ashley morrison is here in new york with the latest on that. good morning, ashley. >> good morning to you, betty. a mixed day for the asian markets. tokyo's nikkei dropped a fraction while hong kong's hang seng ticked up slightly and oil fell from a two-year high but still remains above $105 a barrel. >>> today, wall street gets the february durable goods report and a look at the weekly jobless claim numbers. on wednesday, a late rally kept stocks on the upside. the dow closed up 67 points to hit its highest level in two weeks. while the nasdaq gained 14. >>> the disaster in japan is forcing toyota to slow its production here in the u.s. the world's biggest automaker told employees and dealers wednesday that due to supply disruptions from asia, it expects to halt production at some u.s. factories. the company did not indicate the size or pace of the slowdown, but it is expected to be somewhat limited since most toyotas made in this country use parts made in america. >>> new worries this morning about the housing market, after sales of new homes

ashley morrison is here in new york with more on that. good morning, ashley. >> good morning to you, betty. fears about the nuclear crisis in japan creeped back into the asian markets. erasing yesterday's gains. this morning, tokyo's nikkei fell around 1.5%, while hong kong's hang seng dropped just about 2%. >>> today, wall street gets the very latest on inflation and a look at the weekly jobless claim numbers. on wednesday, it was the worst day for the markets in months. stocks plunged from the start and never got any better, wiping out all their gains so far this year. when it was over the dow slid 242 points. its worst day since august, while the nasdaq lost 50 and the s&p 500 was down 2%. >>> those high prices at the supermarket are about to get higher. food prices at the wholesale level rose 4% last month, the biggest jump in 36 years. cold weather accounted for most of it, forcing stores and restaurants to pay more for produce, meat and dairy. supermarkets are warning that in the days ahead, produce may be lower quality, or quantity

all right, ashley morrison live here in new york for us. shley. >>> brigham young university explained why it kicked star basketball player brandon davies off the team. davies was dismissed for violating the mormon school's honor code for having premarital sex. the athletic director defended the decision. >> we understand that people across the country might think this is foreign to them. and they're shocked and surprised. but for us, we deal with this quite often. >> an honor code review is under way to determine if davies will remain in school, and whether he could play next season. >>> straight ahead, your friday morning weather. and in sports, the heat and the magic battle in miami. well-being. we're all striving for it. purina cat chow helps you nurture it in your cat with a full family of excellent nutrition and helpful resources. purina cat chow. share a better life. this is your lucky day. pantene's 2-in-1's are customized, with 5 new versions. find yours and love it or twice your money back. that's the smart beauty guarantee. 2-in-1

ashley morrison here in new york with that and more. good morning to you. >> good morning to you, terrell. the asian markets slipped slightly this morning. tokyo's nikkei fell a fraction as did hong kong's hang seng and oil prices are down just a little to over $105 a barrel. >>> today, wall street gets the february income and spending report, and the latest look at home sales. last week stocks rallied for their best week since july. the dow gained 3% while the nasdaq jumped almost 4%. >>> toyota resumed production this morning at some of the hardest-hit factories in japan. the plants that opened today mostly mike hybrid vehicles like the best-selling prius and had been closed since the earthquake. still analysts warn in the weeks ahead consumer options for japanese vehicles will grow limited here at home. buyers may have a hard time finding the model they want in certain colors, as supply lines run short. >>> social security recipients will not be getting much help from the government next year. while a slight cost of living adjust is

ashley morrison is here in new york with the latest on that. morning, ashley. >> good morning to you, betty. that's right. both asian markets saw gains today. japan's nikkei index climbed 1% while hong kong's hang seng also edged higher, and the price of oil fell just a bit with a barrel of crude now at $101 a barrel. today, wall street gets the very latest on retail sales, and a look at the weekly jobless claim numbers. on wednesday, stocks finished higher. the dow edged up almost 9 points. while the nasdaq gained 10. >>> ahead of tomorrow's jobs report from the government, there is some good news on the labor front. payroll processor adp reports that private companies added 217,000 jobs last month. more than the 180,000 analysts were expecting. that raises hope that tomorrow's report could show a decline in the unemployment rate, currently standing at 9%. >>> some wall street executives may have to wait for that big bonus check. the sec has voted to back a proposed rule that would make executives at top firms wait at least three years to be pa

ashley morrison joining us live in new york.k you. >>> former minnesota governor tim pawlenty has made the first move to a 2012 run for the white house. >> today i'm announcing the formation of an exploratory committee to run for president of the united states. >> the republican made the announcement in a video posted to his facebook page on monday. he is the first major candidate to form an exploratory committee which allows him to begin fund-raising. he served two terms as minnesota's governor and was on the short list of possible running mates for 2008 gop presidential nominee john mccain. >>> straight ahead, your tuesday morning weather. and in sports, the bodies were flying as the knicks take on the celtics. you are watching the "cbs morning news." ♪ [ male announcer ] every day thousands of people are switching from tylenol to advil. here's one story. my name is betty and i am an animal lover who does rescue. being a foster parent for dogs is very grueling. washing them -- it causes a lot of strain on my lower back. i used

