people in the state. we'll begin this morning with a look at today's "eye opener," your world in 90 seconds. when asked by a senator whether he'd had contact with the russians in any way,ha spe, or form, he said no, period. so obviously that turns it to be not accurate. >> jeff sessions failed to disclose contacts with the russian ambassador. >> democrats are intensifying their request for jeff sessions to recuse himself or step down. >> if there is something down and it goes up the chain of investigation,is it ar cle to me that jeff sessions, who is my dear friend, cannot make this decision about tr ump. >>the dow broke another record. >> make it rain, dow. 21,000. >> the presidentth of e amycade announced that the two accountants responsible for the mixup will never work on the oscars again. >> it happened suddenly. >> youou cld hear it. >> parts of the southwest are cleaning a wild scene throughout the streets of california. a suspect leading police on an hour-long chase. >> he's not going anywhere. a great white shark off the california pier is part of an investigation. 8-year-old noah young becoming an internet sensation for his moves on the ice. >> it goes down in northwestern history. >> -- and all that matters -- >> have you ever thought you could run for president and actually be elected. >> i thought, oh, gee, i don't have enough experience, i don't know enough, and now i'm thinking, oh. oh. >> -- on "cbs this morning." >> i mean think about how easy it would be for her to win over the audience in a debate. she'd be like that's a very good point, president trump, but on the other hand if you look under your seats, you get a free car, you get a free free car. >> announcer: h morning's "eye opener" presented by toyota. let's go places. welcome to "cbs this morning." >> people love cars. >> especially free cars. >> yes. good morning, everybody. charlie rose is off and anthony mason is here with us. lots of news this morning. attorney jeff sessions is under new operation to withdraw from an investigation into the russian interference with the 2016 election. the department has confirmed he spoke with the u.s. am bass tore last year while he was an adviser to the trump campaign. sessions did not reveal those conversations at the confirmation hearings even though he was asked about them. >> and now some are calling for the attorney general to house minority leader nancy pelosi said this. jeff sessions lied under oath and is not fit to serve. jeff pegues has covered the russian hacking story from the beginning. good morning. >> good morning. jeff sessions is in charge of the fbi's investigation into whether trump representatives coordinated with the russians during the campaign. these new revelations are turning up the heat on him to at least step aside. attorney general jeff sessions, who was a trump representative during the campaign, has repeatedly resisted calls to recuse himself from the investigations into russian meddling in the election. >> the trugth, the whole truth. >> under oath during his confirmation hearings sessions did not disclose he met with the russian representative twice. >> if there's anyone who communicated with the russian governent during the course of this >> senator frank, i'm not aware of any of those activities. i've been called a sur fwat a time or two and i did not have communications with the russians and u i'm unable to comment on it. >> but in september sessions met in his office he met with russian ambassador sergei kiss lee yak. and in july he saw kisliac in another meeting. in a statement overnight the attorney general said i never met with any russian officials to discuss issues of the campaign. i have no idea what this allegation is false. the senator had over 25 conversations with foreign ambassadors. it is not senate committee to meet with ambassadors. they say sessions' failure to come clean during the confirmation is disqualifying. >> it sounds like he did not tell the truth and a lie is a lie is a lie, period. and so in some kind of way, we've got to come to grips with that. >> former national security adviser mike flynn was fired last month after he misled the vice president about his meeting with the russian ambassador. anthony? >> jeff pegues. thanks, jeff. the trump administration strongly denies any cushions with russia but there are new signs it is preparing for a political fight on the issue. margaret brennan is at the white house with new information. margaret, good morning. >> good morning. well, white house lawyers told president trump's aides this week to preserve e-mails and other materials that are relevant to ongoing probes into russian contacts with trump campaign associates. official responded to this report, downplaying the significance of the order, telling me the white house is simply taking proactive steps here, calling the accusations, quote, false and politically motivated attacks. now, these instructions come as the senate intelligence committee, which is conducting its own investigation, asked all agencies the keep all materials of contacts between trump aides and officials. trump has repeatedly said he is not aware of any contacts between russia and his team but cbs news has confirmed that fbi counterintelligence is investigating. norah? >> margaret, thank you so much. republicans in congress are still work on their plan to repeal and replace the affordable care act. on tuesday president trump spelled out some new details including tax credits to help americans buy insurance. nancy cordes is on capitol hill where the president's ideas are calling for a feud gop. good morning. >> good morning. the republican leaders have gun trying to sell this plan to their gop members which is a challenging task because they're still missing some key figures and details. they're hashing all of this out behind closed doors as they try to tamp down a rebellion from their own right flank. senators who were briefed on the new health care plan last night were instructed not to say much about what's in it. >> the details won't matter, but it's in many ways a promising start. >> here's what we do know. a draft of the plan leaked last week replaces obamacare's low income tax credit and subsidies with more tax credits that goes to everyone. it's determined that a 40-year-old making $20,000 a year would see his or her tax credit drop from an average of $4,100 under obamacare to under $3,000 under the new plan. >> they would get less whereas, younger people and wealthier people would be better off. >> like the obamacare plan it would make the tax credits refundable. which means the americans will get the money even if they pay little or no taxes but some on the right say it's handout and they're saying no. >> it's fundamentally a new entitlement. >> in the closed door gop meetings they're arguing it would result in millions of people losing the ability to afford insurance and republicans getting the blame. >> it's not going to be perfect, but this is our one chance to keep our promise to our supporters to whom we made the promise that we'd repeal and replace obamacare. >> another big sticking point is what to to about obamacare's huge expansion of medicaid which now includes 1100 people. some say it's a vital safety net. others say it's too enormous and needs to be scaled back. >> that's a very important point, nancy. thank you. dan senor was a senior adviser in the 2001 campaign and he joins us now. good morning, dan. >> good morning, norah. a spokesperson told us last year that sessions had conversations with 25 different foreign ambassadors in his job as a senator then on the armed services committee. why does this conversation with the russians, ambassador matte? >> it matter because there continues to be this question about conversations, alleged correlation as it is alleged between the trump campaign and the russian government. you're right. any senator who did not serve, in any given year he w these were typically pro forma meetings, not a lot of substance discussed, kind of box checking. i think the trump administration has to get to the bottom of how they're going to explain explain all this conversation. i do not think it's as big a deal as others do, but as it relates to attorney general jeff sessions, to lie o congress, you have to willfully know you're actually misleading congress and the material has to be extremely relevant to the