report, zimmerman claims that he was attacked and beaten by martin before the shooting. and witness accounts corroborate that account too. >> happening right now, a deadly wildfire in colorado. take a look at these pictures. strong winds are fueling all of those flames. at least a handful of homes burned to the ground. that's jefferson county. evacuations have been ordered for nearly 1,000 homes. researchers report that deepwater horizon oil spill caused a lot of damage to coral formations. scientists spotted one coral colony covered in what they call black couple seven miles from the scene of that gusher. president obama caught in an awkward open mike moment. >> this is my election. after my election i have more flexibility. i understand you. i transmit this information to vladimir and i stand with you. >> the president is trying to make light of that moment but his republican rivals are not laughing. >> the highest court in the land will be getting to the heart of the health care reform debate. starts about five hours from now. are you ready. >> bring it on. >> bring it. hundreds of protesters outside the supreme court yesterday. for and against the president's health care overhaul. we're going into day two, folks. it all gets down at 10:00 a.m. eastern but today's big issue is really the core of the issue, can the government force you to buy something you may or may not want? americans seem to be split about this but does tip one way. a new cnn poll shows 43% favor what's called the insurance mandate, the individual mandate. 50%, though, oppose it. politics is huge here too. it's playing such a role in this debate. outside the court, inside the house, inside the senate and of course presidential as well. 68% of democrats approve of the president's health care reforms. 10% of republicans support it. that should tell you the story. listen to the republican candidates though on the campaign trail for a big part of the story. >> it's a power grab by the federal government. it violates the 10th amendment. it violates the economic principles of economic freedom in this country. it's wrong. it needs to be repealed. >> it's going to take our freedom away. it will destroy the economy of this country and bloom the size of the government and it's going to increase our deficit. this is a loser on every single front >> that's pretty strident stuff but many who support this legislation. our congressional correspondent kate bolduan is live in washington, d.c. this morning. here's my thought. you and i talk about this stuff pretty regularly. but it is a lot to try to digest. 2700 pages, about, what, 450 some odd provisions. it's a lot for the public to digest so how much do you think the public is getting from the campaign trail and from what politicians are saying and how much do they really know about this stuff? >> reporter: well, i mean i think it comes down to the individual. i think a lot of people followed this fight through congress. i think -- but also they are hearing a lot of information on the campaign trail, as well and you can be sure more eyes are on this supreme court case than i think we've seen probably in a decade. i don't know -- everyone is talking about the same time something this big came long was the bush v. gore case. when you think about it, it is very complex law but this issue today is pretty simple to understand and gets to the crux of the fight and the constitutional battle they're facing. this individual mandate. they're having two hours of oral arguments on the question, is the individual mandate constitutional? this is the provision requiring americans nearly all americans to have some form of health insurance beginning in 2014 or pay a financial penalty, three federal judges previously ruled that this law, the law to be constitutional, one other federal judge ruled it to be unconstitutional in that ruling calling it a breathtaking in its expansive scope and this circuit split all but assured the supreme court would have to take up the matter and have the final say on this and that's what they're doing. a coalition of 26 states are suing and challenging this saying the federal government does not have the power under the constitution to force americans to buy something they may or may not want but important to also point out obama administration, they are supporting it defending this law saying that americans respect necessarily choosing -- choosing to participate because every american will need health care in their lives and say it is constitutional. >> i know you spent the better part of the day at the supreme court and talked to one of the attorneys on the part of fighting this at the supreme court. i always love to know what it's like being an attorney walking in ready to do your arguments. tell me what he said. >> reporter: this is paul clement, the man representing the coalition of 26 states. he is the man taking on the obama administration. he's become really the go-to guy for conservative causes, really a rock star in conservative legal circles and he will be speaking today in this -- in these oral arguments. i had a moment to speak with him a little while ago to pick his brain about what he was thinking leading as he was heading into the courtroom. take a listen to this. do you still get nervous when you go before the justices. >> absolutely. have you seen the arguments? have you seen the justices. have you seen what kind of questions they ask? i'm not crazy. i continue to get nervous. it's a nerve-racking business. >> reporter: do you leave the courtroom knowing that's a "w." >> no, definitely not and have seen too many arguments where i did the argument or somebody else you think maybe they're going this way and then they surprise you. >> reporter: