>> couric: tonight, oh, what a feeling. toyota and the u.s. auto industry are back in the fast lane, and the advertising and broadcasting industries are hitchin' a ride. i'm katie couric. also tonight, a shiny new apple. we'll show you what the ipad can do. will it be the next must-have electronic ganlet? and a new kind of negative campaigning. candidates not only tar but avatar their opponents. >> i say, california, let me take you for a ride. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone. it's been a long, windy, and bumpy road for the u.s. auto industry, but the ride is suddenly getting much smoother. carmakers rolled out their latest sales numbers today, and most are showing a big improvement. ford's sales were up 43% last month. toyota, despite the recall crisis, up 35%. and g.m. sales jumped 21%. but chrysler is still struggli struggling. sales there fell 8%. to win back customers, the carmakers spent more than $2700 per vehicle on incentives like low-interest financing. we begin our coverage tonight with our seen business correspondent anthony mason. >> reporter: translate is back on track. after revving up its biggest monthly sales increase since 2001. do you think the industry has turned the corner now? >> i think it has. >> reporter: at the new york auto show, c.e.o. alan mulally was celebrating a 43% spike in ford sales, led by its midsized sedan the ford fusion. how many of these are you selling? >> a lot. we're going up every month. >> reporter: fusion sales skyrocketed in march, up nearly 80% from a year ago. the ford focus and mustang were also up more than 50%. >> look at the elegance of it! >> reporter: mullaly said ford is benefitting from being the only u.s. auto maker to avoid bankruptcy. so you think it's been a good selling point? >> i think that people like, not only great productes, but they like people running a strong business. >> reporter: but g.m. also rode a surge last month. sales from its four core brands, buick, gmc, chevrolet, and cadillac, were up 43%. even recall-plagued toyota saw a strong rebound in sales after it offered 0% financing. >> i need to get the customers back into the showrooms to kick the tires again, and nothing like putting some cash out to do that. >> reporter: detroit is coming off its worst year in a quarter century. fiewrg than 10.5 million vehicles were sold in this country last year, but analysts are now forecasting sales cowed bounce back to more than 12 million this year, if the promising trends continue. that would be a healthy number for the industry, but well below the 16 million sold in 2007. but analysts see a key economic indicator here, in the junk yard. for the first time on record, the number of vehicles americans are buying has fallen well below the numbers sent to the scrapheap. >> it's pretty rare. we've been tracking these numbers since 1948. and it's the first decline we've ever seen. >> reporter: that means fewer cars on the road. to automakers, that's a sign pent-up demand is building. and that's why they're forecasting a slow but steady increase in sales. ford is feeling confident enough to pay off $3 billion in debt next week, even beleagured chrysler now says it actually expects to break even by year's end. katie. >> couric: meanwhile, anthony, i know new fuel economy and emission standards went into effect today. what will those mean for the auto industry? >> reporter: under those new rules, all vehicles sold in the u.s. by model you're 2016 have to get 35.5 a mileses per gallon. the rules also set tailpipe emissions, about 30% below the current levels. >> couric: can the industry meet those-- meet that timetable? >> reporter: well, it's a real challenge, but, katie, we are at the dawn of the electric era. we are seeing that now. forecast g.m. just rolled the first test model of its chevy volt off a production line in detroit this week, ahead of schedule, deifying doubters. take a look. are a price tag of about $33,000 after tax credits, the chevy volt will finally hit the streets this year. >> to me, it's a great source of pride to actually see this vehicle coming out. >> reporter: g.m.'s bob lutz gave us a test drive at the auto show. >> it's powering up. >> reporter: powered by a lithiam ion battery, the volt recharges off a gas-powered generator and has a range of 300 miles. >> regular production for customers starts in late november. >> reporter: g.m. hopes to sell about 50,000 volts a year. does the volt have to be a success for g.m.? >> that it's come to market is a success. i don't think they expect to sell a lot of vehicles, but it's a halo. it's a technical halo vehicle. >> reporter: we know detroit hasn't worn a halo for quite a while. katie. >> couric: anthony mason, anthony, thanks so much. the next car we want to show