focus of any kind of an investigation. many this case i actually think then senator sessions had no idea that meeting with one ambassador over the other was materially significant. it appears that there's no way for him to have known this was in the context -- his meeting was in the context of questions swirling around any kind of an investigation about the campaign and connections to the >>vernment. cases coing from the right on this. richard pain er said it's a goo way to go to jail. i mean how does the trump administration respond to this situation with sessions at this point? >> i think you've got to break these packages into two difference tracks. one package is should he resign. based on what i know so far, it looks ludicrous that he should resign. democrats calling fitter it really overreaching. the other question that's going to be the substance of debate on whether he should recuse himself. he may be under pressure from that and i think some republicans as you point out -- >> what's the threshold for that, tan? >> it's quite ambiguous, it really is. it's whether or not they believe they can raise serious doubts about his ability to oversee an investigative body that will be dealing with these allegations of and let me make one other quick point here. one of the challenges here is there's complete opacity about who all of these representatives were from the russian government who were operating on behalf of or under putin. there was always confusion of who was with the trump campaign. who was actually speaking to whom is something we toejts know yet. >> more to come. dan senor, thanks so much. >> good to be here. in the next half hour we'll talk with anthony fox about the trillion dollar plan. it's part of the series "issues that matter." the dow is trading this morning at about 21,000 for the first time. you can hear it there. traders cheered the record-high yesterday at the closing bell. the dow jump third degree 03 points to close at 21,115. other indices also set records. investors are optimistic about promised by president trump and possible improvements in the economy. recovery efforts are under way this morning after deadly storms swept across the nation's mid-section. drone video shows the devastation in one illinois community. the violent weather is blamed for at least five deaths. at least 27 tornados were reported from the south to the midwest. more than 100 homes have been destroyed. mark strassmann's in chattanooga, tennessee, where the storms left a trail of damage. mark, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. on streets like this, the storm that barreled through here was quick but crushing. this tree felt on top of the house behind me right into the living room. the good news is the woman inside was not hurt at all, but parts of tennessee valley face quite the cleanup. the storm stretched hundreds of miles, whipping through the south and parts of the east coast. hail slammed alabama. heavy rains flooded ohio. strong winds blew the roof off this car dealership in north carolina and toppled trees in tennessee, crushing this mobile home and injuring a young boy inside. parts of the midwest are still cleaning up after the storm system roared through the area tuesday night. more than 100 homes in perryville, missouri, were damaged with many destroyed. the twister that hit this community was on the ground for up to 15 miles. from above, you can see the scope of the damage in ottawa, illinois, about 80 miles outside of chicago. in the small nearby village of naplate, dozens of homes were also damaged, some leveled. >> the windows are busted out. there's debris everywhere in the house. the only room that didn't get touched luckily by the grace of god was my room and my daughter's room. the rest of them are -- sorry. >> reporter: tornados that swept through these communities packed winds of up to 155 miles an fallen tree limb. more than a dozen others were injured. >> god bless you. i'm so sorry. >> reporter: illinois governor bruce ronner toured the damage on wednesday. >> this could have been much, much worse. now we want to make sure we help the community recover quickly. we're going to have state resources here to help with the cleanup. >> reporter: and recovery will come slowly. that side of the street has power. this side of the street is still dark. the white house is talking to state and local officials about getting help to all the people who need it. >> they need a lot of help. mark, thank you so much. the vatican faces new scandal. a founding member who set up a foundation has now quit. she accuses the vatican of stonewalling efforts set up by pope francis. seth doane is outside vatican city on how the harsh city >> reporter: good morning. this is a very public blow to the vatican on a sensitive issue. at the core, a woman who is a victim of church sex abuse who says there's a cultural resistance to change here at the vatican. >> it was better for me to come out and speak about it. these men, they dliev on sithri silence and cover it up. >> she was sexually abused by a priest as a teenager and set up a foundation. we spoke with her this morning at her home in dublin, ireland. >> to find that this group of men in this lever of the church do not see child protection as a priority, do not get it in 2017, it's just unacceptable. >> reporter: in her resignation effort she wrote she believes the pope is sincere in his efforts but some members of vatican curia or the church is mott. >> you look around you for those with advice. >> reporter: monsignor anthony figure ray toe is an nbc consultant. >> it's very, very serious, perhaps more than any other organization in the world. the church has taken this on board. >> reporter: boston card nan sean o'malley who heads the commission said in a statement we will certainly listen carefully to all that maria wishes to share with us about all of her concerns. the only other victim of sexual abuse on the panel was peter saunders, critical of it and forced out last year. recently the pope has been criticized for being too lenient on at least one pedophile priest. instead of defrocking him he was removed from public ministry and se prayer. >> questions remain. seth doane in rome. thank you. a big catch in california leads to a big criminal investigation. ahead, why this cell phone video will help determine why men will pay thousands of dollars for ivanka trump's husband has a white house job but she may have more clout. ahead, how the president's daughter is working to shape and soften the president's message. >> you're watching "cbs this morning." >> announcer: this portion of "cbs this mog"rnin sponsored by fast signs. more than fast, more than signs. befi was active.gia, i was energetic. then the chronic, widespread pain drained my energy. my doctor said moving more helps ease fibromyalgia pain. he also prescribed lyrica. fibromyalgia is thought to be the result of overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. for some, lyrica can significantly relieve fibromyalgia pain and improve function, so i feel better. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. lyrica. with less pain, i can be more active. ask your doctor about lyrica. i was in the military for 18 years.rian, but, i smoked and i got heart disease. my tip is; it's hard to serve your country when you're to weak to put on your uniform. (announcer) you can quit. for free help, call 1-800-quit-now. look at you, saving money on your medicare part d prescriptions. at walgreens we make it easy for you to seize the day by helping you get more out of life and medicare part d. now with zero-dollar copays on select plans... ...and rewards points on all prescriptions, walgreens has you covered. so drop by and seize the savings! walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy. i've lost over 40 pounds. weight watchers, i've eaten everything i love. tacos, pasta... i've never felt deprived. than on our prior program. join for free plus get a free fitbit flex 2. hurry, offer ends march 13th! we're not professional athletes. but that doesn't mean we're giving up. i'm in this for me. for me. along with diet and exercise, farxiga helps lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. lowering a1c by up to 1.2 points. do not take if allergic to farxiga. if you experience symptoms of a serious allergic reaction such as rash, swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking and seek medical help right away. do not take farxiga if you have severe kidney problems, are on dialysis, or have bladder cancer. tell your doctor right away if you have blood or red color in your urine or pain while you urinate. farxiga can cause serious side effects genital yeast infections in women and men, serious urinary tract infections, low blood sugar, and kidney problems. stop taking farxiga and call your doctor right away if you have signs of ketoacidosis, which is serious and may lead to death. i'm in this for my family. i'm in this for me. ask your doctor about farxiga and learn how you can get it for free. