crisis in syria. the assad government refuses to implement a cease-fire plan. and the u.s. warns the turmoil may spread. living longer. it may not be what you eat or how you live. it may be your genes. and plan "b." a confounded contestant in the national spelling a unique answer. >> q-r-s-z-3-quatro--f-l-b -- >> this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, may 31, 2012. good morning, everybody. i'm terrell brown. we begin with syria and efforts

to end the 15-month assault to against forces opposed to president bashar al assad. the bbc reports rebel leaders have given the government until tomorrow to observe the u.n. cease-fire plan. if not, opposition forces will no longer be bound by the agreement. and the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. says the security council cannot syria to end the bloodshed. other actions outside the u.n. may be necessary. susan mcginnis in washington with more. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. there's new video out by rebel forces that apparently shows new attacks by the government. now, this all has lawmakers here on capitol hill calling for action on the part of the u.s. smoke rises from rooftops in homs. syrian rebels say this amateur video is proof government troops have no intention of halting attacks on civilians. the shelling follows the new discovery of 13 bodies in eastern syria and the massacre of more than 100 people in houla

last week. president al assad refuses to implement the united nations peace plan and blames the violence on terrorists. but u.n. monitors say forces loyal to the government are responsible. >> we think there needs to be justice and accountability for those who committed these atrocities. >> reporter: the white house imposed new economic sanctions on a syrian bank and ordered embassy diplomats to leave the u.s., but some republicans and democrats on capitol hill say military intervention is necessary. senator john mccain has been calling for u.s.-led air strikes. >> other dangers and risks and uncertainties in this approach, absolutely. there are no ideal options in syria. >> reporter: another option is to arm the rebels, but lawmakers say that also comes with risks. >> i'm not one that believes we should be arming the rebels right now. we're having a difficult time of getting a complete picture of who they are. >> reporter: rebels released a

video, giving syria 48 hours to comply with the u.n. cease plan or face consequences. now, syria has a pair of very influential allies, china and russia. both of them oppose any action and even any u.n. penalty. >> susan mcginnis in washington, thank you. seattle police say the alleged gunman who shot and killed five people have taken his own life. the suspect's brother says he was mentally ill and that it was no surprise that this happened. theresa garcia has details. >> reporter: seattle police say the bearded man in this surveillance photo open fire shortly after walking into this seattle cafe near the university of washington wednesday morning. about a minute later, he's seen standing alone amid overturned stools, holding what appears to be a gun in his left hand. >> a very mellow cafe. there's lots of artists there and musical performances and that kind of thing. it's the last place you would expect for something like this to happen. >> reporter: while police were looking for the gunman they say

he fatally shot a woman during a carjacking in downtown seattle. the stolen suv was found abandoned with a gun on the seat. while police were speaking to reporters, word came of a third shooting involving police and a man fitting the description of the gunman in a neighborhood near where the stolen car was found. >> the suspect saw uniformed officers. he apparently knelt down in the middle of the street and put the gun to his head and shot himself. >> reporter: police say preliminary finding suggest all three shootings are connected. seattle is in the midst of a wave of gun violence. city and police officials are asking for help. >> it's going to take a full partnership with the community to end the culture violence with where young men think it's okay to resolve disputes with violence, including guns. >> reporter: it's not yet june and the city has almost matched the number of homicides reported in all of 2011.

theresa garcia, cbs news. the arch diocese of milwaukee admits it had a formal policy to pay suspected poed pedophile priests to leave the ministry. it was formulated under arch bishop timothy dolan. priests would take $20,000 to return. one group of survivors says the payments are nothing more than payoff and bonuses for priests who abuse children. if all goes as planned the world's first commercially operated spaceship will return to earth today. it is expected to leave this morning and splash down in the pacific ocean. it's been docked at the station for six days, carrying 1500 pounds of supplies to the crew. "cbs moneywatch" on a thursday morning. signs of a slowdown. bank trouble is sending shivers through the world's economy. ashley morrison here with that and morning. good morning. >> if you are wondering why stock markets around the world are trembling this week, look no further than spain.

