drill, baby drill. president obama's decision to open vast new tracks of the coast lean 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" 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. coast lean to offshore oil drilling. the announcement yesterday

surprised just about everyone including now anxious i didn't 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. coast lean 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 ones for sell 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 mile prs florida, and on the north coast of alaska. the ban would remany in place on the north atlantic coast, the west coast and am has came's bringstal 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 have i that's not compatible we think with beaches an coastlines. >> reporter: there is mixed reaction from others as well. >> we start with one area it will crust 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 5i78ed5i78aimed at closing global warming. and it will probably be years before any new krilling starts. study 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 thigh are 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 raginge inging pawtuxet river. the river crested almost 21 feet, 12 feet above flood level. in jew it city, connect can you tell, 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 sill need waders to get around. like post of road islands, officials here are dealing with flooded sewage systems and electrical substations. >> we're looking at now probably the worst storm is 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 sill weeks away. whit johnson cbs news west warwick, road islands. and now to the child abuse

scandal troubling the roman catholic church during this holiest week of the christian calendar. they see it as a test for him as the church. it will be a test in court, as well. lawyers have already filed lawsuits for alleged victims of brooesly abuse naming the pope and claiming a church coverup. scott roader the anti-abortion rights activist who killed an abortion doctor last year will be sentenced today in wichita, kansas. he's 5 # and gunned down doctor george tiller in his wech take church in may and was convicted of first-degree murder. he faces a minimum sentence of life in press on.ison. prosecutors with an him to serve at least 52 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 allege lid 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 its hutaree or christian warrior. a federal judge has rule that had federal investigation if a et tors broke the law in 2004 when they tapped the phone conversation of an islamic charity and two lawyers without a search warnts. the ruling in san francisco focuses narrowly on a single case but it's would ily viewed as a repudiation of the bush administration's use of warrantless wiretaps to track possible terror suspectses. on the cbs "moneywatch," stocks in asia got a big boost this morning. ashley morrison is here in new good morning to you. clients 1.5%, hong kong hang sang about a percent higher.

wall street gets the weekly jobless claim numbers and a new report on construction spending. wednesday stocks fell. after a surprise drop in private sector jobs. the dow nearly 51 points while the major auto companies report monthly sales numbers today. analysts betting most companies will post gains. we heard from toyota at new york's auto show. a top executive said incentives pushed sales 40% higher in march. amazon bracing for the ipad. the retailers struck new e book pricing deals with two major publish is days before apple's launch of the new tablet computer expected to take business away from kindle. dema apple already made similar deals. home buyer tax credit expires at the end of april sparked a rush in mortgage applications

last week. industry reports says home loan applications rose 7%. largest number of applications since october 2009. and this is census day the government hopes you will return the forms. there are scam artists sending out fony forms to try to steal your personal information. the paper work will never ask for your social security number, bank account information or signature. if you think you are scammed contact your bank credit bureaus and local authorities. everybody could be a scam. you have to be careful. just ahead on the morning news fbi joins the search for a colorado girl. i joins the search for a colorado girl >> campaign to give ronald mcdonald the boot. mcdonald the poot. but first, katie couric has a preview of tonight's "cbs

evening news." >> she used to call the city streets home about you 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." 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. this season, there are more reasons than ever... 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.

♪♪♪ (female announcer) if you want to slim them down, wear them out, or clean them up you can find exactly what you need during the petsmart solutions sale. save up to 20% on hundreds of items! right now, at petsmart. i needed more customers, so i got my nephew to build a website. i hired someone to make my website... five months ago. we are building a website by ourselves. announcer: there's an easier way. create your own small-business site with intuit websites. just choose a style that fits your business and customize, publish and get found in three easy steps. sweet. all from just $4.99 a month, get a 30-day free trial at intuit.com.

former first lady barbara bush is home from the hospital. the 84-year-old wife of barbara bush is home from the hospital. doctors say she may have had a mile relapse of graves disease. a thyroid condition for which she was treated in 1989. in colorado the fbi is helping police in is search for a missing 12-year-old girl. she left home to attend a friend's birthday party but never arrived. caylee had no history of running away. the clown get up in the shock of red hair are instantly recognizable around the world.

