should not compromise. if they stop without reaching their goals, i think that would be bad. >> reporter: anti-government protests continued today in yemen and bahrain. allen pizzey begins our coverage of the middle east in turmoil. >> reporter: a ball of fire. the sound of gunfire. and an explosion. the rage that began has reached tripoli. people claim fighter jets have fired on protestors. jets landed in malta the pilots asked for asylum saying they refused orders to bomb the rioters. it's colonel moammar qaddafi's desperate attempts to keep people from overthrowing his regime. the capital is torn by burning barricades and gunfire. the death toll may have topped 300 with uncounted more wounded. police say the libyan's parliament in tripoli was torched. with no independent reporting possible, the only way to see inside the country was through videos posted on the internet. one unnamed source claimed the libyan air force was ordered to hit military installations in an effort to keep weapons from protestors. it didn't work. these jubilant young men are brandishing arms, including anti-tank rockets apparently looted from a military base in bengasi give which protestors claim they now control. while anarchy reigned in the streets, libyan t.v. showed life as normal and warned against dens of terrorists intent on sabotaging libya. but protestors claim they took it from mercenary's. a speech by qaddafi's son warning of rivers of blood and civil war and vowing that the regime would fight the last bullet but then offering bizarre concessions like a new flag has been met with derision. protestors hoisted the pre- qaddafi libyan flag last flown in 1969 and cracks are appearing in the power structure. a senior minister and several diplomats have quit. there is faint hope the violence in libya will be over as quickly as it was in bahrain where the pressure for change has taken a peaceful but no less insistent turn. this student leader wants to see bahrain's king gone. >> all the university students are going to come there and march all the way here. >> reporter: as in all the latest revolts, the internet is the organizing tool of choice. pearl square's air of semi-perm permanence in a clear message to beleaguered arab leaders. demands for change must be met or they'll take to the streets again. 200 political prisoners are expected to be released tomorrow at the same time the main opposition leader in exile-- who has an arrest warrant hanging over his head-- is expected back. if he's allowed in, the two events will amount to the most significant gesture yet that the regime here is serious about reform. allen pizzey, cbs news back bahrain. >> smith: the world didn't know what to make of moammar qaddafi >> smith: the world didn't know what to make of moammar qaddafi when he seized power in libya in 1969. 42 years later, his mark on history is unmistakable. his brutal reign, his support for terrorists and his often bizarre behavior. more on qaddafi from mark phillips. >> reporter: with his exotic choice in uniforms, with his personal security detail made up only of women, with his unconventional behavior exemplified by his rambling 2009 united nations speech that was supposed to last 15 minutes but went on for 1 hour and 40.... >> ( translated ): it should not >> ( translated ): it should not be called the security council, it should be called the terror council. >> reporter: ...moammar qaddafi seemed to be a caricature of a despot tyrant with a loose grip on reality. but in the more than four decades since the then 27-year- old army officer led a coupe to depose an unloved king, he's confounded his opponents abroad and suppressed even the hint of opposition at home. >> some people have disappeared. some have been convicted to very long sentences in prison. >> reporter: but qaddafi's support for what he called liberation movements-- what others called terrorists-- turned him into an international pariah. when libya was implicated in the bombing of a berlin nightclub which killed two american servicemen, though, he had picked on the wrong american president. >> i wouldn't believe a word he says. >> reporter: as confrontation seemed imminent, qaddafi remained defiant. the u.s. retaliatory bombing of libya killed about 60 people, including qaddafi's 15-month-old adopted daughter. it seemed to increase qaddafi's anti-western fury, culminating in the bombing of pan am 103 over lockerbie scotland, two years later. the attack killed 270 people and libya never admitted to it, but it did pay a settlement to the families of the american victims. that and libya's disavowal of its nuclear weapons program produced a remarkable about- turn: the reinvention of moammar qaddafi, friend to the west, ally in the fight against terror. >> reporter: but moammar qaddafi never reformed himself or the system of absolute power at home and he and his people are now paying the price. mark phillips, cbs news, london. >> smith: the turmoil in libya and across the arab world is driving up oil prices. u.s. markets were closed for the holiday, but in europe today crude jumped more than $5 to more than $107 barrel. that's the highest in more than two years. gasoline prices are up, too, the national average is now $3.17 gallon, that's up about a nickel in the past two weeks. for more than three weeks now, u.s. officials have pressured pakistan to free an american charged with murder on the grounds he has diplomatic immunity, but today they admitted that raymond davis is a c.i.a. operative and that makes things a lot more complicated. david martin has the story. >> reporter: what had been painfully obvious-- that raymond davis worked for the c.i.a.