the fourth largest bank needed a $24 billion loan from spain's government. the concern is other spanish banks may need similar assistance and spain's government may not be able to bail them out which would deepen the debt crisis. overseas nikkei lost more than 1%, hitting its lowest level since january. while hong kong's hang seng was down about 0.5%. the worries over europe have wiped out most of the gains on wall street this year. and on wednesday they triggered another selloff. the dow lost 160 points while the nasdaq fell 33. meanwhile, slowdown in europe is sending oil prices even lower. they've fallen below $88 a barrel. the good news is that will likely translate to lower gas prices. later today we'll get the labor department's report on weekly jobless claims ahead of friday's monthly unemployment report. economists expect employers added 150,000 jobs in may, but that the unemployment rate will remain unchanged at 8.1%.

sales of homes in foreclosure or process were up in the first quarter of this year. the increase in foreclosure sales could be an indication that overall home prices will continue to go down. not great news there, terrell, for the housing market but if you're in the market to buy a home, it's good news for you. >> weep keep watching. ashley morrison here in new york. thank you. this morning more than 1,000 firefighters are battling the largest wildfire in new mexico history. the wildfire has burned more than 265 square miles of the gila national forest and continues to grow. it formed las week when two fires merged. at least a dozen homes have been destroyed. a mishap on runway at chicago's o'hare airplane. a cargo plane clipped the tail of a commuter plane. it was taxiing to the gate yesterday when the wing of a 747 clipped its rudder. there were 21 people aboard the american eagle flight. three crew members on the cargo jet. to one was injured.

coming up, living past 100, the secret behind so-called superagers may lie in their genes. this is the morning news. g news. ♪ [ instrumental ] [ girl ] when i started playing soccer, i wasn't so good. [ barks ] so me and sadie started practicing. we practiced a lot. now i've got some moves! [ crowd cheering ] spin kick! whoo-hoo! [ giggling ] [ announcer ] we know how important your dog is to your whole family. so help keep him strong and healthy with purina dog chow. because you're not just a family. you're a dog family. my system gets why out of sorts it? but that comes with age, right? just because we're in that over 50... what does that mean? are we done?

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the people in this tavern are about to get an unpleasant surprise. can you believe it? an out of control pickup truck smashes through the wall and slams into the bar. it happened yesterday afternoon north of st. paul, minnesota. six people were hurt, including three pinned between the pickup and the bar, and the driver, a 51-year-old woman, who had to be pried out of the truck. all are expected to survive. unreal. a bill passed by the house of representatives will boost the fda's power to keep tainted drugs made overseas out of the u.s. market. the bill approved on yesterday a near unanimous vote is also aimed at speeding at approval promise for promising new medications but the top concern is the rise of counterfeit drugs like two batches of fake avastin, a cancer drug that

reached the u.s. this year from the middle east. here in the big apple, a proposal to ban super size sodas. new york city wants to ban the sell of soda pop and other sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces. it's an effort to combat obesity. the ban, the first of its kind in the nation, could take effect next march and apply to sweet drinks sold in restaurants, movie theaters and other public places. we're told what we drink and eat can determine how healthy we are and subsequently how long we live but for those lucky enough to make it to extreme old age, things like diet and exercise may not matter. dr. jon lapook explains. >> reporter: how old are you? >> 107 on september 9th. >> reporter: irving used to pass through central park on his way to school. what did you see along the way? >> things you would never see. cows, sheep on the lawn. >> reporter: he still goes to work every day, keeping tabs on the financial firm he built with his family. his sister, named happy, lived to be 109.

