in new york. carter evans. >> i've never been compared to a supernova. it's a special day. as far as the president's speech, not a lot of reaction as far as the futures are concerned. dow down 24, nasdaq off 3.5, s&p 500 up about a fraction. we have one report coming up on business inventories, wholesale inventories. for the most part, not a lot on tap. investors are on their own today. >> so what are the headlines on cnn money? maybe those are more exciting. >> this is something that is going to interest techies and foodies alike, google gopabling up the gap. their focus on local businesses. it's not clear exactly how much google paid for zagat but zagat has been around a long time, since 1979. very well respected. part of the latest run for google on trying to pick up a lot of these local advertising and ratings type businesses.

>> interesting. maybe they'll have a better on-line presence. that's what zagat needs in my humble opinion. thank you very much. we appreciate it. "american morning" continues right now. i'm christine romans. here's what you need to know to start your day. people in new york and washington being told to stay alert and stay calm. the feds watching a possible terror threat as our nation marks ten years after 9/11. i'm carol costello. a fiery president obama announcing his jobs plan to jolt the economy and create jobs, challenging congress 17 times to pass his bill right away. we'll tell you what's in it and what republicans are saying about it on this "american morning." hi, christine. >> good morning. it's friday, september 9th. welcome to "american morning." ali is off. you had the president and football last night, so you're -- >> i know. i'm exhausted.

>> up first we have to talk about this breaking news. we have new information that al qaeda may want to mark 9/11 with another terror attack. the feds alerting local authorities about a specific and credible threat. senior administration officials saying new york and washington are possible targets and they're looking for at least three people, one of them an american citizen. and the plot may involve car bombs. that's a live picture of the world trade center you're looking at now where authorities are already on high alert. we are covering this from all angles this morning. bar ba starr working her sources at the pentagon and susan candiotti in new york with us. >> first to barbara starr at the pentagon. what's the latest? >> good morning to you. specific credible, but unconfirmed threat, that is what we are hearing. what do those words really mean to all of us on this anniversary of september 11th? well, what officials are saying is, they don't have time, date and place, but they do have information. they're very aggressively going

after. they believe this involves potentially three people, one possibly a u.s. citizen. they don't know if they have entered the united states yet, but the threat involves the possibility of a vehicle laden with explosives, either in new york or washington. that's the information they have. that's what they are aggressively pursuing, trying to nail down what is going on and whether there is something that they need to go after. the sense that they have is that this threat has emmy nated, if you will, from the border region in afghanistan and these operatives have traveled from afghanistan, possibly through iran, possibly through other countries as they have potentially made their way to the united states. so it's a very complex set of intelligence information they have that they are going after, but as you have said, local, state, government officials are telling americans keep your eyes open, but stay calm and go about your daily business.

back to you. >> going about our daily business this weekend includes a 9/11 memorial for a lot of people marking ten years. authorities in new york city already on high alert with the national 9/11 memorial set to open on sunday. susan can't ycandiotti here wit that part of the story. >> they have that security ramped up not only for the 9/11 anniversary, but because of the u.s. open tennis tournament, et cetera. they want to make sure everyone as bar ra said, is on the lookout for anything unusual. if you see anything, the saying goes, say something. among the many things is to increase police presence around new york city. you're going to see them around various famous landmarks, around government buildings, around even religious buildings as well. they're ramping up more officers, putting more people on duty at subways, at train stations, more of a presence doing bag searchs, for example, at these locations and even stopping vehicles possibly as

they drive around the city or as they go across bridges, that kind of thing. police commissioner ray kelly addressed part of what they're doing. >> there will be more bomb dogs on patrol and increased deployment of radiation monitoring equipment and vehicle checkpoints in particular. there will be increased focus on it tunnels and bridges and infrastructure in general, as well as landmark locations, houses of worship and government buildings. >> reporter: and authorities have also spread the word about this to law enforcement agencies literally around the country. that information coming directly from the fbi and the department of homeland security, telling law enforcement agencies around the nation that they also should be on the lookout for anything unusual. going over the kinds of things that al qaeda has talked about doing in the past. they've always liked to single out anniversaries of 9/11, to

possibly target the united states. so along those lines, that's where they're telling people they should always and law enforcement be on the lookout for any vehicles that might have explosives in them, anyone that's doing anything suspicious, spending too much time taking photographs about something, asking questions about, you know, how things work, at a particular security, at various buildings and that kind of thing. so again, these are the things that they should be doing anyway. they're telling them to do them just a little better, a little more closely this -- in the coming days. >> susan candiotti, i don't know, when you think oh they're looking for three guys and some kind of truck, carrying explosives, certainly aren't going to be in the back seat, seems like an impossible task. there's somewhere in new york city or washington, d.c., we don't know. >> exactly. and not only that, but a u.s. government official also tells me that the names that apparently they're working with, might be so common, that might make it even more difficult to

pinpoint who they might be. all kinds of ways to do it and they will be. >> in the end a similar attempted attack in times square foiled by a vendor, a guy who sold hot dogs on the street corner noticed something was amiss. that's why they're raising the awareness. >> susan candiotti, thanks. at 50 auto after the hour, we'll speak with ray kelly live from the world trade center site. we'll ask what he's doing to find those three random guys in a big city. we're also watching a developing story out in california. officials there are urging residents to conserve electricity today after millions are still in the dark after a massive power outage struck parts of southern california, arizona, and even parts of northern mexico. the partial blackout happened thursday. it slowed down traffic, trapping people in elevators and forcing two nuclear reactors to shut down. power plant workers are still scrambling to get the lights back on and residents are asked to cut back on their electric use to ease the strain. authorities say the outage

occurred after a high voltage power line stretching between arizona and california was tripped out of service. doing nothing is not an option. fiery words from the president last night. as he unveiled his $447 billion jobs plan to the american people. defiantly challenging congress, 17 times in his speech, to pass this bill right away. >> it will create more jobs for construction workers, more jobs for teachers, more jobs for veterans and more jobs for long-term unemployed. it will provide -- [ applause ] it will provide a tax break for companies who hire new workers and will cut payroll taxes in half for every working american and every small business. [ applause ] i ask every american who agrees to lift your voice. tell the people who are gathered here tonight you want action now. tell washington that doing nothing is not an option. we are americans. we are tougher than the times we live in and we are bigger than our politics have been, so let's

meet the moment, let's get to work and let's show the world once again why the united states of america remains the greatest nation on earth. >> mr. obama urging congress to stop the political circus and come up with enough spending cuts to offset the cost of the measure. joe johns joins us live from washington this morning. how is the plan playing on capitol hill, joe? >> hey, christine. they should actually string together all the times he said pass this bill, just so you could see how many times. i sat in the chamber of the house of representatives for that joint session for most of the speech last night and you really watched the republicans here. if this issue weren't so serious, i have to tell you, there actually would have been some humorous parts in the president was partially taking some of the republican playbook, flipping the script saying there are some things here you used to support, support them now. that's the kind of thing that would get a very predictable response and some of the conservatives running for president like congresswoman

michele bachmann weighed in and didn't like it a bit. listen. >> not only should congress not pass his plan, i say, mr. president, stop. your last plan hasn't worked and it's hurting the american economy. >> now, michele bachmann is running for president, but most, but not all of the republicans in the chamber last night were playing it very straight. i only saw one member of congress reading his blackberry, quite frankly, dushg the speech. came away with there are members of both parties that understand congress is more unpopular than the president and hearing from some of the members of the republican leadership like eric cantor, even john boehner, the speaker, the takeaway, there may be some things in the president's plan they could actually work with. big applause last night for getting some more trade agreements done, helping small businesses, stripping out regulatory red tape, all of that sort of points to the issue that those in charge of governing

right now, holding on to especially the house majority, are paying attention to their tone and the president's whole package isn't being dismissed. >> there certainly was a lot in there. the president talked about making sure that people can get 4% mortgage rates because it's very difficult to refinance in these low rates work get money moving in the economy. that affects a lot of people. about unemployment insurance, revamping this program for the new reality people need to be retrained into different skills, you know, the devil is in the details, of course, but there's a pretty diverse package of things here and you're right, some of the things that republicans have supported before, so that's where they try to box in the opponents. >> there are some things, of course, that have been things the president and the democrats have been talking about for years, and those are the kinds of things republicans would say, well, i'm not so sure about that, but i'll take a look at some of the issues that we've been on board for, that we've been most interested in. so, you know, some of this, some

of that, but it's interesting because they're changing the tone, realizing they really got slammed in the polls for that divisive kind of issue over the debt ceiling this summer, and trying to figure out how they can at least look like they're working with the president and not just dismissing him outright. >> joe johns in washington, thanks. a programming note on monday, cnn and the tea party express host the next republican debate, live from tampa, florida, starting at 8:00 p.m. eastern. our own ali velshi will be reporting live from the debate site beginning at 6:00 a.m. monday on "american morning." former presidential candidate john edwards' trial pushed back. the latest developments for you after a break. a texas day care owner behind bars. potentially deadly move she's accused of making to get her kids to sleep. next on "american morning." [ female announcer ] lactaid milk is easy to digest. it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious.

for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk.

15 minutes past the hour. good morning to you. near record floods are drowning parts of new york and pennsylvania. the president has now signed emergency orders for both states to bring in federal aid. about 70,000 people in luzerne county, pennsylvania, were told to leave the susquehanna river because it was rising above flood stage. in wilkes-barre, the levees should hold up. reynolds wolfe in the weather center as this wet story continues to unfold. >> good morning. i wish it was a better morning for people in the northeast. conditions may worsen in some locations. we see the river dropping in some places along the susquehanna. other spots you see it begin to rise. from buffalo to williamsport, even into washington, sporadic rainfall, the heaviest of which offshore. that's the good news. what we can anticipate is with the ground that's already saturated, some places close to a foot of rainfall, we happen to

see the pinks, purples, even the white blips near harrisburg and washington, 6 to 10 inches of rainfall, and additional moisture for today but does appear the worst will be over in terms of your rain for today. still, your flood warnings, watches are in effect throughout parts of the northeast. one thing that we have going for us is, well, not just there, low pressure that's going to bring rain to the ohio valley, but things could be considerably worse when it comes to the situation with tropical storm or rather hurricane ka tia. if this were to get closer to the northeast you would see more rainfall. that is not expected to happen. we anticipate it's going to pull to the northeast and into saturday and sunday, it should move farther away from the u.s. still high surf advisories in effect for parts of the new england coast, long island can be expected. very, very rough surf. as you wrap things up, tropical storm maria, winds at 40. you can anticipate over the next several days it will intensify possibly to a category 1 hurricane as we get into tuesday and wednesday. all right. that's the latest on the forecast. we're going to show you what's been happening in the gulf of

mexico coming up very soon. back to you. >> thanks so much, reynolds. >> you bet. welcome back. new this morning, a woman dies after being exposed to a foul smelling odor at a mcdonald's restaurant in georgia. two people were found unconscious from the same odor. and at least six others had to be hospitalized, including three firefighters. the stench was so bad responders had to wear special gear and authorities still don't know what caused this smell. but an investigation is under way. >> thinking about that is making me sick. wow. a texas day care owner accused of drugging children by mixing milk with antihistamine. investigators say she did it so the kids would fall asleep. the alleged victims are between 20 months and 4 1/2 years old. fortunately none of those kids were seriously hurt. as you might expect, child protective services is investigating. the criminal trial for former senator and presidential hopeful john edwards has been delayed until january. a federal judge pushed it back after edwards argued he needed

more time to prepare. he says that's partly because he parents his two younger children alone since elizabeth edwards' death. he's charged with conspiracy and violating campaign contribution laws. your turn to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the question for you today, how has 9/11 changed you? even now a decade later it's hard to put into words exactly what 9/11 means to us. that day, both the pain and the glory of humanity were on displ display, unfiltered and in real time. you have not seen some of these images in a long time, and they might upset you. >> this just in, you are looking at, obviously, a very disturbing live shot there. that is the world trade center. we have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the world trade center. >> apparently a plane or helicopter hit part of the

pentagon and fell as you take a look at the pictures there. i must say every time we hear a plane coming up overhead, it gets a little nervous where we are. >> we have a report now that a large plane crashed this morning north of the somerset county area in western pennsylvania. >> i just told him have a good day at work and i haven't heard from him since. >> it's been very hard. very grieving. insurmountable type of pain. >> either you're with us or you are with the terrorists. >> the united states has conducted an operation that killed osama bin laden, the leader of al qaeda, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children.

