football playe sue hundreds of former pro football players sue the nfl saying teams supplied them with addictive painkillers to keep them on the field. >> our players were shot up like cattle, they were brought to market, and then discarded like pieces of meat. iscarded l as severe storms batter the nation's midsection, new wildfires break out in arizona, forcing homes and businesses to evacuate. and unfriendly skies. new research shows just how long potentially dangerous strains of bacteria can live in airline cabins. captioning funded by cbs captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, may 21st, 2014. good morning.

good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. the national football league is facing another lawsuit concerning the long-term health of its players. it was less than a year ago that the nfl settled the case over concussion risks. this time hundreds of retired players charged the league illegally supplied them with risky drugs that led to addiction, and some say they were never told about serious injuries. omar villafranca has our report. >> reporter: eight player are named in the lawsuit including former san francisco 49er jeremy newberry. >> i'm 49 years old and i have kidney problems from playing football. >> reporter: newberry, who also worked as an analyst for station kpix said he received injections to numb injuries during the majority of his injuries during his career.

>> it was almost like a cattle call, waiting with your pants down. they're sticking you one at a time as you're walking in and out. >> bears' quarterback jim mcmahon is one of the plaintiffs claiming he suffered nearly a decade later he suffered a broken neck his doctors never told him about. another received medication to get him on the field and needed downers to sleep. the nfl commissioner was asked about the lawsuit at a news conference. >> i was only made aware of it just briefly, but i don't believe any of our attorneys have had an opportunity to look at it. >> reporter: the former players want financial compensation and extended health care for more than 500 ex-athletes and changes to how painkillers are administered. omar villafranca, cbs news. the controversy over veterans medical care is growing. more than two dozen veterans' health care facilities are now under investigation. charges of falsified records and delays in treatment have created a political firestorm. today one of president obama's top advisers will meet with veterans groups in washington

before flying to phoenix where the first report surfaced. susan mcginnis is in washington. good morning, susan. >> good morning, anne-marie. the number of v.a. medical centers under investigation has now more than doubled since this scandal came to light about a month ago. several lawmakers here on capitol hill are now proposing legislation to deal with the v.a. medical center problems and are calling on the white house to take stronger action. investigators are now looking into 26 v.a. medical facilities after allegations of falsified records and delayed care for veterans with sometimes deadly consequences. v.a. secretary eric shinseki has ordered an audit of all hospitals in question. president obama assigned deputy chief of staff rob neighbors to help reform the agency. this week neighbors is focusing on the phoenix v.a. hospital where at least a dozen patients have died waiting for care.

>> he's on his way to the phoenix veterans affairs medical facility to meet with its acting director as part of this review. >> house majority leader eric cantor is among a growing number of voices demanding the white house take action. >> it is time for our president to come forward and take responsibility for this and do the right thing by these veterans and begin to show that he actually cares about getting it straight. >> today house lawmakers are expected to take up a bill that would give secretary shinseki more power to fire senior managers within the agency. calls have been growing for the secretary himself to resign, but he has vowed to push forward. the white house has said the president has expressed full confidence in shinseki. now, investigators say they have not linked any patient deaths in phoenix with delayed care so far. anne-marie? >> all right. susan mcginnis in washington. thank you, susan. this morning the threat of severe weather stretches across the plains to parts of the

mid-atlantic. thunderstorms, hail, and damaging winding are possible along with the potential for isolated tornadoes. last night lightning-producing thunderstorms, hail, and damaging winds moved through chicago and a series of hail-producing stormed moved through denver yesterday. the hail was so large and thick it looked like storm. another round of storms is possible today. >> and this morning firefighters are battling a wildfire in northern central arizona. the fire in sedona broke out yesterday afternoon. a hundred homes have been evacuated. at least 450 acres have been burned and part of a highway has been closed. voters in six states cast ballots in primary elections yesterday, but with the got needing just six seats to take control of the senate, this morning most of the attention is focused on three critical races. in oregon, monica wehby won the republican senate primary. her toughest challenge came from state lawmaker jason conger. wehby will face democratic

incumbent jeff merkley. and a runoff election will be needed to determine the gop candidate in georgia. and in kentucky mitch mcconnell easily beat off a tea party challenge. craig boswell reports. >> reporter: the senate's highest ranking republican mitch mcconnell cast his ballot. kentucky is one of six states with primaries tuesday. three are likely to play a big role in the battle for control of the senate. >> this is the first time in i don't know how many years that mcconnell has had -- mitch mcconnell has had any competition whatsoever. >> reporter: businessman matt bevin's tea party supporters hope they'll ditch mitch and face a tough democratic challenge. >> you might say i'm raising money for both sides. she's able to raise money because she's running against me, i'm able to raise money because i am me. >> reporter: another senate

battle is taking shape in georgia where chambliss saxby is leashing an open sick. several are slugging it out to take his place and are likely to face a runoff before nation michelle nunn, one of the best hopes for picking up a republican seat. in arkansas they have a chance at unseating a democrat. republican tom cotton hopes to defeat mark pryor in the fall. neither candidate faced a primary challenger. craig boswell, cbs news, washington. late into the nighttime same-sex couples in pennsylvania applied for marriage licenses. pennsylvania's ban on same-sex marriage was overturned by a federal judge yesterday. if the decision holds, pennsylvania would become the 19th state where same-sex marriage is legal. diana rocco of our philadelphia station kyw reports. >> reporter: philadelphia's aclu headquarters, champagne was flowing. >> by vir ta'u of this ruling --

