. >> ifill: marcia coyle explains today's supreme court debate over whether the courts or the e.p.a. should regulate greenhouse gas emissions. >> woodruff: margaret warner talks to the "los angeles times" reporters who exposed public corruption in a small california town, and won a pulitzer prize. >> ifill: we have robert macneil's second report in his "autism now" series. tonight: what's behind the rapid rise in new cases. >> the number of children who have autism has increased enormously. in the last two years we recruited 50, 70 two-year-olds with autism just here in the city. it's a phenomenal change from a clinician's experience. >> woodruff: and ray suarez gets a war update from rajiv chandrasakeran of the "washington post," just back from afghanistan. >> ifill: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> i mean, where would we be without small businesses? >> we need small businesses. >> they're the ones that help drive growth. >> like electricians, mechanics, carpenters. >> they strengthen our communities. >> every year,

marcia coyle of "the national law journal" was in the courtroom, as always, and joins us now. marcia, how did this dispute between data miners and big pharma and the state of vermont make it to the supreme court? >> well, ray, you know that when we get a prescription for drugs we go into a pharmacy, we get the drugs. we leavement we don't think much about what happens to that actual prescription. federal law requires pharmacies to keep a record of the prescription and not to reveal the patient's identity. but pharmacies can and do sell the other information in those prescriptions to data mining companies who sift through all this information about trends and patterns and then sell that to, as in this case, drug companys who can then have their sales representatives do targeted marg iting of mark iting of brand name drugs to doctors. in 2007 vermont passed a law that said doctors' prescription information may not be used by pharmacies or used to market drugs unless the physician consents. three data-mining companies and a trade organization challenged the law in federal court.

simpson murder trial, marcia clark is here.clark. >>> and sam champion is back with us. you're in hard-hit north carolina, and so many people tweeting, because a lot of areas were affected, like in my home state, jackson, mississippi, hit by a lot of tornadoes too. >> you get 241 of them in three days, just about everybody's got a story to tell. we're going to go from tornadoes on the ground to snow in the air on the same weather map. about 6 inches of snow from bismarck to fargo to minneapolis. this is wild. in the fact that even chicagoland could get a little snow mixture and a little bit of a collection. nice and mild in the south. atlanta, 80 degrees today. raleigh, durham in the triangle area, we're going to get to 71. it's the cold air in the north. the clash of the two, we expect it later this week, there will be another round of severe weather >> all that weather was brought to you by purina. i want to take time to say, as long as we have been covering severe weather. we have only come across this situation twice. when

---el incidente ocurrio ayer cuando "dawn marcia wilson" caminaba por el parque "cataldi" con su perroo de las mordidas que le dieron los "pitbull"... el ataque duro casi media hora. ---cuando la victima de 66 aÑos intento separarlos, los perros la mordieron a ella tambien.---la policia no ha logrado encontrar a los pitbull... uno es color cafe y el otro negro. --siguen las protestas en el campus sacramento de la universidad estatal de california contra los millonarios recortes a la educacion superior propuestos por el gobernador . --ayer los manifestantes tomaron un edificio administrativo, hoy acusaron a las autoridades universitarias de darles la espalda.--sergio flores nos amplia ---el indice de desempleo cayo levemente en california durante el mes de marzo.---el mes pasado, a nivel estatal, la tasa de desocupacion se sitÓ en 12 por ciento, en comparacion con 12,1 por ciento el mes anterior.---en nuestra zona, el condado de solano registra el indice de desempleo mas elevado con 12,3 por ciento, mientras que el condado de marin tiene las cifras mas bajas con 8 por ciento.---a nivel