ashley morrison is here in new york with that and more. good morning, ashley. >> and good morning to you, joel. well, asian markets saw a sell-off amid worries about high oil prices. japan's nikkei lost more than 1.5% while hong kong's hang seng dropped nearly half a percent. >>> today, wall street gets the latest conconsumer credit. last week turmoil in the oil markets overshadowed good news on jobs. the dow gained 3% while the nasdaq was up a fraction. >>> the recent run-up on wall street has some concerned we could be looking at a bubble in stock prices. the s&p 500 is on its fastest climb in decades, and has doubled in less than two years. some analysts are suspicious stocks are way overpriced and that the bottom could fall out, but others argue the fundamentals of the market do not show that danger. >>> salmonella concerns have prompted a recall of skippy peanut butter. it affects only the reduced fat creamy and reduced fat super chunk spread sold in 16 states. no illnesses have been reported yet. but health authorities are concerned t

ashley morrison joining us live here in new york. hley. >>> los angeles police raided charlie sheen's mansion overnight. police officials say they were looking for guns that might violate a restraining order obtained last week by sheen's estranged wife. sheen's lawyer says they took away some bullets and what he described as an antique gun. on thursday, sheen filed a $100 million lawsuit seeking to recoup his salary and wages of workers on the cbs sitcom "two and a half men." the filing came four days after sheen was fired as the show's star. >>> straight ahead, your friday morning weather. and in sports, a dramatic end in the big east tournament, as uconn takes on thursday ranked pittsburgh. ♪ special k protein shakes -- ♪ a truly great-tasting breakfast shake. with 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, it's the creamy, delicious way to satisfy... your hunger to help you lose weight. ♪ so you can kick the tin can habit. try special k protein shakes today. so you can kick the tin can habit. ooh, the price sure doesn't. i'm tired o

ashley morrison here in new york. thank you. >>> congresswoman gabrielle giffords is recovering so rapidly from being shot in the head in january that her astronaut husband thinks she'll be able to attend next month's launch of the shuttle "endeavour." astronaut mark kelly will command that mission. appearing yesterday in houston, with other members of the crew, he spoke of giffords. >> she wants to attend. she's been looking forward to this for a long time. as nasa's -- one of nasa's biggest supporters in congress, you know, she was really looking forward to having the opportunity to be there. and i think there's a pretty good chance that's going to happen. >> "endeavour" is scheduled for launch on its final flight on april 19th. >>> straight ahead your friday morning weather. and in sports, march madness, as another number one seed gets sent home early. ome early. [scraping] [piano keys banging] [scraping] [horns honking] with deposits in your engine, it can feel like something's holding your car back. let me guess,

in new york, i'm ashley morrison. >>> starbucks is facing a lawsuit over its tip jar. it stems from 2008 when a customer in st. louis tries to stop a teenager who stole the tip jar. they got in a fight and the 54- year-old fell down and hit his head. he actually died two days later. now his family is arguing that starbucks invited the crime by having the tip jar on the counter. they also claim the company should have warned customers about the potential harm. >> that's a little crazy, huh? >> yeah. dangerous. >> getting a coffee? >>> well, the time now is 4:46. president obama's message to bullis, how he is using facebook to reach out to students. >> plus could you do it? the 40-day challenge to stay off a social network. >> i'm addicted. >> i'm, too. >> your morning cup doing a lot more than just waking you up. the special health benefits coffee has for women. coming up. >>> we have no proven guilt here. >> or does the video speak for itself. a bay area hockey team accused of throwing a game. why its rivals are now threatening violence. ,,,, [ female announcer ] why w

ashley morrison here in new york with that and more.to you. >> good morning to you terrell. asian markets were mostly higher this morning. japan's nikkei was closed for a national holiday while hong kong's hang seng jumped over 1%. today wall street gets the latest on the housing market. last week stocks took big losses as investors worried about a possible nuclear disaster in japan and continued unrest in the middle east. the dow lost 1.5% while the nasdaq was down more than 2.5%. >>> a major shake-up in the telecom world. at&t said sunday it is buying t-mobile in a deal worth $39 billion. one of the biggest mergers since the financial crisis. the deal still needs federal approval, and that might take awhile. but if it gets the green light, it would create the country's biggest cell company, serving 43% of american customers. analysts think it will mean a wider choice of phones for t-mobile subscribers, and better network coverage overall. but it will also mean fewer pricing plans to choose from and less competition, which usually mean