>> reporter: tuesday a federal judge overturned pennsylvania's ban on same-sex marriage. >> we met each other in our mid-20s and it was about time. that was 20 years ago. almost 20 years ago. we just never thought marriage was in the cards for us. >> reporter: christie teen dinato and her long time girlfriend sandy were part of a lawsuit against the state. >> we really wanted to do it for each other, for our families, if our sons. >> reporter: in a 39-page decision, judge john jones ruled the ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional making pennsylvania the 19th state to recognize marriages. >> very disappoint. i think we all want a more loving considerate society but i don't think we get there through sa one-judge court ruling that strikes down something as fundamental as marriage. after he illegally issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples months ago.

the status of those now remains in the courts. >> logically it would make sense that they would also be validated. >> reporter: hundreds rallied outside city hall where couples were lining up to get licenses. >> pennsylvania didn't recognize our marriage, and that changes today. >> reporter: philadelphia's city hall will extend hours on wednesday for couples looking for a marriage license. the state now has 30 days to appeal. for cbs news, i'm diana rocco, philadelphia. >> same-sex marriage is on hold in idaho, though. a ruling that overturned the ban on same-sex marriage was appealed by the state government. supreme court. now, coming up on the "morning news," the latet round of recalls from general motor, plus the buzz over this roadside cleanup after a truck full of bees overturns. this is the "cbs morning news." overturns. this is the "cbs morning news." pain from your day can haunt you at night, don't let it. advil pm gives you the healing sleep you need, helping you fall asleep and stay asleep

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hundred times. on top of that, they also suffered minor injuries from the crash. on the "cbs moneywatch" now, more gulf of mexico vehicles are recall, and petco takes jerky treats off the shelves. jill wagner is at the new york stock exchange with that and more. good morning, jill. >> good morning, anne-marie. another series of recalls from general motors yesterday. this time affecting more than 200 million trucks and calls. so far they've issued 29 recalls with nine in the last six days for a total of 13.5 million vehicles. this is five times the amount of vehicles it sold last year. yesterday's recall involves problems with seat belts, bad cables, and faulty air bags. for a list of all the gm recalls, you can go to cbsnews.com. and another recall. 1.8 million pounds of ground beef. the meat was shipped nationwide from a detroit packing company and may be contaminated with a strain of e. coli that could cause kidney failure. the cdc says 11 people in four

different states have been sickened from the tainted beef. asian stocks were mostly lower on a stronger yen. tokyo's nikkei lost a quarter percent. hong kong's hang seng dropped a fraction. the federal reserve will release the minutes from its april meeting today, and maybe that will put investors in a better mood. yesterday it was ugly here on wall street. the dow plunged 137 points. the nasdaq slid 29 points. petco says it's going stop selling pet treats made in china. since 2007 the fda says it's received 4,800 reports of pet illnesses related to the jerky, and that includes more than 1,000 canine deaths. petco will switch to treats made in the u.s. and other countries by the end of the year. anne-marie? >> all right. jill wagner at the new york stock exchange. thanks a lot, jill. straight ahead, your wednesday morning weather. and altitude sickness. we'll show you how long bacteria can survive on an airplane. sickness. we'll show you how long bacteria can survive on an airplane.

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. well, what would have been the first bill in california to outlaw bullying was defeated last night. it was up for a vote in carson, about 20 miles south of los angeles but it didn't pass. the ordinance would have made it a crime to bully anyone between kindergarten age to 25 years old. critics say the law was too vague and that learning how to treat people begins at home. and here's something to seriously consider the next time you fly. your airplane seat could be a ticket to get sick. as david begnaud tells us the bacteria from previous passengers lingers a lot longer than you may think. >> reporter: airplane cabins are

known to be a hotbed for germs. now researchers from auburn university have discovered just how long certain bacteria can last on common airplane surfaces. >> in our study, these mersa and e. coli survive for over a week. >> reporter: in a lab researchers exposed six airplane surfaces to both bacterias, the arm rest, leather seat, plastic tray table, the seat pocket where the magazines are kept, the window shade, and the toilet handle. mersa lasted longest on the seatback pocket. e. coli lasted longest on the arm rest. >> i'm not surprised. i try to not focus on that stuff, though, otherwise, i'm not going go anywhere. >> reporter: experts say the dry air in the cabin helps the bacteria to survive. researchers advise passengers to follow good hygiene as a precaution. >> they should use some kind of alcohol-type sanitizer. >> i make sure i wash my hands an don't touch my face, my mouth, my nose. >> reporter: the faa funded part

of this study. researchers say the airlines are working on strategies to minimize the risk. david begnaud, los angeles, cbs news. note to self, try to take the first flight of the day, if you can. when we return, the fearless feline takes to the field. tara, the hero cat takes to the field. this is the "cbs morning news." e field. this is the "cbs morning news." see, hotwire checks the competition's rates every day... so they can guarantee their low hotel prices. ♪ h-o-t-w-i-r-e ♪ hotwire.com hurry in and try our new santa fe chicken quesadillas or the delicious bacon ranch. served with fries and your choice of soup or salad. chili's lunch combos starting at 6 bucks.