>> so, looking back we'd like to know for our talk back question today, how has 9/11 changed you? facebook.com/americanmorning. facebook.com/americanmorning. i'll be interested to read your comments later this hour. >> my answer, how hasn't it changed us? >> yeah. >> it just has completely and utterly. up next on "american morning," it's a lasting image of 9/11. president bush reading to florida schoolchildren when told we've been attacked. jason carroll talks to three of the girls in that classroom on that morning. >> plus yahoo's fired ceo firing back, how her explosive tell-off could cost her millions of dollars. it's 20 minutes past the hour. [ female announcer ] lactaid milk is easy to digest.

it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk. exclusive to the military. and commitment is not limited to one's military oath.

the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. from free checking to credit cards to loans, our commitment to the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. ♪ visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. usaa. we know what it means to serve.

[♪...] >> male announcer: now, for a limited time, your companion flies free, plus save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. conditions apply. welcome back to "american morning." minding your business now. u.s. markets hoping to rebound from yesterday's losses. the dow was off 119 points yesterday, the s&p 500 dropped 12 points, the nasdaq down about 20. the texas wildfires costing that state big time. officials say damages to homeowners could exceed $100 million. the state is already suffering from billions of dollars in

losses from an ongoing drought. google purchase restaurant rater zagat beefing up its focus on local businesses. executives say they'll use zagat content to enhance google search in google maps. terms of this deal not disclosed. disappointment forma donna. a judge says she can't trademark the name material girl just because of her song and nickname. she was sued over the material girl label on her daughter's macy's clothing line. a california company said it had already registered that material girl trademark. fired yahoo ceo carol bartz talking to "fortune" magazine after e-mailing yahoo employees she had been fired over the phone by the company's chairman. bartz telling "fortune," quote, these people fed me over, she didn't say "f." "fortune" said that could cost bartz about $10 million because of a disparagement clause in her contract. "american morning" will be back after this break. [ woman ] jogging stroller. you've been stuck in the garage

while i took refuge from the pollen that made me sneeze. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. so lily and i are back on the road again. with zyrtec® i can love the air®.

the authentic, the rare, the hard to define. to those always searching for what's pure and what's real from we who believe we know just how you feel. haagen-dazs. from we who believe we know just how you feel. hi. i'm kristen. we're going to head on into the interview. sir.....mr blair...derek... what surprised you most about your new explorer? i think just the new body style. it's almost movin' in from a little house to like this mansion. who uses the navigation system the most? definitely i do. (laugh) i'm directionally impaired. reporters laugh if you guys could thank ford for one thing, what would it be? for making us the joneses. (laugh) reporters laugh

just about half past the hour. good morning to you. it's time for this morning's top stories. i knew it would happen to my throat like that. new york and washington on alert for a possible attack it ten years to the day after 9/11. a senior administration official saying they're looking for at least three people, one is a u.s. citizen. the plot may involve a car or truck bomb. >> millions of people in california are asked to conserve energy this morning to reduce strain on the power system. a high voltage power line stretching between arizona and california was tripped out of service on thursday. millions are still in the dark. parts of new york and pennsylvania suffering from near record flooding. officials in wilkes-barre says the susquehanna river is nearly 17 feet above flood level.

about 17,000 people were evacuated from luzerne county alone. president obama signed emergency declarations for both states. new york city preparing for a busy and certainly emotional weekend. remembering lives lost ten years now after the fall of the twin towers. it's a tragedy three florida teenagers will never forget because they unknowingly became children of 9/11 on that terrible morning, despite being hundreds of miles away. jason carroll has the story and joins us live from the world trade center site. good morning, jason. >> good morning to you. i want to take you back for a moment, christine, to september 11th, 2001. a group of 16 class members, they were all second graders, all excited to hear the president, that excitement soon turned to grief as they ended up sharing one of the darkest moments in u.s. history. >> reporter: what began as a photo op to show off second grader reading schools at an elementary school in sarasota, florida, ended up becoming one

of the final moments of 9/11. when chief of staff, andrew card, whispered in george bush's ear telling him of the terrorist attack. the president's reaction, he did not immediately leave class, was criticized by some, praised by others for years to come. >> i think he handled its right way. >> natalia jones, dynasty brown and danielle green, remember the day well. >> he was sitting like right here. >> i was sitting over there. >> it was like we were in -- >> reporter: the girls are now 17-year-old high school seniors, but back in september of 2001, they were 7-year-old second graders. >> i just remember like he came in the classroom. >> the president? >> the president and then we all -- we started reading. he shook a couple of our hands and we started reading and a man came from the side door and whispered something in his ear and he kind of got stunned. >> we could tell somebody had happened because his whole face had changed. they proceeded forward with the lesson and we went through like

it was a normal lesson. >> reporter: one of their most vivid memories when the teacher tried explaining what happened. >> she sat us all down on the floor and she kind of had tears in her eyes. she had been crying. she said we're young, so it kind of was still cartoonish, like in a cartoon you see a big plane hit a tower. it wasn't real to us. >> at what age did you really finally begin to realize the magnitude of what had happened on that day? >> once you're in high school, you're in depth history classes and now it's been ten years, so the 9/11 attack is in our history books now. so reading about it and then having a personal experience with it, i could relate. >> we took a trip to new york and stayed there six days and we actually got to see the world trade center be rebuilt. and that's when it became real for me. >> do you remember signing it? >> yes, i do. >> they showed me the book the classed from that day, a story called "the pet goat." each class member signed it. looking at it now, they say

they're just beginning to realize it tells a different story for them, of how a group of second graders have a place in history. >> we're not at that point where we completely understand the whole situation. it's still sinking in. we still have a lot of learning to go through. >> reporter: well, i also asked natalia, danielle and dynasty, what they would tell their children about what happened that day and they said that they would teach their children not to live in fear and they would also tell them how they were a part of history. christine? >> wow. jason from the mouths of babes. what that teenage girl said about how we still have a lot of learning to do still hasn't completely sunk in. all of us feel that way. it's been ten years, feels like it's been a minute and a lifetime and i don't think we all still understand what it's meant to us and how it's changed this country. >> yeah. i think you're right. but especially if you ri to walk in the shoes of a child when it's all happening and as you grow up and you're still trying

to digest and still trying to come to terms with what really happened here, it can be incredibly difficult. and when you think of it, they're only 17, they're still young. i think in some ways they're still trying to process what happened to them on that day. >> jason carroll, thanks for introducing us to them again, i guess, after ten years. this programming note, join us for 89 .1, ten years -- 9/11, ten years later. cnn will have special live coverage of all of the remembrance events throughout the day. ahead on "american morning," the president's jobs plan. did he sell it? or are we about it to face another political stalemate? mel gibson's newest film will take you back to biblical times. why it could maybe give him a second chance with his critics. 34 minutes after the hour. moisturizing lotion.withy the natural oatmeal formula improves skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks. i found a moisturizer for life. [ female announcer ] only from aveeno.

new splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart new ways to sweeten. same great taste. new splenda® essentials™.

36 minutes past the hour. welcome back to "american morning." the white house would prefer not to use the "s" word but some leading republicans are already labeling president obama's jobs package as stimulus 2. it's a mix of $253 billion in tax cuts, and $194 billion in

new spending. and there are two big unknowns this morning -- one, can it work? and two, will it even get through the republican-controlled house? let's ask ron brownstein, cnn senior political analyst and editorial director of "the national journal" joins us live from washington. >> good morning. >> good morning. president obama says he's trying to overcome the divide in politics. listen to what he said to congress about their political differences. >> maybe some of you have decided those differences are so great we can only resolve them at the ballot box. but know this, the next election is 14 months away. and the people who sent us here, the people who hired us to work for them, they don't have the luxury of waiting 14 months. [ applause ] >> okay. there's a sliver of hope, because house majority leader eric cantor said he'll agree to pass parts of this plan, which

is a big step forward from the way things used to be, so i'm going to put your feet to the fire. when do you think some parts, some part of the president's plan, will be passed by congress? >> well, first of all, as you pointed out the stimulus is the precedent that dare not speak its name in this case. the president talking about giving the economy a jolt, not a stimulus. look, i mean there are aspects of this, tax cuts for -- on wages for payroll taxes for workers and employers, it's hard to imagine the republicans in the end will not go along with. so i do think that part of this will clearly become law. the question is, as you go beyond that to some of the spending measures, rehabbing schools, accelerating infrastructure spending and providing state grant to slow the layoffs of teachers and police officers and other first responders which has been a drag on unemployment this year, that's much more problematic. i think parts could become law this fall, imagine parts of it becoming intertwined with the super committee process that is looking at long-term solutions

to the deficit and the debt because most economists, as you know, think it is not incompatible to argue that we need short-term stimulus to invigorate a stalled economy and a long-term strategy for controlling the debt. >> let's talk about the president's tone because some conservatives said last night it felt like the president was lecturing congress, that his passionate tone backfired. what are you hearing? >> look, i think that the clearly as we talked about yesterday, one of the political imperatives for the president in the speech, was to re-establish a sense of him being a strong leader, particularly among his own base. that was tremendously damaged during the debt ceiling fight when he seemed to be ineffectual, kind of caught in the endless negotiation that didn't produce a positive outcome. you saw him literally at one point pounding his fingers on the podium. he was trying to send the message he has a plan and as important that he will fight for the plan. what white house officials are telling us privately is that look, this is going to be a very different experience than last summer. he he's not going to be locked in the cabinet room arm and arm

with congressional leaders. he's going to be around the country making the case for the plan even if there is not a lot of progress legislatively, he is kind of sending a statement to the public, he does have a vision of where he wants to go and he will fight for it. >> okay. so, more about the -- actually, let's talk about the audience reaction. >> yeah. >> at the speech last night some of president obama's serious lines actually drew, well, i wouldn't say laughter, but giggles. it's hard to hear, but listen to this. >> right now, warren buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary, an outrage he has asked us to fix. we need a tax code where everyone gets a fair shake. this isn't political grandstanding, this isn't class warfare. this is simple math. >> you hear it back there. dana milbank of the "washington post" wrote it was more insulting than joe wilson's "you

lie" eruption during the previous address to congress. the lawmakers weren't particularly hostile toward the president, they regarded the increasingly unpopular obama as irrelevant. is he right? >> i don't know. i think the "you lie" was a modern low point. we've been haegtsds in this direction. we have an ideological gulf between the center of the opinion among house republicans and republican electorate at this point and where president obama wants to go. when eric cantor talks about compromise, it's we'll take the parts we agree with and move forward with and in return, we will basically -- all likelihood we will give you almost none of what you want as part of it. that's where we are. 16 years ago dick army said on the house floor, your president is not that important to us. we are in a very polarized and hyper partisan era and i think you saw that last night. i would not agree. i don't think this is quite as far as "you lie." >> that was pretty bad. you think there's hope that the republicans might pass parts of the president's plan, despite

the giggles last night? >> yeah. look i mean i think everybody was damaged severely by the debt ceiling fight and by the reality of 9% unemployment. while it is true that american history we don't really have a true throw the bums out election in which an incumbent of one party and legislatures of another party are both defeated there's always a first time and when looking at the kind of numbers that house republicans are facing in the polls as well as president obama is facing, i think there will be voices that say look, it's prudent for us not to be seen as purely obstructionist to show we can try to make the system work or else facing the risk that voters will say apox on all of your houses even if they turn against president obama because of the economy, they might do the same for those house republicans. that's what we saw in 1996 at the end of the first clinton term after brutal partisan warfare over the budget in '95, government shutdown, they were able to come together on a number of deals because congressional republicans decided it was in their interest to show the system could produce positive results to the american people.

