drill, baby, drill. president obama's decision to open vast new tracks of the coastline to oil drilling angers environmentalists. swamped. the big storm is finally over, but historic flooding continues in the waterlogged northeast. and retiring ronald? the food police take aim at an american institution. this is the "cbs morning news" american institution. this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, april 1st, 2010. captioning funded by cbs good morning. thanks for joining us. i'm bianca solorzano in for michelle gielan. and we begin with fallout from president obama's decision to open large portions of the u.s. coastline to offshore oil drilling. the announcement yesterday surprised just about everyone,

including now angry environmentalists. tara mergener is in washington with more. good morning. >> reporter: president obama says he knew he would be criticized for this decision. it basically opens up large stretches off u.s. coastline for oil exploration. but he says this is about more than just oil drilling. >> this announcement is part of a broader strategy that will move us from an economy that runs on fossil fuels and foreign oil to one that relies more on homegrown fuels and clean energy. >> reporter: the president's plan would allow drilling along the south atlantic coast, in the gulf of mexico, 125 miles from florida, and on the north coast of alaska. the ban would remain in place on the north atlantic coast, the west coast and alaska's bristol bay. republicans who have long pushed for more drilling say the plan doesn't go far enough. environmentalists call it a recipe for disaster. >> offshore drilling is still a

dirty and dangerous industry that's not compatible we think with beaches and coastlines. >> reporter: there is mixed reaction from others, as well. >> we start with one area, it will just explode and it's going to be an open season for doing this. >> why not, it's here, it's for our use. it's natural resources that we have. it's fabulous. >> reporter: the decision follows administration promises to pursue clean coal technology and nuclear power. many in washington see this as a strategy to win republican support for a climate bill aimed at slowing global warming. and it will probably be years before any new drilling starts. studies must gauge environmental impact and there will likely be court battles ahead. >> tara mergener in washington. thank you very much. the transportation department is issuing strict new rules on fuel efficiency to automakers today. under the new rules, by the 2016 model year, all cars and trucks must average 35.5 miles per gallon of gas. that's nearly 10 miles per

gallon higher than current standards. it includes hybrids and all electric cars. and now to the flood in the northeast, calling them historic turns out to be an understatement. officials in rhode island say flooding there is the worst in 200 years. whit johnson has the story. >> reporter: the suffering is just beginning for the people of warwick. michelle looked out off her deck and found a lake. >> this is my backyard. >> reporter: but the real disaster is inside, a completely flooded basement, ruining furniture, destroying photographs and knocking out heat. >> my kids are asking if the house is gone forever. >> reporter: she's leaving town until the water recedes. some of her neighbors could only stand and watch as the floodwaters rushed through their homes. were you home at the time when the water -- >> yes, i was. >> reporter: what were you doing? what was that like? >> agonizing.

>> reporter: the culprit was the raging pawtuxet river. the river crested at almost 21 feet, 12 feet above flood level. in jewitt city, connecticut, the national guard was called in to try to save the sewage treatment plant from flooding the river. in massachusetts, the state place shuttled people to safety in amphibious vehicles. and as the recovery begins in new jersey, residents still need waders to get around. like most of rhode island, officials here are dealing with flooded sewage systems and electrical substations. >> we're looking at now probably the worst storm that we've seen in 100 years. it's really hard to always prepare for a 100 year storm. >> reporter: the floodwaters are already receding in some places, but a full recovery for the state of rhode island is still weeks away. whit johnson, cbs news, west warwick, rhode island. and now to the child abuse

scandal troubling the roman catholic church during this holiest week of the christian calendar. the vatican says pope benedict sees the scandal as, quote, a test for him and the church. it will be a test in court, as well. lawyers have already filed lawsuits for alleged victims of priestly abuse naming the pope and claiming a church coverup. scott roeder, the anti-abortion rights activist who killed an abortion doctor last year will be sentenced today in wichita, kansas. he's 52 and gunned down dr. george tiller in his wichita church in may and was convicted of first-degree murder. he faces a minimum sentence of life in prison. prosecutors want him to serve at least 50 years. prosecutors are laying out details of the allegations of nine militia. the nine arrested in a series of raids in michigan, ohio and indiana allegely planned to kill a police officer and then bomb his funeral. >> their plot was to make a fake

