pointed questions. president obama's health insurance mandate gets a rough reception at the supreme court. >> well, that changes the relationship of the federal government to the individual in a very fundamental way. midair scare. passengers on a jetblue flight take down the captain after he flips out. and baseball magic. showtime returns to los angeles as a group including laker great magic johnson buys the dodgers. this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, march 28th, 2012. good morning and thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen.

today the supreme court wraps up three days of arguments on president obama's health care overhaul. today's session considers whether any part of the law could remain if the insurance mandate is struck down. that core requirement that every american carry health insurance came under fire yesterday. susan mcginnis in washington with details on that. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, betty. from the flow of the questions and answers on tuesday, it seems this is not seen as a good day for the obama administration or that individual mandate. it brought up a lot of questions whether americans can be compelled to pay for anything from social security to brocc i broccoli. today will be focused on whether the health care law can stand without that mandate. americans supporting and opposing president obama's health care overhaul make their voices heard outside the supreme court as justices wrap up historic arguments inside.

26 states are suing, calling it unconstitutional for the government to require americans to buy health insurance. court observers say conservative judges on the court appear ready to rule the individual mandate unconstitutional. justice kennedy is considered a moderate and could be the deciding fifth vote. he talked about how health care differs from other forms of commerce. >> that is different from what we have previous cases. that changes the relationship of the federal government to the individual in a very fundamental way. >> reporter: justice ruth bader ginsburg is one of four liberal leaning justices. she had this exchange with the solicitor general arguing for the obama administration. >> a major point of your argument was that the people who don't participate in this law are making it much more suspensions ive for the people who do. >> reporter: today will focus on the rest of the law, specifically if the individual mandate is ruled

unconstitutional, can the remaining parts survive? >> we believe if the mandate is struck down, the entire -- the law must fall. >> reporter: others believe it can stand but say insurance premiums could rise as fewer people buy in. after today the justices will conference and a decision is expected in june. at that point we'll be just a few months away from the presidential election and this ruling could have a profound impact, betty. >> indeed it can. susan mcginnis in washington, thank you. a deathly wildfire continues to burn out of control just south of denver, colorado, this morning. residents of 6500 homes have been given a pre-evacuation order. 2500 homes or other buildings have been damaged or destroyed by the fire that now covers seven square miles. two people, an elderly couple, were found dead and another person is still missing. frustrated fire officials say so far there has been zero containment.

>> the priorities to protect structures and if we have to choose between fighting fire and containing your homes, that's what we have to continue to do. >> residents of 900 homes have been forced to evacuate. fire officials are determining whether the fire was started by a controlled burn that reignited. the captain of a jetblue flight who had to be restrained by his own passengers remains in fbi custody this morning. the co-pilot of jetblue airways flight 191 en route from new york to las vegas was forced to make an emergency landing in amarillo, texas. the captain displayed erratic behavior, marching through the cabin shouting, they are going to take us down. >> reporter: jetblue passengers touch down in las vegas six hours late after making an emergency landing in amarillo, texas. passengers pinned down the plane's captain, 49-year-old clayton osbon after the co-pilot locked him out of the cockpit.

according to the faa, the co-pilot became concerned that the captain exhibited erratic behavior during the flight. then he radioed for help. >> we'll have airport police stand by. >> reporter: the captain was eventually taken off the flight on a cart by security. a source tells cbs news he's a respected veteran pilot. one passenger, not wanting to be identified, said a flight attendant got on the intercom and asked passengers to restrain the captain. >> he was knocking on the cockpit screaming, let me in. very quickly, maybe six or eight big new yorkers basically pinned him to the ground. >> reporter: for passengers sitting in the rear of the plane, there was fear and confusion early on. >> people started running from the back. they thought we were being hijacked by the guys who attacked the pilot. i kind of restrained everybody, stopped everybody, explained what was going on because i saw it from the very beginning. >> reporter: the plane landed in amarillo 25 minutes later. the jetblue statement says the flight was diverted because of a medical situation involving the captain. another captain, traveling

offduty, entered the flight deck prior to landing at amarillo and took over the duties of the ill crew member. the fbi is still investigating what exactly caused the disturbance on flight 191. cbs news. some members of congress are calling for a hate crimes investigation into the death of florida teen trayvon martin. martin's parents appeared before a capitol hill forum yesterday. investigators say the man accused of shooting martin, george zimmerman, had two prior arrests. one for assaulting a cop and the other for domestic abuse. zimmerman said he shot the unarmed teen in self-defense last month. a new orleans police officer resigned after posting a comment about martin's fatal shooting on the internet. the officer, jason girour, wrote act like a thug, die like a thug. it was apparently in response to an article on a local tv website about a rally supporting martin. republican presidential hopeful newt gingrich is cutting back his schedule and his campaign staff.