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. i thought i neededgled cigarettes to cope. i was able to quit smoking, and then i started running. now i feel a lot better. (announcer) you can quit. for free help, call 1-800-quit-now. a community who rallies for donald trump could be deported. ahead on "cbs this morning." why he doesn't blame the president. tomorrow we go to ant art ka on how visitors could pay for a bigger piece of research. >> they call this paradise bay antarctica. i'm mark phillips. meets science. >> all right. your local news is next. all in bounds. >> harden with the catch. the finish. >> have you ever seen anything like that? nope. a spectacular buzzer-beating finish for northwestern. with one second back the wildcats beat michigan with a hail mary pass. northwestern, 67, michigan, 65. it likely will carry them to the ncaa tournament. it's a first for the school. that's one of those things you can't believe unless you're watching it. >> someone should get more than an assist for that. >> march madness is coming up. >> it is. >> gayle lov than anything. >> i do. i do. it's my favorite sport. the "washington post" says the white house has proposed deep budget cuts to the environmental protection agency. a plan reportedly calls for cutting staff by 20%. 38 programs would be eliminated along with funding for climate change initiatives. more than 2$2 billion would be cut from the epa's annual budget. the half brother of the country's leader probably died of heart failure despite malaysia's findings that he was killed by a nerve ajejts. kim jong-nam was killed at a north korean airport. the wife of a gunman who attacked the pulse nightclub could soon be released from jail. the judge asset her bail at $500,000. prosecutors 'accused the husband and having extremist views. well, the judge says that there's not enough evidence to hold her. 49 people died in the shooting rampage. "the wall street journal" reports that snap, the parjt company of snapchat has a market value of nearly $24 billion after the pricing of its initial public offerings. snap shares fetched $17 each. that's higher than expected. they'll start trading today. snap is the biggest tech ipo sinceally baba raised $25 billion in 2014. president trump's speech to congress had significant input from at least one influential adviser inside his family. ivanka trump and her husband white house adviser jared kushner traveled to capitol hill with the president on tuesday night. they listened while he apparently read over his speech in the car and with ivanka trump watching from the first lady's box, the president talked about policies his oldest daughter has house. good morning. >> good morning. they say president trump's softer inclusive tone came from the heart but some of those proposals were shaped by his daughter ivanka and son-in-law jared kushner. the president didn't mention his daughter by name. ivanka trump's influence was hard to miss. >> my administration wants to work with members of both parties to make child care accessible. >> in emphasizing issues like health care tax credits and women's health, he embraced positions his daughter has long fought for. >> he will focus on making child health care affordable and accessible for all. >> in a conversation on sunday kellyanne conway said she's the voice of the speech. been able to capture the cultural vie kieft of what people are feeling. to be able to channel that in a way that's uplifting and aspirational is exciting. >> the president has routinely had his daughter by his side. she helped facilitate a new partnership with canada to promote women and entrepreneurs. >> ivanka isery much involved in this and i very much appreciate your being involved in it. >> ivanka also accompanied her father to pay respects to fallen navy s.e.a.l. ryan owens. >> ryan laid down his life for his friends and his kun. >> she coveted owens' widow during her father's most emotional address. and last week when some say the president trump was slow to respond to threats ivanka tweeted this, calling for protection of houses of worship. on tuesday her father started his speech with a message of tolerant. >> we're a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all of its very ugly forums. >> now, ivanka trump has no formal role in the white house but she often participates in eventses to help promote her father's agenda and they think she's uniquely positioned to help reach across the aisle to democrats. norah? >> all right, jan. there's no doubt she's got an influential role inside the white house. >> a lot of people like to hear what she has to say and like to see her out there. >> and we spoke with kellyanne conway at the white house and at home with her family. you'll see the full interview on "cbs sunday morning". a man has been freed from the detention center. one was released yesterday on $3,000 bond. immigration ajejtss took him his detention led to an outcry from resident and elected officials in west frankfort. anna werner is in west frankfort and she spoke with hernandez just hours after his release in an interview you'll only see here on "cbs this morning." anna, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. you know, about 8,000 people live near in west frankfort. judging by the response to this, many know this man. they say he's an important member of the community. the question is will he be allowed to stay. the community the west frankfort raised money to bring their friend home in style to his family. after nearly three weeks in detention. >> how are you doing? >> pretty good. >> reporter: he's an undocumented immigrant they claim as one of their own. won carlos fernandez >> first i need to be thankful. >> why? >> because of all the support. >> his friend. >> we've known carlos for more than ten years. >> he's one in a million. if you were going to model someone off of your own children or yourself, he's that type of person. >> reporter: hernandez has lived in southern illinois for nearly 20 years. on february 9th, immigration officers arrested him at his home. they were looking for someone else, but found he was here illegally. >> did you ask him why? >> for my previous record. >> reporter: in a statement i.c.e. pointed to hernandez as two convictions for dui in 2007. he's now sober. but under the previous administration, experts say those misdemeanor offenses likely would not have gotten him picked up. and people here, many of whom came to greet him last night at the restaurant he managed wrote letters of support. the mayor, police festivals, and people he's fund-raisers and donations. >> this is a person that i would put right there on that pedestal. everyone should be looking at him going, you know, i need to be more like carlos. >> reporter: under trump administration directives, experts say he's also now the type of person who may be deported. when mr. trump talked about deporting more people, who did you think he was going to deport? >> well, i mean obviously it was murderers, rapists, you know, and people like that. that's obviously not carlos. >> reporter: hernandez himself says he doesn't blame the president. >> he's protecting the country. i've got three kids and a wife. they're american citizens. i do believe it's the right thing. he's protecting my family. >> he's protecting your family, even tee spite what happened to you. >> but that has nothing to do with him. i don't believe he focused on me. i'm not a target. i don't feel that way. >> for now as we said, he's out for legal status works "i" way through the immigration system. his lawyer told us that he's hoping that carlos has a good chance because his wife is a u.s. citizen as are his kids, of course. anthony. >> very nice to see