, appreciate it. something may be changing. thanks very much. we're going to get some more news now. >> it is 7:10. time to go to the news desk where betty nguyen is standing by. good morning to you. >> good morning, maggie and jeff. good morning, everybody. washington, d.c. police suspect gang violence in a drive-by shooting that killed four people and wounded at least five. witnesses say a gunman in a passing vehicle sprayed bullets into a crowd of people last night, and police think the weapon was an ak-47 assault rifle. three suspects were arrested after a chase that injured four officers. let's take you now to russia. and more terror attacks this morning. two days after the moscow subway bombings. this time, it was in the southern province of dagestan. first came a suicide car bombing, when police gathered, a suicide bomber dressed as an officer then blew himself up. nine of the 12 people killed were police. 23 more were injured, and president putin says one group

may be behind this attack, and the moscow bombings. president obama wants sanctions against iran for its nuclear program to take effect in weeks, not months. meeting with french president nicolas sarkozy, mr. obama said they don't want to see a nuclear arms race in the middle east. >> a conflict in the middle east and the consequence of iran's actions could have a huge destabilizing effect in terms of the world economy at a time when it's just coming out of a very deep recession. >> the president said a nuclear armed iran is just unacceptable. also this morning, president obama will announce a proposal to dramatically expand oil drilling off the u.s. coastline. new offshore regions opened to exploration and drilling would include the east coast from delaware to florida, the eastern gulf of mexico, and arctic waters off of northern alaska. but, drilling would be banned in alaska's bristol bay, which would be designated a sea life sanctuary. two women in miami got an

unexpected thrill when they took a carnival ride that got stuck up in the air. cbs news correspondent kelly cobiella reports. >> reporter: it was supposed to be a thrilling few minutes flying in circles. instead, two women were left hanging sideways, 100 feet in the air, for nearly an hour. >> all of a sudden it started going kind of slow and i thought they were just trying to scare us a little bit, and i thought we were going to just go down, but then it just came to a screeching halt. >> reporter: firefighters with the miami dade urban search and rescue team tried to get them down using a cherry picker, but they couldn't reach. >> they would tell us to move our legs basically so we could keep our function in our legs. >> reporter: it's not the first incident at the miami dade county fair. >> i fell. >> reporter: two years ago a woman fractured two ribs and her clavicle when one of the miniature trucks on the convoy ride suddenly tipped over.

in 2006 the mark one roller coaster jumped the tracks during a test run, injuring seven workers. and in 2004, a bolt came loose on the gravitron. one rider was in intensive care for weeks. >> we inspect every single ride every single day prior to opening. >> reporter: the company operating the fair this year says the space roller has a perfect safety record. they were able to get it working long enough tuesday to bring the riders back to earth, without a scratch. the ride has been shut down while state inspectors look for the source of tuesday's malfunction. kelly cobiella, cbs news, miami. some sad news to tell you about today, jaime escalante. the teacher who inspired a hit movie, has died. his students in a tough east los angeles high school excelled at math and science. in fact, the 1988 movie "stand and deliver" was made about him. edward james olmos, the star of the film, became a friend and actually drove escalante home to nevada to die. but escalante remained

determined not to quit. >> i don't come with one idea. you come how many times you get up. >> jaime escalante was 79 years old. well dave price is off this morning, so ira joe fisher is here with our first check of the weather. good morning. >> betty, good morning. how are you? >> i'm doing great. >> the weather is doing greater, and it will get great come the weekend here in the northeastern part of the country. the nor'easter is still with us. we'll talk about that in a moment. you can see that we have flood watches still in effect from new jersey on up to maine. some lingering showers. but the places that got as much as eight inches, nine inches,

and on a wednesday morning, that's your latest weather. now back over to maggie and jeff. >> all right, ira joe, thank you very much. still ahead for us, sandra bullock's husband has checked himself into sex rehab. are they splitting up and is she seeking custody of his daughter?

>> also a casino battle royale. we'll have an exclusive interview with a woman who thought she had won $42 million, only to be told it was a mistake. >> and r and b singer erykah badu's controversial new video. why on earth did she decide to strip naked at the site of jfk's assassination? this is "the early show" on cbs. depression is a serious medical condition it can take so much out of you. i feel like i have to wind myself up just to get out of bed. then... well... i have to keep winding myself up

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>> catch up on all of that. we'll also catch up on developments regarding louise chavez. she thought that she won $42 million at a casino. there she is. louise joins us exclusively. she's going to explain exactly what happened, what she's been told, she's now fighting for that money. she was given $23, a free breakfast and a free room. after she said the machine said $23 million, people came over to her. she thought she was a mega millionaire. what's going to happen now? has this happened before? >> we've seen in l.a. they have t-shirts that say team stand-up for sandra bullock. i think we should have team louise t-shirts this morning. we're completely on her side. we'll be right back. >> this portion of "the early show" sponsored by walmart. save money. live better. walmart. ♪ ♪ here comes peter cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail ♪

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we have a few clouds on the horizon. sharon will have the traffic after the weather. >> it's a real easy one today. we're talking about sunny skies and high temperatures of 68- degree. hey, sharon, i had a thought. the first time i think, now that the sun's highier in the sky, we have the five day run of sun, there are certain areas in the morning that face east and west. well, the traffic always bottlenecks into that. >> yeah, sun glare could be a factor on the beltway and as far as the other problems go, we have a big one in the phoenix area.

we have an accident involving a school bus and fortunately, no kids aboard and there were injuries with several cars involved and dereksville is closed because of it. you'll want to take 143 and old bossily to get around it. and watch for another accident at wood fine and 95 southbound, slow from white marsh to 95. that's going to take 10 minutes and the slowest spot on the beltway, 44 miles per hour on the westside outer lupe. and everything's looking jammed on the topside and looking good at 83 and warren road. and this is brought to you by the new circus. they're playing at the first mariner arena and the family friendly ticket prices start at $14. don, back to you. >> in the news, the speculation is over and bob ehrlich

confirms his contentions of taking another run at the govern every office -- governor office. andrea fujii is live with the story. >> reporter: [no audio] >> we'll begin the tour around the state of maryland and running for the state of maryland again. >> reporter: ehrlich was unseated by governor o'malley in 2006. he says it will look the same, but they'll deal with different issues. o'malley's office says they'll look forward to the campaign and a healthy debate. ehrlich will be on the campaign trail today. >> thank you, very much, a major commuting point is back up. that's after a building collapse is there. and an inspector is calling for the rest of the building to be torn down.