still listening closely to where the conservative justices, where their line of questioning is because everyone is trying to get the inkling where are they leaning? >> it's what we call reading the tea leaves from the questions. you've got your work cut out for you. thanks, kate. the parents of trayvon martin willing on capitol hill today meeting with members of the congressional black caucus. they're also expected to attend a house hearing on racial profiling and hate crimes. meantime, there are new details and new questions about the circumstances surrounding trayvon martin's death. a police account published in "the orlando sentinel" said george zimmerman told them he was attacked by trayvon before the shooting and that witnesses corroborate the story. zimmerman's friend told cnn's anderson cooper last night it's proof the shooting was in self-defense and not racially motivated. >> so he is saying he was on his way back to his vehicle and trayvon martin actually attacked him? >> yes, that's what he is saying. what's what the police report is saying. that's what he has talked with me about. i do believe george zimmerman was in fear for his life, yes. i do believe at some point in that confrontation george felt like and believed with all his heart he had to make a decision to defend himself and to save his life. >> other witnesses tell cnn that is not what they saw. >> zimmerman was standing over the body with basically straddling the body with his hands on trayvon's back and it didn't seem to me that he was trying to help him in any way. it didn't seem to me -- i didn't hear any struggle prior to the gunshot and i feel like it was trayvon martin that was crying out because the minute that the gunshot went off, the whining stopped. >> meantime, there were more calls for zimmerman's arrest at a town hall meeting in sanford, florida. trayvon's parents admit their son had been suspended from school because of marijuana residue in his backpack but say that's irrelevant. >> they've killed my son and now they're trying to kill his reputation. >> rallies demanding justice for trayvon continue across the country. protests held in a dozen cities stretching from atlanta all the way to san francisco. martin savidge is live in sanford. what is the reaction to all the latest, martin? >> reporter: well, there's been a lot of reaction in many different directions actually. first of all, this information coming out, this leaked police report was certainly very unsettling to the familiy membes and to a great number of protesters. they begin to wonder what about the timing. it was exactly one month since the shooting of the 17-year-old and suddenly this police report comes out and it's a police report that now apparently paints the young student, the young 17-year-old as the aggressor in this particular case and up to this point, of course, many people have been demanding the arrest of george zimmerman. now, it would seem to support the account that george zimmerman has given to authorities but as you've already heard there's a great deal of conflict between some of the testimony that other witnesses have given, the family members certainly don't believe this is a true account. however, the attorney for george zimmerman says, yes, it fits the whole story they've been telling because george zimmerman has a broken nose and has injured to the back of his head and all of that would support the idea there was a fight that took place, however, family members and supporters of trayvon martin will say, look, this wouldn't have happened if george zimmerman hadn't spotted their son and made a call and said that he looked suspicious and that was the key trigger of events. so it has not settled anything in this controversial case, zoraida. >> all right, martin savidge, live for us in sanford, florida. thank you very much. we want to remind you 7:30 eastern on "starting point" soledad will speak to joe oliver who you saw briefly in the report. a wildfire burning in jefferson county. officials warn it has the potential to be really bad. at least one person has been killed. evacuations have been ordered. livestock have been removed from the area. at least a handful of homes have been destroyed and nearly 900 are in danger. officials say it has been an extremely dry month and that is fueling the fire. strong winds are also preventing firefighters from getting a handle on this situation. let's go right to rob marciano at cnn atlanta for an update on this. how is their area being affected? will they continue with strong winds. >> the wins have died down throughout much of colorado but the damage done, as you see, the winds yesterday were gusting over 60 miles an hour in spots. 82 as a matter of fact in wyoming, red mountain pass and grand junction seeing 65 all part of a strong system that moved through southern california the day before now moving through the plains and high wind warnings for a good chunk of nebraska and parts of south dakota, as well for winds gusting 50 to 60, maybe more than that miles per hour throughout the day today. this will be a dangerous spot for wildfires but that fire that's burning, deadly fire in jefferson county, the winds will be lighter today. no rain no the forecast but hopefully it will allow firefighters to get a handle on things. severe thunderstorms in chicago and high pressure building into the northeast. chilly shot of reality feeling more like march should feel, i suppose. with freeze warnings posted from the lower hand of michigan all the way to the delmarva and some of these areas were in the 80s last week, the fruit trees have already bloomed so there may be damage to some of those orchards. 