wild weather. tornadoes, thunderstorms and more warm weather close out an unusual winter. who is the suspect? army sergeant robert bale as kused of silg 16 afghan civilians known as a good man but was four tours in the middle east too much? >> anybody that's-n the military that's been in combat certainly understands the kind of stress these guys have been going through. march to illinois. mitt romney and rick santorum hope to score big in tomorrow's key midwest primary. this is the "cbs morning news" for monday, march 19, 2012. good morning, everybody, good to be with you. i'm tyrell brown. it's the last full day of winter

but for most of the country it already feels like spring. in some places even summer. temperatures could hit record highs from the northern plains to the east coast today. but winter's end isn't just mild, it's turning wild. today the nation's midsection is on alert for a new bout of severe weather. funnel clouds were spotted sunday evening in southwestern oklahoma. these storms lasted just a few minutes and only damaged some power lines. another tornado was reported in nebraska. it damaged at least two homes but no injuries were reported. tornado warnings were up in central ohio sunday when cameras caught this, a bolt of lightning striking near downtown columbus. today severe thunderstorms are in the forecast for an area extending from south texas to the northeast. the threat of tornadoes is greatest in central texas, oklahoma, kansas and nebraska. the system could also trigger flash floods. in colorado, high winds fueled a wildfire that scorched more than

80 square miles and destroyed two homings. the fire forced all 300 residents of the town to evacuate. they've now been given the all clear to return home. firefighters from more than a dozen local departments spent the night trying to gain the upper hand on the flames. meanwhile, mid-march feels like may from the northern plains to the southeast. temperature could hit record highs in minneapolis, detroit, indianapolis, atlanta, and even burlington, vermont, where the mercury could reach the upper 60s. and in washington, d.c., the famed cherry trees are blooming earlier than usual thanks to the warm winter. blossoms are expected to reach their peak tomorrow. >> one more place for warm weather, international falls, minnesota. nicknamed the ice box of the nation, could reach the 70s today, shattering record high of 60 degrees set in 1918. some time this week formal

charges are expected to be filed against robert bale, the army sergeant accused of killing 16 afghan civilians. his family says they're stunned over the murder. bales' attorney has arrived in kansas where he's held at a military prison. the two will meet for the first time face to face today. meanwhile, we're learning more about bales, his accomplishments and some recent troubles. brian rooney reports. >> reporter: this is the robert bales most people who knew him describe. a man always smiling. >> good guy the time i've been around him. just a good guy. fun to be with. >> reporter: he was a stock broker before joining the army after 9/11. he told friends he just had to do something and ended up serving three combat tours in iraq. he went to afghanistan last december. >> the thing that i really remember is him in his uniform with his pants tucked inside of his boots. it was just -- he was crisp, clean, military. >> reporter: bales was credited once with saving his armored stryker vehicle when he shot a man about to fire a

rocket-propelled grenade. despite that smile, he'd been through a lot. he suffered a head injury in iraq. just this month, he and his wife put a house up for sale for $50,000 less than they paid for. a year ago she wrote on her blog about their disappointment he did not win a promotion and raise in pay. quote, after all the work bob had done and all the sacrifices he made for his love of his country, family and friends. his civilian lawyer said bales did not want to go on this fourth tour. >> he and his family were told his tours in the middle east were over and then literally overnight that changed. >> reporter: he said bales saw a friend's leg blown off the day before the massacre. friends are asking now why bales may have gone on that rampage and what happens inside the mind of a man at war. >> i think anybody in the military that's been in combat certainly understands the kind of stress these guys are going through and people need to understand that. >> reporter: bales is in isolation at the army's leavenworth prison.

brian rooney, cbs news, los angeles. overseas heavy fighting is reported this morning in the syrian capital damascus. witnesses say machine guns and grenades are being fired in the city sister as rebel forces battle syrian government troops. today's battle follows yesterday's bombing of a government security city of aleppo and three suicide bombings in damascus killed 27 people. the united nations estimates more than 8,000 people have been killed in the year-long battle to oust syrian president assad. in yemen a group says they shot and killed an american teacher. 29-year-old joel shrun from harrisburg, pennsylvania, taught english in central yemen. they say he was killed sunday when men in military uniforms on motorcycles open fire. in an e-mail the al qaeda winged group accused him of christian proselytizing. shrun is survived by a wife and two children.