community support, anna. thank you. a committee that may remind you of "jaws" is picking up thousands of views online. wildlife officials are not a fan. how fishermen who hooked a great white shark may be in trouble. you can subscribe to our cbs news podcast. find them all on itunes at apple's ipods app. we'll be right back. bounty is more absorbent,mom" per roll so the roll can last 50% longer than the leading ordinary brand. so you get more "life" per roll. bounty, the quicker picker upper but there's so much more to it. here's how benefiber® works. inside us are trillions of good microflora that support digestive health. the prebiotic fiber in benefiber® nourishes them... and what helps them, helps you. clear, taste-free, benefiber®. when i was too busy with the helps you. kids to get a repair estimate. liberty did what? yeah, with liberty mutual all i needed to do to get an estimate was snap a photo of the damage and voila! voila! (sigh) i wish my insurance company had that... wait! hold it... hold it boys... there's supposed to be three of you... where's your brother? where's your brother? hey, where's charlie? you can leave worry behind when liberty stands with you. liberty stands with you™ liberty mutual insurance don't ever let anyone tell you you can't change. that is what life is. change. it's not some magic trick. it's your will. your thoughts become your words become your actions become your reality. change is your destiny. now go chase it. an investigation is under way after a video emerged showing a fisherman catching what appeared to be a juvenile great white shark in california. the two-minute video has more than 20 million views on youtube. carter evans is working to see whether a crime has been committed. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. they're trying to track down the fisherman. they want to confirm that the fish he pulled up on the pier behind me was, in fact, a great white. cell phone video captured the moment a group of fishermen landed their big catch, reeling in what appears to be a juvenile great white shark. the crowd cheers as the group yanks the fish objective the pier. california fish and wildlife officials now are trying to determine whether the act was criminal. great whites are protected under state and federal laws and fishermen who catch one are required to release it immediately or face fines of up to $10,000. >> when we see video like that, that's kind of disturbing. >> reporter: chris lowe is a shark researchers at california state long beach. he said while it's not clear whether the fishermen trying to catch a great white, their fishing gear suggests they wanted a big prize. >> things with big jaws and big teeth would be able to bite through most fishermen's lines but they're not going to be able to cut through that. >> reporter: they're seeing a jump in shark sightings over the past few years. just leak that fishermen dragged a great white shark back into the ocean after unknowingly captured it. in 2014 a swimmer was bitten by a great white fighting to escape from a fishing line captured at a pier just up the coast. >> what we're doing is changing regulations. we can still have people fishing, but maybe they should. be fishing for big things off piers. >> reporter: well, that cell phone video ends with the shark on the pier, but the men who shot that video said the fishermen threw it back in the water, but it really that gaffing hook caught the shark in the gills. so our experts say it's likely he died from the injuries. norah? >> it didn't look severe on the tape that we saw. carter, tharpg you so much. your internet provider. why regulations was delay and what you can do to protect yourself. up next, oprah's answer to a question that's fueling speculat >> announcer: pthisortion of "cbs this morning" sponsored by walgreens, at the corner of happy and healthy. wear that shade. throw shade. nice. no makeup monday or definitely makeup... it's monday. go natural. go big. go bold. ladies, don't let anybody tell you what makes you beautiful. at walgreens, we've got the beauty products to help you be you. walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy. with ingredients like roasted hazelnuts and cocoa, nutella adds a smile to any morning. one jar; so many delicious possibilities. nutella - spread the happy! there possible be this manycould blues. don't worry but lowe's we guarantee you'll always love your paint or we replace it. hurry to lowe's where you find new lower prices like paint & primer now starting at only $17.98 would you be into doing a hoa hot what?sage? [baby crying] at least the car's quiet. snowboarding is better than skiing. i completely disagree. the 1 for everyone sales event is going on now and we have one for you. during toyota's 1 for everyone sales event you can get 0% apr financing on the adventurous rav4 and 10 other select models. offer ends april 3rd. for great deals on other toyotas visit toyota.com. toyota. let's go places. the more mysterious they sound, the more... powerful you'll think they are. it's time to see what power really looks like. new neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair with accelerated retinol sa. clinically proven to reduce wrinkles in just one week. wrinkles? your time is up! rapid wrinkle repair. and for dark spots. rapid tone repair. neutrogena® see what's possible. but so we don't have tormin wad to get clean. charmin ultra soft gets you clean without the wasteful wadding. it has comfort cushions you can see that are softer... ...and more absorbent, and you can use up to 4 times less. enjoy the go with charmin. i'm in the kitchen. i need my blood sugar to stay in control. i need to shave my a1c i'm always on call. an insulin that fits my schedule is key. ♪ tresiba® ready ♪ (announcer) tresiba® is used to control high blood sugar in adults with diabetes. don't use tresiba® to treat diabetic ketoacidosis, during episodes of low blood sugar, or if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. don't share needles or insulin pens. ffect is low blood sugar, which may cause dizziness, swtiting, confusion, and headache. check your blood sugar. low blood sugar can be serious and may be life-threatening. injection site reactions may occur. tell your prescriber about all medicines you take and all your medical conditions. taking tzds with insulins like tresiba® may cause serious side effects like heart failure. your insulin dose shouldn't be changed without asking your prescriber. get medical help right away if you have trouble breathing, fast heartbeat, extreme drowsiness, swelling of your face, tongue, orhrhroat, dizziness, or confusion. ask your health care provider if you're tresiba® ready. covered by most insurance and medicare plans. ♪ tresiba® ready ♪ oprah winfrey's joke about a possible 2020 white house bid had the internet going crazy yesterday. >> have you ever thought that given the popularity you ceiling yet for women, that you could actually run for president and actually hi be elected? >> winfrey told david bloomen stein said it's not smr she considered until the 2016 election. >> i thought, oh, gee, i don't have the experience, i don't know enough, and now i'm thinking, oh. >> despite cheers she said a potential run won't happen. she recently became a special correspondent for "60 minutes. ". >> i was in the audience and it was clearly a joke because they have such a rapport. i heard you always have the right to change your mind but i would bit my first, second, and any unborn to come, they ain't never going to happen. >> never. >> i'll say never on this one. nevah, n-e-v-a-h. nevah. fix our nation's infrastructure. ahead, anthony fox will tell us whether $1 trillion is enough. you're watching "cbs this morning." there's only one egg that just tastes better. fresher. more flavorful. delicious. with more great nutrition. and 25% less saturated fat. only eggland's best. better taste. better nutrition. better eggs. you're not going to make it. best-selling brand? do you think you can make it? uhh... make it... every time. nice! moving freely. that's ford... and that's how you become america's best-selling brand. ...one of many pieces in my life. so when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my long-term control medicine. i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment with breo. once-daily breo prevents asthma symptoms. breo