>> stay with us, up next, sandra bullocks divorce. and sources say that the actress is on ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

we are back on "the early show" on a wednesday morning. >> a lot of young people out there. >> yes, there are. lots of people. welcome back. >> spring break in new york. >> yeah.back. >> got to be fun now that the rain is finally going away. >> better finally. still a little misty outside. i'm jeff glor in for harry smith this morning along with maggie rodriguez. coming up here, the colorado woman we mentioned yesterday, she thought she won $42 million. in the slots. but, the casino said it was a mistake. and so, she took a free breakfast, and right now, that's about it. we're going to try to get to the bottom of this and figure out exactly what happened to louise

chavez. the casino says the top payout in that machine is $215,000. not chump change. but not $42 million. >> right. >> so we'll see. we're going to talk to her very soon exclusively. >> also, r&b star erykah badu's new video where she strips naked in a public place. not just any place. this is where president kennedy was assassinated. ear going to find out what prompted her to make that video. but first at 7:30 new reports out this morning about the marriage of sandra bullock and jesse james. he claims he wants to work on it so he's checked himself in to sex rehab. but she reportedly has definitely decided to end it. "early" show national correspondent hattie kauffman has the latest. >> reporter: jesse james wants to save his marriage. in the wake of rumors of as many as five affairs, james has reportedly checked himself in to the sierra tucson clinic which specializes in sex and drug rehabilitation. his treatment is just the newest revelation in a marriage that appeared to be problem-free less

than a month ago when sandra bullock won the oscar for best actress. it was just ten days later that news of james' affair with michelle mcgee surfaced. now sources have been quoted as saying bullock has made up her mind, and she's ending the marriage. rumors of what will become of bullock's relationship with james' children have also begun to surface. but reps for the blind side actress say she will not seek custodial rights. since her oscar win, andrea bullock has avoided at all costs what has become a glaring spotlight. canceling appearances at international premieres and awards shows, as well as refusing to address her husband's infidelity. hattie kauffman, cbs news, hollywood. >> joining us now, bradley jacobs, senior editor of "us weekly." good morning, bradley. >> good morning, maggie. >> i know you guys have been investigating this since it happened. what have you learned about jesse james checking in to sex rehab? >> seems like this is the new excuse. the new crutch for men under fire, right? jesse james follows tiger woods and david duchovny and, you

know, if you consider charlie sheen, yes, it seems there have been reports that he drove there himself. he was stopped by a cop along the way, and questioned. he said he was going there to -- checking in to rehab to save his marriage to sandra bullock >> another trend that we're seeing, we saw it with tiger woods, so many women coming out of the woodwork, claiming to have had affairs with these celebrities. it's very easy for people to say whatever they want, if they want just, you know, their 15 minutes of fame. and now we're hearing that not only michelle mcgee but a fifth reported mistress of jesse james is about to come out. >> yes, we're seeing more and more bimbo eruptions, as they used to call them in the clinton administration age. it happened with tiger. we were up to 15 or so with him. now we're up to four or five with jesse. some of these women want fame and press. some of them, like gloria allred's clients, want to remain anonymous. that client says she has hundreds of texts and photos and e-mails from jesse and that the affair only ended when the scandal broke just a couple weeks ago. and that affair, she says, was

three years long. >> and all of this apparently you have confirmed with a friend of sandra bullock, has taken her to the edge, where she has said i want a divorce? >> yes. despite what jesse's doing, sources tell "us weekly" that sandra definitely wants a divorce. she's not going back to him. she's not interested in the excuses. she's been speaking with her lawyer. so i think it's just a matter of time. >> and what's interesting, that you mention in "us weekly," as well, which i should say that sandra bullock's rep has denied, is that she is going after custody of his 6-year-old daughter sunny. >> that's right. think about it, sandra's been married to jesse for five years and they have raised this girl together. her mother, her biological mother is in a halfway house, she was a former porn star, she's an admitted drug addict. so basically sandra has been this girl's mother. now she wants to divorce jesse but she still wants to raise sunny. it's an interesting legal question, because sandra, of course is not the biological or legal claims to this girl. but she basically is her mother. very interesting. >> you explore that further in the magazine? >> we do.

>> what chances she has. >> we do. it doesn't look great for sandra but she definitely wants to fight for sunny. >> and i'm sure, regardless of what happens, she is not going to let this little girl out of her life if she can help it. >> imagine if it were you. they're too close. sources tell us that she's actually closer to sunny than jesse is. so this is her daughter. and that's her next fight. >> all right, bradley jacobs, thanks so much. it is now 7:35. time to check in once again with ira joe fisher in for dave price. good morning. >> good morning, maggie.

that's your latest weather, and now over to jeff. >> ira joe, thanks very much. up next our exclusive interview with a woman, louise chavez, who says she won $42 million at a casino, but was told it was a big mistake. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. ♪ express yourself ♪

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[ female announcer ] and save up to $15 off your refills. go to nasonex.com for details, terms and conditions. i bet they can't wait to bite my chocolaty ears off. whoa. wait a minute where'd you guys come from? edible arrangements bouquets beautiful like flowers, but unforgettably delicious. pineapple bunnies? visit, call, or go to ediblearrangements.com for about five hours on friday night louise chavez thought she was the luckiest woman in the world. she thought she won $42 million playing the slots at the fortune valley casino in central city, colorado.he slots at the fortune but then she was told it was a mistake.

louise chavez joins us exclusively this morning to explain what happened. louise, good morning to you. >> good morning, jeff. >> it's been quite a whirlwind. >> yes, it has. >> so you're there at the casino. take us back and tell us what happened. you're there, it's 11:00, you're there with your daughter celebrating your birthday and her 21st birthday? >> yes. >> you pull the machine, it says -- >> $42 million. >> you have the exact number written down? >> i do. >> you wrote it on a piece of paper. >> $42,949,673.84. >> and you did what? >> i got nothing. oh, when -- >> you said what? >> what i said was i jumped up and down and of course i was overwhelmed. >> and people came up to you? >> people came up to me. there was a lady sitting on the left-hand side of me and she came over and looked at my machine, and she said oh, my god you just won $42 million. >> did you get a picture of it? >> i didn't.