-- has now been reported, making him an even greater focus of anti-american hatred in pakistan. grounds outside the jail where he is being held for having shot and killed two pakistanis are demanding the death sentence. with added revelation he worked for c.i.a., u.s. officials fear davis could be killed from someone inside the jail. in this video, which appeared on pakistani television, he can be seen showing the police his i.d. cards and trying to convince them he works for the u.s. consulate in lahore. >> reporter: the pakistanis have moved davis to a separate part of the jail where dogs taste his food to make sure it's not poisoned. his guards have had their guns taken away so they can't kill him, but now he could be vulnerable to other inmates who are mostly islamic militants. harry? >> smith: david, the united states has maintained that he has diplomatic immunity. does the fact that he has worked for the c.i.a. compromise that in any way? >> reporter: not according to u.s. officials. once the pakistani government was notified that davis had been assigned to the embassy staff, he was covered by diplomatic immunity and it doesn't matter what agency he works for or what crimes he is accused of, he is not subject to pakistani law. >> smith: and what can the pakistanis legally to him? >> reporter: well, under international law, the only thing they can do is kick him out of the country. >> smith: all right. david martin at the pentagon, thanks. the drug war in mexico seems to have no boundaries. just this past weekend more than 80 people were killed throughout the country, and terry mccarthy shows us the violence has now reached a familiar tourist destination, that being acapulco. we caution you, some of these pictures are graphic. >> reporter: daniel reams and his wife pamela moved from virginia 10 years ago to run a beach-side hotel in acapulco. they have 22 rooms, but on this weekend only four are booked. they estimate their business is off by 60%. >> i mean, we are making a living-- sort of. but it's way down from what we were. >> reporter: the problem, they say, is that the deadly drug war has been creeping closer to tourist areas. >> the violence has killed us. >> reporter: the port of acapulco has become a bloody battleground between rival drug cartels. just this past weekend in acapulco, nearly 30 men were killed, including 12 taxi drivers shot in their vehicles. four other men were thrown to their deaths from a bridge. and last month, 15 decapitated men were dumped at a shopping center, all in the shadow of lucrative tourist areas. the decapitated bodies were found on the sidewalk right here. the drug cartels haven't targeted foreign tourists but the hotels are just ten minutes away from here. for many americans, that's way too close. now tourists see truckloads of police everywhere. two cruiselines have just canceled their acapulco stops, taking their 5,000 passengers with them and the city is no longer among the top 100 destinations for americans. is it safe for american tourists in acapulco? >> you're here. do you feel safe? >> reporter: acapulco's governor down plays the violence saying they expect nine million visitors this year. but look around: the town is eerily empty. >> i was walking down the beach this morning and every hotel here is empty on the beach side. there was no one. >> reporter: on the main tourist strip, nightclubs, the staple of spring breakers, are struggling. on one recent saturday night, this club only had about 20 people in it and no one waiting in line. >> you can see it right over here. it's a hard situation now. >> reporter: as violence creeps ever closer, many fear the tourists will stay further away. terry mccarthy, cbs news, acapulco. >> smith: off the horn of africa tonight, a u.s. navy warship is shadowing an american yacht hijacked by somali pirates. the 58-foot sailing yacht "quest" was captured friday off oman. on board are the owners californians scott and jean adams and phyllis mckay and bob riggle of seattle. plus an unknown number of pirates. u.s. officials hope to convince them to surrender without violence. still ahead on the cbs news, wildest hobby ever? a suburban mom may have locked up the title. but up next, the battle in wisconsin, state workers 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[ male announcer ] this is james. the morning after the big move starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil now... and maybe up to 4 in a day. or, choose aleve and 2 pills for a day free of pain. smart move. ♪ smart move. today we're going to surprise people with the taste of activia. mmm. this is really good. great flavor. it's really creamy. it's really tasty. oh, wow! jamie lee curtis! it's activia! it's really yummy. it's delicious. taste it, love it, or it's free. ♪ activia the unlikely birthplace of a fundamental idea. it's where ethel percy andrus found a retired teacher living because she could