the key midwest match-up in illinois. presidential hopefuls are battling for 54 delegates in this week's primary. another close race is expected between rick santorum and mitt romney. romney is riding the crest of an easy win in puerto rico yesterday, picking up all 20 delegates. romney called it an extraordinary victory. susan mcginnis in washington with the latest. good to see you. good morning. >> reporter: yeah, good morning. rick santorum may have hurt himself in puerto rico when he said english would have to be the official language there if it were to attain statehood. now on to illinois with mitt romney holding a comfortable lead. >> that's good news. thank you. >> reporter: mitt romney will carry more momentum into this week's primary contest. he celebrated another win last night, easily capturing all of pourt ricoh's 20 delegates. >> they're going to vote for republicans if we stand for something, conservative principles that bring growth and good jobs and rising home values. >> reporter: he spoke to

supporters in illinois where polls show he's locked in a title battle with rick santorum. the state holds its primary tomorrow. as romney gains an even bigger, lead in the delegate count, his wife is calling on republicans to end the fight for the nomination. >> it's time for us to get behind one candidate and get the job done so we can move on to the next job, which is one step closer to defeating barack obama. >> reporter: but all of the other three republican contenders say they're not going anywhere. santorum says romney hasn't proven he's a good enough candidate. >> this is a primary process where somebody had a huge advantage, huge money advantage, huge advantage of establishment support. and he hasn't been able to close the deal. >> reporter: santorum spent yesterday in louisiana, which votes this weekend. he'll join romney in illinois today to court voters who are still undecided. ron paul and newt gingrich have no campaign events scheduled. now, regardless of which republican takes illinois tomorrow, this is president obama's adopted home state.

he served as senator there. and he is expected to win in the general elections. >> susan mcginnis in washington, thank you. we'll take a quick break. coming up on the morning news, fire bombs and riot police, a violent clash in greece. and it has nothing to do with the austerity measures. first, scott pelley with a look at what's ahead this week on the evening news. >> counterfeit vials have a life saving cancer drug have been discovered in doctors' offices and clinics. how could this have happened and who's responsible? our cbs news investigative unit follows the trail to find out this week on the "cbs evening news." ening news." [ male announcer ] this one goes out to all the allergy muddlers.

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to put out flames from spreading in the stands. on the "cbs moneywatch" on a monday, big brown invades europe and apple's big $97 billion decision. ashley morrison is in new york with those stories. good morning. >> good morning to you. it was a mixed day for the asian markets. japan's nikkei inched up a fraction. it's now gone up four sessions in a row but hong kong's hang seng dropped nearly 1%. this week we get government reports on housing starts and new and existing home sales. wall street had another strong week. the dow added 310 points and finished above 13,000. the nasdaq added 66 points. u.p.s. agreed to buy europe's second largest delivery company. u.p.s. will pay more than $6.7 billion to acquire tnt express. it will be the largest ever acquisition for u.p.s., which is already the world's biggest delivery company. investors are waiting for a big announcement from apple today and it's not about the company's latest gadget.

apple will disclose what it will do with more than $97 billion in cash. some analysts expect apple to reward its stockholders with a dividend. despite strong sales, it appears apple is actually making less money off its new ipad. technology experts disassembled one of the tablets and reported that the components are more expensive than those of the ipad 2. apple continues to charge the same price for the latest version. and a spoof of a once popular tv show hit it big at the box office. "21 jump street" debuted at number one this weekend. the cop comedy took in $35 million. dr. seuss' "the lorax" was second with $22.8 million. disney's "john carter" was a distant third with $13.5 million. i have a big date with my 6-year-old to see "the lorax". >> that will be the movie. >> oh, yes. >> thank you. coming up, your monday morning weather. in sports, the sweet 16 is all

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and an even tone. new dove clear tone. ♪ here's a look at the forecast. partly cloudy sky, 67 in new york. partly sunny, 82 in miami. thunderstorms, 80 in chicago. thunderstorms, 80 in dallas. partly sunny and 60 in los angeles. let's check your national forecast. stormy day ahead for the nation's midsection.

severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes from the plains to great lakes. the ohio valley, arkansas and northern louisiana. showers and thunderstorms will develop from vermont to mid-atlantic with isolated thunderstorms in the carolinas. it will be windy from montana to new mexico. with snow in the rockies and high plains. in sports this morning, it's sweet 16 time in the ncaa tournament. it was a third round, mostly won by the favorites. let's take a look. purdue took the early lead against kansas. robby hummel 26 points and 9 rebounds. jayhawks' johnson kept them close in the final minute. he stole the ball and sank the go-ahead layup. purdue's desperation shot at the buzzer would miss and that does it for kansas. they get the win, 63-60. dixon's led the way against florida state. a back and forth cemented with 1:32 left. dixon stole the ball and slammed it home. the bear cats beat the seminoles 62-56. it was all in the wrist as north carolina took on creighton.

tar heels henson came back from a sprained wrist, 13 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocked shots. carolina point guard marshall scored 18. he fell awkwardly on a drive to the basket and left the game with a fractured wrist. north carolina won 87-73. and lehigh put on a good show against xavier in the first half. not enough with 7 foot center freeze in the game. scoring a career high 25 points with a dozen rebounds. xavier won it 70-58. here are your sweet 16 match-ups. thursday in the east, syracuse takes on wisconsin and cincinnati meets ohio state. in the west, michigan state faces louisville and marquette takes on florida. friday in the south, baylor battles with xavier. kentucky and indiana meet in a rematch of an early season thriller. in the midwest, north carolina faces cinderella ohio. and kansas meets north carolina state.

