good morning, it is tuesday february 24, 2015. welcome to "cbs this morning." an embarrassing admission from the head of the d.a. cbs news captured the moment. an ice storm has much of the south slipping and sliding. and cbs news investigates why hundreds of millions of tax dollars are spent to fly nearly empty planes all over the country. we begin with today's eye opener. >> the wind chill you have to cover up to your eyes.

>> i am definitely ready for the spring time. >> millions slam by another arctic assault. >> in the south sleet, snow and free rzingain. >> american airlines flight after landing in dallas fort worth the nose gearpp slied off the taxi. >> the new veterans affairs secretaryit adms he lied. >> made the erroneous claim last month. >> could be on the works to resolve a scandal. >> senate leaders try to separate homeland security and the president's immigration orders. >> a connecticut bank executive -- >> police say the manager forced to drive to the bank and empty the safe. >> we are considering all possibilities whether or not he was coerced or a suspect. >> rescue operation to free

manatees stuck in a storm drain in florida. >> a suspected drunk driver barrier. the truck driver is expected to be okay. >> all of that -- >> bright light streaking through. nasa has identified it as a piece of satellite. >> i don't think that is a space ship. >> a blind minnesota man just saw his wife for their fst time in a decade thanks to a bionic eye. >> on "cbs this morning." >> you are kind of upstaging me here. this morning's eye opener is presented by toyota. let's go places. welcome to "cbs this morning." the veteran affairs secretary

this morning admits he lied about his military service. robert mcdonald was appointed to the administration last year to clean up the agency after a series of scandals. >> he said he served in the special forces. that turned out not to be true. what the secretary is saying now. >> secretary mcdonald was decorated for his military service he admits he was not a member of the u.s. special forces. now the man brought in to re reestablish the v.a.'s credibility. >> the exchange happened in february. he was touring the streets of los angeles counting homeless veterans as part of a v.a. program to help find them housing. >> army navy? >> army. what unit? >> special forces. i was in special forces. >> mcdonald was not in the

special forces. he served for five years but mostly with the 82nd air borne division. his discrepancy was reported by the huffington post and mcdonald quickly admitted his exaggeration. he said while i was engaging a homeless individual to determine his veteran status i incorrectly stated that i had been in special forces. that was inaccurate and i apologize to anyone that was offended by my misstatement. >> my worst nightmare is i move a newspaper and find somebody tat i served with. that would break my heart because those guys looked out for me and i need to look out for them. >> reporter: the special forces are an elite fighting force that include among others the army rangers, green beret and navy s.e.a.l.s. they are deployed on special

rescue missions. mcdonald is a west point graduate hand picked by president obama to clean up a veterans affairs department plagued by scandal. last november he told scott pelley about trying to repair the v.a.'s image. >> we are simplesticly talking about people who violated our values. >> and those values are what? >> integrity. it's advocacy. it's respect. it's excellence. these are the things that we try to do for our veterans. >> so far the president is taking mcdonald at his word that this was an on the fly misstatement and mota pattern of exaggeration. veterans tend to grow highly suspicious of claims of service in the special service.

much of the south is caught in the grip of an icy storm this morning. millions are waking up to another arctic blast plunging from canada. wind chills are well below 0 in the northeast. >> take a look at how ice is blanketing jackson, mississippi this morning. the biggest threat is in the atlanta area. >> reporter: good morning. crews spent the night preparing the roads. as you can see right now the roads are fine. there is a little bit of rain coming down here. they could get snow throughout the morning today but they are expecting temperatures to go up by noon and everyone here is hoping to avoid what happened around the country where there were hundreds of accidents. this truck was unable to stop last night bouncing off a median after this texas highway turned

into a frozen slide. >> he slammed on his brakes. >> reporter: a semi was left dangling off the edge of an overpass monday. freezing rain and snow sent texas drivers spinning pushing and piling up. more than two dozen vehicles collided on interstate 40 many of them large trucks. >> it can look like it is passable but it can be black ice. >> reporter: a slick run way at dallas fort worth international airport caused an american airlines flight to skid. the conditions weren't much better on this oklahoma highway. a whiteout brought traffic to a crawl. the streets in neighboring arkansas were an icy slippery mess. drivers were left helpless on the side of the road and this red pickup began rolling backwards unable to make it up a hill.