>> we will talk to congressman eric cantor later on "american morning" and see what he has to say. ron brownstein, many thanks to you. >> thank you. 43 minutes after the hour. new york on alert for another potential 9/11 terror strike. we'll speak to police commissioner ray kelly.

45 minutes past the hour. here's what you need to know to start your day. u. intelligence chasing an al qaeda threat. terrorists possibly trying to

strike ten years to the day of 9/11. new york and washington on alert again. a senior administration official says the plot may involve car or truck bombs. millions of americans are still without power. massive outages plaguing parts of southern california and arizona this morning. workers are trying to get some lights back on. the outage is being blamed on a tripped up power line that stretches across both states. parts of new york and pennsylvania are drowning under near record floodwater. the president signing emergency orders for both states paving the way for quick delivery of federal aid. in one county in pennsylvania, close to 70,000 people in just one county were told to leave their homes. president obama unveiling his $447 billion jobs plan. it features tax cuts for working americans and small businesses and new spending initiatives for transportation and infrastructure, thousands of schools. the cost offset by spending cuts. the green bay packers

picking up right where they left off in the super bowl. they made a goal line stand on the final play of the game to beat the saints 42-34, last night in the first game of the nfl season. great scott. nike is auctioning off 1500 pairs of sneakers featured in "back to the future part 2." the proceeds will go to the michael j. fox foundation for park winson's disease research. that's the news you need to start your day. "american morning" is back right after this.

48 minutes past the hour.

welcome back. we asked you to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the question for you today, how has 9/11 changed you? this from adrian -- this from paul -- and this from beth ann -- keep the conversation going. facebook.com/americanmorning. we'll read more later on on our show. >> in those days after september 11th in lower manhattan, september 17th, the stock market opened again and it was hillary

clinton and senator john mccain and people from the right, people from the left, and together the patriotism, the purpose of patriotism was so awe inspiring and to see where we are today and how much we have changed and how our politics has devulled and what was a most unifying moment in my lifetime has now become the most disunified moment in my life. it's interesting what's happened over the past ten years. >> i would like to believe it won't take a catastrophic event like that to show that kind of patriotism again. i would like to believe as an american that this bad economy would be enough and that, you know, they can draw together, find a solution and help us. so see, i still have hope, christine. >> good. well good. remember that moment, taste that moment of patriotism. it was amazing. monstrous wildfires are raging in texas right now. they're showing no signs of letting up. the 34,000 acre bastrop fire is 30% contained.

fire officials say it has the potential to grow again. two people have died, nearly 14,000 homes have been destroyed. keep quiet or face jail time. the judge in the michael jackson trial handing down very strict instructions yesterday at the start of jury selection. the judge warned potential jurors they can't talk to anyone about this case. the trial begins later this month. dr. conrad murray faces charges of involuntary manslaughter. a delay for nasa as it gets ready to study the moon from crust to core. a rocket carrying two space labs will look at how the moon formed, how the moon has evolved, the launch was supposed to have happened yesterday, right, and then this morning, but bad weather has pushed liftoff now to saturday. >> they'll eventually get to the moon, i'm sure. anything goes in hollywood and this just kind of proves it. word is oscar winner mel gibson is developing a movie with warner brothers about the jewish hero juda mcavi.

this is the same mel gibson accused of making antisemitic comments in 2006 during a dui stop. gibson wrote, produced and directed "the passion of the christ" a $600 million hit and many jewish people weren't happy with that movie either. no word on if he'll direct this film or act in it, but i just can't believe that he's going to make this movie and think people will come to see it if mel gibson has anything to do with it. >> he does have a history in sort of -- the history of the holy land, right, "passion of the christ" and other things he has done. he was the producer behind "passion of the christ". >> he wrote it. there were many things jewish people objected to. a new terror threat, al qaeda possibly looking to strike ten years to the day of the 9/11 attacks. new york city is already on high alert with ceremonies set to take place at the world trade center site this sunday. joining us live from lower manhattan is new york city police commissioner ray kelly.

welcome to the program. good morning. let me ask you first about this new threat. we are told it is specific, credible but unconfirmed. in layman's terms, what do you know and what don't you know about how serious this is? >> well, we think any threat is serious. obviously when they say it's credible and specific, we have to pay attention to it and precisely what we're doing. we're deploying a lot of additional resources, certainly in our subway system. we'll see checkpoints throughout the city. we have critical response units. we've increased them in numbers. they go to sensitive locations throughout the city. we're holding officers, additional tours, or at least additional hours, to increase uniform presence on streets and doing things that the public may not see, undercover officers,

officers in plain clothes, carrying out their functions as well. >> we've been told there are three individuals involved in this. the plan involves either a car or truck, potentially explosives, a bomb. it's a very big city and we have our freedoms here in new york and in washington. how important is it for people who are doing their day-to-day lives to be on the lookout for anything suspicious? >> it's very important. we have a big city and obviously it's an open city. that's why we're functioning and successful city. but we need the public's help. we need them to be vigilant. the mayor said that last evening. he urged the people to go about their business. look at your world through the prism of september 11th. everyone's life changed somewhat as a result of that horrific event. so, look at your situation, and see if there's anything different, if there's anything of a suspicious nature, and give

us a call. >> right. >> there's no dumb calls. we want to know what people see. >> you know, we know that the concern and the chatter, if you will, over the past four to five days has picked up. we know that al qaeda has been -- its infrastructure has been hobbled by years of attacks against it and that our peter bergen and others have reported that, quite frankly, some kind of an attack on the anniversary would be -- would have more power for an al qaeda-type move. how concerned are you that this is going to be a very difficult weekend for law enforcement? >> well, we have to be concerned. you know, terrorism is theater, and this is a stage. this is right now probably the world's biggest stage. we have the opening of the 9/11 memorial. we have a president and two former presidents here. a lot of high-profile public officials will be here. so, we have to be concerned,

concerned about any threat, quite frankly, but certainly one that's labeled as being a credible and when it's specific, we have to mobilize our resources and that's precisely what we're doing. >> do you have names of these people you're looking for? >> no. the investigation, obviously, is still going forward. federal authorities heavily engaged in trying to identify these people. >> all right. ray kelly, police commissioner, best of luck to you this weekend, big job, but we thank you for being there for us. thanks. we're going to break here. it's 56 minutes after the hour. s can go up when you're on the road to recovery. proper nutrition can help you get back on your feet. three out of four doctors recommend the ensure brand for extra nutrition. ensure clinical strength has revigor and thirteen grams of protein to protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. and immune balance to help support your immune system. ensure clinical strength...

helping you to bounce back. ensure! nutrition in charge!

ensure! a vacation on a budget with expedia. make it work. booking a flight by itself is an uh-oh. see if we can "stitch" together a better deal. that's a hint, antoine. ooh! see what anandra did? booking your flight and hotel at the same time gets you prices hotels and airlines won't let expedia show separately. book it. major wow factor! where you book matters. expedia.

terror threat, new york and washington on alert this morning. both cities again potential targets for an attack. officials are urging calm and vigilance as they hunt for three people and possible vehicle bombs. in the dark, a massive blackout in southern california, arizona and mexico. millions still without power. school has been canceled. air and road travel an absolute mess. floodwaters rising, levees on the brink from new york to maryland. rivers still cresting tens of thousands forced to flee their homes and the death toll is climbing this morning. and still spreading, wildfires in texas expected to grow even larger as firefighters struggle to gain the upper hand. nearly 1400 homes destroyed on this "american morning." and good morning. it's friday, september 9th. welcome to "american morning." ali velshi has the day off today. >> happy friday to you.

we have to tell you about this bit of breaking news. new information that al qaeda may want to mark 9/11 with another terror attack. the feds alerting local authorities about a specific and credible threat. new york and washington on high alert this morning as senior administration officials saying they're looking for at least three people, one of them an american citizen, and the plot may involve car bombs. that's a live picture of the world trade center site where authored authorities have been put on high alert. minutes ago we spoke with police commissioner ray kelly. >> we do have a big city and, obviously, it's an open city. that's why we're functioning and a successful city. but we need the public's help, we need them to be vigilant. the mayor said last evening, he urged the people to go about their business. but what we say is to look at your world through the prism of september 11th. everyone's life changed somewhat as a result of that horrific event. so look at your situation, see

if there's anything different, see if there's anything of a suspicious nature and give us a call. >> we're covering the story from all angles. susan candiotti in new york city and cnn national security contributor fran townsend in washington for us. fran, let's start with you. specific, credible, but unconfirmed. what exactly does that mean? >> you know, carol, let's work backwards. right now, people need to focus on the fact that it's unconfirmed. that's what federal officials have stressed to me. specific and credible i think has people rightly nervous. what it means is, yes, they have specific information, things like washington or new york, vehicle bombs, that's what the specific refers to. credible means that they think that the source it came from was in a position to accurately report the information, but unconfirmed means they're looking for corroboration, talking to foreign allies, talking to people in custody, their custody and overseas, to corroborate that information. what you're hearing from

commissioner kelly is, officials are asking for americans to be helpful, to be alert, to be vigilant and talk to federal and local officials if they see something suspicious. >> fran, this is supposedly an al qaeda plot but we thought al qaeda was all but busted. >> yes. al qaeda leadership, what officials have been saying is al qaeda leadership is badly damaged. that's true, the killing of bin laden, several big leaders and capture of al mur taneny several days ago they are crippled. but that doesn't mean they don't have any operational capability. we see from al xwids in the arabian peninsula, in north africa, these operational affiliates do continue to have this capability and they are determined to try to hurt us. >> i'm going to ask you this, how concerned should we be? >> look, i thought we ought to take some real comfort from the fact that you not only heard about it early, they're working on it and you've got the local

police departments engaged in trying to help both defeat it and gather additional intelligence. the one thing most concerning to me, we heard from commissioner kelly this morning that the three individuals, at least one of which is a u.s. citizen, officials tell us, they haven't identified. that's a very difficult problem, especially for the u.s. citizens. americans cross our borders pretty easily. that's a real challenge for them and that's why you're hearing officials ask for americans' help. >> fran townsend many thanks to you. >> to susan candiotti, governor, mayor, fbi all saying remain calm but keep your eyes open. i feel like we've been that way ten years. >> that's a good thing. >> right. >> so what do we know about how they're reacting in new york and in the specific cities to this threat? >> certainly in new york and, obviously, in washington, too, authorities have taken steps already and, of course, they already had security beefed up because this is the ten-year anniversary of 9/11 now, this

weekend. and so they have additional police presence in all the important places where you would think they would be. at tunnels, at bridges, subway stations, this kind of thing. looking at people, searching packages, stopping vehicles. that kind of thing. and it's important that they do this, they said, because they want to make sure that they've got all -- everyone on alert, all eyes out there looking for anything that might be suspicious. people who were standing there taking pictures too long at a landmark, asking unusual questions about certain areas or security at a certain place, and so that's why it's important that they keep these things in mind. why? in part, for example, because we all remember what happened in times square just a couple years ago. faisal shahzad pleading guilty to putting together a car bomb. it didn't work, thank goodness, the way it was supposed to work, but this time they are looking in advance because of this information that they have, to keep an eye out for vehicles that might have bombs.

