>> good evening, i'm sharyn alfonsi with a western edition of the broadcast. the search for flight 370 and the 239 people on board continues to expand by air, sea and now significantly on land. investigators have searched both pilot's homes looking for any evidence the pilots could have done this on purpose. authoritiesing say they have evidence that someone deliberately disabled the plane's communication systems before the flight was redirected. seth doane is in kuala lumpur tonight and begins our coverage. >> reporter: when police searched captain zaharie ahmad shah's home they found a flight simulator. the 53-year-old pilot who is seen sitting in front of a simulate never a video he posted on-line. at today's press conference authorities say the simulator was confiscated and rebuilt at the police station. >> officials from the royal malaysian police visited the home of the pilot. they spoke to family members of the pilot and experts are examining the pilot's flight simulator. >> zaharie who had been flying with malaysia airlines since 1981 was an aviation enthusiast known to offer lessons on the simulator. today we tried to enter a gated community where the captain lived but found beefed up security. >> can we just come inside? >> reporter: police also searched the copilot's house saturday. >> this is the copilot's house. he lived here with his family. we rang the doorbell but no answer. neighbors tell us that they have seen police cars and motorcycles here. they also fell us this was a relatively quiet family that kept to themselves. >> his next-door neighbor would not give her name said she had only exchanged quick hellos with the 27-year-old. >> i know-- i don't know he is related, but when i saw a lot of cameras in front of his house, then i search the internet and i saw his face, so i know this guy. >> the focus on these pilots has sharpened following time lines laid out by authorities at press briefings. officials say flight 370's communication systems were partially disabled before the final words heard from the cockpit which did not signal any trouble to air-traffic controllers. growing frustration was clear on the sunday talk shows. >> the pilot and copilot should have been the focus from the start. that would be ode law enforcement, investigate tory procedures. the fbi could have been called in, interpol, intelligence agencies but my understanding that malaysia is to the really cooperating at all. they are reluctant to lay what they have out on the table. >> observations here in malaysia say they have cooperated with international authorities from the very beginning. sharyn, we know that the plane sent its last signal to satellites self-enand a half hours after it took-- seven and a half hours after it took off, a search that included 14 country, now includes 25. >> thank you, seth doane tonight in kuala lumpur. the increased focus on the flight crew raises questions about how pilots are screened. not just in malaysia but all around the world. jeff pegues reports from washington tonight. >> reporter: investigators are still searching for the plane, and although the pilots have not been charged with a crime, they are being closely scrutinized. both are among the thousands of pilots across the globe passengers rely on, to get the job airline pilots here in the u.s. face a rigorous screening process. mark rosenker is the former chairman of the national transportation safety board. >> first they have to be credentialed. you have to have the appropriate amount of certifications. an that's checked. by the company, with the faa. >> reporter: pilots are also subject to a battery of medical and psychological tests and criminal background checks. but the screening process varies widely country to country. >> how do you reassure passengers that, you know, these people who are flying these planes are trustworthy. >> we can look for people that, in fact, appear to be as normal as we like to believe you and i are. however, circumstances change in their life. pressures come about. because we are dealing with human behavior. >> a month ago annette croppian air lines copilot hijacked a plane in a bid for asylum in switzerland. 14 years ago egypt air flight 1990 crashed into the atlantic ocean killing all 217 people on board. the ntsb stopped short of calling it a suicide but concluded the pilot's actions caused the crash. malaysia air is a mystery and an anomaly. still air travel remains the safest mode of transportation. jeff pegues, cbs news, washington. >> exit polls from today's referendum in crimea show overwhelming support for separation from ukraine and for unification with russia. in a statement issued as the polls were closing, the white house rejected the vote and warned of increased costs to russia which it accused of quote military intervention and violation of international law. elizabeth palmer has more from the crimean capitol of simferopol tonight. >> reporter: crimeans, young and many old, cast ballots today. convinced that a vote to join russia was a vote for a better life. for them moscow's stage managing of this referendum is a nonissue. and they feel no pressure from thousands of russian troops who remain in control here. an toll tee franchuk is a former crimean prime minister. are you worried that this happened with huge military backing? >>. >> of course not, he said. there's been no pressure. not a shot has been fired. >> reporter: not everyone agrees, of course. before the referendum there were demonstrations by crimeans without don't want to join russia. but today many of them simply stayed home. the official count suggests that fewer than one in ten ballots was a vote to remain in ukraine. the crimean tartars, for example, who make up 12% of the population simply boycotted the vote. their leader akhtem chigoz told me it was illegal and humiliating. >> we wanted to part of it. the ukrainian and many western governments agree, sharyn that this referendum was invalid. but they are going to have to argue with president putin of russia who can now claim that more than 90% of crimeans who voted are on his side. >> thank you, liz palmer tonight in simferopol. today's vote is further inflaming the divide within ukraine as a wholement take a look. western ukraine including the capitol kiev is mostly ukrainian-speaking. and