his baby brother peter is 105. >> i wanted to talk to you about aztec -- >> reporter: this is tom, his 69-year-old son. >> we think it's normal. we've always lived with it so it doesn't appear to us to be so extraordinary. >> reporter: but it is. they are part of ashkenazi jews, those from eastern europe, who live unusually long, healthy lives. this is irma daniel, 104 and lily port, 98, caught the attention of researchers who dubbed them super agers. dr. nir barzilai at the albert ion steen college of medicine has been studying them. >> we're trying to find out what are those biological components that make us age at different rates. >> reporter: healthy lifestyle is not the key to the exceptional longevitity seen among superagers. 60% of the men, including irving, smoked at some point. fewer than half exercise on a regular basis. and they don't eat particularly healthy diets. what's your favorite food?

>> rare hamburger. and good cheese. >> reporter: they discovered people who live to be 100 are more than twice as likely to have a certain variant of a gene called cetp. it helps control cholesterol and protects against heart deez ais and dementia. irving khan has that gene. have you ever had a heart attack? >> no. >> reporter: have you ever had a stroke? >> no. >> reporter: have you ever had any operation? >> no. >> reporter: the doctor says the future lies in developing drugs that could give everyone what superagers have naturally. >> then we can really prevent all the age-related diseases that are making life so miserable for the elderly. >> reporter: what do you want your legacy to be? >> worth knowing, worth being associated with. not a bad fellow. if i borrowed money, i paid it back. >> reporter: if he helps

scientists find the keys to a longer live, his legacy will be even richer. dr. jon lapook, cbs news. i'm getting a greasy hal hamburger and french fries after the show. up next, your thursday morning weather. in sports, overtime for celtics and heat in game two for the nba championships series in miami. [ male announcer ] there are only so many foods that make kids happy. and even fewer that make moms happy too. with wholesome noodles and bite sized chicken, nothing brings you together like chicken noodle soup from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. like chicken noodle soup from campbell's. we charge everything else... maybe it's time to recharge the human battery. only the beautyrest recharge sleep system combines the comfort of aircool memory foam layered on top of

beautyrest pocketed coils to promote proper sleeping posture all night long. the revolutionary recharge sleep system from beautyrest... it's you, fully charged. right now, receive two free recharge pillows with the purchase of select beautyrest mattresses. a dad will get a screening. ♪ a little one will get a vaccine. and a teen will talk with the doc. ♪ right now, millions of americans are using their preventive benefits from the health care law. you can, too. not just because there may be no insurance copays or out-of-pocket costs. but because of all those tomorrows you want to see. use your benefits today. learn more at healthcare.gov. a look at the weather in some cities around the country. sunny and 81 in new york. thunderstorms, 89 in miami.

rain in chicago, 58 degrees. strong thunderstorms, 84 in dallas. partly cloudy in los angeles, 81 degrees. let's check your national forecast. scattered showers and thunderstorms will reach from central oklahoma and texas across the southeast and north along the mississippi valley to lower ohio valley and southern great lakes. severe storms are possible from eastern texas to the tennessee valley. heavy rain is likely from missouri to southern indiana. mostly dry in the northeast. and the west except for showers in the pacific northwest. in sports this morning, an overtime finish in game one of the stanley cup finals. on new jersey ice, king's kopitar scored on a breakaway faking a backhand shot and then slamming a forehand past goalie martin brodeur for a 2-1 victory. the kings have won all nine of their road games in the playoffs, an nhl record. they're three wins awhy from their first stanley cup title. in game two of the nba eastern conference finals, boston at miami, head to overtime as well.