right. >> ashley morrison with cbsmoneywatch.com. talk about surprises, the final four is now set in the ncaa tournament. if your brackets are broken you are a brackettologist in in a big way. out of nearly 6 million people who filled out their brackets, cooler air mass two got the final four teams correct. >>> it starts next saturday. >>> and a reminder the stanford women play tonight against gonzaga in the elite eight. if stanford wins it would be the team's fourth consecutive appearance in the final four. and by the way, they have already beaten gonzaga earlier this year. so good luck to the cardinals. >>> well, he had a high-powered job in the white house and now he may have a new career at a social media giant. >> former white house press secretary robert gibbs is in talks to join the facebook staff. that's right. gibbs is said to be up for a senior role on the website's communication team. his salary could be in the millions of dollars including a cash salary and possibly company stock. >>> time now is 6:50. a potential game ch

ashley morrison with cbsmoneywatch. >>> okay.do things last minute it could cost you a little extra the next time you fly. a low-cost airline going to charge passengers who wait to check their bags. we're talking about spirit airlines. it says it will charge people between $5 and $10 extra if they don't check their bags more than 24 hours before departure. guess you have to go online to do that. the airline calling it an early bird discount. >> you have probably seen one of those new full body x-ray machines at airports. the cancer risk is low but it exists. an arm says they contribute less than 1% of the radiation dose a flyer gets from cosmic ray this is flight. >> how gou check your bag if you are not at the airport? >> go online and tell them you're going to have one bag to check. >>> today an fda panel is meeting to consider a possible link between artificial food colors and hyper kids. some scientists believe artificial dyes used in candy, waffles, even salad dressing can causing adhd in children. food companies using artif

but ashley morrison is stepping in. cbsmoneywatch out of new york checking in on the early action.. home prices fell in most major u.s. cities with the average price in four of them at their lowest level in 11 years. the s&p home price index shows prize dropped in 19 of the 20 cities survey from december to january time period with the prices dropping. let's get the investor reaction to that report. the dow is down by 13. the nasdaq is also down by 5. we'll check some local stocks for you. qualcomm is up by 54 cents. alumina is dropping 13 cents and saic is flat at 0. >>> the supreme court takes up a class action sex discrimination suit against wal- mart which would be the largers in the country's history. the -- largest in the country's history. the justices will hear arguments on whether the suit goes forward. if so, some 500,000 to more than 3 million current and former employees could be included. if they win the lawsuit, wal- mart could be forced to pay billions. >>> volkswagen is recalling 71,000 jettas for a wiring problem. only cars from the 2011 model year are affected. th

ashley morrison is here in new york with more on that. orning, ashley. >> good morning to you, betty. well, asian markets saw a sell-off as oil prices rose near $105 a barrel. japan's nikkei tumbled 1.5% to a five-week low, while hong kong's hang seng fell nearly 1%. today wall street gets the very latest look on the weekly jobless claim numbers. on wednesday stocks closed slightly lower. the dow lost just one point while the nasdaq gave back 14. >>> foreclosure notices dropped to a three-year low last month. but, experts caution most of that drop is because lenders put a temporary stop on some home seizures due to allegations they were cutting corners with paperwork. still, nearly 65,000 homes were repossessed last month. analysts expect the foreclosure crisis to peak later on this year. >>> the average household can expect to spend $700 more on gas this year than they did last. the energy department bases their estimate on an annual pump price of $3.61 a gallon. and says the annual cost will average more than $3,200 for a household. the

ashley morrison is here in new york with much more on that. good morning, ashley. >> good morning, betty. the asian markets hit positive ground this morning. tokyo's nikkei gained more than 2.5% while hong kong's hang seng jumped almost 2%. and oil is back near $105 a barrel. >>> well, today, wall street gets the latest on the job market. on tuesday, corporate earnings helped pull stocks higher despite a big drop in consumer confidence. the dow rallied 81 points while the nasdaq gained 26. >>> today the government's controversial bank bailout will actually turn a profit. the u.s. treasury expects three banks to repay a total of $7.4 billion. $245 billion in taxpayer money was used to rescue big banks and firms during the financial crisis. but, after today, the government will have gotten back $251 billion. >>> new fears this morning of a double-dip in the housing market. a new report finds home prices fell in 19 out of 20 big cities in january. they're off more than 30% since 2006. and in four of those cities, atlanta, las vegas, detroit, and c

