winter wallop. the midwest continues to take a direct hit from a massive winter storm that's already dumped more than a foot of snow in some places. going free. a south african judge may rule on whether oscar pistorius will be granted bail before he goes to trial in the death of his girlfriend. and chasing history. danica patrick is the first woman to grab a poll position at the daytona 500 and has her sights set on winning nascar's biggest race. >> i always feel like i have more to prove. i feel like i have to keep earning my respect and earning my keep and showing people that i belong. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for friday, february 22nd, 2013. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green.

well, this morning a large part of the midwest is digging out after a massive winter storm dumped up to 17 inches of snow in some areas. the storm shut down governments, schools, and transportation. travel in some areas is impossible. hundreds of flights have been canceled this morning, and at least two traffic deaths are blamed on the storm. some of the largest accumulations were in kansas where the national guard is patrolling roadways. one meteorologist said it was pouring snow there. at one point a 200-mile stretch of interstate 70 was shut down. iowa is one of at least 15 states under a winter storm warning or watch this morning. heaven blinding snow fell there overnight and is not expected to end until this afternoon. the heavy snow and freezing rain made for slick roads wherever. in illinois a minivan slid right through an intersection and hit a light pole.

residents are being urged to stay hoechlt cbs weather consultant david bernard has more on it. >> it's finally beginning to wind down. this is how much snow we're expecting the remainder of the day, generally 3 to 6 inches possible especially across iowa. chicago, 3 to 5 inches of snow by this evening but not anything where we saw yesterday where we were measuring the snow well over a foot. the second form for the weekend is developing over the southeast. thunderstorms possible. and north florida this afternoon. we just don't know how low that coastal low will be over the weekend. in the meantime pretty quiet today. 40 for new york, 42 for philadelphia and this afternoon 37 in boston. here's what's left of the big midwest storm center near chicago this afternoon. 35 and the snow will gradually be entering the windy city. but kansas city and omaha high in the 20s as they begin to dig

out. i'm david ber narksd cbs news, miami. now to south africa where the judge is expected to decide today whether to grant oscar pistorius's bail. pistorius is charged with murdering his girlfriend. prosecutors say the man known as a blade runner is a flight risk. tina kraus is following the proceedings from london. tina, good morning. >> good morning. pistorius spent an eighth night in holding. he hopes it was his last. his lawyers say the athlete is not a flight risk and shout be released from jail until his murder trial. track star oscar pistorius rode back to court in a police van, hoping this will be the day he learns his fate. a south african judge is weighing several days of testimony to decide whether to grant the athlete bail or keep him locked up until his murder trial. prosecutors claim pistorius intended to kill his girlfriend

reeva steenkamp when he pumped four bullets through his bathroom door. the defense say former olympian acting on instinct when he saw an intruder was in his upscale home. an unexpected twist happened yesterday. police dropped hilton botha from the case itself because he himself is facing several charges from 2011. they say he contaminated the crime scene and kept changing his story. pistorius's lawyers told the judge the athlete known as the blade runner for his prosthetic racing legs is too famous to flee bail but prosecutors say the paralympic star should not expect special treatment. some south africans have already made up their minds. >> oscar, step up to the placement take your responsibility. >> i think he was just strieing to protect himself.

>> reporter: the judge asked miss tore was if he would be shocked if he was released. defense says he would be shocked if he wasn't. they're waiting to hear what the judge decides. if he does get out of jail, the 26-year-old said he will start training again next week theechb his future competitions have been canceled. anne-marie? >> tina kraus, thank you. president obama called the congressional leaders to discuss the budget crisis. the white house said the conversations were good, but cbs news has learned no progress was made. it was the first time the president had reached out to gop leaders since late december and time is running out. the dramatic federal cuts known as sequestration kick in one week from today. susan mcginnis is in washington. good morning, susan. >> good morning, anne-marie. with this deadline coming next friday, congress went on recess this week and for many that's making the massive budget cuts look inevitable and more

americans are realizing they will feel the pain. with congress out of town, president obama called republican leaders thursday to talk about the sequester. it's the first time the three men have talked since the start of the year. >> both sides, i think, aren't really making a move and both sides look bad in the process. >> reporter: both sides look bad to seaside heights' bill acre. he's trying to get his town ready for the summer town tourist season after hurricane sandy devastated the resort town and now it faces another blow. this one from washington. the budget cuts called sequestration could result in a drop of sandy-related assistance. >> where do i have to cut services? is it going to be in protection? garbage pickup? maybe we don't do a road this year? you know, where does it end. >> from the jersey shore to alaska, the cuts here in washington will be felt across the country. >> the parts are economic

engining throughout much of our country. >> tom kernan is head of the national parks. they'll see budget cuts. >> you'd better be believe there's going to be fewer going to the bed and breakfast or going to restaurants or staying in hotels. >> and those who do show up may have a less majestic view in places like yosemite. >> the bathrooms will probably not be cleaned up as often, the trash not picked up as often. >> washington has one week to pick up its own mess. and this is not the only deadline that lawmakers make. in late mark the federal spending budget expires and congress takes up the dead ceiling again. well, it now appears that former senator chuck hagel will get the votes he needs to be confirmed as the next defense secretary. his colleagues have been stalling his nomination but