911 call, and when a police officer responded, to kill that officer. and use that death as an opportunity because they know that when a police officer is killed in the line of duty, a funeral follows. and law enforcement from around the state shows up en masse. >> the fbi says an undercover agent infiltrated the group calling itself hutaree or christian warrior. a federal judge has ruled that federal investigators broke the law in 2004 when they tapped the phone conversations of an islamic charity and two lawyers without a search warrant. the ruling in san francisco focuses narrowly on a single case, but it's widely viewed as a repudiation of the bush administration's use of warrantless wiretaps to track possible terror suspects. on the cbs "moneywatch," stocks in asia got a big boost this morning. ashley morrison is here in new york with that and more. good morning, ashley. >> reporter: good morning. well, the nikkei climbed almost 1.5% today while the hang seng was also about a percentage

higher. today wall street gets the weekly jobless claims numbers as well as a new report on construction spending. wednesday stocks fell after a surprise drop in private sector jobs. the dow lost nearly 51 points while the nasdaq fell about 13. major auto companies from ford to general motors report monthly sales numbers today. analysts are betting most companies will post gains. we've already heard from toyota at new york's auto show on wednesday, a top toyota executive said incentives pushed sales 40% higher in march. amazon is bracing for the ipad. the online retailer has struck new e-book pricing deals with two major publishers just days before apple's launch of the new tablet computer. that's expected to take business away from amazon's kindle. the agreements will allow both publishers to set their own prices. apple has already made similar deals. the home buyer tax credit which expires at the end of april sparked a huge rush in

mortgage applications last week and industry reports says home loan applications rose nearly 7%. that's the largest number of applications since october 2009. and this is census day. the government hopes you'll return the forms sent out over the past month or so, but be sure to be careful, there are scam artists sending out phony forms to try to steal your personal information. the official paperwork will never ask for your social security number, bank account information, or signature. if you think you might have been scammed, officials say you should contact your banks, credit bureaus and local authorities. and it seems anymore everything could be a scam. you just have to be careful. >> always. never too careful. all right. ashley morrison, thank you very much. just ahead, the fbi joins the search for a colorado girl. plus, unhappy meals. the campaign to give fast food icon ronald mcdonald the boot. but first, katie couric has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." >> she used to call the city

streets home, but now she's in a whole new league. how one woman went from homeless to harvard and is now helping others make the grade. the american spirit tonight only on the "cbs evening news." the american spirit tonight only on the "cbs evening news." mnh-mnh. oh gosh! woo! it's this drab one-tone hair color, ick. yeah. let's szush it up. [ gigi ] try nice 'n easy with colorblend technology. in one simple step, get a blend of tones and highlights. so even in this lovely light, nice 'n easy comes to life with dimension. instead of drabulous... i love it! shhhhh. [ gigi ] ...you look fabulous with tones and highlights. nice 'n easy. your right color. 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.

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former first lady barbara bush is home from the hospital. the 84-year-old wife of former president george h.w. bush underwent tests after being admitted to a houston hospital on saturday. doctors say she may have had a mild relapse of grave's disease, a thyroid condition for which she was treated in 1989. in greeley, colorado, the fbi is helping police in the search for a missing 12-year-old girl. caylee wilson was last seen sunday afternoon. police say she left home to attend a friend's birthday party, but never arrived at the party. they say caylee had no history of running away. the clown getup are instantly recognizable. ronald mcdonald, the corporate mascot of the giant fast food chain, is under attack from the

food police. sandra hughes reports. >> reporter: this clown got a lot of smiles outside mcdonald's, but his distant cousin is under fire. >> retire ronald! >> reporter: that's ronald mcdonald they're talking about, the icon of fast food for nearly half a century. >> it's a real shocker because who would think they would want to retire ronald? >> reporter: the same watch dog group that sent joe camel packing is now after the mcdonald's mascot. they say he's targeting kids and feeding into the epidemic of childhood obesity. >> mcdonald's is the corporation that essentially invented childhood marketing. >> reporter: the group conducted its own poll and found nearly half of those surveyed say ronald should go. >> targeting to children unethical. >> reporter: about a dozen protests took place across the country, but so far they're shrugging it off at corporate headquarters.