oriented towards the west. eastern ukraine is largely russian-speaking and historically has looked towards moscow. charlie d'agata is in the russian speaking city of donetsk tonight. >> reporter: pro russian demonstrators in donetsk want on the march. then went on the attack storming one government building in the most aggressive protest yet. protestors have managed to get past a line of riot police and break into the courthouse here. they not only support the referendum in crimea, they want one here too. breaking through one entrance wasn't enough. they went for every entry point. police didn't put up much of a fight. their own security headquarters came next. crimea's referendum to side with russia has only stoked the separatist movement here. these people want out of ukraine. >> when everybody here votes russia, not everybody feels that way. but pro ukrainian supporters have been told by a local pro kiev government to stay at home to avoid all confrontation. not a concern for these old soviet union army vets. >> are you hoping that the russian army comes here. >> he told us we are brothers. we are one people. we are russia. ukrainian government officials here told us today they're taking those russian threats seriously. they're mobilizing more ukrainian force as long the border with russia not far from here to prevent against any possible russian incursion. sharyn? >> thank you, charlie d'agata reporting from donetsk tonight. >> here at home, the politically charged sexual abuse trial of brigadier-general jeff row sinclair may be coming to an end tomorrow. cbs news has confirmed he's agreed to a plea deal admitting lesser crimes but not sexual assault. don daaler reports. >> reporter: as deputy commander of the 82nd around born general jeffrey sinclair was one of the army's rising stars. but after pleading guilty to numerous instances of conduct unbecoming an officer, his future is not nearly as bright. sinclair was accused of forcing his mistress to perform o ral sex, threatening to kill his family and performing sex agents with her in public areas. sources with knowledge of the proceedings tell cbs news in return for prosecutors dropping those charges, the general will plead guilty to lesser charges of maltreatment of subordinate, disa boying a commander's order, using inappropriate language misusing his government issued charge card. he had already pled guilty to charges of adultery asking female officers if for explicit photographs and possessing pornography in a conflict zone. despite those admissions sinclair's wife rebecca said on cbs this morning in november 2012 she would stand by him. >> they're going to see this for what it is. and they're going to drop the charges an they're going to let us go on with our lives. >> reporter: sinclair could still get prison time but will not have to register as a sex offender. don daaler, cbs news, new york. >> spring is just a few days away, officially it starts on thursday. but try telling that to the people in the mid at tk states they're about to get hit with one last wallop of snow. chelsea ingram is a pete roll gist at wjz-tv in baltimore. how bad is this going to be, is this going to be a big deal? >> yes, we're going to see some accumulating snowfall for places in the mid-atlantic, here is this area continuing to push towards the east, heavy snowfall for area as long the i-95 corridor after midnight tonight. and here is what you can expect. the west virginia panhandle there in the blue, as well as portions of northwest virginia, we're talking to six to upwards of a foot of snowfall, in the white including the dc metro as well as baltimore 3 to 6. outside of that we're looking at 1 to 3 inches and a mix for areas in the pink. sharyn, back to you. >> this is the winter that will not quit. thank you very much, chelsea ingram at wjz-tv. >> and we'll be back. >> changing consumer tastes are taking a toll on the food court at your local mall. quiznos announced friday will seek chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. sbarro the pizza chain is also filing for chapter 11 for the second time in three years. closing 155 of 400 company-owned stores. here to explain is cbs news business analyst jill schlesinger. it seems like the food court never changes so, what is happening now? >> well, the food courts and the companies that put their businesses in those food courts really lived by that old real estate saying, location, location, location, they were in this heavy foot traffic area, a mall, or even an airport. when the recession hit and people weren't flying nor were they shopping, and another thing happened. the way we shop has changed so dramatically, think about it, over the last ten years, we're shopping on-line. and when we do go to the mall, it's for a shorter period of time. it's not a full day event so we're not hanging around for lunch. >> most of us are trying to get in and try to get out. you mentioned the recession. the recession ended five years ago so, why now? >> there is really a tale of two recoveries. and a lot of the retailers have said there's been a high end consumer retail boom at the same time where the lower end or the cost-conscious shopper really has been taking a seat back. and part of that has to do perhaps with some changing in the way we get paid and things have been frozen. some of this has to really impact all over, the mall, that cater to the lower end, the companies like sears and radio shack, they've seen their business dry up. and as a result, we are expecting according to some analysis, a 15% reduction in malls that are just going to go away on the low end. >> all right, thanks, jill schlesinger, very much. >> thank you. >> next up, bring home the brackets. inside the basketball matchups. >> they call it march madness for a reason. and tonight we finally have our answers who is in, who is out in this year's tournament. before you fill out your brackets, wally szczerbiak of cbs sports is here to help us out it was so fun to watch all of these teams be announced. some big surprises, smu out. and louisville with a four seed. >> a lot of shocking stuff. it's tough to explain. that's why we all wait, we project and wonder what is going to happen but you never know until the brackets come out on selection sunday. sm hearst, a