---la mascota de "dawn marcia walson" tuvo que ser sacrificada debido a las heridas...mientras que la mujer se recupera de las mordidas... ---la victima paseaba con su mascota anoche, cuando fue atacada por los pitbull... ---las autoridades dicen que el dueÑo de los dos animales podria enfrentar a la justicia. cu ---a otro tema: un grupo de latinos y asiticos le est pidiendo a un juez que declare como "ilegal" el sistema de elecciones en el condado de san mateo. take vo ---entablaron una demanda alegando que el sistema de votacin est "polarizado racialmente", y que eso diluye el poder de sus votos. --- ese sistema se llama "de voto en bloque", y solo ganan los que obtienen mayor numero de votos - es decir, no hay representacion proporcional. ---segun la demanda, los asiticos y latinos conforman 25 por ciento de la poblacin del condado de san mateo... ---pero desde 1995 -escuche- slo un latino y ningn asitico ha formado parte de la junta de supervisores. cu ---y esto tiene que ver con la salud, porque muchas clnicas comunitarias en el rea de la baha take vo se estn prepa

. >> reporter: dawn marcia wilson was riding on this trail with her dog when she saw two other dogs race towards her. they went straight for her 100- pound husky mix named shadow. >> grabbing on, not letting loose and yanking and, you know, trying to kill. >> reporter: wilson tried to break up the dog fight and that's when the other dogs turned on her. she's now recovering from numerous puncture bites on wound on her face, arms and leg. shadow was so badly injured he had to be euthanized. wilson says she's concerned for her neighbor's safety with the dogs still on the loose. >> that would be my concern that they would go for a small child that is the size of a small dog. >> san jose officials are investigating to see if they can find the dogs responsible. >> this dog owner said she change the her usual walking routine out of concern. >> decided to change a little bit. i'm vigilant. i'm looking around for loose dosmghts i try to steer away from them. >> reporter: the dogs involved are described as a tan color pitbull and a mixed breed pitbull. >>> there is controversy in berkeley over the

falvey: -- commissioner slaughter: i think what commissioner marcia was suggesting is that we have a group go out to say, these are the 20 items, and put them into categories and come back in two weeks and say, "year is," rather than having a conversation where we have to get a debate. again, if people want to do with a different way, that is fine. vice president marshall: suggestions to put on the list. commissioner: i was just looking for a speedy way to do this. commissioner kingsley: for us to take this list as well as any items that the commissioners want to add tonight, and then come back. vice president marshall: ok. done. all right. then public comment on item number four? seeing none, the tennis, please call item no. 6. -- seeing none, a lieutenant. secretary lt. falvey: item number six, public comment on all matters pertaining to item 8 below, closed session, and public comment on whether or not to hold item eight in closed session. vice president marshall: item number 7. secretary lt. falvey: item number seven, to move into closed session. vice president marshall: without

we have marcia hodges, big brother and sisters ceo in the area and patrick, a big brother. thank you for being here. let's talk about the kids here. some people think they are or fans, or -- orphans or foster kids? who are they? >> every kid has an adult in their life that cares enough to call us and say they want a big brother or sister for their child. they may be working three jobs and don't have the kind of time and these kids are coming from high risk, at-risk communities who really needs somebody who expose to what else is going on outside their little neighborhood. >> do you think it is hard for a parent to call and ask for that kind of help. is it almost and add mission of saying i can't do the parenting -- almost and add mission of saying i can't do the parenting by myself? >> north carolina i think parent -- no. i think it is good that parents realize they can't do it all themselves. it is a great resource. we ask them to see them a few times a year. don't do the big fancy things like amusement parks. take them to the grocery store, to wash the car, throw the fris

marcia johnson said he grabbed her during a board meeting but he says that isn't true. the 75-year-old said he never touched johnson and had no contact with her during that meeting. johnson revealed the accusations wednesday night at the ross valley district board. >>> a berkeley high school student is accusing her former academic counselor of harassment. she said the counselor made unwanted sexual advances in the spring of last year according to the contra costa county times. the district said the behavior was unprofessional but not harassment. >>> funeral services will take place for 16-year-old andy zing. he was found dead inside his home earlier this month. the young man's father said that shooting was not an accident. the father said his son's death was premeditated. two teenagers face charges for the death. an attorney for one of the teenagers is saying that shooting was an accident. >>> a georgia computer hacker has pleaded guilty to fraud and identity theft after stealing 675,000 stolen credit card numbers. a 26-year-old hacker made that guilty plea yesterday. t