it only took two inches of sleet to cause big problems in texas. officials here in atlanta are hoping to avoid a repeat of last january's storm when icy conditions and just three inches of snow stranded people entheir cars overnight and backed up traffic for days turning the city's busiest highways into parking lots. they are keeping an eye out on tomorrow worried that they might see another round of snow. and no one here wants to repeat the mess of last year. >> thank you so much. people in chicago are taking no chances as they bundle up against the cold. much of the midwest and northeast are on track for the coldest february of history. tracking the newest blast of bitter cold. >> we have broken records this morning in parts of new england. this is blast number one. another coming for the middle and the end of the week and we have some of the top coldest

februarys in new england, top five across midwest. areas of snow northern georgia through carolinas. this storm will bring a couple of inches to the outer banks of the carolinas and come into new england with a quick few inches overnight tonight. all it takes is a trace to an inch to create slippery travel. the next disturbance on its tail flooding will be a concern across the southeast. a resolution may be closer this morning in the battle to fund the department of homeland security. senate republicans backed away from a bill that only partially funds the department. that will not end the fight over the president's recent immigration actions. nancy is on capitol hill with the next steps. >> reporter: the idea of a brief dhs shutdown was starting to make more and more republicans uncomfortable given the large variety of threats the u.s.

faces. this means the ultimate verdict on the president's immigration plan granting legal status will likely come from the courts. the change in course means members of the coast guard, tsa, border patrol and secret service will likely not have to work without pay. republican leader mitch mcconnell announced he would not use the homeland security funding bill to try to block the immigration bill. >> it is another way to get the senate unstuck and move the debate forward. >> reporter: republicans tried to pass a bill that would partially fund dhs while holding up money that would allow some a chance to stay in the u.s. illegally. on monday democrats insist that congress fund the entire agency. >> our message to these terrorists cannot be that we are going to shutdown the department

of homeland security. >> reporter: the urgency increased over the weekend when news broke about terrorists taelsh targeting shopping malls. homeland security security said the funding fight made it impossible. >> it is like trying to drive across country with no more than five gallons of gas in your tank. >> reporter: with or without funding the president's immigration plan remains in legal limbo. a texas judge blocked the plan last week. on monday sought an emergency stay arguing that blocking the president's immigration actions would quote harm the interests of the public. we still don't know exactly when the house and senate will vote to fully fund dhs. it will have to be before friday if they want to avoid a shutdown. a court decision on whether the president's immigration plan can move forward could come as early as today.

>> thank you. human rights activists say isis kidnapped dozens of people in christian villages in syria. at least 90 people were abducted in northeast syria. the area has seen an increase in fighting in recent days. the state department says a missionary from seattle was kidnapped in nigeria. officials say a group of men captured her. family and friends held a prayer service last night. a manhunt is underway for the suspects in a brazen failed credit union heist. police say they strapped a fake bomb on an executive and ordered he empty his own vault. >> this is the second part of where it happened. according to police the

executive says he was forced to drive to this credit union fearing for his life and the life of his mother. police lights and sirens lit up the streets. this home was swarming with s.w.a.t. teams after police were alerted to a bizarre extortion plot involving a high ranking bank employee. >> police agencies investigating reports of home invasion. information was developed that linked that incident to an ledged scheme. >> reporter: two intruders stormed the home of a cfo of achieve financial credit union. they strapped a device to him and claimed it was a bomb. they allegedly tied the banker's mother to a bed attaching a device to her. they allegedly told him that if he tried to contact the police. he was instructed to drive nine miles to the bank empty the

vault and bring the money to them. he was able to alert authorities to his location outside the credit union by phoning a co worker who called police. >> police officers did respond where they encountered an adult male in a motor vehicle who had what appeared to be an explosive device. >> reporter: police determined both devices were fake. >> connecticut bomb squad, the device has been turned over to the bureau of investigation. >> reporter: cbs news had a chance to speak with the executive's brother yesterday. he said he had no idea why anyone would wanfvfft to do harm to his brother and mother. it is being determined his role in this investigation. >> thanks. gasoline prices that fell for months continue to creep up.

this morning the average gallon of gas is $2.31. aaa says prices have risen for 29 straight days. the largest oil refinery strike is in its fourth week. more than 6,500 workers are off the job. they work at plants that make up nearly one-fifth of america's refining capacity. cbs news contributor is with us this morning. tell us about the scale of this strike. >> let me give you some perspective. there are 142 oil refineries in the country. the united steel workers represent workers at 65 of those refineries. 15 of them including some other plants are on strike. so -- 20% of the -- >> cleanup on aisle 2. >> 20% of the oil capacity out

there. that is to give you a sense of the scale. >> what is the strike about? >> the strike is not about money. the workers are saying we make a good living. about $62,000 a year with great benefits. the strike is about really related to security and how they feel about the safety of those facilities. >> as a consumer why should i care? >> it could mean the end of cheap gas? >> not necessarily. it depends on how long it goes on. if we are sitting here six months from now you are going to care because right now the oil companies have patched together workers to keep this working at capacity. if this were to go on for a long time where we see instead of 15 plants it's 30 or 50 then we have a different issue. >> to there are a lot of issues