is for adults with asthma not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. breo won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. breo is specifically designed to open up airways to improve breathing for a full 24 hours. breo contains a type of medicine that increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk of hospitalization in children and adolescents. breo is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop breo and prescribe a different asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. do not take breo more than prescribed. see your doctor if your asthma reo could be a missing piece for you. learn more about better breathing at mybreo.com. from my sweet dreams? thanks to tena, not tonight! onenly ta overnight underwear ...with its secure barrier system gives you.... ...triple protection from leaks, odor and moisture. tena lets you be you what's the story behind green mountain coffee and fair trade? let's take a flight to colombia. this is boris calvo. boris grows mind-blowing coffee. and because we pay him a fair price, he improves his farm and invest in his community to make even better coffee. all for a smoother tasting cup. green mountain coffee. quilted northern works their bathroom experience. but these birds see all and forget nothing. except this one, who has an outlet for a face. hello moto. it's time to reimagine the smart phone. snap on a speaker. a projector. a camera that actually zooms. get excited world. the moto zwith moto mods. visit verizonwireless.com/droid to discover today's hot deal. we take some unexpected extra steps to raise healthy chickens with no antibiotics ever. like putting oregano in their water. it has natural antioxidants and we don't have to use antibiotics in their diet. perdue. over 200 products no antibiotics ever. we take some unexpected extra steps to raise healthy chickens with no antibiotics ever. for example, thyme. it's part of our 100% veggie diet and helps support their immune system. roducts no antibiotics ever. i'm on it.ar does weathertech go to protect your vehicle? ♪ ♪ ♪ weathertech. made right, in america hello, good morning. it is march 2nd, 2017. welcome back to "cbs this morning." there's more real news ahead including our "issues that matter" series. this morning it's america's infrastructure. former secretary anthony fox is here with his ideas . new information is turning up the heat on the nation's officer to at least step aside. >> why does this conversation with this ambassador matter? >> i do not think it's as big a deal as ores do. >> i don't think he had any idea meeting with one ambassador over the other was significant. >> republican leaders have begun tryio ng tsell this plan as they try to tamp down a rebellion from their own plan. >> officials say that president trump's softer tone came from the heart but that some of those proposals were shaped by his advisers like daughter ivanka and son-in-law jared kushner. >> it recommend seemed like donald trump was giving his first address to congress. it's getting good reviews. they're calling it surprisingly presidential. >> it's something that the president behaviors like a president. extra extra. president goes rogue, 60 minutes without trashing anyone. >> i'm gayle king with norah oh dodge and anthony mason. james corden cracks me up. the buzz in the someone walked up to him and said, charlie, you're up and about. he said, yes, where else would i be. everyone was fwlads to see him. he looks fantastic. >> that's fantastic. >> he's talking about coming back soon. we like that. attorney general jeff sessions with allegations that he held conversations with a russian ambassador are false. when asked how to handle a investigation between possible ties with campaign officials and the russian government. >> if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the trump campaign kmun indicated with the russian government in course of this campaign, what will you do? >> well, senator franken, i'm not aware of any of those activities. i have been called a surrogate a time or two in that campaign, and i did not have campaigns with the russians, and i'm unable to comment on it. he spoke to russia's u.s. ambassador twice last year. the justice department said that type of meeting was routine for senate armed service committee members. senator sessions met with 25 current and former ambassadors in 2016. several top democrats are calling for sessions to resign or at least with draw from the fbi investigation in russian campaign meddling. sessions responded a short time ago. >> well, i have not met with any russians at any time to discuss any political campaign, and those remarks are unbelievable to me and are false and i don't have anything else to say about that. >> i've sean that whenever it's appropriately recuse myself, there's no doubt about that. >> and a white house official said this morning that partisan democrats are driving these allegations. we continue our issues that matter series this morning with a closer look at a critical topic president trump highlighted during to continuation, america's crumb bling infrastructure. the american society of civil engineers gives the country's infrastructure a d plus. i got one or two of those. mom doesn't like those. bridges and roads receive nod better than a c-plus. >> on tuesday president trump anoujsed his plans to help improve those grades. >> the launch of our national rebuilding,ly be asking congress to produce legislation that produce as $1 trillion investment in infrastructure of the united states financed through both public and private capital, creating millions of new jobs. >> anthony fox was the secretary of transportation under president obama. before that as the mayor of charlotte, south carolina, he helped improve the city's infrastructure. good morning. >> good morning. >> welcome to the table. the grade we saw was a d-plus. before that it was it's going up a little bit. at anthony points out, according to his mom, a d is never good. what's happening to this country? >> if you think about buying a house and you pay the mortgage on the house, we basically didn't put in enough money to cover the maintenance for the house, so the roof starts leaking and over time it gets worse and worse and that's basic le what happened. the gas tax revenues that were used to build the highway system have started to decline and's not enough money to cover the backlog. >> why didn't we put in enough money to build the house? >> the last time the gas tax was increased was back in the 1990s. it was an increase of 18.4 cents. that's no longer worth what it was worth back in the early 1990s. that's part of the problem that and drivers don't like seeing their gas price increased. the president is calling for $1 trillion. is that enough? >> i listened closely. by the way, i think it's a good thing for the prent problem that needs to be addressed. i also to think, however, that when you read the fine print, what he's talking about is basically a set of tax credits that generate about $107 billion in tax credits ha he believes will produce $1 trillion in tax credit. i happen to believe some projects will get done under that kind of thing but probably not the things that's grinding the traffic in the country. >> where should those infrastructure dollars be spent first? is it roads? bridges? highways? >> i think the money needs to be spend where the clogs are the greatest. where the congestion is the most. we need to be more data driven in how we to that. a lot of times we spread it like peanut butter across the country. if we see an improvement, it provides more political support. >> don't spread the go directly -- >> go where the problems are and start to build around them. >> i wonder -- i keep thinking about we get to talk to so many smart important people in government like yourself and, you know, one of the things they say, it takes some crisis in order to propel the government to act. it's going to have to take some bridge collapsing before congress decides to move forward on this. >> you know, the unfortunate thing we've had bridge collapses. we had one in minneapolis. >> and in bridgeport, connecticut. >> we have crises. congress did pass a five-year transportation bill back in 2015. it continues the historic underinvesting of our infrastructure, but it's going take leadership from the white house. he's