yesterday richard shelby said he would vote for hagel putting the vote over the top. a vote is expected neck week. and it turns out that the flu vaccine is doing a dismal job of protect older people against this year's harshest strain of the flu. the vaccine is only 9% effective in patients 65 and older against the toughest strain of flu causing more than three-quarters of this year's illness. senior citizens are in this age group most vulnerable to the flu. coming up on the "cbs morning news" a shoot-out on the strip. it ends up with a shooting and fiery crash on las vegas's most famous boulevard. this is the "cbs morning news." , a regular guy with an irregular heartbeat. the usual, bob? not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, a condition that puts him at greater risk for a stroke. [ gps ] turn left. i don't think so. [ male announcer ] for years, bob took warfarin,

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as moderate, but more severe storms could occur this year, possibly disrupting airplane navigation systems, cell phone service, and weather here on earth. drew peterson, a former police sergeant in a chicago suburb, was sentenced to 38 years in prison for murder. peterson lashed out in court on thursday saying, quote, i did not kill kathleen, referring to kathleen savio his third wife. for years he dismissed suggestions that he killed savio nine years ago. prosecutors said his motive for killing his former wife was the fear that a pending divorce settlement would wipe him out financially. >> we all got an opportunity to see a psychopath to reveal himself in open court. we don't normally get that chance. >> peterson is the suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife stacy but has never been charged. and police in las vegas are searching for at least one gunman who was involved in a deadly shooting on the las vegas

strip that ended in a car crash. edward lawrence has more on thursday's wild scene. >> reporter: cell phone video shows the las vegas strip moments after a shooting. police say what started as an argument as a casino hotel ended in bullets and flames leaving three people dead. >> what happened is not just tragic but underscores the level of violence that we see sometimes here in las vegas as well as across america. >> reporter: the trouble began at the valet area at one of the strip's casinos. police say words were exchanged. then two cars, an suv and maserati fled north on las vegas boulevard. that's when somebody in the suv opened fire on the other car. >> the maserati driver having been shot sped through the intersection of flamingo and las vegas boulevard colliding with a taxi cab and causing a six-car accident. >> reporter: the taxi exploded into a fireball. >> there was a loud boom and then i heard two other booms.

>> reporter: the driver and a passenger were killed as was the driver of the maserati add feed as an aspiring rapper kenneth perry jr. who goes by the name of clutch. those in the suv got away. >> reporter: police are reviewing surveillance videos not only from the las vegas boulevard but from other taxis. edward lawrence, "cbs morning news," las vegas. coming up on this morning's "cbs moneywatch," rising food costs and later in sports a cheerleader makes news. this is the cbs. m clean. quilted northern ultra plush with the innerlux layer. for a comfortable, confident clean, or your money back.

here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. new york, cloudy, 38 the high. miami, flip those numbers around, 83 the high there. chicago, light snow, 37 degrees. dallas, sunny with a high of 50. los angeles, 66 degrees. on the "moneywatch," walmart predicts a slowdown plus pumping up gas prices. ines ferre is here with more. good morning, ines. >> good morning, anne-marie. stoxx were mixed in asia ahead of the summit in washington later today. tokyo's nikkei lost half a percent. hong kong's hang seng lost half a percent. the dow jones industral average

ended 46 points lower on thursday. the nasdaq was off 32 points. in what may be a sipe of things to come for the nation's economy, walmart says it expects business the slow down in the coming months. the world's largest retailer expected higher than expected earnings on thursday but walmart said sales are weakening as customering battle gasoline prices, delayed income tax refunds and higher payroll taxes. the gasoline prices are at the highest level for this time of year. aaa says the average price for a gallon of regular is 3.78 nationwide. that's up 47 cents in the past month. aaa says the higher prices are due to seasonal maintenance at refineries. analysts expect gas prices to rise further in the coming weeks. and the outlook is no better at the supermarket. the u.s. department of agriculture says food prices will rise by as much as 3.5%

this year. that's nearly double the rate of inflation. the steep rise is blamed on the severe drought that's gripping farmers and cattle ranchers in the nation's midsection. anne-marie? >> ines for ray in new york. thank you, ines. when we return, driving in the fast lane. danica patrick talks about racing into history this sunday at the daytona 500.

here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. washington, d.c., rain and 39. atlanta, thunderstorms, 48. st. louis, 38. denver, 39 the high. seattle, a lot of rain, 48 degrees. in sports danica patrick makes history this sunday when she becomes the first woman to start the daytona 500 at the poll position. but as mark strassmann reports the race car driver is more concerned about where she

finishes in nascar's biggest race. >> ready to race. >> reporter: danica patrick in the lime green number 10 car had the fastest qualifying time for nascar's biggest race. more than 196 miles per hour. >> that's a great lap, guys. >> reporter: the 30-year-old who gained fame for racing against the boys and for her racy tv commercials says she wants more. >> reporter: is it enough to win the polls or to establish yourself as a nascar driver do you have to win one of these things? >> i feel like i have more to prove. i have to keep earning my respect and earning my keep and showing i belong. >> reporter: even as a go-cart racer in illinois, she said she was not raised to be the fastest guelph, but the firstest five. in 2009 she finished fourth in the indianapolis 500, then switched to the more rough and tumble nascar circuit for a new challenge.