dawn marcia wilson says two dogs attacked her h >>> the search is on for two pit bulls that attacked. she says two dogs attacked her husky yesterday in cataldi park in san jose and attacked her when she tried to intervene. the injuries were so severe, her dog had to be put down. >>> the top is near, the suspension tower of the bay bridge will get a little bit taller today. elizabeth wenger is on treasure island and has been all morning with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. yeah, we are getting closer to seeing what this thing is going to look like when it's finally finished. 15 feet higher is going to be what it will look like by the end of today. so from 495 feet the eventual project will be 525 feet. chopper 5 is flying over this tower earlier this morning giving us a good aerial view. you know, you can see the tower pretty good if you travel on the lower deck of the bridge if you traveled on the bay bridge recently heading towards oakland. upper deck you can see somewhat, as well. all right. so again, step 5 of 6 of this project is going on today it's a little differ

the battle of marcia was overweight -- under way -- the battle of marja was underway when we arrived. the impact of that was to disrupt the enemy, pushing back on his back foot, and let him react to us. we found that to be extraordinarily successful. it's a tough resilient enemy has ways in which he liked to conduct his operations. he likes to fight in a series of positions taken fall back on. he does not like supporting arms. he is terrified of air support. he is definitely afraid of being maneuvered against. all those we brought to bear on the enemy in serious battles and drove him away from the population centers, pushed him out into the desert, pushed him away from the green zone, and pushed them into areas where he could be less effective. we had some success at doing that. the battle of marjeh was a major fight for us all last summer. it morphed into a collector plates. if you go there today, there are restaurants that are open. there are stands or you can get a nice lunch. there are bakeries and shops where you come by whenever it is you are interested in. it is a town where do

host: so, one of the write-ups of one of your cheeks you talked about marcia blackburn saying they are not happy with the final number. >> some said it didn't go far enough. they wanted the $61 billion cut from current levels. they will probably vote against it when the long-term bill comes up next week. but here is the thing. there are a number of democrats who are not going to vote for it either. so, i think that for the most part speaker boehner, his cleanings would say, did a great job getting the largest cuts that they could and in fact of one of the talking points from the republicans that this is the largest spending cut in american history. so, it is not $61 billion, but another argument that boehner was making is we have to keep our eyes on the prize. next week we will take up the pass the prosperity budget that could cut $6.2 trillion from the projected budget number of the president. then you have the ceiling, the debt ceiling. so, i think that when they lacked at this number, $61 billion compared it -- to $6.2 trillion they said let's get the most we can and keep the govern

marcia, schenectady, new york. caller: i am calling to let you know i am really sat listening to all of the rhetoric between the democrats and republicans. i am a died in the will democrat and i want officials to represent us -- dyed in the wool democrat. have the incentives for the oil companies been eliminated? they don't care about the average person who cannot afford a gas. there should be no incentive for the oil cos. if republicans really care about their constituency. and if the democrats really care. democrats should be fighting to get that incentive for oil companies taken out of the budget if it is still in there. host: from "the financial times" -- his second late-night appearance in a row -- including speaker of the house john boehner and democratic leader harry reid. >> for us to go backwards because washington could not get its act together is unacceptable. so again, 800,000 federal workers and their families impacted. millions of people who are relying on government services not getting those service

. >> we have an e-mail question from marcia in lexington park, maryland.e december of 2009. i got a new job that offers a 403-b enrollment and i want to know if it's more beneficial to pay more of my monthly student loan payments to decrease interest paid or invest the money in a 403-b. so first of all what's a 403-b? >> it's an employer sponsored requirement account like a 401-k typically offered to public employees. maybe she's a school teacher. i don't like either/or scenarios so i have a hybrid strategy. first as long as she has the loans taken care of, take the extra money from the job and put it to the 403-b automatically. the advantage is it's not only a retirement savings plan but there is a tax incentive as well. her contributions will be tax deductible. here now she can save for student loans. that tax savings from the 403-b can go towards the student loan principal. two birds, one stone. i hate that expression but it applies here. >> it depends, too, on the interest rate on the student loans. she didn't tell us. if they are expensive of course i

