deadly avalanche. a wall of snow sweeps down a washington state mountain killing three experienced skiers. midair collision, small plane runs into a helicopter in the skies above northern california. but both pilots live to tell the tale. santorum swipes. the republican presidential hopeful takes aim at president obama's politics. >> i am talking about his world view or his -- the way he approaches problems in this country and i think they're different than how most people country and i think they're different than how most people do in america. captioning funded by cbs this is the cbs morning news for monday, february 20, 2012. and good morning everyone. i'm terrell brown. it is still unclear this morning what triggered a deadly

avalanche in washington's cascade mountain. a warning had been issued but three experienced skiers skiing in an out of bounds area are dead. the victims were among several groups skiing at the steven's pass ski area. the fast moving snow swept in some 1500 feet down the mountain. a fourth skier survived. danielle nottingham has our report. >> reporter: it looks like a winter wonderland but this picturesque mountain in washington state was the scene of a deadly avalanche. the king county sheriff's office got word of the slide just after noon on sunday. it happened near the stevens pass ski area. >> four of the skiers were shot down a chute for 1500 feet. three of the skiers then were buried under the snow. >> one woman who survived the slide was using an avalanche rescue system similar to an airbag like the one seen in this video. >> it kept her atop of the

avalanche and basically saved her life. >> authorities say several groups were skiing in an out of bounds area on the backside of the mountain. most were able to free themselves from the snow. the area had received 21 inches of snowfall the night wf before. >> you're skiing. it's at your own risk. i've been told by numerous people they were all very experienced skiers, they knew what they were doing, the choices that they were making. >> the staff at stevens pass said news of the fatalities hit hard. >> even though it's outside the ski area boundary, it's very hard on the community here. >> experts say there could still be a high risk for additional slides this season partially because of a weak base layer of snow from a dry wint youer. danielle nottingham, cbs news. a separate incident earlier yesterday, a snowboarder was killed east of seattle. he apparently triggered an avalanche that swept him off a 500 foot cliff. this morning, folks in the south are waking up to the

aftermath of what's described the first real winter storm of the season. about 20 vehicles caught in white-out conditions were involved in a chain reaction crash. one person was seriously injured. there were hundreds of wrecks in virginia and north carolina. in southern virginia and west virginia more than 50,000 customers were without power last might. it's unclear why a small plane collided with a helicopter over northern california. it crashed 8 miles from the rio vista airport, halfway between oakland and sacramento. the twin-engine plane came down short of the runway. they suffered minor injuries. rick santorum traflts to michigan today hoping to defeat mitt romney in next week's primary. santorum is paying just as much attention to president obama questioning everything from his support of prenatal tests to what he describes as the president's world view. susan mcginnis has details. good morning. >> good morning, terrell. santorum was on face the nation

with bob schieffer. among the most notable comments he made, he suggested that the overhaul healthcare focusing on prenatal testing actually encourages abortion. that was just one of the issues on which santorum attacked the president. campaigning at a church in georgia, rick santorum attacked president obama's decision to give women employed by some religious institutions free access to contraceptives. >> it is imposing his ideology on a group of people expressing their theology. >> santorum focusing on the president as he looks to a possible november faceoff. in ohio this weekend he said the president's environmental views are hurting americans. >> it's not about you. it's not about your quality of life. it's not about your jobs. it's about some phony ideal, some phony theology. oh, not a theology based on the bible. >> the obama campaign took note

and came out swinging sunday saying santorum was an attack on the faith. >> i can't think that the remarks with 'ol over the line. it's wrong and destructive. >> santorum says he wasn't questioning the president's christianity. >> i believe the president is christian. he says he's christian. imt talking about his world view. >> santorum's popularity is surging. the latest polls show him leading mitt romney even in michigan. romney grew up there and his father was a three-term governor. romney will be in michigan tomorrow for a speech on the economy as he tries to take back the lead. newt gingrich says a romney loss in michigan would be devastating. >> if they lose his home state, i don't see what he says to his donors the next morning to stay in the race. >> gingrich's -- romney will be the first to be tested on the 28th. so michigan is the next big battleground, though. that's between santorum and romney. we do know that santorum is giving a speech tonight to

republicans in west michigan and terrell we'll be listening closely there to see if he says anything more about the social issues. >> we'll be watching. susan mcginnis in washington this morning. susan, thank you. european finance ministers are meeting in brussels to decide on another bailout loan for greece. demonstrators opposed to the harsh austerity policies imposed to secure the loan clash with police in athens yesterday. the greek government is going to announce further pension cuts as it remains $170 billion to avoid dee faumt. hope of a greek bailout and a decision by central bank sent stocks higher in japan. the nikkei gained 1%. the hang seng shed a fraction. wall street is closed for president's days. gas prices hit an all-time high. the average price has risen 25 cents to $3.53. experts say it could peak at a record $4.25 by the end of april.