>> danica's sideways. oh, no. into the wall. >> reporter: but she crashed into two of her first ten races last year and her average finish was 28. still nascar is heavily promoting patrick. >> for every good ol' boy, a good ol' girl. >> reporter: she hopes the sport diversifies its fan base, two thirds of which are men. do you feel welcome in your first full nascar season in what is one of the world's great testosterone pits? >> i love the people, i love the pits. they made me feel welcome and they were embracing of my difference. there was a time 40 years ago women weren't even allowed in the garage area, so we've come a long way and i'm fortunate to be here in a time where it's embraced. >> reporter: only nine of daytona's 54 poll winners have gone on to take the checkered flag, about one in five. but defying odds and expectations is what drives danica patrick.

mark strassmann, cbs news, daytona beach, florida. in the nba now, two of the best western conference teams go head to head. san antonio traveling to l.a. to face the clippers. and the spurs would have their way with los angeles. tony parker scores 31 points and san antonio wins easily, 116-90. finally, the best shot of the night was made by a cheerleader. check out this shot by ashley arnautt from williams & mary in mississippi. is that amazing or what? she made the shot during a halftime show -- halftime rather at william carey's last night. too bad the shot didn't count on the scoreboard, but you know what? they want to try to recruit her. they may need her. coming up on your local news on "cbs this morning," behind the scenes of the "vanity fair" oscars party. i'm anne-marie green.

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good morning and welcome to wusa9. and i'm happy to say today is friday. >> friday. >> it's february 22nd. i'm andrea roane. >> boy has a nice ring to it doesn't it? >> really, uh-huh. >> i'm mike hydeck, good

morning, welcome, good morning monika samtani. how are you? >> good. >> don't the ladies look beautiful this morning howard bernstein? good morning howard. >> look great. a little wintery weather coming our way but light is going to be the operative word. temperatures should be above freezing for just about the entire time at least here in the immediate metro. so i'm not worried about more than a few wet streets right now. let's get you started though with a look at the day planner, clouds out there and some dry air. radar is showing echoes but the stuff is not reefing the ground just yet and it won't for a while as temperatures slowly climb into the mid- and upper 30s here. better chance for snow, sleet snow showers this morning and a few rain showers this afternoon but the stuff is going to be spotty and light the way it's looking. and radar, boy the bark is worse than the bite here. the storm that really walloped the midwest or the central part of the country is headed up and just splitting into two pieces. one headed toward the western lakes and the other to the south and you can even see how this first surge of moisture is

breaking up here down i-81 with snow in ohio a little mix in west virginia and rain down in the carolinas and a little mix south southern parts of virginia. now later this morning through the rest of the day in fact until 10:00 tomorrow morning, got a winter weather advisory out across the shenandoah valley. and western maryland and west virginia. for some possibilities of freezing rain -- pockets of freezing rain that will be possible and sleet. nothing really happens just yet but traveling out there later today tonight, early on saturday, the by ware of that. it's -- be aware of that. it's 21 in oakland. 30 luray. we're 32 in d.c. with 29 in la plata. monika? couple of problems in baltimore early on the inner loop of the beltway at park heights avenue in pikesville. a tractor-trailer accident. then northbound 38 is blocked -- 83 is blocked at middletown road because of the tractor- trailer accident as well. a couple of pretty big

problems. up in baltimore. 95 itself closer in looks good. columbia all the way down to calvertson and the beltway no problems on the beltway through college park. a live look at the beltway west site of town here, american legion bridge, no issues as you can see. nice and quiet and pretty dark out here as well. back to the map this is time over to 95 in virginia. looking great. woodbridge to springfield. no issues up to tysons corner and a live look here as you can see very light right up from staledy right now the -- dale city right now the lanes are open. there's just one week left now until the automatic budget cuts kick in. >> but as susan mcginnis reports the cuts are going to have an impact that's felt well beyond the first of march. >> reporter: with congress out of town, president obama called republican leaders thursday to talk about the sequester. it's the first time the three men have talked since the start of the year. >> both sides i think aren't really making a move and both sides i think look bad in the process. >> reporter: both sides look

bad to seaside heights, new mexico mayor bill acres. >> you're always nervous the way the guys do business. >> reporter: he's trying to get his town ready for the summer tourist season after hurricane sandy devastated the town and now another blow. in one from washington. the budget cuts called sequestration could result in a drop in sandy related assistance. >> where do i have to cut the services? protection, garbage pickup? maybe we don't do a road this year? you know where's it end? >> reporter: from the jersey shore to alaska, the cuts that originate here in washington will be felt across the country. >> the parks are economic engines throughout much of our country. >> reporter: tom is a a head lobbyist for america's national parks. the partial service will also -- park service will also see budget cuts starting march 1st. >> you better believe there are going to be fewer visitors unfortunately going to the bred and breakfast near the park or going to the