now they're not limiting themselves to a specific area or specific vehicle. >> or kind of vehicle. >> exactly. part of the problem as fran discussed as well, is that there are no really specific names that they're looking at. one government official said they're very common names, but the idea of being, they don't have specific people they're looking at right now. that, of course, further complicates matter es. >> i guess it's up to you. if you see anything suspicious no matter where you are in the country, we don't know even that these people will limit their threat to new york and washington. they don't know that for sure. >> exactly. you can't back yourself into a corner and just look at certain things and certain places. obviously authorities have to broaden it out. investigators keep their minds open. >> i think it's clear we talk about how over and over al qaeda's been dismantled and hobbled over the past ten years, so a highly emotional time like 9/11, would logically be a

heightened sense of alert for all of us because they would get more, i don't know, they would get more power out of a hit right now, don't you think some. >> it would be a possible rejuvenation for them. but they are weakened and i must say americans have become pretty good after looking after themselves in these instances. "the new york times" incident and that certainly was because a citizen saw something suspicious and said something. >> the times square bombing. somebody saw a smoking car on the street and said this is not right. thanks so much. susan candiotti. >> your turn to talk back on one of the big questions of the day. the question for you today, how has 9/11 changed you? even now a decade later it's hard to put into words exactly what 9/11 means to us. that day, both the pain and the glory of humanity were on display, unfiltered and in real time. a warning for you, you have not seen some of these images in a long time and they might be a little upsetting. watch. >> this just in, you are looking at, obviously, a very disturbing

live shot there. that is the world trade center. we have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the world trade center. >> apparently a plane or helicopter hit part of the pentagon and fell as you take a look at the pictures there. i must say every time we hear a plane coming up overhead, it gets a little nervous where we are. >> we have a report now that a large plane crashed this morning north of the somerset county airport which is in western pennsylvania. >> i just told him have a good day at work and i haven't heard from him since. >> it's been very hard. very grieving. insurmountable type of pain. >> either you're with us or you are with the terrorists.

>> the united states has conducted an operation that killed osama bin laden, the leader of al qaeda, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children. >> looking back, we'd like to know for our talk back question today, how has 9/11 changed you? facebook.com/americanmorning. facebook.com/americanmorning. i'll read your comments later this hour. also breaking this morning, california officials are urging residents to conserve electrici electricity. millions are still in the dark after a massive power outage struck parts of southern california, arizona, parts of northern mexico. the blackout happened thursday. cnn's casey wian joins us live from san diego now. good morning, casey. >> good morning, christine. there's actually good news for some of the customers affected by this massive blackout since

yesterday afternoon. san diego gas & electric says 710,000 customers, that's not people, that's customers, individual or homeowners, businesses, are now have their power restored, of about 1.4 million customers affected by this blackout. in terms of the number of people that were affected by this massive outage and still being affected that stretched from southern orange county into arizona, across the border into mexico, the estimated total according to the california grid system operator, is 5 million people. if you can imagine what that must have been like yesterday afternoon as traffic was snarled throughout this region all the way through southern california, from south orange county to the mexican border, people were saying it was an absolute traffic nightmare. one of the biggest concerns that a lot of folks in this area had initially was because of the proximity to september 11th, the tenth anniversary of 9/11, a lot of people were worried this could be a terrorism-related

event. that was quickly knocked down as a cause. what the cause is being blamed on right now is a signal worker who was working on a substation near yuma, arizona, and because all of this power grid in this area is closely interconnected, something went wrong there, officials still don't know what it was, something went wrong and it knocked out power to people throughout this region. it was a massive inconvenience for millions of people. >> i lost a lot of information on the computer and then it came back on suddenly and i re-ent re-entered the data and it went out again. >> it was so hot in the house, the air was off, my dogs are running around, what's going on. i said, only thing we can do is get out of the house, go to a restaurant, have something to eat, where the air is on. and kick back until the air gets -- until the power gets put back on. >> reporter: now, other problems caused by the power outage include flight delays.

many schools in this area will be closed today. it was even a spill of raw sewage because sewage treatment plants lost power and so in some areas, residents are being asked to boil water until the power is restored. they're also being asked to conserve electricity as the power slowly goes back on. officials say the grid is still frag mel and don't want any sudden surges causing problems again. >> highlights the vulnerability of our grid system. no question when you have 5 million people without power and still trying to figure out how to fix it. thanks, casey. >> i want to know who the employee was that tripped up the line. >> i want to know why one can take 5 million out of power. look at the blackout in new york city a few years ago, that was unbelievable as well. it shows you our thirst for energy and how it's kind of, i hate to say it, like with gum and string and the whole system is really creeking under the demand. >> true. i'm just wondering who that

employee was, i would be so embarrassed. still to come this morning, it's some of the most devastating floods ever in parts of the northeast. we're talking new york, pennsylvania, and maryland. all parts of those states under water. mary snow will have a live report for us. >> the obama jobs plan, too ambitious, too expensive? not ambitious enough? we'll ask one of the president's top economic advisers how it will work, whether it can even pass the house, and will it create jobs? 12 minutes after the hour. coffee doesn't have vitamins... unless you want it to. new splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart new ways to sweeten. same great taste. new splenda® essentials™.

your nutritional needs can go up when you're on the road to recovery. proper nutrition can help you get back on your feet. three out of four doctors recommend the ensure brand for extra nutrition. ensure clinical strength has revigor and thirteen grams of protein to protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. and immune balance to help support your immune system. ensure clinical strength... helping you to bounce back. ensure! nutrition in charge!

it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk.

widespread flooding is crippling parts of the northeast and mid-atlantic. president obama ordering federal aid to pennsylvania and new york this morning and in maryland, hundreds of people are being forced to evacuate their homes. here's the scene in upper marlboro, nearly two dozen people had to be rescued from high waters. things are even worse in pennsylvania and luzerne county, 70,000 residents have already evacuated. mary snow is in hard hit wyoming, pennsylvania, joins us

now with the latest. good morning, mary. >> good morning, christine. we're on the eighth street bridge in wyoming. half of this bridge is now under water. the susquehanna river crested last night, but if you take a look and see how strong this current remains, the water is still 16 feet above flood stage and those homes, some of them, you can see, the water is up to the second story of the home. the county commissioner is saying potentially thousands of homes may be damaged in this county and joining us is the mayor of wyoming. bob boyar. thanks for joining us. do you think the worst is over? >> i would say that we're in a period where what's happened so far, we're being our downward spiral, the next 24 hours will be a very telling period. >> did this catch you off guard? >> yes. it was a very fast rising river. the evacuation notice was given yesterday and then it was cut in half at 4:00 and it was a very

fast developing emergency. >> people could still be out of their homes for days? >> yes. i would say the next 24 hours is going to be a very critical time and we're hoping to see the floodwaters recede over the weekend. >> all right. mayor boyar, thank you for your time. and christine, so far, officials say they do not have any reports of any serious injuries or fatalities. christine? >> we're thankful for that. mary snow, thanks, mary, in why owe ning, pennsylvania. >> reynolds wolf, help out mayor boyar. no rain expected for pennsylvania? >> looks like they're going to be in pretty good shape in terms of additional rainfall. the problem is what they have on the ground, what they have in the rivers and streams and lakes that exist. some of the good news, they are dodging a bit of a bullet. as we go to our computers take a look and notice some of the heaviest rainfall in the far right corner of the screen. that is going to be drifting offshore but residual showers possible. not of the magnitude over the last 48 hours, though. take a look at that. everywhere you happen to see the dark purple, where you have six

to ten inches of rainfall and thankfully we can expect, again, not to be quite as heavy for today. the flood threat does exist. everything in parts of the northeast, every area shaded in that greenish color is where you have a flood warning or watch. that should be the situation through the weekend. all right. that's the latest. let's pitch it back to you in the studio. >> thanks, reynolds. up next, the president's plan to create jobs and jolt, as he says, the economy. can it work and what will be left of it after congress gets through with it? we'll ask gene sperling, one of the president's top economic advisers. >> a glimpse behind the walls. deb feyerick has a preview of the 9/11 memorial before it opens to the public. [ woman ] jogging stroller. you've been stuck in the garage while i took refuge from the pollen that made me sneeze. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. so lily and i are back on the road again. with zyrtec® i can love the air®.