you doesn't have a halo but it does have a crown. the volkswagen polo was crowned world car of the year today by the new york auto show, beating out the mercedes-benz eclass and the toyota prius. the judges says the polo was one of the classiest small v.w.s ever built. meanwhile, the comeback of the auto industry is taking another industry along for the ride-- advertising. here's ben tracy. >> reporter: from hampsters rocking their new kia, to a major mea culpa from toyota. >> to restore your faith in our company. >> reporter: ...auto ads are once again parked on our tv screens. at this production company in los angeles, that means a boost in business. in the first eight months of last year, they did not produce a single auto ad. since then, they have done 13. >> i live. i ride. >> reporter: they just wrapped a new ad campaign for jeep that employed 120 people. >> there were a lot of people who, you know, literally came up to me at the end of that shoot, and said thank god for jeep. thank god for that job. because i hadn't worked in two months. >> reporter: the recession hit the auto industry hard, and manufacturers slashed their ad budgets. >> when we built our first hybrid,ub tube didn't exist. >> reporter: auto ad spending dropped 23% from $14.3 billion in 2008 to about $11 billion last year. now, it's making a u-turn. estimated to reach $14-16 billion in 2010. >> they're starting to see that the economy is turning around. but they're starting to see there is momentum in terms of people opening up their wallets and spending money on vehicles again. >> reporter: that's good news for tv and radio stations, as well as print media. auto ads are a major source of revenue. and local auto dealers should also benefit. in the past two years, nearly 2400 have closed their doors. the hope is that a boost in advertising the bring buyers back to the lot. a much-needed shot in the arm. >> red one! >> reporter: ben tracy, cbs news. >> how do you do that's! >> reporter: los angeles. >> couric: cars are not the only technology getting a lot of promotion. apple's ipad is getting all kinds of hype in the run-up to its big debut. john blackstone got a taste of the newest apple. >> reporter: when the doors open at apple stores this saturday morning, there's certain to be a crush of people eager even an ipad. hype over the new tablet computer has been building since steve jobs unveiled it january 27. >> we call it the ipad. >> reporter: back then, we got our hands on one. reading on this device seems much more like a natural print experience. since then, apple has kept the device largely under wraps, sharing it only in the last week or so have w a very few tech reviewers and the cast of a tv sitcom. >> his last wish was an ipad. >> reporter: in an ambitious act of product placement, last night's episode of abc's "modern family" was all the about the ipad. >> oh, my god, you got it! all this time i said i didn't care but i do care! i care so much! >> reporter: on saturday, when rule consumers start buying the ipad for $499 and up, we'll begin to see whether apple has changed the world one more time. >> it's-- it's great. and if you're into apple, it's even more exciting. >> i think it's a complete waste of money. >> reporter: enthusiasts are focusing on what it can do. its nearly 10-inch screen can be used to watch movies and play games. it will run 150,000 apes, small programs created for the iphone. and it can be held comfortably for reading. >> i think this will, basically, be your new newspaper and your new stack of magazines. >> reporter: ipad doubters are focusing on what it doesn't do it doesn't have a cram. my cell phone has a camera. my laptop has a camera. and it doesn't have a real keyboard as plenty of cell phones do. >> you know, this one actually has a physical keyboard which a lot of people still want and the ipad doesn't. so it's hard to imagine why you necessarily need to switch from this to this. >> reporter: less than a decade ago, the ipod was a similarly new device that took a while to catch on. in 2002, just 376,000 were sold. last year, apple sold more than 54 million ipods. apple's clearly hoping the ipods will do something similar. >> oh, who's ready for the first day of the rest of their lives! >> reporter: undoubtedly for some, that day will arrive on saturday. john blackstone, cbs news, san francisco. >> couric: technology, of course, can be used for both good and bad. bullies have been using cell phones and the internet with devastating results. a recent study found young people who are bullied are three times more likely to exhibit suicidal behavior. and as don teague reports technology has taken abuse to a whole new level. >> reporter: behind these smiles were children of despair, children who have committed