effecting gas prices right now including switching to the summer blend. >> less emissions for people driving more. oil prices h up so there are a bunch of issues there. >> please get paper towels and clean up your mess. >> so sorry. >> always good to have you. this morning 19 manatees are back in the wild thanks to a rescue operation that stretched late into the night. the large marine mammals were freed from a central florida storm drain where they were trapped. satellite beach with how the manatees were saved. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this was a massive operation that involved not only the local police and fire departments but also crews from sea world and the florida fish and wild life commission all here to rescue the manatees from the now

exposed storm drain pipe. it took heavy construction equipment and dozens of fish and wild life crews to gently free the manatees one by one. each release greeted by cheers from on lookers watching the dramatic rescue unfold. >> it is crazy. >> reporter: officials say 19 of the animals recently made their way into the underground drain but couldn't get out. >> one was following the other. there was no place for them to turn around. >> this morning i saw about ten of them go back throughout. i thought they were coming in and going out. i didn't think anything of it until this. this is terrible. >> crews spent the night tearing up the ground and using a backhoe to hoist the creatures up including a mother and her calf. some of the animals appeared in distress. after a checkup they were all cleared and released back into a nearby pond. fish and wildlife officials say the manatees likely became stuck

in the canal in an attempt to find warmer waters. workers became worried after a local said they noticed a few missing. >> you have the whole community out here all working together and then have the final one come out. that was awesome. >> believe it or not despite the ordeal all made it out of here in good condition. the city has put up a grate blocking the opening. >> thank you so much. it is 7:19. jim axelrod investigates

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ever flown to devil's lake north dakota? your tax dollars might have. the program sending nearly empty planes to america's back country. this portion of "cbs this morning" sponsored by fast signs. more than fast, more than signs. jack's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today, his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack be sure to talk to your doctor before your begin an aspirin regimen. [richard] america. did you file your taxes with someone else last year? if so,come into block and pay us half,what you paid them. get your billions back,america! that turkey looks good. yeah i'm

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last night was the 87th annual academy awards. >> we honor hollywood's best and whitest -- sorry brightest. >> you acknowledge the awkward racial reality of the evening. >> do not take your eyes off of the briefcase. got it? no bathroom breaks or chitchat. >> hold on a second you can't make a joke about how white the oscars are and then turn around and -- >> people thought that was very funny. the main thing about the oscars is it is too long. they have to figure out a way to

cut the program down. >> big nominations didn't come until after 11. >> did you have fun? >> i had a great time. i think it's very very cool. >> absolutely. >> who is the coolest person you saw? >> i was pulling for john legend. lady gaga surprised everybody with her voice. neil patrick in his tighty whiteys was nice. welcome back to "cbs this morning." big questions about pharmacies working with telemarketers. one patient got a phone call that led to a surprise on his door step. it's a sweet ride for some of america's small towns but why are taxpayers picking up the tabs for flights that look like air borne ghost towns. time to show you some headlines from around the globe. at least five drones were spotted flying over paris land

recollect ams last night. security official are searching for the drone operators. the washington post says marijuana may be safer than previously thought. it comes as alaska becomes the third state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. a study in scientific reports looked at the association of death. cannabis was least risky by a huge margin. deadliest substance alcohol. the las vegas sun shows another twist in what is being described of a road rage killing of four. the accused shooter made his first court appearance monday. >> story gets stranger and

stranger. >> and new york daily news says alex rodriguez surprised the new york yankees by showing up two days early in spring training after his year long suspension. a-rod refused to get into the specifics but he shows more contrition. >> there were plenty of mistakes along the way. i cringe sometimes when i look at some of the things i did. but i am grateful that i have another opportunity. >> he is sounding a different note there. >> he hit six home runs yesterday. >> he hit six home runs yesterday as he competes for the chance to wear the stripes one more time. new information about a health care controversy. several agencies are investigating two companies behind pain cream. the treatment was sold to customers across the country.

jim axelrod is looking into how the companies cash in. >> our investigation included compounded pain creams being billed for millions of dollars. the creams are made by compounding pharmacies which mix custom drugs for doctors. in this case the combination with a telemarketer added to major bills to medicare and private insurance. >> reporter: last april got a call about an alternative treatment for pain. what kinds of questions did they ask you? >> do i ever have pain? >> reporter: he gave the caller permission to speak to his doctor. >> did you authorize them to seek a prescription? >> no. >> reporter: which is why he and his wife were surprised when these jars of prescription creams and gels showed up three months later. >> our immediate reaction was someone else ordered medication

and they sent it to us by mistake. >> reporter: it wasn't a mistake and their insurance had been billed $2,500 for a pain cream, $3,600 for a migraine cream and nearly $13,000 for a scar gel. >> $18,680 and change. >> you must have been stunned. >> all i saw were egregious billing for something john didn't want we had no idea how to use. we didn't know what was in it. >> reporter: the call came from a company in utah that went by several names including action medical. rachael worked in the billing department. >> you would see bills that you were trying to get insurance companies to pay. >> i would send out claims. i would send it electronically and it would say paid $13,000.