♪ for a snack like you ♪ to come into my life [ female announcer ] lean cuisine has snacks! like creamy cheesy spinach artichoke dip with warm pita. new from lean cuisine®.

it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk.

right now, president obama's american jobs act has a $447 billion price tag, prompting some republicans to refer to it as stimulus 2. the question this morning, can it work, will congress pass it and what will the measure look like when and if it does pass? let's ask gene sperling, director of the national economic council and assistant to the president for economic policy. good morning, gene. >> good morning. >> the president said this is a jolt to the economy, not calling it a stomach lus for obvious political reasons, but how important is it to you that you stimulate the economy here? >> there is no question that 9.1% unemployment, projections of growth over the next 18 months at below 3%, is nowhere near good enough for this president and more importantly, it is nowhere near good enough for the american public. they want action. it doesn't make sense for us to

sit on our hands and not act when we have the power to give this recovery so much more strength and momentum. you know, i just saw out that one of john mccain's former economic adviser, mark zandi, put out an analysis suggesting if this plan passed, growth would be 2% higher. instead of weak or moderate 1.5% growth, you could be at 3 or 4% growth. it would be up to 1.9, nearly 2 million more jobs next year. imagine 150, 180,000 more jobs that we could create by passing the president's american jobs act. what that means for teachers, small business, for veterans. we have the power to do that and we can do that in a context in which we make clear that in the long term, we're going to pay for every penny and bring the deficit down. if we can do this, i think it will do so much for long-term confidence as well as the short-term momentum that we need in this economy desperately right now. >> gene, do you -- so you guys aren't putting out your specific

job or gdp targets with this jolt to the economy, if it were to pass as a whole, but would you agree it would create a couple million jobs if congress passes its way you want? >> you know, we had enough faith in our plan we are willing to put it out and let those independent make those judgments. we've seen estimates from 1.3 million jobs next year to up to 4 million. >> right. >> i think the type of things that we heard from mark zandi and others seem reasonable to us, but i think what's -- but i think anybody at home would say, whether it's 150,000 jobs next year, a month, 2 million jobs, 1.5 million jobs, let's take action. we can get people back to work and look, the things the president put out yesterday, were strong, but they have a lot of bipartisan appeal. if people put politics to the side. i was happy to hear speaker boehner respond that these ideas merit consideration. that's the type of response we need. that's what we need is to work

together. we can do something to make a huge difference. >> yeah, this is a great idea let's do it for the good of america. american consideration -- >> that would be even better. >> that doesn't mean you're going to get everything you want. what in here do you think is the most important from your perspective and what you believe is needed in the economy, i mean is its payroll tax cuts? is that something you need? is its infrastructure spending? you probably are not going to get everything. that's what the monday morning quarterbacks are saying, you're not going to get everything. >> well, look, we believe people should pass the american jobs act in its entirety. of course it's a democracy. of course we're willing to work with those who want to be constructive, as long as we're trying to have the type of impact in creating up to 2 million jobs and increasing growth. but i think, you know, let me explain why i think all of these pieces are important. who doesn't believe we shouldn't cut costs for small businesses, give them incentive to hire? who doesn't think the typical american needs more money in

their pocket to deal with gas and food prices and be the customers for those small businesses so they can expand and hire. who doesn't think -- hold on one second. >> it's adding to the debt and actually a drag longer term and they want to make sure these things are going to really work. >> two points. one, there will -- is nothing that will be worse for our long-term deficit than to take a risk of this economy -- of this recovery not taking hold. nothing would be worse. secondly, the president made very clear he's going to pay for every penny, not just pay for every penny but do a larger deficit reduction plan to pay for all of the american jobs act and has enough deficit reduction we will not only bring our deficit down, we will get our debt going down a percentage of our economy and we're going to put that out in detail and the president even gave the date, september 19th, he would do that. >> will you come back and tell us about it on the 19th? >> you have my commitment. >> he took the tea party and said i see you, and i will raise you. that's what he did last night with the deficit reduction and

what's going to be the long-term strategy. i mean, that's -- come back and tell us when you can tell us how bold -- >> we're not trying to see or raise anyone. we're trying to do what the american people want. people are hurting. a lot of people are hurtinging now. we have the capacity. we have the ability to take bold action that can make a huge difference for this recovery for people's lives, for jobs, and growth. >> okay. >> it's not a poker game. and you're right. it's a real problem. gene sperling at the white house, thanks. >> still to come, the other side of the jobs bill debate. house majority leader eric cantor will join us live. if republicans can work with the president's plan. two men who nearly died on 9/11 talk about how they survived and how they've coped ten years after the towers fell. you're watching "american morning." [ woman ] jogging stroller. you've been stuck in the garage

while i took refuge from the pollen that made me sneeze. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. so lily and i are back on the road again. with zyrtec® i can love the air®.

new splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart new ways to sweeten. same great taste. new splenda® essentials™.

top stories. new york and washington on alert

right now for a possible attack ten years to the day of 9/11. a senior administration official saying they are looking for at least three people, one is a u.s. citizen and the plot may involve car or truck bombs. millions of americans still without power. massive outages plaguing parts of southern california, arizona, even parts of northern mexico. workers scrambling to turn the lights back on. officials in california urging all residents to conserve energy to ease the strain on the power system. the outage being blamed on a tripped up power line that stretches from california to arizona. 34,000 acres of land in texas has been eaten up by wildfires. the bastrop county fire is 30% contained, but fire officials say it has the potential to grow. nearly 1400 homes have been destroyed. about 5,000 people were forced to evacuate. they're being slowly allowed to return home. brand new this morning, interpol, the international police agency, has now issued arrest warrants for fallen libyan dictator moammar gadhafi

along with his son saif al islam gadhafi and his brother and also his brother-in-law, who served as the regime's intelligence chief. all three men are accused of a campaign of murder and torture against civilians. security will be tight as new york remembers the victims of 9/11. you're looking at a live picture from ground zero right now. ten years ago, when the twin towers were attacked, michael was in a meeting on the 81st floor of the north tower. flight 77 crashed into the building -- into that building, just four floors above where he was. michael has written a book about his experience that day, called "reluctant hero" with us in the "american morning" studio. we're joined by johna atyates h works at the pentagon and watched a lot of his co-workers die on 9/11 and he escaped. i can't believe it's been ten years. i can't believe we're talking ten years on. how does it -- how does it feel to you, ten years later, still

difficult to go to work for you sometimes? you're still at the pentagon, and you to put one foot in front of the other every day? >> yes. good morning, christine. it's not a struggle every day, but there are days when i do have some -- something will happen, not necessarily, you know, related to september 11th, a plane will fly over as i'm walking in and it will startle me and it takes me back to that day. but i've never not gone into the office. i've always, always gone in. >> do you feel like you're working through any post-traumatic stress from all that, even ten years on? do you feel like this thing is still with you? >> christine, it will always be with me. you know, i still see a therapist. ever since december of 2001 when i started seeing her. she has helped me work through my post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and it's the

skills and the processes that we've developed for me over the years, that allows me to get through times like this and when something like, again, i hear a plane over it doesn't happen all the time, but it does help me. >> michael is here with me in the studio. you were caught on camera after you escaped from tower one. cbs was there. cbs news. i want to listen to the clip with you. >> okay. >> and talk about it. this is you right after the terror attacks. >> light flash out my window, my whole doorway entrance to my office blew open. my office was freaking out. i told them to calm down, get to the center of the office. everybody was fine on my floor and we just started heading down the stairs. i stopped at like 68 and there's a woman in a wheelchair and i got her in the wheelchair and carried her down the steps and

carried her down 68 floors, man. >> how do you feel when you see that clip? who is the guy there and the guy today? >> well, a lot of people don't realize about that clip, is just before that, i witnessed, you know, probably one of the worst horrors of my life, saw people jumping from the towers. i'm trying to get my mind wrapped around that and this camera in my face. it was two completely different realisms so to speak. i was visibly upset, but as far as who -- who i was then and who i am now, you know, i'm basically the same person. i'm kind of rearranged and i think the gentleman said in -- down there in washington, you know, post-traumatic stress disorder, when it's happening to a person, you usually don't realize it. i didn't realize it for sure. you have different ways of dealing with it. and i can't say that the way

i've dealt with it was the correct way because like i said, you don't know what's happening to you. but now, you know, after writing the book and being able to get my story out and being able to tell everyone the full story, just not about the guy carrying the woman down in the wheelchair, it's been a cathartic experience for me, very uplifting. >> do you think about the people you saw in the stairwell in the tower? i mean, some of them you'll never know what happened to them? >> right. that's -- one thing that will stay with me for the rest of my life, on my way down, i must have passed about 75 to 100 firemen and, you know, people try to label me a hero. i was just doing what i was raised to do, so to speak, i grew up doing, trying to think of others and helping others. those men, those firemen, they knew what was going on around them. they knew the terror that surrounded them. they knew what they were facing, yet they still went up, they still charged up those stairs to

try to help others and try to save people and i think it was because of their actions and the countless acts of other people that saved so many lives that day. >> john, one of the things about your story, the pentagon, i find so compelling, like so many other people you survived and others with you didn't. that's what's really even ten years on, this survivor guilt, it must be -- it must be something to this day that you think of as you see each of these anniversaries that on our worst day, it is still something that people who didn't make it would give anything to have the chance at? >> well, yeah, christine, you're right. i've went back into the building. i go down to the -- near the attack site multiple times a week. i walk past a memorial that was erected right at the -- on the second floor and i see the pictures of my co-workers and friends who died that day and yes, i think about it, you know.

one minute i'm standing there talking to them and the next minute, you know, i'm -- we're all in hell and i was fortunate enough to survive. i don't forget about them. i think about them multiple times during the week every time i walk by. i look at every single one of the pictures. and i just remember them and the good times that we had, you know, when we worked together. >> john yates and michael benfonte, thank you for coming by today. it's so raw. really is raw. we're really just really pleased to make your aquinn tance this morning and we hope that you guys can both have a peaceful weekend. carol? >> thank you. transforming a once dusty construction site into a lush garden and museum, deb feyerick shows us what's being done to make the 9/11 memorial ready for you. >> reporter: this is what the 9/11 memorial looked like a year ago. this is what it looks like

today. >> it really has exceeded expectations. >> reporter: as head of the 9/11 memorial and museum, joe daniels has witnessed every step of the transformation. when this opens, it will be the first time in ten years the public has had access to this place. what do you expect that to be like? >> i think it's going to be pretty special. i think so much of the public from around the world has those last images in their mind of the towers falling and that ninth-month recovery period that was hell on earth here. to come back and know you were standing in the very spot where the recovery took place and it's been transformed into a place really of beauty, i think people will really have a special feeling about it. >> reporter: where the world trade center towers once stood, there are now two massive granite reflecting pools. >> it doesn't make a sound until the water hits 30 feet below. when you're over there you really don't hear it. it's when you step up to the names you feel like there's this

envelope of white noise around you and it really helps reinforce that separation that you're in a special place when you hear the sound of the water falling. >> reporter: in the center of the plaza is the survivor's tree. nursed back to health by recovery workers. >> this tree was here at the world trade center on 9/11. 95% destroyed in the collapse of the towers. it was a stump. it tells the story here, beaten up but still surviving. >> reporter: and then the museum. >> you can see how we're reflected in the glass. this was a specific element that was tested by the architects. >> reporter: you can feel a connection. it sits three stories down beneath the two memorial pools and will open next anniversary. >> those are the two structural try dents from the north tower. we brought those back a couple years ago and the entire museum was built around them. even in the collapse there's this image that lots remember well of a potato chip of some of

these tridens still standing. >> reporter: after years of battles and controversy, the memorial is finally coming together. >> do you ever sometimes sit at your desk and go, what now? >> most of the time. we see every day there's some challenge that needs to be overcome. >> reporter: when all is said and done, what do you think you'll be most proud of? >> i think it's this building of a place that is going to bring people together. you know, those days after 9/11 were historic, the feeling of unity from across this country that lasted for a while. this is a place hopefully that will remind people of that. >> reporter: deborah feyerick, cnn, new york. >> and a programming note for you, be sure to join us for "9/11 ten years later" starting sunday at 8:00 a.m. eastern on cnn. special live coverage of the remembrance events throughout the day. still to come this morning, the president's jobs plan. will republicans cooperate or try to kill it?

we'll ask a house majority leader eric cantor when he joins us live in two minutes. you're watching "american morning." coffee doesn't have vitamins... unless you want it to. new splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart new ways to sweeten. same great taste. new splenda® essentials™. they want to see before they die. they don't fill photo albums with pictures from an online search. it's okay. the internet will be just fine without you. that's why we built the first search engine for the real world -- the dodge journey. and then we left three somewhere out there. if you can find one, you can have one. all you have to do is get out there. from body and bath shops? with olay get what you love at half the price with new olay body collections, tantalizing fragrances and olay moisturizing ingredients

that transform lathering into lavishing. olay body collections. possibilities are everywhere. multiply them with the premier rewards gold card from american express. with triple membership rewards points on airfare,

double on gas, double on groceries, and a single point on everthing else, it's a fast way to earn more every day. plus, you can earn 10,000 bonus points. and the annual fee the first year is on us. call 800.axp.gold to apply. [ female announcer ] improve the health of your skin with aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula improves skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks. i found a moisturizer for life. [ female announcer ] only from aveeno.