gingrich is laying off a third of his staff, including his campaign manager. gingrich still hopes to take the white house bid all the way to the gop convention. spokesman says gingrich plans to spend less time in primary states and will be personally calling delegates, urging them to back him. a recent poll showing wisconsin's primary shows gingrich's dilemma. in fourth place, badly trailing the other three candidates, mitt romney, rick santorum, and ron paul. gop front-runner romney-m was jay leno's guest last night. msh said he'd be happy to have rick santorum serve in his administration. >> rick santorum is a good guy. he's running a good campaign. we have some differences in background and the differences on some issues, but basically a good guy. you know, i'm happy with him saying that he'd like to be part of an administration with me. nothing wrong with that. if he could be the vp, that's better. >> asked about health care romney said he would maintain parts of the national health

care law that protects children and those with preexisting health conditions. coming up on the "morning news" a medical milestone. doctors in maryland perform the most extensive face transplant ever. first, though, scott pelley has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news". the pentagon calls it a breakthrough that could save lives. it's a ray gun designed to stop people in their tracks without injuring them. so why after 18 years and $120 million has the military never used it? find out tonight on the "cbs evening news." 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

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a wild chase down a new mexico highway caught on the dash cam of a police cruiser. check it out. this happened on march 9th after a man allegedly stole a school bus near albuquerque. police managed to push the back of the bus causing it to crash. they surrounded the vehicle, shots were fired and the suspect wounded. he is now out of the hospital

and under arrest. doctors in maryland have performed the world's most extensive face transplant. for 15 years richard norris had hidden behind a mask. his face was literally shot off during a gun accident when he was just 22 years old. last week he underwent a transplant operation that lasted 36 hours. doctors gave him a jaw, a new face, even part of a tongue. doctors say when norris saw himself for the first time, he could not believe it. >> he put the mirror down and thanked me and hugged me. it was a wonderful gift to give him. ever since that day you can see we're going to restore those 15 years he's lost to make him functioning person for society. >> doctors hope the technique used to help norris can be used for wounded soldiers. on the "cbs moneywatch," starbucks customers bug out. we'll tell you about that. have you checked your mega millions lottery ticket? i did. no luck.

ashley morrison is here. she didn't have any luck either. >> i did not. maybe we'll get another chance. good morning. overseas markets pulled back after the rally. tokyo's knee nikkei lost 1% and hong kong's hang seng shed nearly 1%. on wall street investors sold off stocks after a report indicated consumer confidence lagged in march. the dow lost nearly 44 points while the nasdaq slipped 2. home prices continue to stay in a slump. the standard & poor's case-shiller report shows housing prices in january were down for a fifth straight month. the report analyzed prices in 19 major cities. prices were up in just three, phoenix, washington, d.c. and miami. this weekend the united states will become the most expensive place to do business in the world. on sunday japan lowered its corporate tax rates to 36.8%. the current u.s. rate is higher at 39.2%. you will be drinking more than just coffee, milk and sugar

if you order a strawberry frappuccino from starbucks. pulverized bug parts will be passing your lips as well. the strawberry flavoring gets its pink colors from extract made from insects. the story got legs when a starbucks barista tipped off a vegetarian website that the drink is not a vegetarian-friendly one. starbucks says it uses the dye in order to minimize artificial ingredients. do you want the good news or bad news? the bad news is you didn't win. good news is, nobody else did either. talking about last night's $356 million mega million dollar lottery drawing. now the jackpot will go up to an estimated $476 million by the next drawing on friday. the odds of winning are still the same, 1 in 176 million. betty, you feel lucky? >> i don't care what the odds are. at least we still have a chance. >> you're saying there's a chance. >> i'm staying in the game. ashley morrison in new york, thank you.

straight ahead, your wednesday morning weather. and in sports, the dodgers are feeling the magic. we'll tell you who's coughing up a record $2 billion to buy the bankrupt team. the allergy muddlers. you know who you are. you can part a crowd, without saying a word. you have yet to master the quiet sneeze. you stash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts. well, muddlers, muddle no more. try zyrtec®. it gives you powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because zyrtec® starts working at hour 1 on the first day you take it. claritin® doesn't start working until hour 3. zyrtec®. love the air. you take those little steps of prevention. so if you suffer from heartburn 2 or more days a week, why use temporary treatments when you can prevent the acid that's causing it -- with prevacid 24hr. frequent heartburn sufferers can't control acid from rising up and causing pain,

but with one pill prevacid 24hr works at the source to prevent the acid that causes frequent heartburn for 24 hours. go online for a 5 dollar coupon. prevent acid for 24 hours, with prevacid 24hr. dove challenged women to go the day without looking at themselves in the mirror after styling with new dove style plus care in the morning. we covered every reflection they could look in. ♪ style is long lasting when hair is nourished. ♪ that's why new dove style plus care with nutri-style complex nourishes and conditions so your style can go the distance. new dove style plus care. better style through better care. heeshz here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. new york, showers, 65. miami, partly sunny. chicago, 67. dallas, partly sunny, 82. partly cloudy in l.a., 68 degrees.