suicide after being bullied, at least 12 in the last year. kids, like 11-year-old carl joseph walker hoover in massachusetts, who took his life after being taunted daily, and called gay. and 13-year-old jon carmichael, who was laid to rest today in joshua, texas. he hanged himself sunday after months of teasing by classmates because he was short. those children now living with their words. >> the things that i have done to him, you know, now i just wish i could take it back. >> reporter: jon carmichael's death comes the same week nine teens in massachusetts were charged in the bullying-related suicide of 15-year-old phoebe prince. >> their conduct far exceeded the limits of normal teenaged relationship-related quarrels. >> reporter: it's a worrying trend. nearly a third of american students between 12 and 18 report being bullied during the school year. that's 8.3 million children. but most suffer in silence. just 36% ever notify an adult. and, experts say, bullying is more common now than ever. just a few yiers ago, bullying was usually limited to schools or playgrounds. victims could go home to escape. but today, texting and cyber-bullying means there's no escape from the taunting. >> today, a kid will wake up and will have anonymous text. they'll go to school and get bullied. they'll come home and they'll have messages on facebook. >> reporter: experts say children must be taught it's okay to report bullies to parents and teachers. for parents, the key is to demand the school take action. >> you've got to dig in there, make yourself heard. go to the media, if you have to. >> reporter: because in too many cases, bullying victims make a tragic decision to stop it themselves. don teague, cbs news, joshua, texas. >> couric: in wichita, kansas, staye"usa today" a life sentencr scott roeder for murdering an abortion doctor. at his sentencing, he's once again claimed he was justified because the doctor performed late-term abortions. a family friend spoke for tiller's surviving relatives. >> this is domestic terrorism. this act will be repeated by this person if he ever sees the light of day again. >> reporter: roeder, who is 52, will not be eligible for parole for at least 25 years. and still ahead here on the cbs evening news, can our harry smith be the president of the united states at his own gain? >> can you go to your right? >> i can go to my right, but i prefer my left. >> couric: but up next, it's the new face of campaign advertising, and it's not very flattering. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. so now i can do more of what i love. 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[ male announcer ] visit ameriprise.com and put a confident retirement more within reach. tiller >> couric: mr. smith went to washington today. mr. harry smith of the "elderly show," for a couple of one-on-ones with the president. an interview and basketball. >> harry smith. >> mr. president. >> how are you, sir on this beautiful spring day? >> reporter: we came to the white house to talk some policy and shoot some hoops. i asked the president about his decision to expand offshore oil and gas exploration. >> i wasn't going to be governed by ideology and the dogmas of the left or the right, that we were going to do what was best to secure america's energy independence. >> reporter: a short walk down from the white house is the president's personal basketball court. >> hello, mr. president! >> reporter: we were joined by clark kellogg of cbs sports. >> i hear you've got game here. i am feeling a little-- a little tense about this. >> are you? ile do vathe home court advantage. >> exactly, you're on your turf. >> reporter: mr. president, the question is-- >> very nice! there you go. >> reporter: everybody wants to know. can you go to your right? >> i can go to my right but i prefer my left. >> reporter: he doesn't always sink his famous jump shot. >> i've got a few other things on my mind. >> oooh! >> it's like health care-- i always come from behind. i finish strong. >> couric: impressive. you can see more of harry's exclusive interview with the president tomorrow morning on the "early show" right here on cbs. an update now on an urban legend. teamsters boss jimmy hoffa vanished in 1975, and according to a mob hit man his body was buried beneath one of the end zones at giant stadium in new jersey. flash ahead 35 years, the stadium's being torn down, and it might seem like a good time to look for hoffa's bones. but this week, the f.b.i. said there are no plans to do that. they consider it a dead issue. so to speak. a. finally, a success story tha. after all, he was a harvard man. here's michelle miller with tonight's "american spirit." >> reporter: your life is in that suitcase. >> the better parts of it. >> reporter: e