just suppose -- marcia and i have been married 40 years in december -- reeves is our baby. just imagine of the beauty parlor when he was 18 -- he decided he is going to the community college to be an auto mechanic. what would they have said that the beauty parlor? they would have said -- marsha, what is wrong with him? because we have stigmatized the skills and careers and skills. we are in mississippi starting a career track in ninth grade to start exposing -- and we hope to get it back to the eighth grade -- to expose kids into careers other van going to college. 70% of the dropouts in mississippi schools are passing. something i would have never believed -- they are bored or they do not see what it has to do with them. for the university-headed students, we need to make it harder. we need more advanced placement, we need tougher standards, higher standards. because we are in a global battle for talent in the world. we are in a global battle for talent. right here -- the biggest thing is -- and i think i have done economically in mississippi, is to work to improve the qua

. >> my name is marcia smart. i am a social worker by training.i have been concerned about environmental health. my concern is for future generations. almost 50 percent of women have unplanned pregnancies. that means there going off to visit a contaminated area and don't know they are pregnant. we know that if the thyroid is affected it will affect the brain of the children and perhaps you can talk about this. i mean, we have one out of 110 children with autism. we have an increase of alzheimer's. there is a wonderful book which stated what the problems are. we really -- ibm, the future is very grim if nobody has a brain. >> i agree with you. probably the greatest concern in the exposures to children to the chernobyl fallout is brain damage. how are we going to survive as a society on this earth if we -- if our children are born brain damaged. we do know that the thyroid is key to delivering a healthy child. >> well, you know, i will start and end with this. if this were an experiment at my university it would have been stopped long ago. this is a

. >> my name is marcia smart, and i'm a social worker by training. i have been concerned about environmental health. my concern is for future generations. almost 50% of women have an unplanned pregnancy. that means they are going off to visit a contaminated area and they do not know they are pregnant. we know that if the thyroid is affected, it will affect the brain of the children. and perhaps dr. sherman can talk about this, or dr. patterson, further. we have one out of 110 children with autism. we have an increase of alzheimer's. there is a wonderful book which stated what the problems are. i mean, the future is very grim, if nobody has a brain, to deal with it. >> i agree with you that probably the greatest concern in the exposures of children to the chernobyl fallout is brain damage. how are we going to survive as a society on this earth if we have -- if our children are born brain damaged? we do know that the thyroid is key to delivering a healthy child. >> well, you know, i will start and end with this. if this were an experiment in my univers

we start in the front with marcia. >> two quick questions.it becomes more inevasive, are you even going to be able to make the first try on or side of the cabana cut out. did you meet with congresswoman giffords, and any interaction you may have had from her? >> we have a couple of days in there to do a little more troubling shooting. we haven't given up on launching before the atlas, certainly. that is still a very viable option. if we have to change out the control box, that is significant, and the retest on that box is extensive. a full two days retest. that would probably have to dreyfuss doctor drive us -- drive us to after the atlas. >> i didn't get a chance to speak with congresswoman giffords, but i understand she is doing well. >> when you heard it was a heater problem on an a.p.u., did you know there were only a limit number of roads you could go down and that you would have to call it a day? >> i would say if the first hour or hour and a half. but we get to know the osh terse well. while we were talking about a potential way out of

---el incidente ocurrio el jueves cuando "dawn marcia wilson" caminaba por el parque "cataldi" con surio de las mordidas que le dieron los "pitbull"... el ataque duro casi media hora. ---la policia no ha logrado enco

we will start here in the front with marcia. >> two quick questions. first, will you be able to make the first child? -- first tryout on the other side? as a navy had a chance to meet a -- and have you had a chance to meet with congresswoman gifford and any interactions -- i was just wondering if you had a chance to meet with congresswoman gifford and any interactions you might have had? >> we had a couple of days extra in there to do a little more trouble shooting. we have not given up. it is still a very viable option. every have to change it out, -- if we have to change it out, that is a significant deal. >> i did not get a chance to meet with her. i understand she is enjoying her time. she is doing well. >> how quickly did he know this was going to be a showstopper? ticino there is only a limited -- did you know that there is only a limited number of rigid could go down? -- number of roads you could go down? >> you never like to give up too early. walworth talking, -- we were talking, but we want to remain fully convinced that we exhausted all poss