>> there was one picture taken, but it's blurry along the bottom, you see a couple numbers up on top. that's the picture that we have here. you said a lot of people came up to you. did the casino workers come up to you at that point? >> yes. >> and say you won? >> no, they told me, wow, $42 million, we can't pay you that. our casino's not even worth that much. we would have to hand over the keys to you. >> they said that to you right away? >> yes. >> this happened at 11:00. you weren't actually told until officially about 4:30 in the morning. >> 4:30 in the morning. >> that it was a mistake. >> yes. >> the casino says that the maximum payout for that machine is $215,000. we do have a payment from the casino. they say the payout amount in question is under review, as it does not exist as a potential payout by that machine in our casino or in colorado. once the division of gaming contacts the test lab and makes a determination regarding this malfunction we will follow the division's instructions. what's a fair resolution here? >> fair resolution is i should

get the money that was shown on the machine. >> the $42 million. >> the $42 million. >> they offered you a free night and free breakfast, and to give you the $23 back that you put in. we should clarify on that, you just took the breakfast. >> that's it. >> not much. >> no. >> how was the breakfast? not worth it? >> not really. >> i mean -- >> i won't make a comment on that. >> do you feel like you've done sufficient explanation at this point? >> no, i don't. >> we should mention this has happened before, not at this particular casino but another case where someone saw an amount, is it possible on a machine there was a settlement after? do you want to pursue a settlement? will you pursue a settlement? you want the $42 million. what's going to happen. >> well, at this time i need to find out exactly the truth.

the truth really, what happened with that machine. i can't say at this moment, you know, what kind of settlement they're going to offer me. if they are even going to offer me one. >> louise chavez. we'll try to get you a really great breakfast this morning at the very least. >> well, thank you. >> good luck with your case. >> thank you so much. >> thanks for joining us this morning. >> thank you. >> up next, r&b singer erykah badu's controversial new video. why she strips naked where president kennedy was assassinated. you're watching "the early show" right here on cbs. ♪

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which helps me to my maximum refund. guaranteed. announcer: try turbotax now. ♪ three decadent flavors. 60 calories. it's me o'clock. time for jell-o. r&b singer erykah badu is catching a lot of flak this morning for her latest music video, not only for where she shot it but what she does in it. cbs news correspondent don teague reports. >> reporter: it's the scene of a

tragic moment in american history. the site where john f. kennedy was assassinated 46 years ago. but now, dealey plaza and dallas is also the backdrop for a bizarre, and some say offensive, piece of performance art. a music video for the song "window seat" by erykah badu, who strips nicked while walking through the plaza, then falls to the ground as if she'd been shot, all in broad daylight, which shocked locals and tourists looking on. >> when it first happened, people thought something had happened to you. >> reporter: badu, who is from dallas, shot the video earlier this month, guerrilla style in just one take, without permit or permission from dallas police. had they caught her, she could have been charged with indecent exposure. one witness says it's even more indecent to do such a thing here. >> i was very offended. there was too many kids and women and children down there. >> reporter: badu twittered to

her fans, there were children there. i prayed they wouldn't be traumatized. she said the video was an attempt to protest the term called growl think in which a person is afraid to express themselves for fear of beings atra sized by the wider public, a fair she's clearly trying to conquer. don teague, cbs news, dallas. >> i don't know. i don't see anything right about that. >> so here's the thing, it's one thing being an artist. >> right. >> and exploring. >> evolving. >> but there's another thing about foisting it upon everyone else. >> there are children. which i find interesting because she is a mother of three and there's a quote in the dallas morning news that says when it comes to think about how it would affect children, she said i tried to telepathically communicate my good intent to them. i hoped that they would not be traumatized. >> well, telepathic communication, i totally understand. >> not to mention how disrespectful this is. this is an american president.

this is the site where he lost his life and to mimic the assassination of a u.s. president. i don't understand how this coincides with the lyrics of the song. because there's nothing controversial. it's a beautiful song. >> too bad the video ruins the song. we should mention she said after she goes down at the end of this here, from the fake gunshot, she says in the voice track, they play it safe, they're quick to assassinate, what they don't understand. she says she's talking about us. >> that she's making a statement. well i think she probably got what she wanted which is to get people talking about it, as we're doing. >> we are. >> you decide. we'll be right back. this is "the early show" on cbs.

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hello again, it's lovely outside. just as predicted it would be. how's the traffic down below the sunshine. here's sharon. hi, don, we're better than we were before the accident in phoenix involving the multivehicles. it's cleared on pikesville and meantime, we have an accident in white haul near vernon road and a vehicle into a pole and watch for debris on the southside and a 12 minute delay on 95 southbound between white marsh and 895. there's a live look at the delay and 17 minutes from bel air to providence and there's

83 and warren road. this is brought to you by bmw of towson. back to you. thank you, marty's in the first warning weather center. well, it's an easy forecast today, we have passing fair weather clouds and we'll look for a high of 68 degrees and the winds diminishing to a spring breeze and 40 and clear tonight and sunny tomorrow. former governor bob ehrlich throws his hat into the ring for the next upcoming election. andrea fujii has the story. >> reporter: bob ehrlich made the announcement yesterday in anne arundel county. >> it will be the beginning of the tour around the state of maryland. obviously, running for governor and the state of maryland again. >> reporter: he was unseated be i the current democratic

governor in 2006. he says this campaign may look the same, but deal with different issues. his office said, i look forward to the upcoming campaign and moving maryland forward. he'll be on the campaign trail today. a major airline is making it easier to check in your bags. they're debuting an online screening system. they'll enable it to move more passengers through quick her. they're the fastest growing airline here. stay with wjz-13 13, up next, healthy chocolate. ash little chocolate goes a long way when it comes to your heart and mr. fix it, thousands

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welcome back to "the early show," everybody. this is how we do it in florida. >> oh. >> see that? >> my home state represented with all this enthusiasm. most of these people are -- all of them, actually -- i see them with their cards, are from lakeland, florida. vacationing in an unfortunately chilly new york city. but at least the rain has stopped for you today. so, our fingers crossed. >> they're representing florida, but also new york yankee baseball, if you notice over there, as well. >> yes. >> we've got all the bases covered, if you will.