some former players say the league went to -- to keep tm on the field. a major bay area freeway -- closing for the memorial day weekend. we'll show you howo get around the 280 shutdown. and getting to the bottom oe v-a appointment scandal... lawmakers are prepared to d protect the health of veter join us for kpix 5 news this morning... beginning at 4:3 good morning. it's wednesday, may 21st i'm ,, h,z/ good morning. it's

here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. in sports it's all even in in sports it's all even in the nba's eastern conference finals. last night in indiana lebron james and dwyane wade led the heat with a come-from-behind victory in game two. the pair scored miami's last 28

points of the game to give the heat an 87-83 win. the number one pick in the 2014 nba draft goes to the cleveland cavaliers. >> the cleveland cavaliers continue their lottery luck. for the third time in four years, the cavs win the draft lottery and secure number one overall pick. the cleveland's chance of ecuring the top pick this year was less than 2%. milwaukee and philadelphia, the two worst teams this season, will pick second and third. and, finally, we all remember trar, the fearless cat that stopped a dog from mauling a little boy. on tuesday she was the toast of fans at the bakersfield blaze baseball game. tara threw out or swatted the opening pitch. also getting in on the action was 4-year-old little boy jeremy tree an ta fee lowe that tara saved. the video of tara pouncing on the dog has been seen millions of times on youtube. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," tony

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the white house held its first stunt talent show tuesday. the performers come from troubled schools that have added the arts to their core curriculum. it's an administration program that has been so successful it was expanded to 35 schools. michelle miller reports. ♪ >> reporter: with so much rhythm in this room, it's hard to imagine music nearly died here. but four years ago, everything was failing at the new orleans school now known as the renew cultural arts academy. fewer than 15% of the students could read at grade level and had one of the lowest testing schools in louisiana. >> i heard from friends there was a lot of stuff going on like fights and teachers.

>> reporter: seventh grader angela russell didn't want to come here, but she says things are different since the school decided to put more emphasis on arts and education. what you do like about being here? >> i like everything about it. it's the first school i ever enjoyed. >> reporter: now students like angela count the maeshs in band or match the bar graph. ron gubitz is the elementary school. >> not just to have a music education class, you know, during the day of after school, but it's actually use music and use visual arts and use theater to teach core content. >> reporter: with the new curriculum the school has seen a a 20-point rise on standardized tests over five years. plenty of room for improvement, but enough to earn recognition from the white house. renew is one of the turnaround schools granted funding to hire more art teachers, tripling the

time kids spend learning the arts. actress alice woodard has been helping. >> it's possible to do this enrollment stays steady. it goes up. behavioral problems go down. and the culture of the schools are transformed. >> reporter: it's transformed sixth grader jared grey. i was bad. >> you were bad? >> bad. >> how bad? >> i got put out of class a lot. >> reporter: with his classmates he just took his first ever plane ride to the white house. so when you found out you got it and you were going -- >> i fainted. >> you fainted? >> yeah. i got home. and i was like, wait, i'm going to washington? i was like, oh, my goodness. >> reporter: music woke him up. ♪ >> reporter: and brought his school back to life.

michelle miller, cbs news, new orleans. >> sounds great. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," prescription drug abuse among older americans. we'll have an in-depth look at the rising problem. plus allegations of a police coverup in the death of a man in key west, florida, and a look at the problems that have forced the closure of a $60 million high school football stadium in texas. that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com jeerks -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

your realtime captioner is linda macdonald. good morning, everyone. it's wednesday, may 21. i'm michelle griego. >> hi, everyone. i'm frank mallicoat. welcome.

good tow have you on board. it's 4:30. how about weather and traffic? >> how are you, lawrence? >> great on this "hump day." very nice weather ahead. we have patchy fog thick in spots but that area of low pressure that brought showers today is headed out of town. we'll have more on your holiday forecast coming up. >> just a check of the bay bridge toll plaza commute, so far, so good from the incline to the tower. two left lanes blocked until 5:00. macarthur maze roadwork is back, so we'll tell you about that coming up. >> amazing how much work is done in the last five seconds before we get on the air. [ laughter ] >> very true. elizabeth, thank you. it is 4:30. we begin with several former players suing the nfl accusing the national football league of pushing painkillers on their players. the lawsuit paints nfl locker rooms as illegal pharmacies. more now from our sports director dennis o'donnell who broke the story yesterday on kpix.com. >> reporter: jeremy newberry played for the 49ers for nine years. he also worked for kpix