and possibly trigger an economic slowdown. one reason gas prices are rising is tension with iran. the iranians announced they're cutting off oil shichlts to britain and france. iran is lashing out over tough sanctions against its nuclear program. international inspectors are in tehran to discuss the issue. elizabeth palmer has more. >> reporter: iran's revolutionary guard started war games this season in the country. they're meant to send a message to the world that iran is ready for as its foreign minister put it any worst case scenario. in other words, an attack by israel. but in an interview broadcast today, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, general martin dempsey said that the u.s. is a against a military strike. >> we think that it's not prudent at this point to decide to attack iran. i mean, that's been our counsel to our allies, the israelis,

well-known, well-documented. >> last week iran's president said again that iran's nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. few western politicians believe that. but for the moment they argue that bombing iran's many nuclear installations would only slow the program. businesses in iran have a hard time getting international financing and the price of food and essential goods is rising fast. the price of meat, say tehran shoppers, has doubled in three months. iran is also wrestling with restrictions to it oil sales. restrictions brought about by sanctions. tonight, there are signs the pressure may just may be working. even as the war games got under way, iran's leaders offered to reopen negotiations on their nuclear program and to meet in tehran with inspectors from the international atomic energy agency. elizabeth palmer, cbs news,

london. in syria. government crackdown against citizens opposed to the government included an attack in the heart of damascus. syrian troops kept up the assault on the city homs yesterday. john mccain tells the new york tooims he's in favor of arming the syrian opposition forces. speaking from afghanistan, mccain said i believe there are ways to get weapons to the opposition without direct united states involvement. the iranians and the russians are providing bashar assad with weapons. people that are being massacred deserve to have the ability to defend themselves. mccain said the u.s. could work through "third world countries" to arm opposition forces. 44 inmates killed. dozens of family members stormed the gates trying to get information on the victims. the riot started yesterday. officials say it could have been between two rival drug cartels and covered a prison break.

the guards on duty have been detained. take a quick break. a snowy tale of survival. plus nypd undercover. new questions over a far-reaching surveillance program aimed at fightingter rim. this is the "cbs morning news." . experience light and airy, melty bubbles. made from pure, delicious hershey's milk chocolate. hershey's air delight. that's why there's crest pro-health clinical gum protection. it helps eliminate plaque at the gum line, helping prevent gingivitis. it's even clinically proven to help reverse it in just 4 weeks. crest pro-health clinical gum protection.

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that's astronaut john glenn 50 years ago today climbing into friendship 7. he blasted off on february 20, 1962 becoming the first american to orbit the earth and launching the u.s. into a heated space race with russia. glenn became a national hero and served as a senator from ohio. on saturday he and scott carpenter celebrated the golden anniversary at cape canaveral in florida. they're the only two left from the mercury 7 astronauts. an amazing story of survival. a man in sweden was trapped in his snow covered car for months. he was found by snowmobilers on friday. he had a sleeping bag, drank

snow, but hasn't eaten anything since december 19th. i wouldn't have made it. doctors say he could have survived by hibernating like a bear. haman is in the hospital recovering this morning. defending covert operation tracking muslim students. it's reaching into some of the elite ivy league colleges. acetone i guide a reports, they follow the same rules as the fbi. >> the challenge for the nypd is to make sure this never happens again. after 9/11, the department hired a top icia official to kree tate a counterterrorism intelligence division. they were in canada, the mideast and the far east. at home, muslim students were targeted as potential terrorists. >> it's quite surprising to feel that we are considered suspicious individuals. >> this man is a student at city university. four years ago he and a group of

young muslims took a camping trip in upstate new york. they recently learned one of the campers was an undercover cop. >> it remind me of the days of kgb. it is secret policing. >> the department will not reveal what led it to do that. but in a statement the department argues some of the most dangerous western al qaeda linked or inspired terrorists since 9/11 were radicalized and or recruited at muslim student associations. commissioner ray kelly said the department strictly obeys the constitution. >> we live in the mostly tij us environment anywhere. we have to be cognizant of what we do. we have to check. we have to make sure that what we're doing is within constitutional bounds. that's what we're doing. >> the documents in this case contain names of the students being watched and the undercover cops doing the watching. a strong indication they were leaked by someone high in the intelligence department of the

nypd. suggesting serious doubts about the monitoring program. tony guida, cbs news, new york. rupert murdoch isn't letting the phone hacking scandal stop him from publishing the paper. he plans to publish it next sunday. he shut it down in july. the closure came after several staffers were arrested for hacking into the voice mail of celebrities and crime victims. coming up, we'll have your weather forecast and in sports, the lin-der ella continues. it all continues for the new york knick. we'll be right back. we'll be right back. s we'll be right back. . we'll be right back. ella contin. it all continues for the new york knicks. we'll be right back.