>> so to speak. welcome back, i'm maggie rodriguez with jeff glor. harry is off this morning. >> and if the coffee doesn't wake you up, the crowds will here. coming up, country superstar gretchen wilson is here. she's going to be performing her new hit single called "work hard, play harder." and singing the song that put her on the charts. redneck woman. >> and the record amount of rain that we've seen this spring is causing a huge number of basements to flood. so we have diy's matt blashaw to show you what to do if water gets into your house. not a pretty picture. >> he's immersing himself. >> you're full of puns this morning. >> you like that? >> i like it, i do. let's see if you can get one going to betty. >> betty nguyen is inside at the news desk. sorry, i have nothing. >> inside where it's dry. >> yes. >> good morning, everybody. good morning to you at home. well, the monster storm that has caused historic flooding in parts of the northeast is beginning to ease this morning. but its effects will be felt for

days and weeks to come. check it out. in hard-hit rhode island, floodwaters have closed a heavily traveled stretch of interstate 95. cbs news correspondent whit johnson is in cranston, rhode island, this morning and feeling a little wet, i see. good morning, whit. >> betty, good morning to you. yes, many streets and neighborhoods in cranston look a lot like this. floodwaters pouring in to businesses and homes. to put things in perspective, the pawtuxet river usually hits flood stage at about 9 feet. it's now more than double that, to set a new record. the national guard has been activated with some 300 troops to help with flood control, and to load sandbags. city officials are scrambling to do the same thing. more than 130 people have been evacuated in cranston alone. we spoke to cranston mayor allan fung earlier this morning who says lifelong residents here have never experienced anything like this. >> we are getting a lot of the resources from all levels. from the state to the federal

government. but it's still just not enough, because we're facing unprecedented levels of flooding. we certainly are in uncharted territories right now in our city and our state. >> the pawtuxet river is expected to crest later today. but officials say it will be days before the water gets below flood stage. maggie? >> all right. betty this morning. but that's cbs' whit johnson in cranston, rhode island. whit, thank you. there is plenty of wet weather in the pacific northwest this morning, too. and the sierra nevada mountains, that makes for a spring snowstorm. the wind-driven snow is so intense it became a whiteout forcing at least one ski resort to shut down. take you overseas now. this is what the start of spring looks like in parts of the uk. morning commuters got hammered by thick, wet snow and high winds. at least one person was killed. police in scotland describe the conditions as, quote, horrendous. the vatican is again

defending pope benedict from charges that the priest sex abuse scandal was improperly handled. at his general audience this morning the pope spoke about good friday observances leading up to easter. meanwhile, though, vatican lawyers are trying to have a lawsuit filed in the u.s. over the scandal dismissed. well, yesterday's milwaukee archbishop made a formal apology. take a listen. >> i apologize to anyone who has been the victim of clergy sexual abuse. this crime, this sin, this horror who never occur, especially by a priest. those who committed these crimes -- >> a milwaukee priest, father lawrence murphy, was accused of sexually abusing as many as 200 boys at a school for the deaf from 1950 to 1974. the vatican did not remove murphy from the priesthood. finally, want you to take a look at this video from china. a chinese army recruit being taught to throw a hand grenade kind of messed up a little.

but he was lucky. look closely. the recruit throws the grenade but it bounces back toward him. but his quick thinking instructor dragged him to safety, just in the nick of time. that is one lucky recruit. take you now to katie kouric who has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." >> good morning, it takes a village. how an american mother of three is using a decades-old concept to help save a new generation of orphan children in rwanda. that's tonight only on the "cbs evening news." now back to "the early show." >> and we want to go back outside to ira joe fisher for another check of t t

it's very nice, about that far away from 50 degrees. and the weather he's dealing with is different than what we're dealing with. we started a new chapter overnight. high pressure is building in and look at the forecast, sunny and out of site. 68 today, i can see it in the 70s and breeze and passing fair

weather clouds and clear and down to 40 and tomorrow, and 76 and sunshine and sunny and warm. this weather report sponsored by hotels.com. the smarter way to book. chilly outside. now back to jeff. >> ira joe, it looked like you were keeping yourself warm by dancing. that was pretty good. we'll have to wait on that, i guess. all right, all the heavy rain this spring is causing some major flooding problems for many homeowners. so this morning matt blashaw, most of "money hunters" on the diy network is going to show you what to do if water gets in to your basement. he joins us live from a home that doesn't look like it's in the greatest shape. matt, good morning to you. >> good morning, jeff. yeah, it's not. it is pretty bad flooding out here. >> so how many feet, inches, on the ground there right now? >> well, i'm sitting at about a foot of water but it has come up, i mean it's come up to about four feet at sometimes in here. so it's pretty bad.

just wait until you see the basement. >> why don't we head down to the basement. one of the things we can start talking about, i think, is what happens to things that generate power. you want to avoid, number one, he you're in homes like this, getting electrical shock, right? >> that's huge. and usually the circuit breaker will trip. but just come over to the power box, make sure that that power is off to the basement before you go stepping down in to it. that's bad. >> all right so the electricity is off. go ahead. >> the electricity is off. we're in the family room right now. you can see the water line right here. that was about two feet of water, all right. the water has receded but that's nothing. check this out. this right here is the basement. >> oh, boy. >> as you can see, it's completely flooded with water. >> how do you get all that out? >> well, this is what they use. this is a sump pump. >> right. >> and we have one working in the corner right now trying to

get this out. you want to make sure that this is in good condition before the rainy season starts. you don't want any surprises when the rain starts falling. also go down do the home improvement store, get a battery backup for it. that is a really big deal, so that when you want it the most the power is usually out. and also in a situation like this, it gets really dangerous with the foundation. you have high waters on the outside. a lot of volume of water on the inside. if you pump it out too quick it's going to compromise the outside and actually implode your foundation. so let the water recede on the outside, then start pumping the inside out very slowly. >> great piece of advice. so, we get this stuff out at the right -- in the right way, now everything is soaked inside. what do you do with everything that has just been soaked that way? >> well, once it's damp you're going to want to use something like this, this is a dehumidifier. and depending upon how bad the damage is, you might be running this for a week or two. also you can use it in conjunction with these fans right here.

