a new bill that will prevent a back log of rape kits from happening again is giving rape victims new hope. a car maker is expanding its takata airbag recall by thousands. the jury selection continues in the hogan versus gawker sex tape trial. good morning and welcome to "10 news early morning." i'm allison kropff. lets get a look at #10weather with meteorologist bobby

there's new hope for thousands of rape victims-- who's evidence kits have for thousands of rape victims-- who's evidence kits have sat untested while they're attacker remains free. governor rick scott says he'll sign a new bill-- that will prevent "similar backlogs"-- from happening again. 10 news reporter isabel mascarenas explains-- how it will help rape victims heal. 13-thousand rape kits holding valuable evidence-- untested.leaving many florida cases 15-hundred are from the bay area. is a national epidemic. we know we had to do something can't put a price on public safety." a new bill waiting the governor's signature will keep this back log from

sot..1:22:25 "what it does is it insures timely testing of evidence collection kits. it also gives victims a voice." the bill requires local law enforcement to submit sexual assault evidence kits within 30 days.the state has 120 days to process. sot..1:28:57 "we hold the evidence for a year." that extra time-- says kathleen kempe, director of sexual assault services for the crisis center of tampa bay ---gives victims the chance to file a report. once they file---the evidence goes into a national data base.and it's used to solve old crimes and help prevent new ones. sot...bondi...1:00 "if you can help one person it's worth it." sot.1:31:44...kathle en... "people will know if you do it again you'll get caught." in response to the new legislation, state attorney general pam bondi says "i have seen first-hand the heartache caused by sexual predators, and this legislation is a significant step toward .. justice and helping victims heal." governor scott pledged to find the 32 million dollars needed to clear up the back log of rape kits. standup. "but where will the governor

the governor's office says they will first have to review the final budget. as for senate bill 636, we're told the governor plans on signing it. in tampa isabel mascarenas 10 news wtsp." once the governor signs the bill, it should also mean the addition of highly-skilled, high- paying jobs in crime labs. if you drive a toyota or lexus, you'll want to pay attention to this story. toyota is expanding its takata airbag recall by almost 200-thousand cars! it now includes 2008 corolla and corolla matrix models and 2008 to 2010 lexus s-c-430 cars. the recall involves the front passenger air bag inflators -- that may rupture when the airbag goes off. takata air bags have been linked to eight deaths and are the subject of the largest auto recall ever. today is day 3 of jury selection in the hogan versus gawker sex tape

hogan is suing the website for 100 million dollars. on wednesday attorneys for both sides of the case -- questioned 35 of the potential 109 jurors left. they will narrow them down to a jury of nine people. since a local celebrity is the focus of the case -- it can sometimes be difficult to find an "un-biased opinion." gawker reps say they hope to have a jury selected by tonight. time now is . let's take a look at headlines around the nation and the world in 60 seconds. think you could hack the pentagon? well-- you'll get your chance starting in april! the defense department will allow "vetted and approved hackers"-- to test the nation's most sensitive military networks. and you might even get paid! the pentagon says the program is the best way to keep-up on cyber security. it's the first big case for the supreme court -- since the death of justice "antonin scalia"-- involving a texas "abortion clinic" law. some say it violates a woman's right to an abortion while others argue-- it protects women's health. justice anthony kennedy holds the key --if the court will split "four to four." in alaska-- the iditarod will shorten its "ceremonial start"

snow! the normal 11-mile route -- has been reduced to just 3-miles. warm weather has melted a lot of the snow. the railroad is bringing in snow from hundreds of miles away to make sure there's enough on the streets. the famous "one- thousand mile" race will start sunday. as you consider your choice for 2016, the super tuesday fallout is in full swing this morning. right now republican donald trump and democrat hillary clinton are in clear control of the presidential primary races. but the division is growing within the republican party. ted cruz calling for his colleagues to rally around him and both cruz and trump saying marco rubio should just drop out after a bad showing on super tuesday. here's the latest: ben carson says he sees "no political path forward" signaling an end to his campaign. donald trump walked away with victories in 7 states, ted cruz got 3 and marco rubio won 1, minnesota. hillary clinton took 7 states compared to bernie sanders 4. and new this morning, clinton's local campaign office opened in tampa.

political spectrum, if you're on the fence about who you want to vote for this election, 10news political reporter mark rivera explains how a new interactive tool can help you make your choice. it's called "voter guru" .... and it's the hot new site... ...that's kind of like match.com for picking the president. ok... it works by tracking the voting records and public statements that each of the candidates running for president have made like... it's simple...

a series of policy questions with your opinion... very liberal to very conservative. pick the issues that are most important to you... and boom! it shows you the face of the candidate you most closely align with. is it who you thought? just head to voter dot guru to find out. and get this, on super tuesday, google searches for "how can i move to canada?" increased by 350-percent! the last time searches for that phrase were that high was in november 2004, around when george w. bush was re-elected. a familiar face is joining studio 10 live! 10 news is happy to announce former bucs receiver michael clayton is now part of our team.