let's get a check of your national forecast. rain and even snow showers are possible in the upper midwest. there could be scattered thunderstorms from the ohio valley to kansas. it will be dry and warm for most of the south but thunderstorms are possible in parts of texas, oklahoma and central florida. and a few thunderstorms will cross the mid-atlantic into southern new england. in sports, a little show time is coming to baseball. bidding for the los angeles dodgers is over. and a group that includes magic johnson, the former lakers great, has won. it will pay a record-breaking $2 billion for the team. the sale still has to be approved by the federal bankruptcy court. and believe it or not, it is baseball's opening day but the game's not in the states, it's in japan this morning. the seattle mariners take on oakland a's in tokyo. you're going to have to wait until april 4th for the season to open here in the states. to basketball. the spurs are on a roll.

tim duncan's jumper in the second put spurs up by nine over the suns. he finished with 26 points. in the fourth, ginobili's drive to the basket keeps san antonio on top. spurs over suns, 107-100 for the fifth win in a row. in hockey, the buffalo sabres are one step closer to grabbing a last playoff spot in the east. they did it by routing the capitals 5-1, putting them two points ahead of washington. each team has five games left in the season. this was buffalo's fifth straight win. when we return, political plea from pope benedict as he visits the island nation of cuba. he island nation of cuba. ,,,,,,,,

here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. washington, d.c., afternoon thunderstorms, 76. atlanta, partly sunny, 80. st. louis, morning thunderstorms, 81. mostly sunny in denver, 74.

mostly cloudy in seattle, 55. here's another look at this morning's top stories. the core principle of president obama's health care reform law mandated insurance was sharply questioned at the supreme court yesterday. today the justices hear the third and final day of arguments on health care reform. and a wildfire burning south of denver remains out of control this morning and has grown to seven square miles. it's believed two people were killed by the fire and 28 buildings damaged or destroyed. ? syria, president bashar al assad made a rare public appearance in homs. syrian tv shows him yesterday visiting a rebel stronghold destroyed by his troops. the u.n. says syria has accepted a peace plan that does not call for assad to step down. at least 9,000 people have been killed when the revolt began last year. pope benedict wraps up his trip to cuba.

he's holding mass at a shrine of the cuban revolution and scheduled to meet with fidel castro. we have more on the pope's visit. >> reporter: the pope smiles after he left a meeting with havana with cuban president raul castro. they said there would be no political changes on the island nation. pope benedict has been pushing for greater freedom for all cubans. he visited a sanctuary dedicated to the nation's patron saint. he told a crowd there he's praying for those who suffer and those who are deprived of freedom. the pope is also praying for renewal of the catholic faith here in cuba. his presence has made for a spiritual and literal homecoming for those who have left the island. >> i feel like i'm home. i feel like i never left. i come from a very catholic traditional family in cuba. >> reporter: she left cuba when she was 4 years old.

she returned for the first time with her son, carlos. >> being here is a dream. it's become a reality. >> reporter: the miami arch die oe archdieocese organized it and he presided over mass in the havana cathedral. >> being here, participating in mass, underscoring the fact that cuban people remain one people. >> reporter: the pope will share that sacrament of unity when he celebrates an open-air mass with tens of thousands of followers. cbs news, havana, cuba. provides recommendation from hurricane conference in orlando, florida, a consumer group says if you live in a hurricane zone, don't bother taping your windows. they say it gives a false sense of security and puts you in more danger. instead they suggest using hurricane shutters or impact-resistant windows. good information there.

coming up after your local news on "cbs morning news," the increased use of surveillance drones here in the u.s. i'm betty nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." of america's number-one puppy food brand? with dha and essential nutrients also found in mother's milk. purina puppy chow. is another way to look at the bean. another way that reveals the lighter, mellower side of our roast. introducing delicious new starbucks blonde roast. the lighter roast perfected. ♪

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four minutes before 5:00 on a wednesday morning. marty is over in the first warning weather center. >> well, but it is very very please apartment out pleasant out there right now. 42 degrees right now, a difference of six from yesterday morning, about 43 now, 72 at lunch on its way to a high of 77 degrees today. don take it away. >> thank you very much. here is what we have got our eye on you, the governor hosting school principals, stressing the importance of breakfast for students. lawmakers pushing to put the redistricting map on the ballot

and the annual elephant brunch and the lexington market. already making news the medical history made here, a groundbreaking procedure expected to improve the lives of people. the parents of trayvon martin and protesters from here head to capitol hill, their message to congress and the university of maryland's women's basketball team takes the court with a shot at the final 4 on the line. final 4 on the line. more news, your ,,,,,,

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this is wjz tv, wjz hd, and wjz.com, baltimore. >> good morning, maryland. now don scott, marty bass, and the latest breaking news from wjz's news team, your first warning weather, and wjz traffic control with sharon gibala. it's wjz, maryland's news station.