ashley morrison is here in new york with the latest on that. d morning, ashley. >> good morning to you, betty. well asian markets edged higher for a second straight day. japan's nikkei added more than half a percent while hong kong's hang seng also finished higher. oil prices remain near $104 a barrel. >>> today, wall street gets the very latest on trade. on tuesday stocks rallied with big banks leading the charge. the dow jumped 124 points, while the nasdaq gained 20. >>> small investors have jumped squarely back into the market. new data shows since the beginning of the year investors have poured more than $24 billion into mutual funds. that reversed the trend from the year before, which saw small investors pulling $96 billion out of the market. >>> one major investor thinks now is not a good time to be in stocks. billionaire carl icahn is returning all the money that outside investors have put into his hedge fund. in a letter to partners, he says he is concerned about another market crisis, especially given the current bull run on wall street

ashley morrison is here in new york with that and much more. good morning, ashley. >> good morning to you, betty. well, another tough day for asian markets. tokyo's nikkei lost just over 1.5%, while hong kong's hang seng lost a fraction, and oil prices hovered near $105 a barrel. today, wall street gets the very latest check on the housing market. on tuesday, stocks broke a three-day rally. the dow dipped 17 points while the nasdaq gave back 8. >>> the supreme court is making it easier to haul businesses into court. in a case filed against a drug company the justices ruled to allow investors to sue a company for purposely withholding damaging information about a product. the ruling is expected to open the door to more lawsuits. >>> google's plan for a universal library has been shelved. tuesday, citing antitrust concerns, a new york judge rejected a deal between the web giant and the book industry that would have put millions of volumes online available for everyone. the door is still open to a possible deal. google has already scanned more than

here to explain all of that is ashley morrison.ave your job cut out for you today. >> good morning to you. well, another down day for the asian markets. the nikkei went down a fraction while the hang seng went down slightly. and the price of oil dipped below $104 a barrel. >>> today wall street gets the latest on consumer confidence and home prices. on monday a late day dip pushed stocks lower. the dow lost 22 points while the nasdaq gave back 12. >>> american workers are ready for a pay raise. a career builder survey released overnight finds 39% of male and 30% of female employees are expecting a bump in pay in the next six months. and if they don't get one, they may be on the move. the survey also found 40% of workers think it's likely they can find a better job than the one they have now within six months. >>> volkswagen is recalling 71,000 jettas for a wiring problem. only cars from the 2011 model year are affected. the company says blowing the horn could cause a short circuit that would cut off power to the engine. vw says no

ashley morrison is here in new york with the latest on that. >> reporter: good morning. well, asian markets saw some gains. the nikkei finished a fraction higher while hong kong's hang seng added nearly 2%. oil traded near $104 a barrel falling back slightly from the day before. well, today wall street tries to get back on track. on monday rising oil and gold prices put pressure on stocks. the dow dropped nearly 80 points while the nasdaq lost 39. >>> u.s. employers are growing more optimistic about hiring. according to a new survey from manpower.com, plans to hire are up 8% this quarter compared to the quarter before. the survey comes from employers in all 50 states and across all industries. >>> consumer borrowing jumped in january for the fourth straight month, but americans were still careful. credit card debt fell 6.5%. analysts predict that consumers will borrow more in the months ahead as the job market recovers. >>> a smart phone shakeup. the google android now owns the top spot with a 31% market share. research in motion's blackberry is next with about 30%. appl

ashley morrison is here in new york with the latest on that. >> reporter: along with the humanitarian catastrophe and possible nuclear disaster, japan is also dealing with an economic crisis. it's showing little signs of easing and could have a serious impact on the economy here at home. fears of a full blown nuclear disaster sent stocks on another nose dive today in tokyo. japan's nikkei index lost more than 10.5% after dropping 6% monday. other asian markets also tumbled. japan tried to ease fears by pumping another $98 billion into the nation's banking system today, but investors dumped shares across the board. those same fears hit wall street monday. the dow lost 51 points to fall below 12,000. the nasdaq lost 14. while uncertainty always keeps stocks on edge, analysts say a nuclear disaster would have devastating consequences for the global economy. >> markets would crash throughout the world because of the impact that has, because of radiation escaping into the atmosphere, into the food systems. it's horrible to even think about. >> reporter: we're only beginning to see the econ

ashley morrison is here in new york with the latest on that. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. well, asian markets got a boost from foreign investors. the nikkei rose more than 1% while the hang seng added a fraction. today wall street gets february auto sales numbers and hears from ben bernanke on capitol hill. on monday, stocks finished higher after oil prices stabilized. the dow gained 96 points while the nasdaq added 1. >>> those gains closed out the third straight up month for stocks pushed higher by strong corporate earnings and a string of mergers. for february, the dow gained 2.8%, the nasdaq 3% and the s&p 500 3.2%. >>> the white house is urging congress to move on mortgage finance reform. timothy geithner will ask lawmakers to approve legislation overhauling fannie mae and freddie mac within two years. they own or guarantee half of u.s. mortgages but they nearly collapsed in 2008 and have only survived since on a steady diet of taxpayer aid. >>> consumer reports has named japanese automakers honda, subaru and toyota the best al