45 minutes past the hour. welcome back to "american morning." the president's jobs plan it has $447 billion price tag with tax cuts for american workers and small business owners and spending on transportation and infrastructure. president obama presenting the measure to the american people last night and also before a joint session of congress. he challenged congress 17 times to pass his jobs plan right away. >> people of this country work hard to meet their responsibilities. the question tonight is whether we'll meet ours? the question is whether in the face of an ongoing national crisis, we can stop the

political circus and actually do something to help the economy. so the question this morning, can republicans get on board? let's ask the house majority leader eric cantor joining us live from capitol hill. good morning, sir. >> good morning. >> you know, stopping the political circus sounds nice, but some republicans didn't even botheri bot bother to go to the president's speech and you all sat on your opposite sides and to be frank, congress doesn't have a great record of getting things done of late. without finger pointing, can you tell the american people that this circus can really end and the country can move forward? >> well, i heard plenty in the president's speech last night where i think that there is a lot of room for commonalty and we can get something done quickly. there are things that are directed towards small business people to help them begin to get back into job creation again so the middle class can get back to work. there are proposals in the

president's speech that talk about increasing trade, so our manufacturers can see some increase in business to create more jobs. there's, i think, a lot of room for us to work together. i hope that the president is willing to do what the vice president has said this morning and that is, to work with us in terms of choosing the things that we can agree on together and get them done quickly. let's set aside the things in the bill that maybe we can't agree on. so again, it's in that spirit of working together and building consensus i hope the president can join us. >> see, you mentioned a few things that republicans have long liked. can you mention one thing in the president's plan that republicans, perhaps, don't like that could be agreed upon? >> well, the things that we don't like are the things that probably we should set aside and begin to work out here. but again, there's plenty of room for agreement. the president talked about trying to get rid of some of the red tape so that the permitting

process could work for road building. we have that in our job creator agenda in the ability for us to see a better way for business to work here and get washington out of the way. >> but again, sir, those are things that republicans have long liked. what about things like the infrastructure bank or maybe some tax hikes on the wealthy? could those things possibly be part of this bigger plan? >> again, i think that what washington needs and what the american people need, is for us to find some agreement here. and there are plenty of things we can agree on. for instance, the need for infrastructure spending, sure, we believe that states have moneys right now, but washington has tied up their ability to use those moneys and we want to straighten out the system before you start spending more. and we don't support the idea of creating a fannie and freddie for roads and bridges and an infrastructure bank. we believe that you can do that and facilitate a better flow of

funds to construction projects by fixing the current system. so there's plenty of us to work on together and i think instead of trying to accentuate where differences are -- good people can disagree. let's try to produce results so the middle class can get back to work in this country. >> i just want it to be clear so people understand, does that mean the infrastructure bank is completely out in your mind? >> it doesn't mean -- what it does not mean is that we won't work to try and get more money flowing to construction projects because we believe that our roads and bridges are in need of repair and there needs -- there are transportation needs that need to be addressed here in this country. we don't believe the mechanism of an of an infrastructure bank is the question. it takes it out of the purview of oversight and doesn't allow the taxpayers who is funding this to see what is going on. we believe increase transparency to the capital flow for the projects but let's not create

another type of fannie mae and freddie mac for roads and bridges when which is essential what the infrastructure bank would be. >> what about a payroll tax holiday? is that something you could swallow? >> i was interested to hear the president supports the employer side of the payroll tax. again, what the republican plan for job creators is about is try to provide incentives for business people to begin to hire again. and although we would like to see much more certainty and permanency in the proposal, it is something that we certainly would support and that is to give employers, small business people some tax relief so they can begin to hire again. >> what about the people who work for those people? >> well, again, there is a payroll tax holiday in effect now. it was part of a package that we voted on and supported last december. and it is something that certainly in the mix and, as you

know, republicans don't believe that we should allow taxes to go up, especially in times like this. >> even if it means the type of tax cut for the middle class, for working americans? >> that's exactly my point. we don't believe that we ought to be taxing anyone or increasing their burdens, especially in times like this. >> eric cantor, many thanks for joining us this morning. we hope some sort of compromise can be made somewhere between democrats and republicans because the country sure wants you guys to do that. thank you so much. >> thank you. time for today's roman numeral. 13.5% is the number. 13.5%. if ali was here, he would say it has something to do with gold. it's why president obama is stressing the importance of building this nation's infrastructure. tell you about it after the break. the quality and craftsmanship of your leather interior test better than the lexus rx 350.

it's also helpful to set your "select terrain" dial to "sand." ♪ handle more than 165 billion letters and packages a year. that's about 34 million pounds of mail every day. ever wonder what this costs you as a taxpayer? millions? tens of millions? hundreds of millions? not a single cent. the united states postal service doesn't run on your tax dollars. it's funded solely by stamps and postage. brought to you by the men and women of the american postal workers union. ♪

numeral friday post-jobs plan edition, the number is 13.5%. folks, that is the unemployment rate last month for construction workers. >> wow. >> worse than the national average. when you look in some categories

like brick layers and stone masons, it's approaching 25% unemployment. of course, those are the folks who build our bridges, our roads, our highways. they fix our schools. so all of that feeds into the president's push for infrastructure spending and getting people back to work. >> we asked to you talkback on one of the other big stories of the day. how has 9/11 changed you? i woke in one world and went to sleep in a different up with. i was 11 and preparing for the world and became scarier. i am part of an entire generation of children and young adults directly affected by the attacks. my life is different because i learned the value of strength and the true face of evil. this from todd. i'm a retired military member and i was proud to see all of the flags flying on cars, posted on buildings and songs written in support of all the people who died or responded. however, it didn't take long for the flags to become tattered and eventually disposed of.

i don't understand why our patriotism is so short-lived and only exists during emergencies. sarah i will not let 9/11 change me, then they win. keep the comments coming. facebook/americanmorning. i'll read more later on in the show. next hour, another developing story this morning. rescuers from elevators and rides. people spending a dark night in a sweltering desert. millions without power across two states and two countries. the latest on the southwest plaqueout and the effort to get everyone back online. [ female announcer ] lactaid milk is easy to digest. it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk. ♪ for a snack like you ♪ to come into my life [ female announcer ] lean cuisine has snacks! like creamy cheesy

spinach artichoke dip with warm pita. new from lean cuisine®.

[ male announcer ] how could switchgrass in argentina, change engineering in dubai, aluminum production in south africa, and the aerospace industry in the u.s.? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 75% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing.

lked may have its sights on 9/11 again. i'm carol costello. people in new york and in washington, d.c. being told to stay alert. the feds watching a possible terror threat ten years to the day after the attacks. >> i'm christine romans. traffic gridlock new plants offline. a massive power outage hits california. but the lights are slowly coming back on this "american morning."

♪ good morning to you. it is friday. happy friday. it's september 9th. ali velshi has the day off. >> up first a security watch for you this morning. new information that al qaeda may want to mark 9/11 with another new terrorist attack. the feds alerting local authorities about a, quote, specific and credible, but unconfirmed threat. >> new york and washington are already on high alert this morning, but here is what we know right now. a senior administration official saying new york and washington are the possible targets and they are looking for at least three people, at least one of those people believed to be an american citizen. the plot may involve a car or truck bomb. the threat believed to be linked to al qaeda or its affiliates who express the desire to strike on an iconic day, the tenth year anniversary of 9/11. >> new york city mayor michael bloomberg says the best way to fight terrorism is the best way

to be -- earlier on "american morning," we special to police commissioner ray kelly. >> look at your world through the prism of september 11th. everyone's life changed somewhat as a result of that horrific event. so look at your situation. see if there is anything different see if there is anything of a suspicious nature and give us a call. there is no dumb calls. we want to know what people see. >> authorities in new york city already on high alert with the national 9/11 memorial set to open on sunday. susan candiotti is here. you've been working your sources. so do we know anything more about these three men? >> no. we don't yet, but certainly that what they are actively trying to track down. serm they want to know names and one thing we are hearing is that they might have names that are so common that that might make it harder to track them down. >> one supposedly is an american and the other two pakistani, is

that right? >> the thought is some of this information may be traced to the tribal border with afghanistan and pakistan and so therefore they might be coming from that area, but as we have seen in previous plots sometimes, if there is a u.s. citizen that is proven to be involved, sometimes people go there for training. all of this really, they are looking into trying to nail this down. so for now, the main idea, as you go about your business in new york and in washington, you may see more random searches. you might see more bags being inspected. more security around transportation hubs including train stations and subways, this kind of thing. looking into more backpacks and certainly more security at famous landmarks around town. this is the kind of thing they say there are measures that may be taken that you may see and you may not see on the other hand. so it's one thing, for example, when you look at new york city, it was just a little over a year ago that was there an attempted

car bombing in times square. remember, that plot was thwarted because someone saw something and said something. certainly always around 9/11 anniversaries there is chatter and this year, no exception. but this information, very, very fresh. it came into the hands of u.s. authorities about noon time on wednesday and so that's why it's so fresh, it's so new and they are actively working on it so hard. >> the interesting thing about unconfirmed, so specific, credible, you know, that is nerve wracking and then unconfirmed. so they are talking to sources around the world, according to our national security contributor, fran townsend, expert, right? looking around the world to try to see, so what more do we know about this and what have our friends around the world heard about this. >> you have to look at it many different aepgngles and bring i the help you can from different sources. sure, when you have something

like this, you can't dismiss it and concerned about it to call a last-minute news conference on thursday night to publicly discuss this and to issue a law enforcement bulletin to agencies around the country to say, look out for this, look for anything suspicious in your communities too, because you just don't know. >> susan candiotti, thank you, susan. >> as we approach ten years since 9/11, pakistan is shoulding journalists from their compound. check it out. >> reporter: it's early quiet, though. we catch a glimpse of the house. bushes growing thick around it, almost like they are trying to swallow the secret again but, out of nowhere, we are stopped by a soldier. >> we have been pretty quickly stopped by the police here. asked for our passports and told

to leave. in fact, we have been asked to stay with them a a little while while. all surprising given a few months ago this place was teaming with journalists and things have definitely changed. >> they have. people in the area say many of bin laden's former neighbors have been accuse of being spies of the cia. >> something most of us will never forget but a new poll shows 9/11 it may be fading from some of our thoughts. fewer people by about 9/11 every day than one year after the attacks. 5% today compared to 30% back in 2002. only 12% now think about it every week. many more people say they think about it at least once a month or hardly ever. 2% say they never think about the attacks. the same as it was about nine years ago. >> that brings us to our a.m. talkback. the question for you this morning how has 9/11 changed you? even now, a decade later, it's hard to put into words what