it would say on the screen that this insurance company paid $13,000 for this person's one month supply of a scar cream and they had 11 more refills available. >> western medical pitched the creams as a free benefit paid by insurance. if a patient said yet western medical told their doctor one patient expressed interest in a noninvasive topical cream and sent prewritten prescriptions for the doctor to sign. >> why do you believe your doctor signed the prescriptions? >> we had been discussing the topic of pain and they took advantage of that in the ways that the memo and that fax implied. >> reporter: sources linked to western medical tell cbs news the company collected up to 200 a day billing them for more than a million dollars a week. the creams were produced in

dallas. ashley downing and her husband and co-owner recently hosted this red carpet event to celebrate their pharmacy's multimillion dollar growth. last month we sat down with the downings to ask them about their business. did you have any knowledge that products produced by downing labs were being shipped to people who haven't asked for them and insurance companies were being billed at these kinds of rates? >> we became aware that there were issues being made and that people were not happy. we then sat down as a company and we decided we are no longer going to have a relationship with them. >> if i am talking to somebody working at western medical and they are telling me that -- >> maybe we should just go ahead and just -- >> and just what? >> just not do this anymore. i was not prepared for this at all. >> let me ask you one more question. what is in those creams that is

worth $18,000? >> we don't determine the formulas on that. you know we're done. >> or the pricing. >> the downings said the insurance companies set the price. they declined our repeated requests to explain the relationship with western medical. during our visit we saw sales orders for a pharmacy affiliated with western medical for the same products they ship. >> we are all paying for this. this is not just me and john and our little account. these numbers are eventually spread across everyone in terms of what all of us pay in health care. >> in a statement to cbs news following our interview downing labs said it did not have involvement in billing or submitting claims and received only the cost of the medication plus a small compounding fee. through an attorney the owners of western medical declined to comment. after numerous complaints they

got the charges to their insurance reversed. >> i'm so surprised mrs. downing sat down to talk to you. you go one more thing. why are those creams worth $18,000. >> any sense of how wide spread this is? >> we do. it is as we said the amount of money that is being billed shows that this was not just the only case. we are talking about hundreds of prescriptions a day and a million dollars a week. some airline passengers nearly always get the best seats on the plane. the controversial program that is flying almost empty flights all over the country. guess who's paying for it. you're watching "cbs this morning." ♪ kraft natural cheese starts with fresh milk carefully selected from only us dairy farms.

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♪ new questions about what some consider a boondoggle in the sky. the essential air service program designed to ensure commercial flights fly to

locations. >> there are more than 100 different routes under the program and most offer multiple flights each day. the cost to taxpayers for subsidizing has quadrupled to $261 million this year. we decided to take a look at what all of this money is paying for. >> reporter: this 50 seat commercial jet leaves denver twice daily for two remote north dakota towns. when we flew to devil's lake north dakota there were rows of empty seats and only four passengers. >> not a huge rush to get to north dakota in the middle of the winter. this goes whether full or empty. >> reporter: the department of transportation shells out over $6 million a year to fund this route, one of 113 servicing rural kmupts. passenger mark zimmer was on our

flight. how much time does it save you in your travels? >> maybe about two hours each way. parking is a lot easier here. it is closer for me to come here. >> reporter: dick johnson is mayor of devil's lake. he says the flights are attracting businesses and estimates they inject $10 million a year in the local economy. >> the numbers are starting to go up. i think small rural communities are a major part of our country. sometimes you need help from the big communities. >> it is really a relic of deregulation. >> reporter: steve ellis says convenience hardly makes the flights a necessity. >> we shouldn't be making hundreds of millions of dollars to make things a little more convenient for a few people. >> reporter: government data shows on average 44 of the 113

flights flew at least two thirds empty. among them flights to devil's lake. this nine seat cessna flies twice daily. the government kicks in 1.4 million each year even though there is usually one passenger aboard. another 2.5 million goes to maintain flights to and from lancaster, pennsylvania each year even though it is only a 40 mile drive to the nearest airport that serves the same routes. >> the amount of money this program is costing us has doubled. >> reporter: trying to ground the program since 2011. >> i view this as a cunary in the coal mine. if we can't cut this perhaps least essential of government subsidies how will we bring spending back under control. he is pledging to try to strip the program's funding during this session of congress.

if eliminated the fastest way to devil's lake would be to drive 90 miles. >> now we know how to get there. good to have you in the studio. a lawmaker gets a lesson on female anatomy. we will show you the question he asked. she really did hit the jackpot. how a single

