rick santorum rides a conservative wave to victory in three presidential contests. >> tonight was not just a victory for us, but it was a victory for the voices of our party. chilling call, a social worker's frantic cries for help as josh powell and his sons perish in a fire. and prop 8 ruling. california's ban on same sex marriage is likely headed to the supreme court now that an appeals court found it supreme court now that an appeals court found it unconstitutional. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, february 8, 2012.

good morning everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. the race for the republican nomination has taken another unexpected turn. this time, it was rick santorum who struck a blow to mitt romney's campaign with a sweep of all three nominating contests yesterday. santorum was the winner in colorado, minnesota and missouri. his first wins since eeking out a victory in iowa. susan mcginnis is in washington with details on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning betty. we know one thing for sure. the race for the gop nomination is not over yet. this triple win for rick santorum reenergizes his campaign and it's a wakeup call to mitt romney. rick santorum's campaign is roaring back to life following a stunning three-state sweep. >> wow. >> the former pennsylvania senator scored double digit victories in minnesota and missouri last night and narrowly won in colorado where mitt

romney had been considered the favorite. >> i don't stand here to claim to be the conservative alternative to mitt romney. i stand here to be the conservative alternative to barack obama. >> reporter: for weeks, santorum has trailed in the polls. he skipped the last two contests to campaign aggressively in all three states, hoping for at least one victory. his triple win could throw romney's front-runner status into question. >> i want to congratulate senator santorum, wish him the best. we'll keep on campaigning, but i'll expect to become your nominee with your help. >> the battle for the republican nomination now heads to maine where ron paul is hoping to stage his comeback on saturday. the texas congressman is the only candidate without a win. still, he celebrated a strong second place showing in minnesota. >> when the dust settles, i think there's a very good chance we'll have the maximum number of delegates coming out of

minnesota. >> newt gingrich stayed out of sight as the result were a nouned. he's focused on winning big on super tuesday next month. he'll spend a second day campaigning in ohio where early voting is already under way. remember, mitt romney does remain the front-runner. no delegate were awarded yesterday. the next big high-stakes primary is coming up after maine are in arizona and michigan on the 28th. susan mcginnis in washington. thank you. for more on what santorum's victories mean to the gop race. we turn to senior political reporter for cbs news.com. a big night tore rick santorum on tuesday. he managed a clean sweep in all three states. these are nonbinding state. he's not getting any delegate. but he's getting momentum. there have been eight contests so far. rick santorum can say he's won four of them. mitt romney can't say that. santorum can make a case that

he's a top tier candidate that he, not newt gingrich is the conservative alternative to romney. that donors and his supporters can start to believe that, hey, this guy who was written off just a few weeks ago actually has a shot at the nomination. mitt romney will be turning his guns on santorum, expected to be nasty which is what the obama administration likes to see. i'm brian monday toply, cbs news in new york. authorities release the 911 tapes of the social worker who delivered josh powell's sons to his house. last sunday, powell grabbed the kids, locked and door and set the house on fire. >> do you know if anyone is in the house? >> yes. there was a man and two children. i dropped off the children and he wouldn't let me in the door. people are saying there's not somebody here but there is. there's two little boys in the house. they're five and seven and an adult man, he has supervised visitation and he blew up the house and the kids. >> the kids and the house and

the father were in the house? >> yes. yes, he slammed the door in my face. the kids were one step ahead of me. they're five and seven. they were one step ahead of me and he slammed the door in my face. >> you think he might have done this intentionally? >> he yes. >> powell and the two boys died in that plays. powell's wife susan disappeared in 2009. josh powell a person of interest in the case had lost custody of his sons. utah authority say they believe susan powell is dead. overseas, it is reported that syrian troops are attacking the city of holmes for the fifth straight day. activists report 20 people have been killed. the center for the opposition to the assad regime has been the focal point. the u.s. closed its embassy in syria and 11 countries pulled their ambassadors. yesterdays the russian foreign minister met with president bashir assad in an effort to end the bloodshed.