exactly 9/11 means to us. that day the pain and glory of humanity on display unfiltered and in real-time. a warning. you have not seen some of these images in a very long time and they might upset you. watch. >> this just in. you are looking at, obviously, a very disturbing live shot there. that is the world trade center and we have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the world trade center. >> apparently, a plane or helicopter hit part of the pentagon itself as you take a look at the pictures there. i must say every time we hear a plane coming up overhead, it gets a little -- a little nervous where we are. we have a report now that a large plane crashed this morning north north of the somerset airport which is north of pennsylvania. >> i just told him have a good

day at work and i haven't heard from him since. >> been very hard. very grieving. it's been insurmountable type of pain. >> either you're with us or you are with the terrorists. >> the united states has conducted an operation that killed osama bin laden, the leader of al qaeda and a terrorist is responsible for the deaths of innocent men, women, and children. >> looking back, we would like to know how has 9/11 changed you? facebook.com/americanmorning. we will read some of your responses later on in the hour. >> after 9/11, no one knew exactly when it was okay to move forward with, a, quote/unquote, normal day and no one knew what it was like to laugh again including the late night comedians. here is a look back how they

handled their return to the air waves in the days after the attacks. >> a lot of folks have asked me what are you going to do when you get back? what are you going to say? geez, what a terrible thing to have to do. and i don't see it as a burden at all. i -- i see it as a privilege d and -- ah. i just see it as a privilege and everyone here does see it that way. >> all i can say is that tonight we are going to start and we are going to try to make this little show, which has always been silly and unprofessional and largely inconsequential in the larger world. we will try to do one of these tonight and then we will try tomorrow and then so on and so on. >> the reason that i am doing a show and the reason i am back to work is because of mayor giuliani. very early on after the attack, and how strange does it sound to invoke that phrase, after the

attack, mayor giuliani encouraged us and here lately, implored us to go back to our lives, go on living, continue trying to make new york city the place that it should be and because of him, i'm here tonight. >> live from new york it's saturday night! >> wow. it does bring you back to those days you really clearly don't want to remember. i just remember how afraid i felt. for the first time in my life, because i grew up in a time where, you know, i didn't experience war. so i just remember being afraid and i talked to my dad who was in his late 70s then because i was afraid to fly. he said i'm getting on a plane to go to vegas. if you're afraid, you let them win. he lived through pearl harbor.

come o i'm american. i'm courageous. i can fight back. i remember that very clearly, that conversation. >> it's ten years of putting one foot in front of the other and living, you know, 24-hour day for ten years. it feels like yesterday when you saw giuliani opening "saturday night live." i got married and had three kids and a lot has happened but it still feels wrong to me. it really does. >> time and hbo present oip beyond 9/11 portraits of resilience." and live onch throughout the day. 9/11 ten years later, beginning 8:00 a.m. on sunday morning. a major power failure leaves millions in the dark in california. san diego brought to a near stand still. we are live as power comes back on this morning. >> the worst flooding for communities in the northeast. we are live at thousands make a run for it. >> hurricane katia is one of a

trio of storms keeping our cnn forecasters busy this morning. katia, maria, nate. welcome to the weekend. reynolds wolf has new developments overnight from the cnn hurricane center. t the top asked him if he had a secret and the old man stopped and thought and said: free 'cause that's how it ought to be my brother credit 'cause you'll need a loan for one thing or another score 'cause they break it down to one simple number that you can use dot to take a break because the name is kinda long com in honor of the internet that it's on put it all together at the end of the song it gives you freecreditscore-dot-com, and i'm gone... offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com

my subaru saved my life. i won't ever forget that. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

good morning, los angeles. or good night, whatever the case might be. clits clear and 64 and later today sunny and 81 degrees. wow. my californian friends, i hope your power is back on when you get up. >> a partial blackout left more than 5 million people without power. the outage struck -- remarkable to see the streets empty of flashing red lights. >> cars backed up. officials are blaming a tripped up power line that stretches across california and arizona for the problem. the blackouts even spread to northern mexico. now the race is to get the power back on to everybody. casey wian is live in san diego.

why is it taking them so long? >> reporter: believe it or not, carol and christine, there is actually good news. it's not taking them so long. they have power restored to all customers of san diego gas and electric just a little more than 12 hours after this massive blackout caused business disruptions and massive traffic jams and a lot of frayed nerves. >> i'm happy to report, after a very long 12 hours, we have restored power to all 1.4 million customers in san diego. as we have been talking about all day, this was the most widespread power outage ever in our service territory. the restoration process was a very difficult process. we had to build our transmission system back piece-by-piece. once we got the transmission system in place, we worked with all of the local generators in san diego and got them back and, finally, as we were doing that, we also brought our customers

back in service. >> reporter: now when you think about the job that they have had to accomplish over the last 12 hours, they had to get a hundred different substations back online. a thousand different distribution points. they have been literally working around the clock. now, two things that are going to be happening now. as power has been restored to everyone, they are urging customers in this area to go easy turning their appliances back on. they say the grid still remains very fragile and they don't want any surges of demand that could cause problems again. they are also investigating how this happened. san diego area is in sort of an unusual situation. power comes to this area. it's connected to the grid from the east in arizona where this problem originated. normally, that wouldn't be a problem if there is was a power disruption. there might be some rolling brownouts. what happened this disruption was so massive it spread to the other source of the power from the north and involved another

power plant and went on automatic shutdown to prevent any further problems. they will be investigating how this spread so widely and how they can possibly prevent this from happening in the future. >> i know we keep hearing a tripped up wire caused this massive power outage. how exactly could it do that? >> reporter: that's the key question. a little bit more than a tripped up wire. arizona power officials say there was an employee who was working on a substation near yuma, arizona. something happened there. they lost power locally. other tried to bring power back into that area. something else happened and that caused the more widespread disruption. they are not clear how this all unfolded. they will be investigating the next several weeks. ten years ago you may remember the state of california had these rolling blackouts and brownouts. the electricity distribution system here needs an update.

it has been modified. it has been improved. but it is very fragile. we have seen the blackouts in the northeast happened a few years ago affecting 50 million country. this is only one tenth the size of that but one of the infrastructure needs that remains critical in this country the distribution of systems in electricity that when something goes wrong, it affects an awful lot of people. >> it just affected that one wire that brings in california's imported electricity. casey wian, many thanks to you. near record flooding in the northeast. five people are now dead and thousands forced to leave their homes. >> officials say the susquehanna river cresting in parts of pennsylvania and mary snow is there. show us what it looks like now. >> everywhere you go, communities are inundated with water. this is the eighth street bridge connecting with the town of jenkins where homes are almost completely under water.

take a look at this river. and the current and how swiftly it's moving. consider this. the mayor was telling us that on some days, on a usual day, you could walk across this river. there would only be about 12 inches high. right now, this is 16 feet above flood stage and although the river crested last night, you could see this debris just slamming into this bridge and this water is not expected to recede until about sunday. so while it appears the worse is over, there is still a lot of concern about 65,000 people in lucerne county were told to evacuate yesterday. unclear when they will be able to return to their homes. the county commissioner is saying there is no formal assessment on the damage but she said, potentially thousands of homes could be damaged. we saw some of the aerial shots from pnep and it shows the absolute devastation and so many

of these communities. but officials are also saying at this point, they have no reports of serious injuries or fatalities. >> for that, we are thankful when you look at just the broad scope of that devastation. thanks, mary. >> hopefully, the rains have stopped, but i don't really think they have in all parts of the areas where they have had problems with flooding. reynolds wolf knows the weather better than i do so take it away. >> you guys are doing just fine. things could be worse. if you're wondering how could they be worse? katia, the hurricane well off the shore if this thing were parts closer to the northeast you would be having heavier rainfall in some locations and possibly an additional foot of rain. not the case today. in fact, maybe scattered showers but for the most part, the heavy rain event is over. we do see scattered showers now pulling north of washington but certainly not in comparison to the magnitude of rainfall the last 48 pours. binghamton, wilkes-barre and

harrisburg and washington have had from 6 to 10 inches of rainfall. a few locations even more. so as each minute, each hour passes we slowly see the rivers drop and good news but not happen instantaneously. it will take a bit of time. flood warnings and watches in effect for much of the northeast. one of the storms we have been watching is this area of low pressure moving to the east that is going to bring rainfall to parts of the eastern great lakes, perhaps light showers to pennsylvania but certainly not the heavy rainfall we could have had with hurricane katia we expect is pulling farther to the north and deeper into the atlantic and part of history and out of harm's way is the good news. however, we are watching another system which will provide high surf which can be expected for parts of the northeast with katia. next one we are watching is tropical storm lee. it is going to make its way near the turks and caicos. too early if it's affecting the united states other than bring in heavy surf. we will watch for it carefully. back to you in the studio.

>> thanks so much. >> you bet, guys. up next, extra bucks for the airlines. who is hiking the prices? we are watching your money. 22 minutes after the hour. a mouthwatering combination of ingredients... i know you're gonna love. [ barks ] yes, it's new beneful healthy fiesta. made with wholesome grains, real chicken, even accents of tomato and avocado. yeah! come on! [ barking ] gotta love the protein for muscles-- whoo-hoo! and omega-rich nutrition for that shiny coat. ever think healthy could taste so good? [ woman announcing ] new beneful healthy fiesta. another healthful, flavorful beneful. look at all this stuff for coffee. oh there's tons. french presses, espresso tampers, filters. it can get really complicated. not nearly as complicated as shipping it, though. i mean shipping is a hassle. not with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that is easy. best news i've heard all day! i'm soooo amped! i mean not amped. excited. well, sort of amped. really kind of in between. have you ever thought about decaf?

do you think that would help? yeah. priority mail flat rate shipping starts at just $4.95, only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship.

the healthcare law gives us powerful tools to fight it... to investigate it... ...prosecute it... and stop criminals. our senior medicare patrol volunteers... are teaching seniors across the country... ...to stop, spot, and report fraud. you can help. guard your medicare card. don't give out your card number over the phone. call to report any suspected fraud. we're cracking down on medicare fraud. let's make medicare stronger for all of us.

watching your money this morning. it's all about jobs. economists are now this morning predicting the president's 447 billion dollar jobs plan will add jobs if it is full. a chief economist estimates it would estimate economic growth by two percentage points next year add 1.9 million jobs and cut the unemployment rate by a full percentage point. it could be another down day, though, on wall street. dow futures lower 20 points. the s&p 500 and nasdaq trending lower too. investors are uncertain how much of the president's jobs plan would actually be enacted into law. and what kind of fighting there could be to get it done. a sure sign of tough economic times. walmart bringing back its lay-away program for the upcoming holiday season. available to customers buying electronics or toys between october 17th and december 16th.

google just bought restaurant raters zagat. use it for google maps. terms are not made public. flying? no even more expensive. us airways raising fares up to 10 dollars each way. united and delta and continental have matched that price hike. we will see if it sticks. jobs, jobs, jobs. president obama's big speech to congress. what comes next and how many jobs will it create? can the president get it done? "american morning" will be back after the break. this one works. ooh, the price sure doesn't. i'm tired of shopping around. [ sigh ] too bad you're not buying car insurance. like that's easy.