and this is a mistake that a lot of homeowners do. they'll actually put the fan and face it in the doorway and be pulling moisture in to their basement. flip that fan around, you want to be sucking that moisture out in the air where it belongs. >> what about mold building up? >> yeah, mold can be treacherous. and before you want any mold, you want to make sure to get everything done with bleach. you want to disinfect everything with bleach. five gallons of water to one cup of bleach. disinfect everything and make sure that the room is well ventilated. it can be toxic. also you're talking about sheetrock, when you said the two feet of water. that water line, that sheetrock is going to soak up like paper towel. so you want to cut out the sheetrock, fix the 12 inches above all the way around, let it dry out before you start putting any more sheetrock on. >> matt, let me go, when you're pumping everything out, in the right way, so the house doesn't

implode, how do you make that determination? do it at the right pace? >> well, you know, it's kind of like physics. so you don't want to pump the inside of the basement out faster than the water level is on the outside of your house. so just make sure it recedes. in a situation like this where it's so bad, you know, just make sure, wait till the water recedes to a good couple inches and just, you don't want to take that chance of compromising your foundation. >> anything we're missing here? anything else people can do to prevent big problems like this? >> well, you know, there's always something that, you know, it's pretty obvious, all right? you want to make sure that on your rain gutters here, you want to make sure that they're clear. and if you see right here, you see how the rain gutter is facing down towards the foundation. you want to put an extension on that so that the water is being out and away from your house. you don't want it pooling down near the foundation. also, you can get what's called

perf pipe. this is pvc, you can put holes in it, goes all the way around the perimeter of your house, gets covered with a little bit of gravel and it's kind of like that added extra protection just in case a flood happens. you know what? in a situation like this there's nothing you can do but just try to keep your head above water. >> matt, good luck out there. >> i appreciate it. hopefully spring will kind of speed up here and we can all dry out. >> sounds like it. matt blashaw from the diy network. appreciate your time this morning. >> any time. >> now here's maggie. >> all right, jeff, thank you. we've seen in the newspapers today, statins, those cholesterol drugs are making headlines. we'll tell you why coming up next. ♪

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"healthwatch" at 8:15. new questions this morning about cholesterol drugs known as statins.

should healthy people take them as a preventive measure? let's ask our dr. jennifer ashton. good morning, jen. >> good morning, maggie. >> the reason we're raising this question is because the fda has just approved one of this drugs, crestor for healthy people. but a lot of medical experts don't think that's a good thing. why not? >> it is incredibly controversial. and this is just one more piece to that story, the controversy will continue. i think there are many reasons why there's no consensus amongst medical experts. first of all, there are thought to be political and financial issues which are obviously very far reaching. but within the medical community, even, the controversy stems really for two basic reasons. one, the issue of risk versus benefit to this class of medications. some people feel that the risks really outweigh the benefits. and even within the field of cardiology there's some debate. and also now, and we're seeing it particularly with this indication, the question of prevention versus treatment. they are now using a marker to determine whether someone would be at risk for having high

cholesterol, which is really an inflammatory market. it's not the same thing as measuring your total cholesterol. and there's very little consensus within the field of medicine whether that is an adequate marker to judge one's risk. >> let's explain that a little bit. they find this inflammation. which is not necessarily an indication that you may be at risk for heart disease in the future. >> exactly. >> and therefore need to take preventive medicine. >> exactly. and particularly we're talking about a marker called crp which is a measure found in our blood of generalized inflammation. within the field of cardiology it's not quite known whether high cholesterol causes inflammation or whether inflammation can then lead to plaque buildup which is seen as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. which comes first the chicken or the egg question? >> so what are the risks versus the benefits of taking cholesterol drugs? >> first of all we should mention this is the most widely prescribed class of drugs in the u.s. so there are millions of people on these drugs. and for most people the risks are quite low. but the ones we hear about are

muscle aches and fatigue in the muscles and there's also because it's metabolized in the liver, the risk of liver toxicity leading to liver damage. those risks are thought to be very low. the most recent risk which has gotten a lot of attention is a 9% increase risk for the development of type ii diabetes seen in people over the age of 60 taking statins. again when you ask the experts, they feel that the benefits in reducing cardiovascular events far outweigh the risk of developing diabetes. >> but if you don't need this drug and it's just for preventi prevention, it's definitely something to think about. >> that's why we're going to hear a lot more on this controversy. >> once you start taking statins, do you have to take them for life? >> you do, maggie. they base worked on how the liver produces your body's own cholesterol. this is really a band-aid. if you stop taking it your body will start producing the cholesterol again. >> can you give us some quick suggestions? how can we lower our risk of high cholesterol without taking any medicine? >> you know what it is. diet, exercise. but you can't change your family history.

and for people who are prone to high cholesterol this might be very, very important, if not necessary. >> all right, dr. jennifer ashton. thank you, jen. still ahead here on "the early show," she's a true redneck woman. and proud of it. country superstar gretchen wilson will sing her hit song here on "the early show" on cbs. "cbs healthwatch" sponsored by neutrogena cosmetics. recommended most by dermatologists. (jennifer garner) there's a lot of beautiful keup out there to cover up flaws and make skin look pretty but there's one that's so clever, it makes your skin look better even after you take it off. neutrogena healthy skin liquid makeup. 98% of women saw improvement in their skin's natural texture, tone, or clarity. does your makeup do that? neutrogena® cosmetics recommended most by dermatologists.

so betty and i were saying that we didn't get our coffee this morning. >> i'm not a drinker. >> which makes this perfect. >> you don't even have to drink a cup of coffee to get the caffeine. >> this is call la wisp. you just inhale it and it tastes like chocolate. this one you inhale it and it tastes like coffee. >> this is chocolate mint.

this tastes pretty good. the great thing about it, less than one calorie. but they're also thinking about making this in a three-course meal. can you imagine that? >> whoa. >> i could get it. you don't want to drink a cup of coffee. but to replace eating with this? i don't think so. >> what do you think, jeff? >> i was catching a buzz downstairs. a little quick break. >> actually, one whiff has as much caffeine as a light es stresso. so i may be overdoing it. >> you put this between your lips and then you inhale. i know it sounds terrible. anyone actually watching the tv. >> what kind of drug tv are we doing here? >> it is a drug, it's caffeine. >> iams always bouncing off the ceiling. i've had like four whiffs of this. go easy on it. >> that's the danger that you don't think you're getting that much. but you do. for some people it may work. >> lay off of it. >> my heart. >> can you feel it? >> no, i don't. i don't even -- >> the beauty of it is you can use it again.