it looks like the battle over california's ban on same sex marriage is headed to the supreme court. the federal appeals court yesterday ruled against the ban saying it lessens the status and human dignity of gays. edward moore has our report. >> reporter: people outside the federal courthouse in san francisco cheered and hugged after judges ruled california's ban on same sex marriage is unconstitutional. >> overjoyed. we knew in our house that proposition 8 violate the law of love. >> in a 2-1 decision the ninth u.s. circuit court of appeals upheld a ruling that proposition 8 violates of civil rights of gay and lesbian couples. >> plaintiffs filed the lawsuit to fight the ban on same sex marm. there's nothing more important than moving ahead, getting closure, getting rid of prop 8 and rid of discrimination and being able to get married. >> during the time they were legal in 2008, an estimated

18,000 couples tied the knot. but voters put a stop to same sex weddings when they backed proposition 8. >> we'll appeal to the supreme court. >> the project marriage coalition leader. >> we are simply protecting the institution of marriage and its title and definition as between a man and woman. >> for now, it remains on hold until the legal battle plays out. edward lawrence for cbs news, los angeles. coming up, remembering the last hero from world war i. plus, it's the latest thing to come out of vending a machine. emergency contraceptives plan b this is the "cbs morning news." mm-hmm. . happy valentine's day. [ female announcer ] save on select diamond fashion jewelry at kay -- the number one jewelry store in america. ready... [ camera flash ] ♪ every kiss begins with kay with a vial and syringe.

me, explaining what i was doing at breakfast. and me discovering novolog mix 70/30 flexpen. flexpen is pre-filled with your pre-mix insulin. dial the exact dose. inject by pushing a button. no vials, syringes or coolers to carry. flexpen is insulin delivery my way. novolog mix 70/30 is an insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults with diabetes. do not inject if you do not plan to eat within 15 minutes to avoid low blood sugar. tell your healthcare provider about all medicines you take and all of your medical conditions, including if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. most common side effects include reactions at the injection site, weight gain, swelling of your hands and feet, and vision changes. other serious side effects include low blood sugar and low potassium in your blood. get medical help right away if you experience serious allergic reactions, body rash, trouble with breathing, fast heartbeat, sweating, or if you feel faint. i would have started flexpen sooner, but i thought it would cost more. turns out it's covered by my insurance plan. thanks to flexpen, vial and syringe are just a memory.

ask your doctor about novolog mix 70/30 flexpen, covered by 90% of insurance plans, including medicare. find your co-pay at myflexpen.com. but not your wrinkles? neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. its retinol formula visibly reduces wrinkles in just one week. why wait if you don't have to. neutrogena®. how about the beat of a healthy heart? campbell's healthy request soup is delicious, and earned this heart, for being heart healthy. ♪ feel the beat? it's amazing what soup can do. a frietd ening moment at a train station in melbourne, australia as a baby in a stroller rolls across a platform and tumbles on to the track. the panicked mother jumps down

to save her child and some of the onlookers rush to help before a train arrives. the baby was saved and nobody was hurt. thankfully. a key executive who resigned from the komen breast cancer foundation yesterday said she quit because komen backed off its decision to block funding for planned parenthood. karen handle says the reason for the funding cut was misinterpreted as an anti-abortion rights move. komen reversed the decision on friday after three days of fierce criticism from abortion rights supporters and members of congress. another ongoing controversy involves federal policy on contraceptives. some religious colleges and hospitals are protesting a requirement that health insurance for workers and students cover contraception. the white house hopes to compromise, but as wyatt andrews reports, not much common ground. >> for the institute dents at a university in washington, there's no escaping the conflict

of contraception. their church says it's a sin against god but it's most frequently committed. i live with eight girls, seven of the eight take contraception. >> she respect the church's teaching but wants birth control covered in her health insurance. >> it is a good way to prevent unwanted pregnancies and i think that they should -- i think the healthcare should provide it. >> there's been a lot of talk about the obama administration's attack on the catholic church. >> contraception has become a campaign issue for republicans. in january the obama administration ordered all health insurance plans to offer free contraceptive drugs and services starting this summer. >> think what that does to people in faiths who do not share those views. this is a violation of conscence. >> under the new rule, churches would be exempt from covering contra session but colleges would not. john garvey the president of catholic university calls that

mandate an assault on the faith. >> i can't think of another case where, in american law, where a religious institution or a religious individuals have been forced to pay for activities that they themselves believe are sinful. >> most healthcare plans cover some contra accepting. according to surveys, most catholic women use contra accepting. but the administration worried about the catholic vote have signalled that enforcement may not be strict and most charities have an extra year to comply. wyatt andrews, cbs news, washington. the fda may be looking into what may be the only vending machine in the country that dispenses a morning after birth control pill. the university in pennsylvania has had the machine for about two years. but the fda just learned of it recently. students can get plan b morning after pills by inserting 25 bucks. on money watch, americans