got congress behind him hopefully to get something done. >> you mention this public and private partnership aspect of this which is the real contention it seems to me in congress here. what's the difference between a publicly funded bill and one that has private tax credits in it? >> we're talking the difference between a funded project of a traditional sense or one that spins off capital that can be used to pay back the private sector money. the public, by the way, has a lot to say about this. when you talk about it at the federal leveling you have to remember the federal government doesn't fund projects. you have governors and mayors on the front lines getting political support for fitness. >> president trump said his plan would create millions of jobs. some say it would create jobs but they're not sustainable. it would only be in the short term. what to you make of that? to you think that's the case? >> if you make it, it's the right investment. it generates immediate jobs and construction but provides a catalyst for additional jobs. if it's a plant coming in or what have you. a lot of decisions are made at the local or state level and you many order to get the second or third order benefits. >> i think it makes a lot of sense. there's bipartisan support for reinvesting in the infrastructure. >> absolutely. you have to pay for it. >> secretary fox, thanks very much for joining us shoo thank you. good to see you. >> president trump's predecessors are making headlines. former president george w. bush warned what can happen when the u.s. takes lead on big issues. >> vacuums can be present, that vacuum is generally filled with people, you know, who don't share the same ideology or the same sense of human rights and human dignity and free dom that we do, and, you know, there's an isolationist tendency in our country, and i would argue that's dangerous to our national security and doesn't befit the character of the country. >> the former president also said t through divisive times before and he's optimistic about the future. meanwhile barack obama may be done resting after his eight years in office according on to politico. he's said to be ready to roll. holder is leading that movement and said mr. obama will be more visible a part of the effort. >> there was a video the other day leading starbucks to cheers and applause. be'll see. he seems to be enjoying life after the white house so far. new rules designed to protect your privacy on the internet are delayed by the government. internet providers want to sell the california start uphas said it has found a dramatically cut waste by making fruits and vegetables last longer. with this product you can extend shelf life up to five times and how it can fight global hunger. you're watching "cbs this morning." bounty is more absorbent,mom" per roll so the roll can last 50% longer than the leading ordinary brand. i have the worst cold i better take something. . dayquil liquid gels don't treat your runny nose. seriously? alka-seltzer plus cold and cough liquid gels fights your worst cold symptoms plus your runny nose. oh, what a relief it is. hei don't want one that's haded a big wreck just say, show me cars with no accidents reported find the cars you want, avoid the ones you don't plus you get a free carfax® report with every listing i like it start your used car search at carfax.com the federal communications committee is delaying the new privacy rules. they would have limited how internet providers use and sell customer data. the rules would also have given consumers the right to stop those companies from sharing personal information with advertisers and other third parties we reached out to verizon, and time warner. they did not reach out for comment. good morning. >> good morning. >> first of all, what type data are we talking about here? what do they have? >> they have everything. at&t, verizon, comcast, they know what sites you're on. because you're connecting with your cell phone, they know exactly where you are. they know what room i'm in. they know everything i browse in the green room. they know everything i browse with on the internet. what the fcc has done in previous regulations say if the broad band companies are going to sell information, they're going to sell health information, information about your kids, they need to ask you. that was going to go into effect today. that was strong privacy protection. the new fcc says, nah. >> why, nick, why? >> well, their argument would be we need consistent privacy regulations across the network. we should not regulate at&t, verizon, and comcast differently from google and facebook. >> and they can sell your information. >> they can. they have weak privacy regulations regulations gorged by the fcc. some may say why don't we have strong regulations everywhere instead of getting rid of the one place they're wrong, the other reason is the fc has worked very closely with the telecom companies. they have seen it not as the people but the broadband company. it appears as though that may be the problem with the new fcc. >> do you think people realize how invasive the information -- do you think they know how invasive the companies are in getting our information and why should we care about the information that they get? >> that's interesting. i think people have no idea the depth of the information these companies have. they have everything and our whole lives are online. if something feels wrong in our bodies, we type it in to google. the companies have that. the second part of the question, are bad things going to happen if they have it? well, we've had weak privacy regulations for a long time and the sky hasn't fallen. nothing terribly been done to me. there is an argument made that it's more or less okay. >> why do they want the information? >> they want to sell it. if they know i've been looking for headaches and they know i've just bought a plane ticket or bus tikts to providence, they're going to try to sell me an ad. >> i've been searching for jumpsuits lately and now i get things. >> they come to you. >> they just show up. >> should i be concerned about this? >> i think you should be concerned. i thought we finally made a good step to protect people's privacy. i think fundamentally, the information what you type and to online is your information and if a company wants to sell it, they should ask you for it and they should pay you for it. >> yes. >> that is what would have happened had these regulations gone into effect. the broadband companies would say, we'll give you a few extra dollars if you let us sell your privacy information and you could have agreed or not agreed. now we've gotten rid of the best steps. >> here's the statement. the fcc handles internet. they say we believe the best way to protect is through a comprehensive and consistent framework. >> sure. yes, i would like a comprehensive and consistent strong framework. we're heading toward a comprehensive and consistent weak framework. >> always nice to have you here. the casino tycoon steve wynn is in the green room. he shows how he shared voting to fund-raising. how did that half. first a surprise ups employees delivered to a co-worker who walked miles to get to work. this is a good one. you're watching "cbs this morning." we'll be right back. the abuse. the humiliation. it's time to treat them better. introducing tide pods plus downy. treat all your clothes better with tide pods plus downy. if it's gotta be clean, it's gotta be tide. don't ever let anyone tell you you can't change. that is what life is. change. it's not some magic trick. it's your will. your thoughts become your words become your actions become your reality. change is your destiny. now go chase it. only abreva can heal it in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. it penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells.. abreva. i got it. i gotcha baby. (vo) it's being there when you're needed most. love is knowing... he's the one. (vo)...it was meant to be. and love always keeps you safe. (vo) love is why we built a car you can trust. now and for a long time to come. the all-new subaru impreza sedan and five-door. a car you can love no matter what road you're on. the subaru impreza. more than a car, it's a subaru. ups employees provided one of though co-workers with a special delivery. he was visibly shaken when he received keys. he walked to