it's reusable. you don't have to do all of it at once. >> betty with la whiff. and it will be available eventually, not yet, in stores and it will be available eventually, not yet, in stores across amam,, bye, mom! we're here! [ giggling ] okay, girls. mom, i don't feel good. me, either. these days, nobody has time to get sick, but minute clinic makes it easy to get well. our nurse practitioners can diagnose and write prescriptions for everything from strep throat to sinus infections, with no appointment necessary. so you can feel better in no time. minute clinic -- the medical clinic inside cvs/pharmacy. find one near you at minuteclinic.com.

hello again, it's 8:25 and a gorgeous get up and go. sharon is here to wrap up the last morning rush of march after the first warning weather. >> check this out. check this out! after the winter we went through, now that it's spring, sunny skies and look what is still on federal hill. the ravens logo put up during the play offs. man, isn't that a good omen or what. well, look at how green the grass looks and how fuzzy the trees are getting. en the spring is continuing to bloom and sunny skies and fair weather clouds and breezy, 68 degrees is the high and a fine

day. we'll send it to sharon gibala. hi, sharon. hi, marty, it's not bad on the beltways, either. we have an accident on 95 at 395 past 95 on the right shoulder and another accident in white haul and watch for that in vernon road and debris in the road there. and otherwise, 95 southbound, 9 minutes and there's a few looks at your drive times and speeds. topside is the worse and there's the delay. this is brought to you by toyota. there's been a lot of people wondering about the recalls, to get the facts and the latest information, go to toyota.com. >> and there's a political rematch for bob ehrlich and governor o'malley. >> reporter: bob ehrlich made

the announcement yesterday. >> it will be the beginning of the two or three day tour and obviously, running for governor again. >> reporter: he was unseated by o'malley in 2006, he says this may look the same, but deal with different economic issues. the office sent a statement saying, i look forward to the campaign and the healthy debate about moving maryland forward. he'll be on the trail today scheduled to stop in rockville. later on this morning, don dwire is going to move to impeach gansler after he wrote an opinion saying that maryland should recognize same sex marriages and if he attempts to impeach him, he'll be removed from the chamber. >> up next, gardening gadgets. if you want more help, there

are hi-tech alternatives. and gretchen wilson stops by to perform songs from her latest perform songs from her latest cd. q and it's something that you think about. we try to be conscious of that and plan out our meals so that we can feed everyone on a budget. at giant, we know saving money is important. every time you shop with your card, you can enjoy thousands of real deal savings and weekly specials. like perdue boneless chicken breasts, buy one, get one free; and strawberries, one-pound carton, 3 for $5. this week only. it makes me feel good because we're saving money, and that works for me. only with your giant card. hey, do you guys want to make some easter eggs? girls: yeah! okay, ready? we are going to dip on three.

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♪ i've got your country right here ♪ ♪ right here >> i got your country right here ♪ ♪ i got your country right here grab a beer and pull up a chair ♪ ♪ 'cause i got your country right here ♪ ♪ any honky tong anywhere they got cold beer and a band and a dance floor packed with bikers drunkers soldiers ♪ ♪ i got your country right here ♪ >> country right here this morning, because country superstar gretchen wilson is here. to perform.retchen wilson is

not only her new hit single, but that little tidbit from her new cd which just came out yesterday. welcome back to "the early show." between the whiff and gretchen's music we're feeling good. >> oh, yeah. >> very happy morning. >> she's rocking. >> oh, she's awesome. >> also ahead this morning, for consumers. they're called qr codes. it's like a bar code. but you can scan it with a smartphone that connects you to websites. the world wide web we should say. >> i've never heard of this. >> they're all the range. you can do all kinds of things with those codes. >> really? >> anyways, onto other things. just in time for spring we have some new tools that can help make your green thumb even greener. >> but first mr. ira joe fisher. >> oh, stop. stop. >> his favorite part of the broadcast. >> i love this part. yeah. by the way, this is great weather for ducks, because

and that is your wonderful wednesday weather, and now here's maggie. every gardener has shovels, trowels and pruning shears. but that's not all. there are lots of new tools and gadgets that will make anyone's thumb a little greener. diy host and "early" show contributor ahmed hassan is here to show us some of his new favorite products. welcome back. >> thank you. >> they love all the stuff that you brought. >> we're talking small items here. inexpensive. >> okay. very good. let's start with this. this is a plant caddie. >> what this is, this is trying to save people's backs, okay?

>> i like that. because everybody knows what a pain it is to move the pots. >> and you could probably use this right around now. you could use caddies. >> yeah. >> we've got plant caddies whether you have plants up on your deck, out on the patio. sometimes you have to move them around. if you have something that's cute and easy to put it on, something like that, you can wheel it around. i'm not saying you voenl to use it for plants. but of course they're sold in the garden department. >> and it's very inexpensive. >> they come in different sizes. i got a smaller one there. but basically, that was one little item. >> this next thing is, using your kitchen scraps for something good. >> i quit eating meat about ten years ago. i started growing my garden and i wanted to have a come post pile. most people at least want to try it. >> sure. >> but if you have scraps like this you don't want to keep this inside your kitchen. now you can buy a cute little ceramic garbage can. got a little vent on the top. this should not put any smell. as long as you're not putting

meat products and dairy, you're putting things like coffee grounds, you can also put the felter in there, kleenex, you can blow your nose, stick it right in there. apple, oranges, potato peels, carrots. if it's not a meat product, and doesn't come from an animal, put knit there. put a little lid on it. these come in different colors. not so bad looking. you can tell the kids go dump it in the come post pile, give it to your husband, get rid of that. >> it's a great teaching tool for the kids. i love that. >> and then you go out there and do more come post. >> what is this for? reminds me when your dad used to fertilize the lawn. >> back in the day we had the little whirly birds. what we have now is we have the same deal, it's the same whirly bird concept. the thing is this one is ergonomically set up the right way because the weight of this is catching on my wrist. so no longer am i having something out there putting all this wrist weight. it's still inexpensive. you're getting this for under $20. and it's got a slightly larger mouth there so if you want to put your grass seed in there,

your fertilizer, whatever you want to do. it holds a little bit more, because the fewer trips you have to go back and fill it up, the faster you can get your fertilizing done. >> let's fertilize. >> try it. go over the top, right in there. how's that feel? >> it feels easy. it's not heavy at all. >> little trigger in front. pull that trigger. there you go. >> oh. >> and now you're planting grass seed everywhere. >> you can tell. >> okay. >> all right. >> that was a great segway. that was a great segue. you just had a grass seed area. everyone, everyone is always looking for an easier, softer way, right? so i'm making my wide heeed her. look at this. now you're scaring me. you go right over the weed. you plunge down, and the tool actually -- look right here. small weeds, three seconds, medium weeds, 5 seconds. large weeds 7 seconds. you call that small to medium?