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it is tuesday, february 24 2015. welcome back to "cbs this morning." more real news ahead including the after effects of treating the roads. we'll show you how to stop it. here is a look at today's eye opener at 8:00. secretary mcdonald admits he was not a member of the u.s. special forces apologizing for lying to a fellow veteran. crews spent the night prineparg roads. >> broken records this morning in parts of new england. this is blast number one this week. another run coming in the middle and oendef th . week >> the idea of dhs shut down was starting to make republicans

uncomfortable. according to police the executive says he was forced to drive to this credit union fearing for his life and the life of his mother. >> cou ildt mean the end of cheap gas? >> not necessarily. it depends how long it goes on. >> what is in those creams that is worth $18,000? >> we don't determine the formulas on that so -- we're done. >> downing labs said it did not have any involvement in billing or submitting any claims and received only the cost of the medication plus a small compounding fee. >> i don't want to say the oscar oscars are long but the kid from boyhood just moved into a senior living facility. the veterans affairs secretary is apologizing this morning after admitting he lied about his military background. robert mcdonald talked about his

time in the armed forces with a cbs news camera when it was rolling for a story with john blackstone on the evening news. >> do you happen to be a veteran? army navy? >> what unit? >> special forces. >> what years, i was in special forces? >> mcdonald served for five years with the 82nd air borne division that is not among special forces. >> mcdonald responded i incorrectly stated i had been in special forces. that was inaccurate and i apologize to anyone offended. a snow and ice storm making life miserable. the east and west are drier and much colder. wind chills well below zero from chicago to portland maine. some highways froze again last night. some drivers struggled to control cars and trucks.

the region expects another winter storm tonight. roads and highways often get a heavy coating of brime. >> reporter: the winter weather taking a toll on the under carriage of this vehicle. mechanics say salt likely caused this corrosion. this is going to be replaced. the axle there is damage here and on the back of the brakes we can chip away at all of the rust. what you are looking at here is potentially thousands of dollars worth of repairs. for weeks millions of drivers have been navigating through mounds of snow and slush. and roads covered in sheets of

ice. getting around has been difficult and clearing the roads has been costly for state and local municipalities. estimated $2.3 billion is dumped annually on ice and snow operations. it turns out the methods used to keep you safe on the road aren't so safe for your car. a solution which istypically sprayed before a storm can corrode the metal and drivers are on the hook for any repairs. according to aaa it is the most effective tool for keeping people from losing control on the roads. it's a salt and water solution often combined with magnesium chloride. the acidic compound eats away at the car faster than rock salt. the damage starts in the under carriage and then spreads. >> this truck in particular is

so bad the shocks are rusted exhaust is rusts, brakes are rusted over. everything is messed up. >> reporter: aaa says drivers spend about $6.5 billion every year repairing damage caused by salt and brine corrosion. before you get to this stage says there is a simple solution. right after a major snow storm head straight to the car wash. that's what paul did. he says treating roads is important and safety comes first even if you end up paying for it later. >> it has been a tough winter so they do what they have to do. we try to protect the car the best we can. this is the damage caused by salt and brine especially in liquid form where it can just eat away at your car. that is what we are seeing in this situation here. this is what we are talking about, of course. in this condition this pickup truck may not pass a safety

inspection so they are trying to breathe new life into this vehicle. >> so what is the advice on how to make sure that doesn't happen to your car? >> get it washed or put a nice coat of wax on it. that will also help. >> you were into the story. >> what's that charlie? >> i said you were really into this story? >> this is my beat. >> it's the way you were poking around at that car. that's what we are talking about. >> i know charlie is into cars too. >> great report. thank you so much. a boston man is recovering after a dramatic crash early sunday. traffic cameras show the pickup truck striking a barrier and launching into the air. the vehicle smashed into a light pole and plummets to the deck below and crashes on to the

roadway. an idaho lawmaker got an anatomy lesson. the law would ban doctors from prescribing abortion inducing medicine through a web camunless they meet in person. >> can the same procedure be done in a pregnancy, swallowing a camera and helping the doctor determine what the situation is. >> mr. chairman and representative it cannot be done in pregnancy because when you swallow a pill it would not end up in the vagina. >> fascinating. >> he said let's move on. he said later the question was rhetorical. >> why anatomy and biology

class is important in school. new evidence shows scientific link between anger and artheart attacks. we have the research and

a war photo journalist opens up about one of her hardest assignments, decision to start a family. >> i didn't know a single female photographer who covered conflict who had a boyfriend much less a husband or baby. not one that i could think of. >> the conversation with lindsay adario ahead on "cbs this morning."