hosted several shows with stephanie webb. super bowl week.. they interviewed.. earl christy.. a former new york jet. now michael is joining stephanie permanently. you can see them weekday mornings at 9-o-clock-- on 10 news. coming up at 5 on 10 news this morning, after spending a record amount of time in space, astronaut scott kelly is finally back home in the u-s. a georgia store clerk takes matters into her own hands when an armed man tries to steal money from the cash register. the oracle team u-s-a has a bit of a mishap in bermuda while practicing for a big race. still to come here on 10 news early morning, new information about going gray? who scientists say is to blame. and it's the little things that mean the most at a rehab

did you know there's a cough liquid that lasts for twelve hours? liquid. its advanced formula releases powerful medicine that acts fast i'm gonna take mucinex too late, we're about to take off. these dissolve fast. they're new liquid gels. and you're coming with me... you realize i have gold status? mucinex sinus-max liquid gels. dissolves fast to unleash max strength medicine.

want crime off your streets. but sometimes the punishment doesn't fit the crime. a polk county man is spending 20 years in prison for firing a warning shot in self defense and aggravated assault. he fell under florida's "10-20-life" law enacted in 1999. and just last week- governor scott signed a bill to remove that offense from the law. but 10 investigates beau zimmer found out this latest move-- won't help people already serving time.

years old in 2006. he was leaving a bar when a group of men surrounded his truck. he fired warning shots into the air, no criminal history. sentenced him to 20 state prison for its been 9 years since the sentence.. one that's also taken its toll on weyant's entire family... especially his

now an uncle... weyant two young nephews... can only visit him in prison. representative neil combee of polk

the law. in late february... governor rick scott signed a bill that aggravated assault 20 life law... so what happened to weyant won't happen to anyone else. but it doesn't help weyant. he still has 11 years left behind bars. after failed post conviction appeals, he says he isn't fighting anymore.

talking a lot more about this controversial law-- and eric's case in the coming days. be sure to join beau for a live webcast today at 4:00 on the 10 news app. we'll be speaking live with eric's father from arizona. what causes gray hair? kids? stress? genetics? turns out, scientists say, gray hair is linked to genetics and the environment. researchers say they've found 18 genes connected with graying hair, so if anything - you can blame your parents! rehab patients returned to tampa general hospital this week to visit with the people who helped put their

thought they'd return to normal lives. 10 news reporter bobby lewis is on the road with the touching reunions. you know the old saying. nats door when one door closes. another opens. nat sot "we have the sickest patients who come to rehab. strokes, brain injuries.." but sometimes looking back helps you move forward. testimonies many days at tampa general hospital are about troubles. today .testimony "the food here was terrible but the care was great" . is about triumphs. nats walk on stage a brain hemhorage should have kept zach ward from walking the stage at graduation. rehab at tgh made it possible. sot "about a year and a half ago i couldn't even roll over in bed on my own and to be

talking to you now without a cane, without a wheelchair, this place was a means to getting my life back." this rehab reunion between patients and therapists gives everyone a chance to catch up. tgh does it twice a year. to see the power of persistence and healing from a hug. sot mariah "i think it means hope. testimony #####otr##### "on the road in tampa - bobby lewis, 10news wtsp" zach ward's therapist walked step by step with him across the stage at graduation last november. he is now working on his masters degree in theology. tampa general used to do just one rehab reunion per

stories, they had to expand it to two per year. coming up the tampa bay rays helped a military dad surprise his kids. how they reacted when they saw him, ahead. here's a look at what's coming up on 10 news and c-b-s tonight. starting at 8:00, the big bang theory, followed by life in pieces at 8:30. at 9:00, mom. at 9:30, two broke girls. at 10:00, elementary. then tune in to 10 news at 11. don't forget to stay up for the late show with stephen colbert and his guests actor christopher meloni and medal of honor recipient edward

military father surprise his kids. u-s navy seabee patrick jackson was home between deployments. his two kids took part in the ceremonial first pitch -- without knowing their dad -- was the catcher. his kids were stunned to see him,

home. coming up on 10 news this morning, with the florida the corner, marco rubio's campaign tampa, jacksonville and orlando. malaysian authorities are working to figure out whether debris that washed up in africa is from the missing plane m-h- 370. insurance companies are giving buy an apple watch an incentive to pay less for the device. 10 minutes or 30, we need to start your we'll see you back here in 3 minutes. i did everything i could to make her party perfect. almost everything. you know,

but for only $7 a month, rid-x helps break down waste. did you know there's a cough liquid that lasts for twelve hours? try delsym twelve hour cough liquid.

good morning and good morning and welcome to 10 news this morning. i'm allison kropff. and i'm ian reitz. breaking news this morning out of tampa. tampa police are investigating a home invasion. it happened around 2 this morning on west yukon street, that's just south of busch boulevard. here's what we know right now. two people were home at the time when two men forced their way