three seconds, one, two, three. the spike is transferring heat into this. so much heat that it fries the cellular material inside the weeds. you don't have to bend over. you don't have to get dirty. i don't know if this is a cure-all but we're always looking for something to make work easier and softer. >> you did that with all of these. thank you so much. and you look cool holding that thing. >> it's warm. >> if only for that. if you'd like more information go to our website, earlyshow.cbsnews.com. now here's jeff. >> maggie, thanks very much. we all know what a bar code is. but what about a qr code? qr stands for quick response. they aren't scanned by the checkout person at the store, instead they're scanned by you. >> i think qr codes are a way to learn more about the things in front of you. qr codes are like web links to the real world. and they're a lot faster than typing on the phone. >> qr codes have been used in japan for years. when scanned by a cell phone they provide a link to a web page. in europe qr codes can be seen

an buildings, as well as on products like soda. >> i think qr codes are getting increasingly popular in the u.s. you'll see them on more products, in more stores. >> bar codes that can be scanned with cell phones are now showing up in magazines and in stores. at norma kamali in new york, qr codes are everywhere. by scanning the codes customers can learn more about the styles. >> the information you gather traveling through the store stays with you, so when you leave, you have all the information about the styles that you were interested in. >> a scan of this outfit's qr code will link you to a music video in which beyonce is wearing the same item.ñr and qr codes can give new meaning to the idea of window shopping. >> if there's a style in the window that you really like, customers can shop directly from the bar code. so if it's after 6:00, you can shop without anybody, and do it on your own. >> i recognize one of the people shopping there.

joining us is senior editor and "early" show contributor natali del conte. >> i did not buy beyonce's bathing suit. >> you didn't? >> no. >> but you could have if you put in the right qr code. >> i could have. >> i feel extremely tech savvy already. >> i know, isn't it a cool thing? >> yes. >> you want to get started with them, what do you do? >> you need an application for your phone, we call these apps these days. the iphone has a few of them. i like neoreader. but there are two or three. android phones, that's google's phone, has their own. each phone has a different software, you can find them pretty easily. neoreader is one that works on non-smartphones. if you're thinking i need an iphone for this, you don't. you just need a phone with a camera and you get software for it. as soon as you launch that application, the application will launch your camera phone. >> but you're taking a picture of the qr code and then it's taking it into the phone? >> you don't necessarily take a picture, it uses the camera to scan it. as soon as the camera reads that code, it's going to send you to

wherever that qr code wants to send you. >> where might we see these? magazines? >> we're already seeing these in magazines. so here's a "self" magazine that's using it. if i scan this, then i can learn how to get hair like ellen pompeo. >> you immediately get hair like ellen pompeo? >> it doesn't do my hair but gives me a how-to video. so they can augment their content. because these magazines are made months in advance. but whatever they want to send us to on the web, it makes it very interactive, and now. >> all sorts of different magazines. yeah, all of these magazines have them on the inside. you probably have seen them but just not known what it was. >> i can get robert pattinson's hair. >> yes, in theory. in theory. we also see them on video games now. on the back of this halo. there's a code here that's going to teach you more about halo. like maybe how to get around a wall or use your weapons a little bit better. >> like taking you to a website

or whatever else. >> you can scan this with your phone and it's going to take you to halo website. this is we the kings poster for this band, and if you were to scan the code, enter into a contest so you can win tickets. you can get ring tones, free downloads. >> band, everybody is taking advantage of this. >> yeah. >> i would be remiss in this segment if i didn't ask you if "the early show" has a qr code. >> we are on top of that because they do work on tv. if you at home have a qr code reader on your phone. you can scan this right now. this one right here will take you to earlyshow.cbsnews.com. >> you can get it right off the screen? >> right now, right this very minute. and that will take you to an article about qr codes from "the early show." the one on the bottom will take you to a video about qr codes that actually i did, and it will walk you through all of this from top to bottom so that you can start using these. because you will start seeing them now that you know that they exist. >> what great stuff. >> it's kind of a neat theory. because if you're at home getting your kids out the door and you see a segment that you

want to learn more about, scan the code, you've got it on your phone, and all of our cbs reporting will go with you. >> good stuff, natali del conte, thank you very much. speaking of segments you want to know about. maggie i believe has one coming up. if you want more information you can check our website, earlyshow.cbsnews.com. all right, big segment coming up. now here is maggie. >> we welcome gretchen wilson this morning who exploded on the country music scene back in 2004 with her smash hit "redneck woman." she now has three number one albums under her belt and she is back on the charts once again with "work hard, play harder." from her brand-new cd "i got your country right here," she is here to sing kwngs work hard, play harder." lease welcome gretchen wilson. ♪

♪ i work a double shift on monday tuesday i get up before dawn wednesday pouring coffee ♪ ♪ thursday night i'm tending the bar well, when friday night ♪ ♪ rolls around i call my rough and rowdy friends and we're honkytonk loud ♪ ♪ i work hard i play harder i'm a good timin' ♪ ♪ american daughter redneck, blue collar ♪ ♪ and i party down to my last dollar ♪ ♪ i work hard i work hard ♪ ♪ i work hard i play harder ♪ ♪ i don't waste my time on manicures and spray on tans ♪

♪ and i don't pay no never mind ♪ ♪ to the calluses i've had on my hands ♪ ♪ you know that people just can't understand how ♪ ♪ i'm the first to clock in but the last to pass out ♪ ♪ i work hard i play harder i'm a good timin' american daughter redneck, blue collar ♪ ♪ and i party down to my last dollar i work hard ♪ ♪ i work hard i work hard i play harder ♪ ♪ yea yea yea yea yeah ♪ i work hard i play harder i'm a good timin ♪ ♪ american daughter

redneck, blue collar ♪ ♪ and i party down to my last dollar ♪ ♪ i work hard i play harder i'm a good timin ♪ ♪ american daughter redneck, blue collar ♪ ♪ and i party down to my last dollar ♪ ♪ i work hard i work hard ♪ ♪ i work hard i work hard ♪ ♪ i work hard i work hard i play harder ♪ ♪ >> all right. gretchen. >> hey. >> thank you all. thank you, gretchen. we know you work hard. you're a mom.