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in our morning rounds blowing your top could be a big blow to your health. a new study finds risk of heart attack is 8 1/2 times higher after angry outburst.

tell us about this study. >> this really adds to the growing body of literature suggesting that anger can increase your cardiovascular risk and potentially cause heart attack. this looked at individuals who presented with a heart attack and researchers asked about level of anger. they found those individuals reported anger levels of five or above meaning they were tense, clinching fists and teeth and ready to burst had increased risk of heart attack by about 8.5 in the next two hours. it was that two hour window that seemed important. in addition when they looked at anxiety levels those who reported very high levels of anxiety were around 9 1/2 increased risk of heart attack. >> another reason not to get angry. >> anger festers. that is what was so fascinating to me. you think you can get mad and it is over but sometimes it isn't.

>> you turn on this incredible response where your blood pressure increases, increases the oxygen demand on the heart. you constrict blood vessels and changing the way the blood is and promoting clotting or formation of blood clots. you are taking plaques that are stable and causing them to get disrupted. that is when you have a heart attack. >> as a cardiologist does this come up in your conversations with patients? >> more and more as we recognize psychological effects and what that can have on the heart we are asking patients about their stress level and anxiety and now it suggests we should be asking more about anger levels. >> certain things trigger intense anger. >> in this study it was arguments with others or family members that seemed to trigger it most. >> what kind of others? what do you mean by others? >> any others. >> family members, co workers.

>> and sauna can do what for you? >> there is another study that was recently released that looked at people in finland who use the sauna frequently meaning four to seven times a week. they found that those who use the sauna at that level increase the risk of sudden cardiac death by about 63% and decrease overall cause of death by about 40%. >> it's not that sauna but maybe people that visit saunas probably go to the gym a lot more and take time to relax. they don't get angry. >> thank you. let's talk to somebody about that. good to see you. >> speaking of anger, when was your last rant? it might not be as negative as you think. we will show you the massive study showing the positive side of words. you are watching "cbs this morning."

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now, that's a great looking shirt. >> it is perfect! look at it! fantastic! >> kramer how am i going to wear this? >> this looks better than anything you own. in two months time everybody is

going to be wearing the pirate look! >> i remember that episode. >> the pirate shirt. cramer knew how to find the bright side on "seinfeld." that is known as the pollyanna principle, tendency to use positive terms. >> researchers went through 100 billion tweets and found that our language is largely positive. "new york times" columnist with the ground breaking study. why is it considered ground breaking and were the results a surprise? >> people had hypothesized that there is the pollyanna tendency. a girl where if someone broke a leg at least you didn't break two legs. psychologists theorizing we had

this and looked at ten languages and found it in every medium people used more positive words. >> you studied 1.8 million articles from the "new york times." i think the bias is that the news is negative if it bleeds it leads. >> surprisingly every section of the "new york times" -- over all times averaged to 6 where five is neutral. even the foreign news wars and terrorist attacks was slightly positive. and then the sections about living and weekend and arts were more positive. even journalists, we pride ourselves on being bad news purveyors but we are pollyannas at heart too. >> is social media more negative because you can hide behind a computer screen? >> some people are. on twitter it has about the same score as the "new york times" overall. on bad news days when justin

bieber is arrested and also ferguson. >> the lady that kicked me out of the express line at fair way yesterday. i don't think i should have been kicked out. >> you were breaking in line. >> i was so irritated yesterday. why -- you did find people use more positive language than negative words. >> there are several theories. one is that more good things happen to you. you probably have more good experiences shopping than bad ones. there is more to talk about really more than that like this girl pollyanna it is a way to cope with bad things. when you get a bad report from the field there is probably a tendency to say what can we do about it? what is a solution to it and turn positive. >> i know that you did a custom analysis of cbs this morning. what did you find? >> we found that the show if positive is 5.95. among the three of you gayle is

most positive. you are all more positive as a whole. gayle is 6.15 because you use words like thank you and love and great. you some negative words like norah, you were second. you take fight and controversy. and charlie, you were the least positive but you are still more positive than the show. your average is 6 which is exactly the "new york times" as a whole. you use words like welcome, win and super. those are your positive words. negative ones are terror, deadly and shooting. >> my mother said you will catch more flies with honey. >> we loved having you here. survivor host on season 30 of the reality tv pioneer. he's here. hey. >> hey! >> you ready? >> he's positive.