are charging at moore and disney's fortunes are on the rise. ashley morrison has more. good morning. >> good morning, betty. overseas market saw a big rally. the nikkei gained more than 1% followed by a strong outlook from toyota. the hang seng finished higher by more than 1.5%. on wall street. the dow jones is inching towards 13,000. it's within 122 points of the mark. the nasdaq added two. greek political leaders will try again today to reach new austerity deal. the measure is needed to secure a $172 billion bailout loan. yesterday, more than 20,000 protesters marched through the streets of athens protesting the talks. a general strike shut down schools, banks and transportation systems. the number of available jobs jumped to nearly a three-year high in december according to the labor department. companies and governments posted

3.38 million jobs in the last month of 2011. that's about a quarter million more jobs than were open in november. another sign of growing confidence in the economy, americans are borrowing and pulling out the plastic more. the federal reserve says consumer borrowing rose more than $19 billion in december. much was spent on credit card purchases and school and car loans. and disney topped earnings forecast thanks in part to attendance at theme parks. profits rose 12% in the fourth quarter. growth in spending at resorts both and overseas i, the movie studio revenue fell because it released fewer films in 2011. betty, this past summer my parents and jack and i went to disney. wow, i was impressed. it's really grown. >> happiest place on earth. >> i was happy. >> ashley morrison here in new york. thank you. she'd rather be in disney right now. a veteran of world war i

died in england. she was 17 when she joined the royal air force in 1918 shortly before the war ended. green is believed to have been the last surviving veteran from either side. she died last weekend in a nursing home. she would have celebrated her 111th birthday later this month. we can start losing muscle -- 8% every 10 years. wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge!

here's a look at the weather in cities around the country today. new york, it will be cloudy, 40

degrees. miami, partly sunny, 81. chicago, cloudy, 33. dallas, partly sunny, 52. l.a., you'll see morning clouds but it will warm up to 72 degrees. time now for a check of the national forecast. the ohio valley will see light rain and snow as a weak storm system moves east. parts of the mid-atlantic states will see light snow with showers in northern north carolina. the southeast will be mostly dry with some showers in south florida. and the northeast will be mostly sunny. in sports, the super bowl champion giants got the victory bonus every new york team yearns to earn. that's a tickertape parade. tons of paper rained down on what some say were a million fans lining the parade route in lower manhattan. giants quarterback and super bowl mvp eli manning raised the lombardi trophy as he and his teammates took it all in. then they gathered later at the giants home field in new jersey where tens of thousands more

cheered on and giants co-owner steve tisch gave the losing quarterback and tom brady, one last jab. >> two nights ago over 111 million people saw the new york giants cancel the brady bunch. >> and with a full moon over manhattan, the empire state building was lit up in giants blue. now to the nba and league leading oklahoma city at golden state. the warriors monday day ellis didn't make it easy for the thunder. ellis scored a career high 48 with a series of acrobatic shots. look at that. and golden state led it late. but the thunder's kevin durant and russell westbrook let a fourth period rally to give oklahoma a 119-116 win. in college hoops, top ranked kentucky hosted number 8 florida. the wildcats made it look easy. kentucky led most of the way on plays like this this alley oop

to anthony davis for a slam. the wildcats won it by 20, 78-58. when we return a boy's bravery. a six-year-old survives a vicious mountain lion attack. [ male announcer ] for a better-looking tomorrow. vicks nyquil cold & flu. the nighttime sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep you ever got with a cold...medicine. [ deep breath ] ♪ 1, 2, 3, 4 ♪ [ laughter ] [ male announcer ] vicks dayquil. defeats 5 cold & flu symptoms. ♪ kentucky hosted number 8 vicious mountain lion attack.