76 for the high in chicago, atlanta, after a chilly start, 51 degrees in new york city. that is a far cry from what we saw a week ago. guys, back to you. >> thanks very much, rob marciano. this just in, folks, gas prices rising, 18 days straight now. aaa just announced the new average, $3.90 a gallon, a bit of an increate, just 1/10 of a cent but 10 cents away from $4 gas. gas prices up 20%. >> oh, my gosh. >> inching closer and closer. people start adjusting their spending habit as parentally when you hit $4. it's that psychological barometer. we're only ten cent as way. some places, i hear you and feel your pain, you're already paying it and have been for a long time but that's a national average. >> still ahead new information on an afghanistan -- the sergeant accused of killing 17 afghan civilians was spotted by fellow troops in between the killing sprees. can some of the deaths been avoided? also, bobby brown back in trouble after a traffic stop in los angeles. we'll listen to this. a little northern exposure. canada court ruling offering a safer world for sex workers. oh, we have that story for you. you're watching "early start." ♪ when your chain of supply goes from here to shanghai, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ chips from here, boards from there track it all through the air, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ clearing customs like that hurry up no time flat that's logistics. ♪ ♪ all new technology ups brings to me, that's logistics. ♪ this reduced sodium soup says it may help lower cholesterol, how does it work? you just have to eat it as part of your heart healthy diet. step 1. eat the soup. all those veggies and beans, that's what may help lower your cholesterol and -- well that's easy [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. welcome back. 17 minutes past the hour. time to check the stories that are making thus this morning. here's christine romans. >> a critical second day of arguments set to begin at the supreme court in less than five hours. on today's agenda, the individual mandate in the president's health care overhaul. the justices must decide in the federal government can require citizens to buy health insurance even if they don't want to. military officials say troops saw staff sergeant robert bales an base between his alleged killing sprees in afghanistan. investigators say bales told other soldiers he just killed military aged afghan men. bales is suspected of killing 17 afghan villagers in two separate attacks. singer bobby brown is facing drunk driving charges in los angeles. a california highway patrol officer pulled brown over for talking on his cell phone and gave him a field sobriety test which he failed. he was released a few hours later. the canadian government will likely appeal a court ruling that legalizes brothels in canada. prostitution is legal in canada but there are several laws that still make sex workers subject to arrest. the top court in ontario called most of those laws discriminatory because they limit prostitutes' ability to work in safe environments. for an expanded look at our top stories head to our blog at cnn.com/earlystart. an early read on local news making national headlines. we begin with you. >> let's start with "the sioux city journal." remember the story about ground beef and the percentage of pink slime contained within. some call it pink slime an others call it lean boneless beef. whatever you call it, it's had such a hit and such negative connotations to what it's about the company that manufactured it shut down three of its four plants. it's taking a huge financial hit. very upset with all of the advertising and all the talk of this saying it's been unfairly characterized. what it is is beef scraps mushed together with ammonia. it's completely safe according to the fda. i know it looks gross and sounds gross. >> in the middle of breakfast, i apologize. >> i hate to tell you that. it is only fair to say, look, the company has said there have been a lot of lies and misrepresentations about our products. we've been selling these products for years without any problems. schools have been using it. in 70% of the grocery stores out there. in fact, bpi is the name of the company. their product is found in an estimated 70% of the nation's ground beef so they're very upset this has happened and represent 1500 employees and upset. >> the way you explain it too. >> social media took off but that's really taking a huge hit on their bottom line. let's move on. girls twice as likely to talk and text while driving. females are 50% more likely to reach for an object in the car and 25% more likely to eat or drink while driving, as well. listen to this. males are twice as likely to turn around in their seats and talk with people outside of their car while driving. car accidents remain the leading cause of death in teenagers. kind of stuff we knew but now they've done studies. >> talking outside. >> i'm not sure it's hey. what up? 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[ choys ] thanks for the gift! [ amy and rob ] you're welcome! you're welcome! [ male announcer ] get it fast with at&t. the nation's largest 4g network. at&t. ♪ yikes. well, you say yikes when you hear this. 24 minutes past 5:00 on the east coast. we're minding your business with the closing bell and some very good news for your 401(k). ding, ding, it was a stellar day for the markets yesterday. the dow, the nasdaq, the s&p 500 each rising more than 1% and it's all because of some pretty good news. good xhechtss from ben bernanke about the economy. >> christine romans is here. i said yikes because i know the stocks are happy but i worry they'll become sad. that's a conversation we were having. >> that is essentially the meaning of life. my 401(k) is great today but it wasn't