ronald mcdonald's is under attack from the food police. sandra hughes reports. >> reporter: this clon got a lot of smiles outside mcdonald's. his distant cousin is under fire. the icon of fast food for nearly half a century. . >> it's a real shocker. >> reporter: the same watchdog group that sent joe camel packing for marketing cigarettes to children is after mcdonald's mascot, he is targeting kids and feeding in to the epidemic of childhood obesity. >> the group conducted its poll and found nearly half of those surveyed say ronald should go. about a dozen protests took place at mcdonald's across the country. so far they are shrugging it off at corporate headquarters.

the company said ronald is the beloved brand ambassador for mcdonald's. he is a symbol of a charity the ronald mcdonald's house started in 1974 with one house for the families of sick children. it is now grown to 271 houses in 30 countrys. asking for ronald to go away maybe difficult. >> you might as well boycott everybody. >> those looking to get rid of the clown say they have a waited case, he promoted unhealthy hamburgers and fries since 1963 and well passed retirement age. a former teacher allowing -- the video was shown at his

trial. grisby said he was helping a student during the 68 second performance in december of 2008. a texas grand jury declined to indict a deputy who shocked a 72-year-old grandmother with a taser after he dared him to do it. police dash cam video shows katheryn stopped in may for doing 60 miles per hour in a 45 miles per hour zone near austin. she got out of her car and argued with the officer and defied him to shock her. him to shock her. a police investigation found the deputy did not violate county policies. straight ahead your thursday morning weather, also in sports, lookout, 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.

woman: but gps changed our lives. turbotax does the same thing for our taxes. it answers tough questions in simple language getting us to our maximum refund. guaranteed. announcer: try turbotax now. ♪♪ special k protein shakes -- ♪♪ a truly great-tasting breakfast shake. with 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber it's the creamy, delicious way to satisfy... your hunger to help you lose weight. ♪♪ so you can kick the tin can habit. try special k protein shakes today. ♪ ♪ [ woman ] nine iron, it's almost tee-time. time to face the pollen that used to make me sneeze,

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 in c new york 64. chicago partly cloudy, 76. denver thunderstorms, 62. los angeles showers 59. time for a check on the national forecasts the latest satellite picture shows clouds scattered across much of the west. a nice morning around the south and southeast and northern plains looking at cloudy skies. today scattered showers popping

up across the southwest. northeast continues to dryout. 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 lakers including five, 3- pointers. in the fourth quarter tempers flared after an elbow to the head. the hawks held bryant to 8 points in the second half and won it 109-92. new jersey gnash scored 24 points with 14 assists for the suns. richardson added 23. phoenix beat the mets 116-105, james scored 23 to lead the cavaliers over the bucks 101- 98. james had bad news for team u.s.a. saying he will be too busy to play if the world church champs this summer. in spring training baseball a scary moment for span and his ma'am.

the feeler smacked a sharp foul ball in to the stands in tampa and shocked when it hit his mother in the chest. things looked bad for a moment. she left briefly and returned saying 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. a wave of popularity.

on the morning news, here is a look at today's weather. scattered rain and snow showers developing across the northern plains and rockies, remaining dry and mild in the southeast and the northeast and northwest will be dry and pleasant. northwest will be dry and pleasant. here is another look at this morning's top storys the stopple is over but the historic flooding goes on in the northeast. 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. michelle obama is back in her garden urging kids to eat healthy and watch budding crops of vegetables grow. one thing that's grying is the fist lady's popularity. first lady's that's growing is the first lady's popularity. >> reporter: the first lady and preteen planters added to the white house garden, which weathered weather under the covering. 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 michelle obama is enjoying the kind of pap lairty her of

popularity her husband would jump through hoops for. ecessors at similar points in their she has settled on the signature issue, childhood obesity. using her clout to chide grocery manufacturers. >> we ned you to step it up. >> reporter: hula hooping to show children how easy it is to get exercise. >> i love the way mrs. obama stressed the simple things people can change to make a huge difference in their lives. >> reporter: she has taken fashion risks yes, but political risks too. addressing the issue of race. >> kids would say you talk funny. you talk like a white girl. >> this is a solvable issue. >> reporter: she hasn't been afraid to get her hands dirty. seems to have gone over well with most americans. ave gone over well with most