here's a look at the weather around the country. washington, d.c., going to see rain and snow, 40 degrees, atlanta, 60. detroit, partly sunny, 35. denver, mostly sunny, 36. seattle, scattered showers, 52. prosecutors in pennsylvania want to revise the bail conditions for former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky. he's charged with 52 counts of child sex abuse is currently under house arrest. prosecutors want him to remain indoors. sandusky has been seen watching

children in a schoolyard from his back pour. arizona supreme court ruled against a city council candidate with limited english schools. she wanted to run for the city council in a small border town. the state supreme court ruled there's a large gap between her english proficiency and what's required to serve as a public official. her lawyer says they don't have the funds to appeal. a little boy in texas is just lucky to be alive this morning after being attacked by a mountain lion. it happened sunday just outside a south texas vacation lodge where six-year-old rivers hobbs and his family were staying. the cougar pounced and the boy's father describes what happened next. >> so the cat was clamped on his face, reached down and got my pocket knife out and stabbed the cat in the chest. it let go at that point. >> that quick action saved rivers' life. he suffered nasty bite marks on his face. but he's going to recover.

the boy just said it doesn't hurt that bad. he's a trooper. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," a three-time nascar champ, darryl waltrip on his new book. i'm betty nguyen. ♪ so, look at the orange. now close your eyes. ♪ alakazaam! you're good. and now i'm going to make this flower bloom. presto. "love you lots."

do you want to see it again? yes, i want to see it again! [ female announcer ] hallmark blooming expressions delivers your love again and again.

. good morning. welcome to 9news now. today is wednesday. we're over halfway there, february 8. i'm andrea roane. before you know it, it will be saturday. i'm mike hydeck. glad you're here. here is monika samtani lovely in purple.

we look forward to friday. >> i look forward to saturday. >> what do we have to look forward to for weather? >> a little wintry. we'll see a little snow here. roads are warm. road temperatures, it was 56 yesterday. pavement temperatures in some spots reached 70 under the bright sun. that's one clue for you there. it will be falling this afternoon. many areas it will be melting because temperatures will be up freezing. we're 38 now. we'll full in the mid and upper 30s this afternoon as the precip moves in. some snow and rain south and east. not looking like a lot either but something to consider. right now just to give you an idea, we've got temperatures subfreezing up north. we're 38 in town. even la plata is 32. low to mid-30s, some upper 30s in town. we're watching the clouds building from the west with some snow across parts of ohio. just about into southwestern pennsylvania right now.

this is moving toward us. i think our i-81 corridor, you might be seeing some by mid- morning. here in town we might not be seeing stuff till midday or early this afternoon. there is a wintry advisory 10:00 west and noon closer to town. it covers montgomery, loudoun, frederick county. these areas we're looking at picking up a little bit of snow, especially the grassy surfaces. mainly rain south and east of town. in washington a trace to an inch at most. that inch is going to be closer to gaithersburg or maybe toward eastern loudoun county. some of these areas you get toward frederick, one to two inches, possibly four in the mountains. let's throw it over to monika samtani. >> we've had two pretty big situations this morning and early on as well. good morning, everybody. i'm going to start off with northeast d.c. where there's been a serious accident. it happened just before 1:00 this morning on the inbound side of new york avenue right here near florida avenue, involves a tractor-trailer and to other vehicles.

tons of emergency equipment on the scene. i'm going to show you a live look from our traffic land camera where you can just about see what's going on ahead here and the lanes blocked on new york avenue. what they're doing on the westbound side is detouring you on to 4th street on the eastbound side at florida avenue. so be aware of that. if you're trying to take florida avenue, you're going to be okay. i subject you take rhode island avenue or bladensburg road as your alternate route. i'll keep you posted on this situation. we do have a live truck setting up as we speak. so we should have a pervomayskoye -- better perspective for you in my next report. braddock road in annandale is shut down inside the beltway all the way here. that's because of a poll down between ravens worth and backlick road. you want to choose an alternate route there as well. the northbound side of i-95 in springfield, this is fine heading to the beltway and on to 395. more on what's going on in both northeast and an fan detail at

4:39. bah -- and an dan nail at -- annandale at 4:39. rick santorum's campaign received a huge boost. >> former pennsylvania senator scored close in colorado and double-digit winds in the nonbinding contest in missouri and minnesota. >> reporter: rick santorum's campaign is roaring back to life following a stunning three- state sweep. >> wow. >> reporter: the former pennsylvania senator scored double-digit victories in minnesota and missouri last night and even narrowly won in colorado where mitt romney had been considered the favorite. >> i don't stand here to claim to be the conservative alternative to mitt romney. i stand here to be the conservative alternative to barack obama. >> reporter: for weeks santorum has trailed in the polls. he skipped the last two contests to campaign aggressively in all three states hoping for at least one victory. his triple win could