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welcome back to "cbs this morning." coming up in this half hour survivor checking out the more civilized confines of studio 57. have a croissant and peanut butter. he is in the green room playing the drums. he'll show us how the reality show will shape things up in tomorrow night's premiere. she made the most dangerous places focal point in her career. she opens up about her kidnapping in libya. see how that moment inspired her to become a mom. time to show you headlines. retail giant target may be trying to start a free shipping war. target slashed free shipping

minimum in half to only $25. on amazon you have to spend $35. wal-mart $50. >> it's on. san antonio express news says texas elementary school teacher will donate a kidney to a student. she turned out to be a perfect match. matthew is rejecting a previous transplant. he had been told he had only a 1% chance of finding a suitable donor. matthew and his teacher will have surgery next month. >> what a beautiful story. seattle times says marshawn lynch is trying to trademark a phrase he is famous to saying for reporters. >> i'm here so i won't get fined. >> i'm here so i won't get fined. >> lynch used the phrase repeatedly during super bowl media day last month. he filed a trademark application to control any clothing sold with that phrase. my guess is that might be pretty popular. >> i think so too.

people have volunteered to be stranded in some of the world's most remote areas for a chance of a huge payoff. the emmy winning show survivor marks a big milestone. season 30 debuts tomorrow. it is the longest running reality competition show ever and helped change the landscape of tv. >> reporter: it was a social experiment made for tv that became a pop culture phenomenon. >> 16 americans for 39 days in the middle of the south china sea. >> reporter: it premiered in 2000 and was an instant sensation. >> a game. >> reporter: richard hatch was the first of the show's master manipulators taking home the million dollar prize in the dramatic finale watched by more than 50 million people. >> if i ever pass you along in life again and you are laying there dying of thirst i would

not give you a drink of water. >> reporter: creator describes the show as gilligan's island meets lord of the flies meets ten little indians meets real world. lies and betrayals are all part of the game. >> no one has integrity. it's $1 million. >> reporter: with the format it was widely imitated given rise to reality show arrow. few could have predicted how lo ng survivor would survive. after 30 seasons over 15 years, 460 contestants, 17 countries and 52 emmy nominations the series is going strong. host and executive producer at the helm. >> welcome to survivor worlds apart. >> reporter: the new season comes with yet another twist. >> the white collar tribe, blue

collar tribe, no collar tribe. 39 days 18 people one survivor! >> survivor host and executive producer jeff probst. >> i love doing survivor. >> when it started what were your expectations? >> i heard mark burnett on the radio talking about the show when i was driving in my car. when i got the gig i thought this would be a cool social experiment that a few people will watch. never dreamed i would be sitting here talking to you guys 15 years later. >> why do you think it is successful and how have you been able to make it sustain? >> i think the success is the format. take a group of strangers, force them to work together and then get rid of each other. i think the reason it is on honestly is execution. mark burnett taught us how to make this show and how to execute it and gave us the show

and left and went on to create the other shows. >> if you think about the first season of survivor the final episodes, 52 million people watch it. those are -- we don't get those ratings anywhere. >> i was so naive i had no idea 52 million what it meant. i just thought a lot of people watched. people tell me i remember the night i watched the finale. i remember where i was. i heard the neighbors yelling when richard hatch won. >> the key to success somebody said to me recently in the studio it is the back stabbing that i love. we did a segment that more people are positive than negative. not on survivor. it is the back stabbing and lying and betrayal. >> that is where people get in trouble is it is like playing poker but it is human poker. if you walk in going i can't lie you are at a disadvantage because i'm reading the rules

and the rules say lie. i'm going to lie but we can still be friends and talk about pollyanna what is interesting is at the end of the season the people who got mad at each other end up making up. one was smart enough to get the million dollars. >> you tried something new this season. give us a break down. >> white collars work in offices, might wear a suit and make rules. blue collars are the heart beat of america, outside maybe in a uniform. they follow the rules. the no collars are the free spirits on the outside breaking the rules. the idea was to put the three of them together. it is three different approaches to life. >> how do you get the contestants? >> it takes us all year. casting is our number one priority. >> is there commonality among people who want to be contestants? >> no. it is an interesting question because we continue to fine tune our casting. one of the things we look at is

motivation. what is your real motivation? is it to be on tv? is it the money? is it the experience? >> what is the winning reason? >> it is varied. it depends on the person. >> are you looking for somebody that is a great story teller great liar? >> great story teller. you have to be compelling. then we look at your site profile and then predict. gayle will be pretty positive and charlie will be mr. negative. >> that is not true. stop it right now. simply not true. >> the interesting thing about this is the prize money has not changed. it's been $1 million since the beginning? >> i have to go back to charlie. if we were on survivor i am curious if you were offended by what i said or giving me a hard time. >> therefore i like -- >> that would be offended.