the company told cbs news ronald is the beloved brand ambassador for mcdonald's and we have no plans to retire him. he's also the symbol of a worldwide charity, the ronald mcdonald house. it started back in 1974 with one house for the families of sick children. it has now grown to 271 houses in 30 countries. so asking for ronald to just go away may be difficult. >> if you boycott ronald, you might as well boycott everybody. >> reporter: but those looking to get rid of the clown say they have a weighty case. he's promoted unhealthy hamburgers and fries since 1963 and he's well past retirement age. sandra hughes, cbs news, los angeles. a jury in decatur, georgia has acquited nathan grisby, a former teacher charged with allowing his students to perform a striptease in his class. the jury yesterday found grisby not guilty of contributing to the deprivation of a minor. the video was shown at his trial. he told investigators he was helping another student during

most of the 68 second performance in december of 2008. a texas grand jury has declined to indict a deputy who shocked a 72-year-old grandmother with a taser after she dared him to do it. police dash cam video shows katherine winkfein being stopped in may for doing 65 in a 45-mile-an-hour zone near austin. she got out of her car, argued with the officer, and defied him to shock her. >> get on the ground. butt your ha put your hands behind your back. >> a police investigation found the deputy did not violate any county policies. and straight ahead, your thursday morning weather. also in sports, look out, a foul ball this minnesota twin will never forget. ball, this minnesota twin will never forget. - woman: he hates asking for directions. - ok we're gonna turn right... - gps: turn left ahead. - ...i mean left.

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my eyes water. but with new zyrtec® liquid gels, i get allergy relief at liquid speed. that's the fast, powerful relief of zyrtec®, now in a liquid gel. zyrtec® is the fastest 24-hour allergy medicine. it works on my worst symptoms so i'm ready by the time we get to the first hole. and that's good because the competition's steep today. new zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air.™ here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, partly cloudy, 64. miami, sunny, 80. chicago, partly cloudy, 76. denver, thunderstorms, 62. los angeles showers, 59. time now for a check on the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows clouds scattered across much of the west. it's another nice morning around the south and southeast. and the northern plains are looking at cloudy skies. later today, scattered showers will be popping up across the southwest.

the northeast continues to dry out. and rain and snow showers are likely around the rockies and northern plains. in sports, a thrill for the home crowd in atlanta. joe johnson led the way for atlanta with 25 points against the lakers, including five three-pointers. in the fourth quarter, tempers flared after atlanta's maurice evans took an elbow to the head. the hawks held kobe bryant to just eight points in second half and won it 109-92. in new jersey, steve nash scored 24 points with 14 assists for the visiting suns and jason richardson added 23 as phoenix beat the nets 116-105. in cleveland, lebron james scored 23 to lead the cavaliers over the bucks 101-98. but james had bad news for team usa saying that he will probably be too busy to play in the world championships this summer. and in spring training baseball, a scary moment for denard span and his mom. the twins center fielder smacked

a sharp foul ball in to the stands in tampa and was shocked when it hit his mother in the chest. things looked bad for a moment, but she left only briefly and then returned saying that she was just fine. when we return, another look at the morning's top stories. and high marks and high style. first lady michelle obama rides a wave of popularity.

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the consumers digest best buys from chevy. put them to your own test. and may the best car win. on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. scattered rain and snow showers will be developing across the northern plains and rockies. it will remain dry and mild in the southeast. and the northeast and northwest will be dry and pleasant. here's another look at this morning's top stories. the storm is over, but the historic flooding goes on in the northeast. officials say floods in rhode island are the worst in 200

years. and the government is setting new standards for car and truck fuel efficiency. by 2016, the average vehicle is supposed to get 35.5 miles per gallon of gas. first lady michelle obama is back in her white house garden this spring urging kids to eat healthy and watch their budding crop of vegetables grow. and as nancy cordes reports, one thing that's also growing is the first lady's popularity. >> will you show me what to do? >> reporter: the first lady and her army of pre-teen planters added artichokes and mustard greens to the white house garden which weathered washington's wild winter under a cozy plastic covering. >> would you ever imagine that what you did last year would lead to all of this? can i have some hugs? >> reporter: 14 months into her tenures a first lady, michelle obama is enjoying the kind of popularity her husband would jump through hoops for. her approval ratings stand at 78%.

higher than her recent predecessors at similar points in their husband's presidencies. she has settled on a signature issue, childhood obesity. >> cheese isn't bad, especially when you're a kid. >> reporter: using her clout to chide grocery manufacturers. >> we need you all to step it up. >> reporter: even hula hooping to show children how easy it is to get exercise. >> i love the way that mrs. obama has stressed the simple things that people can change to make a huge difference in their lives. >> reporter: she's taken fashion risks, yes, but political risks, too. addressing the issue of race -- >> there were kids around my neighborhood would say, oh, you talk funny. you talk like a white girl. >> reporter: -- and granting an interview to right leaning fox news. before her husband would. >> this is a solvable issue. >> reporter: in short, she hasn't been afraid to get her hands dirty, which seems to have gone over well with most americans. nancy cordes, cbs news, washington.

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hello again. in 15 seconds it will be 5:00. it is april the first, and the month is starting out very nicely. is the rush doing