afford nothing else. ethel couldn't ignore the clear need for health and financial security. and it inspired her to found aarp. for over 50 years, we've continued that work, to help all americans pursue their best life. discover more of what we do, for every generation at aarp.org. i'm friend, secret-keeper and playmate. do you think i'd let osteoporosis slow me down? so i asked my doctor about reclast because i heard it's the only once-a-year iv osteoporosis treatment. he told me all about it and i said that's the one for nana. he said reclast can help restrengthen my bones to help make them resistant to fracture for twelve months. and reclast is approved to help protect from fracture in many places: hip, spine, even other bones. [ male announcer ] you should not take reclast if you're on zometa, have low blood calcium, kidney problems. or you're pregnant, plan to become pregnant or nursing. take calcium and vitamin d daily. tell your doctor if you develop severe muscle, bone or joint pain, of if you have dental problems, as rarely jaw problems have been reported. the most common side effects include flu like symptoms, fever, muscle or joint pain and headache. share the world with the ones you love! and ask your doctor about reclast. once-a-year reclast. year-long protection for on-the-go women. produces. the secret to going "zero waste". next on cbs 5 >> smith: when you hear the word "hobby" what comes to mind-- bird watching? antiquing? one suburban mom may change your thinking. steve hartman explains in tonight's "assignment america." ( applause ) >> reporter: this past saturday night at a small venue outside boston the curious and morbidly curious gathered to see her latest death-defying stunt. >> i will impress you and amaze you. >> reporter: she goes by the name alexandria the great and she's calling this her underwater cell escape. after having her hands shackled together, alexandria is then locked inside the tank with no way to breathe and seemingly no way to survive. quite a predicament. especially considering originally all she wanted to escape... >> chocolate chip cookies? >> reporter: ...was boredom. when not near drowning, alexandria the great is donna, a ho-hum housewife. now 49, she and her husband bill started learning escapes as teenagers as a hobby. >> we just tried some simple rope ties and things like that. >> reporter: later, when the kids weren't around they tried more daring feats but, again, it was just a hobby. they never considered performing until the recession hit and they started really going under. donna was unemployed. she desperately needed work but still wanted to stay home and take care of the kids. she felt like her hands were tied. >> she's out of one hand! >> reporter: it motivated her to start thinking inside the box. >> that's both hands! >> reporter: i had to look back and go with what i was good at. >> now she's got to find the bobby pin. >> i was good at this. >> now she'll pick the lock. >> reporter: for the past several months, donna has been working out with a strength training coach and a breath- holding coach. a few of her friends think she's jumped off the deep end. the kids like the idea of having an escape artist mom. in fact, they were relieved to find out that's all she is. >> because we would, like, walk around the house and we would see chains and handcuffs in places. ( laughter) >> reporter: apparently compared to that visual seeing your mom like this is nothing. >> she opens up the body tin... >> reporter: more importantly, donna and the kids hope that this act-- and the story behind it-- serve as an inspiration to you. >> she's out! >> reporter: to escape whatever it is you're stuck in. >> alexandria the great! >> reporter: steve hartman, cbs news, boston. >> smith: that's the "cbs evening news," i'm harry smith. thanks for watching. katie will be back tomorrow. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org d by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> you're watching cbs 5 eyewitness news. >> just as the fire started the length people went to save animals in a burning van. and what turned the tops of the neighborhoods blue. >> we probably made 400 to 500 for the golf camp. >> one family's impromptu business model for a busy day. good evening i'm allan martin. >> and i'm dana king. a van on fire and five show dogs trapped inside. tonight good samaritans are being credited for jumping into action and pulling those dogs from the flames. mark say r with the dramatic video of the rescue. >> reporter: show organizers have confirmed that three of the dogs have been released. but as for thes conditions of the two most seriously injured dogs, at this point we do not even know this if they have survived this incident because their owners have requested privacy. this cell phone video shows the van going up in flames just moments before these pictures were taken. the five dogs which were inside were pulled from the burning vehicle by dog show participants. >> so i ran over, opened the doors and the whole front seat and the dash and everything was on fire. >> reporter: josh was one of the first on the scene and did all he could to help rescue the dogs. >> i could hear the dogs screaming. we were just trying to get them out as fast as we could before the dogs really got