when we come back on a monday and a look at this morning's top stories and the chilling 911 call moments after an unarmed black teenager is gunned down by a volunteer on the neighborhood watch. neighborhood watch. when bp made a commitment to the gulf, we were determined to see it through. here's an update on the progress. we're paying for all spill related clean-up costs. bp findings supports independent scientists studying the gulf's environment. thousands of environmental samples have been tested and all beaches and waters are open. and the tourists are back. i was born here, i'm still here and so is bp.

here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the current. d.c., thunderstorms, 71. atlanta, sunny, 82. st. louis, thunderstorm, 82 degrees. denver, cloudy, 49. seattle, partly cloudy, 48 degrees. top stories now on a monday morning. spring begins tomorrow and winter is going out with a bang. funnel clouds were spotted sunday in southwestern oklahoma. another was spotted in nebraska and high winds fueled a wildfire in colorado. sergeant robert bales suspected of killing 16 afghan civilians is being held at a military prison in kansas. he's scheduled to meet with his attorney today and charges are expected to be filed within a week.

in florida, newly released 911 reports have deepened a bitter dispute over the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager. randall pinkston has that story. >> reporter: sanford, florida police released the 911 tapes in the shooting death of 17-year-old trayvon martin. >> yes. >> what is your phone number? >> there's gunshots. >> reporter: minutes earlier george zimmerman, a self-appointed watchman in his gated community, told police he was suspicious of a young man he had seen around 7 p.m. on february 26th. >> he's got his hands in his waistband. and he's a black male. >> are you following him? >> yeah. >> we don't need you to do that. >> reporter: but zimmerman ignored the instruction. >> he's [ bleep ]. they always get away. >> reporter: a series of 911 callers reported hearing screams for help and then gunfire. >> i'm pretty sure the guy's dead out here.

holy [ bleep ]. >> reporter: zimmerman, who is licensed to carry a gun, told police he acted in self-defense. zimmerman was not arrested, triggering outrage in the community. martin family supporters say they don't understand why police decided trayvon was a threat, even though he was being followed by an armed man. trayvon's father, tracy martin. >> a cell phone, his headphones, a pack of skittles and an arizona iced tea is the only thing he had on him. i can't figure out how he's claiming self-defense. >> reporter: zimmerman has not been arrested in a state where use of deadly force is permitted if a citizen reasonably feels threatened. prosecutors will decide whether zimmerman remains free and if the case should go to a grand jury. randall pinkston, cbs news, new york. actor george clooney says being a hollywood celebrity lets him support serious causes because where he goes, cameras follow.

clooney is pressuring sudan's government to let humanitarian aid reached hundreds of thousands of people. this is all in the east african nation's darfur region. he told fox news he can draw attention to the crisis just by showing up. >> if we go and we're standing in a place where people are shooting rockets at us and we're standing there where there's a bomb hit the ground and didn't blow up, and that helps get attention to the story that we're trying to tell, then that's all we can do. i don't make policy. i can just make it louder. >> on friday clooney his father and several members of congress were arrested at a demonstration outside sudan's embassy in washington. a bomb scare in france. workers dug up this massive bomb on sunday. it's one ton and contains 1400 pounds of explosives. about 1,000 people were ordered to evacuate. and the city court was shut down while it was removed. the bomb will be taken to a military base and exploded. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning" the latest on the u.s. soldier accused of killing 16 afghan

civilians. i'm tyrell brown. accused of killing 16 afghan civilians. spring has sprung but so have my allergies. nighttime is the worst. i can't breathe and forget sleeping. good mornings? not likely! i've tried the pills the sprays even some home remedies. then i tried something new. [ male announcer ] drug-free breathe right nasal strips. [ woman ] you just put it on and ... amazing! instant relief. i breathed better slept better.

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. it is the last day of winter on the calendar anyway. it's meteorologist tim williams in for marty at first morning weather. >> a cloudy start. temperatures mild as we head in to the countdown to spring. temperatures just around 50 degrees in parts of the area. 49bwi marshal. 41 on the shore. 54 oakland. our temperatures start the 50- degree mark, up to a high, just around 70 degrees with a good bit of sunshine through the afternoon. we will see a chance of showers through the afternoon and evening as well. a rumble of thunder possibly in parts of the state. we will talk about that coming up in the first forecast. mitt romney lays claims to delegates over the weekend. the gop presidential hopefuls

gearing collective sites on illinois. a life cut short, a parkville woman is killed in a car crash. what her family is saying this morning. >> if you are looking for a job, what new restaurant is taking applications? >> more news, first morning weather and first traffic report and new workweek in a couple of minutes. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,

welcome to the last day of calendar spring. some places have fog this morning knot