you have your own record label. >> we all work hard. >> yes, we're all working hard. do you play harder? >> yeah, we've been known to get a little rowdy from time to time after the show. but not when my daughter is out there with us. we tend to keep that -- >> your daughter is 9? >> 9 years old. >> hello to grace. where is she this morning? >> she's probably in school already. i hope. what would you do if your little daughter came to you and said mom, i want to go into singing. i know you left school to pursue this when you were very young. >> she's already kind of showing a little bit of creativity, and a little talent. of course i want her to do whatever she wants to do. but i hope that she'll wait a little while and just be a kid first. because that's really important. >> because you have to admit, 16 you started doing this. >> yes. >> where did that work ethic come from? because you have not stopped since. >> everyone in my family has always been a hard worker. but i would say my grandpa and my grandma mostly. my grandma's motto was if you don't go to bed completely exhausted you wasted a day. that was his theory and that's

how he lived life. so i've just learned throughout the years that nothing out there that's good really comes easy. you have to work for everything. >> especially when you have three number one albums and a new one just coming out. congratulations. >> thank you. >> how much of this, because you created this tough woman, country woman persona with all your albums. how much of that is the real you, gretchen? >> i'm pretty much what you see is what you get. i've always just been who i am. i've kind of based everything on just being honest and open, and it's a lot easier that way than trying to cover your tracks and figure out what you said before. you know. just be yourself. >> you could tell it's very authentic. we congratulate you. i got your country right here. make sure you get it. it is out now. >> it's out. >> thank you. don't go away because gretchen is going to sing the song that put her on the charts. and i want to ask you a question about it, too. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. ♪ hey bets, can i borrow a quarter?

sure, still not dry? i'm trying to shrink them. i lost weight and now some clothes are too big. how did you do it? simple stuff. eating right and i switched to whole grain. whole grain... [ female announcer ] people who eat more whole grain tend to have a healthier body weight. multigrain cheerios has five whole grains and 110 calories per serving. multigrain cheerios. try new chocolate cheerios with a touch of delicious chocolate taste in every bite. at a weight watchers meeting, you can get the life skills that put you in charge of your world

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her new cd is out called "i got your country right here." right now she's going to sing us out with her hit song "redneck woman" that we all remember because it was such an anthem. a redneck woman is a woman who leaves her christmas lights up year long. she does not sip champagne. so i've got to ask you what happens to a redneck woman when she becomes a superstar? >> well for me, not much. not much has changed at all. i'm pretty much still the same person i've always been. i guess the only difference is, you know, that i've been fortunate. and i've been, you know, fortunate enough to be able to have my whole family around me and have great people working with me and it's just -- being a redneck is a way of life. >> all right. >> keeping it real. >> we're fortunate that we have gretchen and company here to sing "redneck woman." have a great day, everyone. >> thank you. ♪ ♪ well i ain't never

been the barbie doll type ♪ ♪ no i can't swig that sweet champagne i'd rather drink beer all night ♪ ♪ in a tavern or in a honky tonk or on a four-wheel drive tailgate ♪ ♪ i've got posters on my wall of skynyrd, kid and strait some people look down on me but i don't give a rip ♪ ♪ i'll stand barefooted in my own front yard with a baby on my hip 'cause i'm a redneck woman ♪ ♪ i ain't no high class broad i'm just a product of my raising ♪ ♪ i say hey ya'll and yee-haw and i keep my christmas lights on my front porch all year long ♪ ♪ and i know all the words to every charlie daniels song so here's to all my sisters out there keeping it country ♪ ♪ let me get a big hell yeah from the redneck girls like me ♪

♪ hell yeah ♪ victoria's secret well their stuff's real nice but i can buy the same damn thing♪ ♪ on a wal-mart shelf half price and still look sexy just as sexy ♪ ♪ as those models on tv no i don't need no designer tag♪ to make my man want me ♪ ♪ you might think i'm trashy a little too hardcore but in my neck of the woods i'm just the girl next door ♪ ♪ hey i'm a redneck woman ♪ i ain't no high class broad i'm just a product of my raising ♪ ♪ i say hey ya'll and yee-haw and i keep my christmas lights on my front porch all year long ♪ ♪ and i know all the words to every tanya tucker song so here's to all my sisters

out there keeping it country ♪ ♪ let me get a big hell yeah out there keeping it country ♪ ♪ let me get a big hell yeah from the redneck girls like me ,

can you go back to the right? no, back here. how about over here? hmm... let's go back to the left. uh... waffling is back at dunkin' donuts with the return of the waffle breakfast sandwich. two oven-toasted waffles with a hint of maple, complete with fluffy egg, a slice of melted cheese, and now with delicious sausage. so hurry in today because it's only around for a short time. america runs on dunkin'.

try our oven-toasted waffle breakfast sandwich today, only at dunkin' donuts. pay back begins. >> well, for the past several months. let's look at the forecast today. of course, don's talking about sunny skies. 68 degrees this day. clear skies and 40 tonight and tomorrow, call it 76. it will be sunny now throughout monday. 80 friday and saturday. 76 monday. don, take it away. good morninger governor bob ehrlich is going to run for governor. >> reporter: he made the

announcement yesterday in anne arundel county. >> the beginning of a tour around the state of maryland. obviously, i'm run again. >> reporter: he was unseated by governor o'malley in 2006. he said this campaign may look the same, but deal with different issues. his office sent a statement saying, i look forward to upcoming campaign. and don, back to you. >> reporter: later on this morning, the republican delegate says he'll move to impeach the attorney general. he says he wants to recognize same sex marriages from other states -- . the faa is investigating an emergency landing last night. strong winds prevented the

pilot to land in gaithersburg. they suffered minor injuries. >> a major commercial airline is making it easier to check your bags. they're showing inline screenings. they'll inable more passengers to be able to move through the boxes quick her. day're the fastest airline at bwi. >> amtrak says that the new low fairs to the eastest destinations are permanent. tickets to philadelphia and new york are cheaper than last year. you have to purchase your tickets two weeks in advance to take advantage of the savings. >> and this morn, the orioles may not be pitching well, but they're hitting. and despite the runs, the orioles lose 10-9.

>> and stay with wjz-13, maryland's news station. complete news and weather at noon. noon. upup,,,,,,,,,,,, é