work. his co-workers pulled toegts to buy him a jeep. retired employees cleaned up the suv before they handed it over. >> oh, my gosh. something about his commitment to his job and how his coworkers feel about one. ahead, the changes american airlines is stronger is blasting without risking her bones. it's training her good cells... to fight the bad guys. stronger is less pain... new hope... more fight. it's doing everything in your power... and everything in ours. stronger, is changing even faster than they do. because we don't just want your kids to grow up. we want them to grow up stronger. some have it, some don't. when the odds are stacked against you, you either hide or stand up. at strayer university we've seen it in our students for 125 years. and if you ever think of quitting, our success coaches will be there to pick you up and work with you every day to put you on the right path. it's time. strayer university. let's get it, america. welcome back to "cbs this morning." right now it's time to show you some of this morning's headlines. "the new york times" reports scientists may have discovered the world's oldest fossils. they were found in ancient rocks in northern quebec. the bacteria looks like tiny tombs. scientists say those bacteria may have lived more than 4 billion years ago. wild african elephants sleep just two hours a night on average. skrierch activities tracked two elephants in botswana using active watches, similar to devices used by humans. they were attached to their trunks. when their truongs don't move, no animal sleeps less than an elephant. >> maybe i'm an elephant. the "washington post" report as new lego set will celebrate the women of nasa. it honors the women's contributions to the space agency. it will include sally ride, the first american woman in space and the mathematician. the final design is still under development but i say good for you, legos. i love it. >> that's a good idea. >> i love it too. "the wall street journal" reports american airlines will make boarding a plane more simple. it divides passengers into ten clearly defined groups based upon the kanld of ticket they buy. first class will board first and those in economy who don't have storage will board next. beauty and the beast. the director gaston's side kick la few will explore his sexuality in a small but significant thumb blot. lay pew is just realizing he has these feelings. >> after all these years. steve wynn is best known for revitalizing the las vegas strip in the '80s and '90s. he now has the highest rated report in the world. it brought in nearly $4.5 billion with a "b" in net revenue last year. now wynn has taken on a new role as the republican chair of the finance committee. mr. wynn joins us at the table. >> i thought we were going to explore our sexuality. >> >> i'm prepared. >> congratulationsle. when people think about you, they think of you and success and think of you and mr. trump. back in the day he call you a scumbag and you said he's all hat and no cattle. did you decide to to put that all aside? >> that was a long time ago back when dogs could talk and both of us are too old to have enemies. >> how did you come together? >> i watched donald trump risk everything in his personal life to go on this journey, and the most incredible, incredible chain of events that led to us having unified government and a president with the courage, with the courage, the unshakeable courage to do the right thing by i think most of us democratic republicans needed to fix things in america very badly. look, the only chance for anybody's life to be improved is the demand for labor. >> you did not support him in the primaries. >> what i did, what i did candidly. when the debate concerned china and things like that and was rather unfocused in general, i'm in business in china, i have great respect for the government there. and i have 20,000 employees or more there. and i wanted to stay out of the line of fire until a discussion about the people's republic of china was more focused. and basically as a businessman i didn't want to -- i didn't want to get confused in my -- in my public opinion when donald was campaigning. and there's quite a bit of difference between, as you can see, the president has taken a china. >> being the candidate and now being president. >> yes. and during those days, you can imagine if you're a businessman, you'd tend to tray and protect your employees whether it was in china or the united states. >> so you are such a successful casino magnet, and now you're going to be finance chairman. what have you learned about are rnc finances? >> i tell you what i wish. i wish they never called me a nag net. >> why? >> i don't know. something about it. i'd like to be known as a guy who designs a building and is close to his employee. the rating, incidentally, wasn't about money. it was about quality and service. but enough about the company. look. there are a lot of us that believe it was sort of the dark winter for the past eight years in terms of the private sector and job creation. and the truth. a lot of people who want to have the courage ande improve their own lives, and when people get out and try to start a business or improve their own lives, they take their neighbors with them. well, once again, it's springtime in america and things are going to grow. this country has always been an ocean of opportunity. now i think we can get people to believe, come on in, the water's fine. >> why are you so convinced of that growth? what do you see? >> because i know what stops it, and i know what was going on for eight years. and when i say i know what was going on for eight years, i'm unequivocal. i'm on "cbs morning news," and i want you to know without a doubt -- >> is this relamted to regulation? >> absolutely. hundreds a week. if we had the time in these quick segments to review some of the ridiculous foolishness that was done from washington -- agencies always had a chance to everybody wants to show they did need more people so they can get promoted. if the judiciary automatically stamps whatever the executive branch and the agency -- we've got 465 agencies, 2,650,000 employees, if the courts just stamped the agencies, we've only got two branchs of government, the executive and the legislature. you need the courts and you need to get rid of these regulations so that people have the confidence to go and try. listen. it's all about attitude. if you think you can, you will. if you think you can't, you won't. in either case, you're probably right. >> you think it cycles business. >> and this administration has turned the attitude of america into a can-do attitude. that is the most significant thing. i'm 75 years old now. i didn't think this was possible. >> are you surprised, steve, that donald trump isn him? >> listen. i've watched this campaign as you did, gayle, and who the hell knew what was going to happen next. it was a stunning and confusing at times campaign. what we have now, and i think it's clear, the trump i know and the trump you know privately is the guy who was on television in front of congress the other night. >> who's the other guy. >> who was the other guy? >> somebody who was in a battle in probably the most ruthless environmental of all, the campaign. >> you even been on the receiving end of that. when he did that, what did you think? >> it was business. >> it was business. >> it was business, sure. and then you go to dinner. you know, really and truly, we mustn't pay all that much attention to certain things. let's talk about what we do. >> now he's president, steve. >> that's right. and so let's take a l decisions. rex tillerson? oh, boy. ran over 100,000 employees in 100 countries. there's an old thing about how did jesus walk on water? he knew where the rocks were. rex tillerson knows where the rocks are. jim mattis ran the marine corps, a great maeritocracy where you can get fire and get promoted. here's a great intellectual. one of my board directors was chief of naval operations, jeh johnson. jeh knows james mattis. he said, steve, james is one of the most respectable intellectuals, greatest soldiers i've ever met. boy, is trump lucky to have him. >> are you worried about people taking your phone calls? >> you think my friends won't take my calls? you know, gayle, you might be right about that. raising money isn't so much the core of what i'm doing as