lebron james scored 34 points and grabbed 10 rebound, but a last-second miss left the score tied 99-99. overtime, wade cranks it up scoring with a drive and a dunk and an off-balance shot for a three-point play. miami won to lead the series 2-0. game three is friday in boston. to baseball now. seattle at texas and this got ugly. mariners hitters smashed three home runs in the second and third innings. seattle up 14-0 and it was not over. in the eighth, the mariners smoak hits his second three-run homer of the game. seattle won it 2 1-8. the long balls in denver, rockies right fielder michael cuddyer got it started with a grand slam in the bottom of the first. carlos gonzalez hit homers in three straight at-bats in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings. the rockies pounded the astros 13-5. and there was joy in wrigleyville as svarny smacked a

two-run homer into left center bleachers in the bottom of the ninth. good for an 8-6 walkoff win and a sweep of the padres. french open goes on today but without the william sisters. venus williams lost second round match on wednesday one day after serena's first round defeat. in 43 grand slam events, this is only the fifth in which neither reached the quarterfinals. on the men's side, roger federer won his 234th grand slam match, topping jimmy connors, but it took him four hard-fought sets to get that done. when we come back on a thursday morning, the buzz at this year's national spelling beer. all eyes on a 6-year-old girl making history. but a michigan boy fills the show with the word he got wrong. hershey's air delight. experience light and airy, melty bubbles. made from pure, delicious hershey's milk chocolate. hershey's air delight.

mears a look at the day's here's a look at today's forecasts. d.c., mostly sunny, 81. thunderstorms, 91 in atlanta. thunderstorms in st. louis, 68. sunny in denver, 70 degrees.

showers, 67 in seattle. the government of poland is outraged over what the white house calls a simple misstatement by president obama. on tuesday mr. obama presented the u.s. medal of freedom posthumousy to a polish soldier resistance to nazi germany during world war ii but he mistakenly referred to a nazi death camp a polish death camp. they called it regretly but they accused mr. obama of ignorance and demanding a formal apology. to a story about a dream come true for brian banks, the former california high school football star convicted of rape and spent more than five years in prison. his name was cleared last week after his accuser admitted she lied. now 26, banks says his dream was to get a shot at the nfl. and yesterday the seattle seahawks said they'll give him a tryout next week.

and 50 spellers advance to the semifinals today of the scripps national spelling bee. the youngest participant to ever qualify, 6-year-old lori anne madison of virginia is not among them. yesterday she misspelled the word ingluvies. jack pasche used another tragedy when he got stuck. >> idiosyncratically. i-o-i-r-s-z-3-quatro--f-l-b-r-q. idiosyncratically. >> went out with style. that could have been really bad. turned out to be really awesome. good for him. the 13-year-old might at least have a future in comedy. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning,"

fashion designer tommy hill fillinger. i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news." i've been crisscrossing the gulf for the past two years now. i can tell you, down here, people measure commitment by what's getting done. i'm mike utsler, and it's my job to make sure we keep making progress in the gulf. the twenty billion dollars bp committed has helped fund economic and environmental recovery. another fourteen billion dollars has been spent on response and cleanup. long-term, bp's made a five hundred million dollar commitment to the gulf of mexico research initiative... to support ten years of independent scientific research on the environment. results will continue to be shared with the public. and we're making sure people know that the gulf is open for business - the beaches are beautiful, the seafood is delicious. last year, many areas even reported record tourism seasons. the progress continues, but that doesn't mean our job is done.

bp's still here, and we're still committed to seeing this through.

4 minutes before 5:00. real nice. marty is in the weather center. >> we may actually see a little bit of fog here before too long. it's not a huge concern. it's in the upper 60s to 70s. 82 at lunch going to a high in the mid 80s. here is what our eye on today -- what we have our eye on today. prince george's round table talking about domestic violence. >> the ravens hole -- hole their 4th -- hold their 4th annual scholarship function. >> the search for a missing man coming to a horrible end. who police have in custody. >> the campaign consultant

speaks exclusively to wjz about a $1 million judgement him. >> the new push to bring jobs back to baltimore county. more news, first warning weather and your first traffic report of the morning in a couple of minutes. 3q on average 5,000 people a day switch from cascade to finish - over two million so far. with finish quantum you get incredibly clean, sparkling dishes without rinsing first. see for yourself why millions have switched. join the finish revolution.

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that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios it is 5 o'clock. that is a nice look at the