here's a look at the weather in. new york 46 degrees. partly sunny, 78 in miami. 43 and sunny in chicago. cloudy, 63 in dallas. partly sunny skies, 66 in los angeles. let's check your national forecast. the storm will hit parts of the midwest dropping up to 4 inches of snow. strong thunderstorms could pop up in eastern kansas. parts of the central plains and mssissippi valley could see wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour. strong winds will also blow across the southwest. some topping 60 miles an hour in eastern new mexico. much of the south will be dry. in sports this morning, lin sanity lives on in new york. the knicks phenom had another great game. 28 points against the dallas mavericks. the harvard grad had five big

steals and a career high 14 assists. the knicks take down the defending champs. they ended the mavs winning streak. tight game in oklahoma city. russell west brook pours in 40. including this jumper. that tied the score. kevin durant was on fire driving for a dunk to send the game into o.t. finishes with 51 points for the t time in his career. the thunder top the nuggets 124-118. in hockey, a tribute to haul of famer gary carter. the montreal canadiens paid tribute to carter by wearing the number 8 on their jerseys. he played for the expos. the first one en shoe riened in coupers town. they beat the devils for the third straight victory. when we come back, a time goodbye for whitney. one man stages a tribute

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here's a look at the weather. d.c., mostly sunny, 48. atlanta, partly cloudy, 56 degrees. mostly sunny 38 in detroit. morning snow, 38 in denver. brief showers 48 in seattle. here's another look at the top stories. an avalanche at a ski area northeast of seattle washington killed three experienced skiers yesterday. they were skiing in an out of bounds area. an avalanche warning had been posted. a fourth skier survived by deploying a safety device a a small plane collided with a helicopter over northern california. both aircraft managed to land in nearby fields. the pilot suffered minor injuries. whitney has been played to rest next to her at a cemetery in west field, new jersey. the superstar died on february 11th.

no cause of death has been determined. >> the father a soldier killed in iraq is angry that new jersey governor chris christie lowered flags to honor whitney houston. john, who lives in new jersey, burned a new jersey state flag in front of his house on saturday. his son eric after his humvee was hit by an ied. before he burned the flag, he tied it to his car and dragged it in front of the war veterans memorial and his son's grave. he means no disrespect to veterans because christie's actions offend him. >> i'm sorry. this is how much it hurts. this is how much of a slap in the face it is to all who have served and given their life. >> governor christie defends his decision saying houston was a cultural icon. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," actor director tyler perry on his new movie good deeds. i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news." look at all this stuff for coffee.

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good morning and welcome to 9news now. today is president's day, february 20th. i'm andrea roane.

and i'm mike haiduk. happy monday. fred ricksburg had one to two inches and southern maryland even had a little bit. good or bad, i don't know. not so bad. weatherwise, let's get you going. this morning our day planner calling for sunny skies. temperatures by noon in the mid-40s. we are going to get to around 50 for a high with a 5:00 p.m. temperature of 48 degrees. you'll definitely need a jacket if you are headed out to the largest celebration in washington of washington's birthday. there is the system it really clobbered richmond. they were one of the sweet spots. in rockingham county, 10 inches of snow, that was the take taker, so -- the cake taker, so

to speak. still 40 on the bay and with temperatures down south in the 30s. even the snow that fell really didn't cause too much in the way of problems. but watch out, clearly it could be an isolated slick spot. forecast highs, upper 40s in hagerstown, culpepper maybe even the lower 50s and south and east upper 40s to near 50 in washington. monika samtani is in with timesaver. >> not really. >> what's going on? construction's off, traffic off. >> reporter: look at that. nothing going on. the green all around town moons you are one of the four people going to work today. actually, we are all at work, so i think there is no one on the roads today. things look great on 66 coming in from the beltway. we'll look at 95. rarely do you see it like this. no problems to report as you

made for the beltway. back to the maps on the north side of town, looking at i-70 and 270 out of frederick, no problems with those. we'll look at the american legion bridge, very, very quiet. thank you, monika. met troe riders, less frequent than a normal day. track work is continuing today on the orange line. buses will transport passengers through monday, which is today, dollars through rosalyn square. the red line buses will replace the trains between medical center. police georges county police are looking for a 21-year-old man who fled the scene after losing control of an suv and slamming into a tree. one of his passengers, 28-year-old tash sha williams, was killed. the crash happened around 1:30

saturday morning. the young woman was ride not guilty an suv with three friends when it slammed into a tree. the driver took off and now police are searching for the driver. >> he shouldn't have left her there to die. i know we have to move forward but i still would like to see justice served. >> williams was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. she leaves behind a-year-old son. two other passengers suffered minor injuries. town square market in dc has allegedly been selling booze to minors for years. after three dozen citations in the last three months, the owner is finally facing charges. why now? our 9news investigative reporting is a major reason. >> reporter: this piece of crime scene tape is the only indication saturday night