great season especially in conference. they played in a good conference in the american. shocking that larry brown is not in the field. and louisville slipping to a four after the way they've been dominating teams, obviously the american athletic conference didn't get the respect they deserve. >> and gator nation has to be happy. >> they were the overall number one. they won a lot of games this year. they are an experienced veteran team that has a tough road. they have a really tough bracket so it is going to be interesting to see how they father but in my opinion they have to be one of the favorites. >> it's all about schedule, right, at this point, some of of this is schedule. >> schedule and matchups. matchups is so important. if you are a team that can really score you don't want to play a team that will really slow you down and make you play a half-court game. when you are a mid major team you want to avoid those teams with really big guys because they a lot of times don't have the post implayers it is good to see how the matchups are coming out and may the best team wins. >> i love to look for the sleepers. who are the sleepers headed to texas this year. >> i really like new mexico. >> new mexico. >> won the mountain west title three years in a row. the mountain west tournament title three years in a row. i don't think that conference got the respect they deserve. they possibly are the best power forward in the country in cameron baristow. a really good front line. really good guards. i think that is the team that could make a run as a 7 sowed. >> and very quickly your pick. >> pick to win it all, wichita state. >> thanks wally szczerbiak from cbs sports. still ahead, young poets speaking out on big city life. >> a month long poetry competition for teenagers wrapped newspaper chicago last night it at dean reynolds tells us, it was a chance for student word smiths to shine. and to cast a light on the big city realities they face day-to-day. >> momma, why didn't you tell me band-aids couldn't cover every wound. and i screamed wouldn't always reach your ears that my baby teeth would be knocked out by rejection. >> chicago's youth poetry competition is called louder than a bomb. >> the man mo puts the fire out is the man who isn't passive. >> now in its 14th year, it's the largest in the country with a thousand students from 100 schools across the city and suburbs. >> to you beautiful, you great big beautiful doll. >> sharing the spotlight, and their unique stories. >> this is my first poem and it is dedicated to you young poets. like jasmine, like flowers struggling to grow. >> kevin koval is a former teacher and the festival's founder. >> on thursday i see a kid in my class on the west side and on monday i see them locked up. and we wanted to respond in that moment of fear with a radically different cultural space that was hopeful and more powerful. >> the poetry slam runs for a month and the young poets are judged olympic style. >> 9.8. >> scoring well lets you advance. but there's a saying here, it's not the points, it's the poets. >> so he picked up daddy's gun. >> no more running scared. with sin in his hand. >> the team from gwendolyn brooks high schools with inspired by the dangers involved in dodging fate and bullets on the city's south side. >> it's confusing how a city with so much history. >> is now history. >> for the boys playing with guns. >> team member seanba anderson is the poem is a plea for action. >> we are trying to reach chicago itself. we're trying to tell them that the streets are dangerous and something needs it to be changed. >> have you had a participant who was shot or wounded. >> yeah, of course. >> killed. >> yeah, many over the course of 14 years. >> every time you-- not. >> so the stage is an escape. where the sound of finger snaps lend support. >> what is the impact. >> i think the impact for young people is that they feel that they are heard. >> here's a head's up generation y is fed up. because no one wants to believe in the youth. you don't guide us but you tell us everything is the wrong thing to dom. you judge us. >> having something to say. >> and having others hear you say it, dean reynolds, cbs news, chicago. >> coming up, remembering comedian david brenner. >> we lost a legendary comedian this weekend. david brenner was called the godfather of observational humor. he spent decades on the road doling live shows at comedy clubsment but many americans saw him for the first time late at night in their living rooms. >> did we ever talk about you being in the army. >> i was in the 101s airborne for a while until i found out they jump out of planes. >> he was as much a fixture in the tonight show as the coup. a favorite of johnny carson many times over. >> david bren certificate with us tonight. he has appeared on this show-- (applause) >> some 40 times. >> he would appear over 100 times more, always leading the audience in stitches with topical humor like this bit after new york declared bankruptcy in 1975. >> only america could buy a property like manhattan for 24 dollars and end up losing money on the deal. >> in an interview in december for cbs this morning, he recalled carson asking him. >> do you ever wonder why i make you do a stand-up every show? i can't lie to him, i said yeah, of course. he said because i like to sit back, smoke a cigarette and laugh for six minutes. which is a great compliment. >> he almost didn't make it to the tonight show. brenner said he was too political for carson's tastes so he switched his routine to be more observational. >> did you ever notice they picked the astronauts by their names, i'm sure of that. bread, glen, bit. they never picked a astronaut like melvin. >> it wouldn't work, right, come in melvin on the moon. >> that trademark did you ever notice influenced a generation of comics including richard lewis and jerry seinfeld. his family said in a statement in david's final request, he asked that 100 dollars in small bills be placed in his left box just in case tipping is recommended where i'm going. david brenner was 78, leaving the stage and leaving them laughing. >> it's not often that an obit leaves you laughing. that's the "cbs evening news." i'm sharyn alfonsi i more like they are at war. 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