americans. y cord on the early show a preview of ipad tablet computer. computer. i'm bianca solorzano. this is the "cbs morning news." hey! - increase in 6 months. - pete, back it up! ( marker squeaking ) when business travel leaves you drained re-charge with comfort suites. spacious rooms free hi-speed internet and free hot breakfast. comfort suites. power up. now stay two separate times with comfort suites... or any choice hotel and earn a free night. book at choicehotels.com. ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] kids who don't eat breakfast may not be getting the nutrition they need to keep their bodies strong. a nutritious start to the day is essential. ♪ ♪ that's why carnation instant breakfast essentials supplies the nutrients of a balanced breakfast. so kids get the protein and calcium they need to help build

strong muscles and healthy bones. carnation instant breakfast essentials. good nutrition from the start. each of the brave men and women in our nation's all-volunteer armed forces have made a commitment to protect us and our freedoms. many of them will return from the war on terror with missing limbs severe burns or traumatic brain injuries. back home, these soldiers will begin a new battle, the often difficult journey to get their lives back on track. the wounded warrior project was created to help and support these injured heroes through programs that deliver needed supplies to their hospital bedsides and through services that bring together veterans who have faced similar injuries and issues to support each other during their recovery. the wounded warrior project's motto is "the greatest casualty is being forgotten." regardless of your position on the war these brave men and women deserve our support. please consider the many ways that you could get involved. to learn more, call...

or visit woundedwarriorproject.org. don't say that. that's not true. left-handed people are a little bit more creative. [laughter] i'm gonna say nothing. [telephone ringing] mom: you left-handed people are smart. they are, mom! do we have to eat that? dad, do you want me to get the phone? mom: no. announcer: every year, one million families face losing their homes to foreclosure. if you're ignoring your mortgage issues things will only get worse. call 1-888-995-hope. because nothing is worse than doing nothing. two of three suspects arrested in connection with tuesday's night's drive by shooting were arraigned last night. orlando carter and nathaniel sims are charged with three

counts of first degree murder a 4-year-old boy is accused of driving the vehicle. police are looking for a fourth suspect four people were killed and five injured in the shooting. stems from a dispute over a breakup. a leeping think clean up in rhode island, flooding caused damage and forced hundreds of evacuations. the river isn't expected to reseed until saturday. good morning. >> better today, temperatures will be in the 70s. the upper 70s. close to 80. gorgeous out there. starting not too bad this morning either. check out the temperatures in to arlington, 50 degrees, washington 50, more of the same springfield and the temperatures are going to be on up the and up as we go through today and also as we head in to the weekend we could see 80s. how is the traffic? few construction projects going on. that's how we kick things off.

on the inner loop in particular, that's where we have road crews at van doren to the shoulder. and inner loop closed at 9 5- 395 because of road crews. we have construction going on near the dw parkway exit and northbound 95 maryland, more road crews. no way to tell if the nationals improved after 103 loss nightmare. the organization wants you to know they improved all aspects of the game day experience. sara walsh has more. >> reporter: rolling out the red carpet for fans this season. you are looking at one of two new areas where ticketholders will enter in to the stadium, the plan to enhance the fan experience. players spend a month and a half in florida reprayering preparing for the season but at

the ballpark plans are all year long. >> there is so many entertainment venues and destinations. >> reporter: among the notable changes seats removed to add tables to the red porch area. it's not the only place to kick back. the score board walk includes outdoor bar and lounge furniture for a miami feel. >> we wanted to create a experience where people would have to not only stand up but sit down and relax. >> this is a with the pound pretty sell. it's the victory knot. the grilled vegetable wrap. salad. yogurt parfait. grilled vegetable sandwich is available. >> reporter: first 20,000 through the gates are going to get hat, before you get in to the stadium and put your feet up in the lounge area, the nationals and metro want you the be forewarned traffic will be heavy, expect standing room

only on the green line. two economy parking lots blocks from the stadium, costing you 5 or $10 because there is no shuttle from rfk. you've been warned. sara walsh, 9 sports now. good morning, welcome to 9 news now. today is thursday, no fooling, april 1st today. we begin withey net. >> reporter: gorgeous, if you liked yesterday you are going to love today. forecasting today close to 80 degrees. get out and enjoy that. temperatures right now not too bad. coming in around 50 in to washington. gaithersburg 45