reminding everybody, young people and old people, that this is a chance to preserve and protect the things in america that have made america great in the first place. we've been in a little bit of a rut, an emotional rut, and we need to break out and know that everything is in reach again. and i think it's going to happen. we've been worrying about robots and losing jobs. what we for get so often is the innate drive of american people to make a better life for themselves is almost unstoppable. look. i have lousy eyesight as you guys know, but i'm never afraid to grab someone's hand and tell them to take me where i want to go. and you know something? when we get there, everybody loves being along for the trip. that's a sort of a metaphor for everybody that wants to make a better lfo anyway, norah? >> thank you, steve. we're out of time because we just have two short hours on this program, but thank you so much. >> life in a short six. >> we're so glad you're here. thank you so much. >> you're welcome. >> great to have you here. a scientific breakthrough could help shriveled produce out of your refrigerator. these two bunches of grapes are the same age. these you can toss out. these you can still eat. we're going to introduce you to a new product that can keep your ♪ ♪ ♪ we buy any car dot com ♪ ♪ we buy any car dot com ♪ ♪ any any any any ♪ did you know trading in your car at a dealer could cost you money? a recent study found consumers who trade in their car pay an average of $990 dollars more. so don't trade in... sell it.... to we buy any car. learn more and get your free online valuation ♪ find out how much your car is worth at webuyanycar.com ♪ food," we're exploring the way food is produced, sourced, and distributed. today we look at how brown bananas at breakfast could be a thing of the past. a southern california startup called apeal says its products can extend the lifes of fruits and vegetables for up to five times. scientists show us how it works. ben tracy shows us how it's being touted as the biggest revelation since refrigeration. >> reporter: it's not just the views that grab your ati trees including these aptly named caviar limes. >> once you pick it, there's a timer going off. >> reporter: caviar limes are prized by restaurants and bars. the shipping and distribution is difficult. that's where appeeel sciences teemed up with them. >> we use food to preserve food. >> that simple. >> that simple. >> reporter: they start with frozen grapeskins. they extract certain food molecules and mix them up. the powder called edipeal. >> when it dries it leaves thin barrier on the produce. it slows down the rate that water gets out of the produce. by doing that we can naturally preser average piece of fruit last with your product on it? >> each kind of produce has different characteristics. we think it extends it from anywhere from twice as life to five times the life of a piece of produce. >> you're basically monitoring how this lemon is dying over time? >> exactly. >> reporter: by day fever the untreated strawberries on top rot but the treated ones on the bottom are still good to eat. it's fda approved and the thin layer left behind is edible and tasteless. it would replace the wax that's often used on produce. >> you're going to have people saying this is franken food. i don't want something sprayed on my food because this is pesticide. how to you get over that hurdlesome. >> the way we to it is be open with people. we're taking stuff you're eating already inner bite of your produce and we're just on the outside. >> reporter: the company hopes their product will help with global hunger in places without access to refrigeration. it could also reduce food waste. here in the u.s., 24% of produce is tossed out before it reaches the grocery store. another 28% is thrown out at home. but food waste experts say no one technology is going to solve a problem this big. >> fundamentally this product is driven by habits around food so we can't technology our way out of that. i think it needs to be paired with really careful shopping. >> appeal has raised $40 million from investors. right now they work with seshl growers and are in talks with produce brands. it remains to be seen whether the cost would be passed along to consumers. apeel is buying him valuable >> i'm super happy to see the results. >> reporter: for "cbs this morning," ben tracy, santa barbara, california. >> i think that's a good idea. i wonder if they can keep that banana from going brown that's sitting inside my purse. >> once it goes brown, it doesn't look good. >> thanks for sharing these details. >> have you guys tried the cash yar lime? >> no. >> this is a real game-changer. >> it will be. absolutely. more ahead. >> you're watching "cbs this morning." we'll be right back. prodders, shuckersers, and sniffers, [ inhales ] all giant produce is triple checked. farm, crate, and store. we're focusing on fresh... ...so you don't have to guess. it's been good show. >> two hours flies by when you're having fun. >> i tune in for cs evening news good morning. it's still windy out there. wind advisory in place until 10:00 in the morning. winds could be as high as 50 to 55 miles per hour. winds are at 30 to 40 right now. they will die down this afternoon. but it'll still be breezy. 15 to 20 miles per hour winds this afternoon. 48 degrees. temperatures won't change much today. in fact, it'll feel into the near 40 range throughout the afternoon. i definitely noticed that wind this morning over memorial bridge. you can feel it out there. be careful on your drive to work. a new accident on route 29, northbound lanes when you hit string fellow road. jammed on 29. 270 through the urbana area, an accident. and i'm seeing delays in your southbound lanes as well. down by route 1, northbound when you hit russell road, we still have a shoulder that's blocked. let's check in with megan mooney see where she is coming up for great day washington, hey megan. we may not remember those years when we were learning to read ourselves but we know it was one of the most important life skills. so this morning, for the 20th anniversary of the national education association, learning to read day, we're celebrating here in southeast at an elementary school. on march 2nd it's dr. seuss' birthday. stay with us. great day washington starts right after this short break. we have an we have a birthday today, the beloved author dr. seuss, and we're celebrating with the rest of the country at read across america at a local dc elementary school. the time is now to get your house on the market. we'll tell you why with our real deal and realestate team. it's thursday march 2nd and this my friends is great day washington. [ cheering and au closer toward the weekend. good morning. i'm chris leery. >> and i'm marquette shepherd. we're your hosts for great day washington. i live for the weekend. we get up so early here on this morning show. >> i don't know. wake up washington they get up early. >> they get up yesterday for today. >> we're here. you know what's causing fire works more than us getting excited about the weekend? the big bang theory. that's like tv's number one show. i'm sure some of you at home watch it. the five original cast members are taking a voluntary pay cut so that their costars can earn as much as they do. now, the original five will include jim parsons and kaylee, they're making $1 million per episode. dc maryland and virginia, that's a lot of money. yes, but the two stars who joined the cast later, they make episode. now, the cast is currently in the midst of contract negotiations for the show's 11th and 12th season and they're standing in solidarity. >> that's interesting. i don't know how to figure that out. that's a real discrepancy. but it's so funny. they make a million dollars an episode. $26million. that's not where they're going to hit their money. when you see that on syndication, they get hundreds of zillions, i don't know. i'm not an accountant. >> the friends cast, they were credited with first doing that standing together. but i think you can -- don't get any ideas out there if you're making like regular people money. i think you can only do that once you've reached a certain level of success, big bang theory, number one comedy, friends, run away hit. and it was after five or six years of pay discrepancy that they said wait a minute, this is effecting