>> and yet john would say you just said in defending it erroneous and not true two negative words. >> i'm never coming back on this show. >> no jeff. why is truth a negative word? >> i'm with you. it's not. >> my point about it. >> i'm with you. >> can we say something about you that you are an ordained minister? i thought that was interesting. >> i'm ordained from the universal church of life which for $25 you can go online and do that as well. i did it to remarry my parents as a surprise for their 35th. since then i married a few close friends. it actually is a really cool idea because if you think about it a lot of times you get married and go to a church and there is a pastor you don't know and he calls you jeffrey and you are like i don't go by jeffrey as opposed to having a friend do

it that knows how they met. it makes it personal. >> continued success to you. the show is great. >> i don't know. we are very lucky in that we have a loyal audience. >> it turned cbs around. didn't it have a huge impact? >> i think it did. i love being on this show. i love the round table. i do. it's a discussion. it's nice. >> it's very nice. >> it's a fun day. positivity all around. >> thank you for coming. >> thanks for having me. >> still looking at me. >> you can catch the special 90 minute season premiere tomorrow night at 8:00/7:00 central right here. she pushed the limit to bring the world's stunning images of humanity even while

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risked her life to cover almost every war. she has been kidnapped twice. she shares her journey covering chaos and suffering and finding love in the middle of it all. >> reporter: beautiful, haunting and informative are just a few

wurz to describe addario's work as a photo journalist. do you think what you do is a calling? >> i think when i started going to war zones and started covering humanitarian issues it became a calling. now it is something that fits inside of me every day. >> reporter: for the better part of two decades she found those voices while covering the wars in the middle east. >> it turned out the woman on the right was in labor and her water had just broken. >> reporter: she says the fact that she is a woman gives her access half the population there. >> we had been air lifted to the

side of the mountain. >> reporter: in 2007 she was with the 173 air borne battle company when the taliban attacked. she captured the entire scene including the death of staff sergeant who had become a friend. >> i was crying so hard it was really difficult to shoot. it was just incredibly personal difficult moment for everyone. >> reporter: she was spending close to 280 days a year on the road away for months at a time. six years ago she got married but she didn't slow down and even put the idea of starting a family on hold. but in 2011 when she was covering the uprising in libya that all changed. >> four journalists, two reporters and two photographers for the "new york times" disappeared on tuesday. >> reporter: on march 16 she and three colleagues were kidnapped. for six days they were tied up

blind folded beaten and threatened with death. she was 37 and thought constantly about her husband, paul. >> i was thinking if i get out of this alive i will try to start a family with paul. >> reporter: three months after being released she was pregnant. when you found out you were pregnant you said to your husband, paul? >> my life is over. i think that -- >> you said my life is over? >> yes. i was terrified. >> why? >> i'm honest about it and i think a lot of women are not. a lot of women act like it is the easiest and i'm going to have a baby and put my life on hold and not be worried about it. >> you knew it would change your life. >> i didn't know a single female photographer who covered conflict who even had a boyfriend much less a husband or a baby. there was not one that i could think of. >> reporter: she hid her

pregnancy and ignored the advice of doctors and continued to travel and worked in places like gaza afghanistan and somalia where famine was gripping the country. it was there that she met an 18-month-old who was dying of malnutrition in front of his mother's eyes. as she knelt down to photograph him she felt her own baby kicking inside of her. you write it was the most unfair juxtaposition of life and death i have felt since i began my journey as a photographer. >> it was really hard. it was really hard. >> what do you say to people that look at what you have done and say here she is pregnant ignoring the advice of her doctor and putting the life of her unborn child in danger? >> i just ask myself who are these people and what sort of sheltered life do they live if they think that there are not

women getting pregnant and giving birth every single day in those countries. why are they not up in arms about that? it is a double standard. a lot of my male colleagues go to war zones when their wives are nine months pregnant. why is no one upset about that? >> reporter: four months after that day in somalia lucas simon was born in a london hospital. when he was 3 months old lindsay made the same difficult decision many new moms make. she decided to go back to work. are you more aware of your own mortality now? >> definitely. now i say i have to stay alive and how can i cover the story and make sure i can get home? >> reporter: she is combat assignments to others for now at least. she is still out there photographing those who need a voice all around the world. >> it is important to have perspective and to look at what

you don't necessarily want to see. >> she is one of the bravest people i have met. a journalist who travelled with tyler hicks and all these difficult places and kidnapped twice. it is amazing because her pictures tell a story that none of us can tell without cameras. >> we featured her in magazines. i am familiar with her work. >> she was surprised by the reaction. >> you are watching cbs. we will be right back.

that does it for us. be sure to tune in tonight. anr d fonews

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>> a doctor's exclusive. >> for the first time i am here tow speak out about a condition. >> a secret vicki lawrence has been hiding for years and is now revealing to the doctors. >> it's painful. >> what's causing the breakdown from her teeth to her tongue? plus, remember this guest? >>i love shooting up heroin. >> the addiction, the intervention. >> i feel scarud will die. >> and the -- scared that you will die. >> the update. >> a freak accident. what co-stars are saying. i want him to be better! that's today! ♪ ♪ doctor, doctor gimme the news ♪ ♪ [ applause ] ♪ ♪ hello, everyone! we have all heard the phrase "ignorance is bliss" right? for some people that statement is entirely true when it comes