oh, it is. progressive direct showed me their rates and the rates of their competitors. i saved hundreds when switching. we could use hundreds. yeah. wake up and smell the savings. out there with a better way. now, that's progressive. new splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart new ways to sweeten. same great taste. new splenda® essentials™. ♪ for a snack like you ♪ to come into my life [ female announcer ] lean cuisine has snacks! like creamy cheesy spinach artichoke dip with warm pita. new from lean cuisine®. [ male announcer ] if you're in a ford f-150 and you see this... it's the end of the road. the last hurrah. it's when ford's powertrain warranty ends.

but in this ram truck, you've still got 39,999 miles to go. ♪ guts. glory. ram. ♪

it's just about half past the hour. welcome back to "american morning." new york and washington on alert right now for a possible attack ten years to the day after 9/11. a senior administration official say they are looking for three people, at least one of them an american citizen and it may

involve car or truck bombs. lights coming back in parts of the southern u.s. but many millions in the dark after pow you're outages hit parts of southern california and arizona. the blackout is being blamed on a tripped up power line that stretches across both states. emergency declared in new york and pennsylvania over deadly flooding. president obama authorizing federal funds to help with relief efforts. heavy rain has put parts of the northeast under water. thousands have evacuated as the susquehanna river rose above the flood stage. five people have been killed. a lot of talk this morning about the demeanor of the president during his big speech last night. he called on congress 17 times to push the measure through quickly and some people took the next comment as a threat against republicans if they play politics with this plan. >> regardless of the arguments we have had in the past, regardless of the arguments we will have in the future, this plan is the right thing to do

right now. you should pass it and i intend to take that message to every corner of this country. >> the president began his speech by calling on congress to end the political circus that is paralyzing washington. >> a lot of observers remarking this morning about how passionate the president appeared to be last night using words like fiery and emotional. republicans announcing before the speech they would not be commenting on the jobs bill after it was presented. but earlier on "american morning," the house majority leader eric cantor said the two parties might be able to find common ground. >> there is, i think, a lot of room for us to work together. i hope that the president is willing to do what the vice president has said this morning and that is to work with us in terms of choosing the things that we can agree on together and get them done quickly. let's set aside the things in the bill that maybe we can't agree on. so, again, it's in that spirit of working together and building consensus that i hope the

president can join us. >> cantor objects to the president's demand that congress accept his entire jobs plan. he calls that the wrong approach but he believes there are parts of the plan that republicans would be willing to consider. >> millions of americans who are out of work or are underemployed have one pressing question this morning. what happens next? and will we start creating jobs in this country? here to talk about the president's plan and how it was delivered, where we go from here, cnn political analyst david gergen live for us from chicago. good morning. >> good morning. how are you? >> great, after staying up a little late to go over the plan and trying to figure out how will it create jobs. >> i know. >> let me tell you about the indianapolis of this from mark zandi. he says add two percentage points to gdp next year and 1.9 million jobs overall and cut the unemployment rate by 1 percentage point. this is his morning after analysis.

and, quite frankly, gene spur ling pointed me to this analysis when i asked him how many jobs would this plan create. that is, of course, if they can pass all of it, david. >> well, gene spurling is a smart fellow and realizes those are good numbers for him and they want to predict as they did for stimulus one that the unemployment rate is going below 8% and it never got there. but it's interesting. we asked cnn this morning to calculate, okay, 1.9 million jobs, 450 billion dollars, how much does that cost per job? i think the calculations came back around $225,000 per job. folks are going to think that is worth it, especially since it gives you infrastructure to boot. other folks are going to say, too much. i think what we are going to see is that there will be action by republicans to go along with the president in some areas. especially on cutting taxes and trade and helping small business.

i think they are are going to be very resistant to a lot more spending. overall in this package, as i understand it, there is about 250, roughly $250 billion the president has proposed in tax cuts and about $200 billion in spending increases. he has got a much better chance of getting that first portion, that 250 than the second 200. >> eric cantor just telling us on this program here is what he would support. he would support payroll tax reductions and reducing regulation for small business and ratifying trade agreements. that got a round of applause. he wasn't thrilled about the infrastructure bank however. you know, is this -- are we in the situation we are picking and choosing where we can find compromise? >> sure. well, look. it's good news for the country that there are some areas where they both already agree and what they need to do beyond those areas, say, in the infrastructure job bank and

other issues on which the republicans right now have opposition, they need to sit down and the president needs to negotiate. the republicans have got some things that they want to do that he doesn't want to do. that they think will produce jobs, especially in regulatory area. and they need to look at that. i think it's also important to point out that just as we learned in the deficit fight that there are deep philosophical differences between the parties, we are now going to see on the question of how to grow an economy and create jobs, there are, again, philosophical differences. the president had a terrific performance last night what he wanted to do is target spending to create jobs in areas like construction. republicans say, no, no, no. those are just short-term fixes. what the government ought to do is create an environment of taxes, tax reform and regulatory reform in which businesses invest, in which businesses spend and in which businesses

create the jobs. those are fundamentally different ways to go about creating growth. and naturally there is going to be some give and take on that. i do think that the -- from a president's political point of view he was fired up last night and he fired up democrats. i think his best moment politically since the night he announced bin laden death. but he has got a long way to go and nobody should mistake this as an instant jolt for the economy. >> don't call it a stimulus! david, don't call it a stimulus! >> well, okay. if it's -- it's not going to be a jolt either. we have got a long, hard road out of this, as you well know. and let's watch the markets reaction today. the market are down a little bit. it is not exactly throwing their hats in the air. so this is complex. i think the president made an

important start in terms -- what he wanted to do was hit the reset button and change the narrative and change the conversation, he did that. but around the corner we still have to deal with the deficits and this package, important as it is, is going to put more pressure on the deficits. how are we going to get out of that? we still got to hear from him about the hard stuff, how do you get this done and who is going to pay and where the money is going to come from. >> we don't know yet. david gergen, cnn political analyst, thanks so much. >> thank you. >> "the new york times" said this isn't the jolt but it is an insurance policy against a second recession. >> at least a plan written on paper, right? that is what republicans wanted and they seemed willing to work, if you believe what eric cantor said, and the president was fiery and i think a lot of democrats wanted to see some passion in the president's words and he did deliver that. >> the line that i think connected with the people on

both sides of the aisle was we have an election 14 months away, but people don't have 14 months for washington to figure it out. they need right now. >> yeah. i think most every american probably agrees with that one. figure it out! still ahead, new york's world trade center has been sorely missed since the 9/11 attacks. what does that area look like now? the amazing changes over the last decade is coming your way next. also how do you put a price on life? hand out money for grief? up dimensionext, kenneth feinbe oversaw the compensation fund for september 11th victims. er, . one log in lets you monitor all of your balances and transfer between accounts, so your money can move as fast as you do. check out your portfolio, track the market with live updates. and execute trades anywhere and anytime the inspiration hits you. even deposit checks right from your phone. just take a picture, hit deposit and you're done.

open an account today and put schwab mobile to work for you. [ male ] using clean american fuel is just a pipe dream. ♪ [ female announcer ] we're rolling away misperceptions about energy independence. did you know that today about a quarter of all new transit buses use clean, american natural gas? we have more natural gas than saudi arabia has oil. so how come we're not using it even more? start a conversation about using more natural gas vehicles in your community. while i took refuge from the pollen that made me sneeze. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. so lily and i are back on the road again. with zyrtec® i can love the air®.

good morning, new york city. a live picture of ground zero. partly cloudy and 70. the high later today will be 83. a lot of activity happening where you're seeing right now. over ten years, a lot of deconstruction and rebuilding happening at ground zero and some, quite frankly, have complained it hasn't happened quickly enough because it's still a large construction site. "the wall street journal".com put together this graphic sort of to show the progress of what

has been happening in lower manhattan. this is what ground zero looks like today. two towers and two here. this is the one world trade center site. 80 of 104 stories have been built. this has a big tenant who has agreed to lease more than a million square feet of this new headquarters. 7 world at any rate destroyed the other 7 world trade center was destroyed in the terrorist attacks. this one has been up since 2006. couple of more over here. this will be two world trade center. it's not even up to ground level yet. this location three world trade center, same story. in the middle a transportation hub. it's completed height will be 150 feet when it is done. over here, you can see this is the memorial and the museum. we know the museum will be ready some time next year but the memorial is unveiled today. here is a all over closer look at that memorial. these in the footprints of the world trade center towers there will be these beautiful

fountains surrounding by trees in the park. these footprints of these towers were where so many people died will always be here as a remembrance. never be rebuilding there. i want to back up a little bit and show you the difference of what this looks like compared with -- let me double click on that one and i can't get it. there it is. i want to show you this again from the wall street journal.com. this is september 2001. you can see the world financial here and the piles of girders and rubble there and all of the buildings around that were destroyed. not just the two world trade center trades but a lot more as well. this is where we are today. you can see here are the footprints of those buildings. here is the park that is being implemented around here. here is the transit hub and museum around here and couple of other buildings and these two buildings coming up from the bottom. it just shows you over ten years how this scarred part of new york sky line is being

rejuvenated. >> it's a great place to visit even now. one of the toughest jobs after 9/11 went to our next guest who was appointed as special master of the september 11th victims compensation fund. 11 days after the attacks, congress great the $7 billion fund to compensate over 5,000 family members of the fallen. wied kos and children and parents and widowers and not all paid equally. joining us now from washington is the former administrator of the september 11th victims compensation fund, kenneth feinberg. thank you for joining us this morning. >> glad to be here. >> so when september 11th, 2011 arrives in a couple of days, how will you feel? >> it feels like yesterday. it will forever be part of my memory, i'll tell you that, and the 33 months that i spent meeting with individual families and physically injured victims was an incredible undertaking

and a challenge. >> you met with so many of them to decide what kind of compensation they would be awarded. which person stands out most in your mind? >> the lady that came to see me sobbing and said that she had lost her husband who was a fireman at the world trade center. he was mr. mom. and he left her with their three children, 6, 4, and 2. and the only reason, she said, that she was alive and wanted to go forward without her husband was the fact that she had these three children to take care of and mr. mom would never be replaced. the next day, i found out she didn't know that mr. mom had two other children by his girlfriend in queens, 5 and 3. and i had to deal at 3:00 a.m., i'm thinking about whether i tell her about these -- this

other family that her husband had. >> what do you do? >> well, i -- i didn't tell her. i'm sure she knows. it's ten years late, but stories like that, no one is prepared to deal with stories like that, i must say. >> that is like -- i didn't expect that. that shocked and surprised me. in dealing with so many people who were grieving and you had to decide how much compensation they would be awarded, like how did you do that? did a mother with three or four children get more money than a woman who just lost her husband? >> well, congress helped me in that regard because congress laid out the formula. congress said i should act like a judge and jury would act in new york or any village or hamlet in the country and look at what the -- how old was the victim, how much was she or he making at the time of death, statistically, how long would they likely work at that job.

just what juries do every day, economic loss, then we added pain and suffering and deduckte other sources of income and came up with rough numbers. it wasn't easy but we had a methodology. >> was part of your job to convince the family members of the victims to take these compensation packages? because i know a couple of families did not take any award from the government. >> 97% of the families, almost 3,000 families of the dead took the fund voluntarily took the money. 94 families decided, no, we'd rather sue, we have that right under the statute. they did sue. 93 of those 94 settled later on. there is one family, one, scheduled to go to trial before judge heller stein in federal court in manhattan in november. >> what do you suppose might

happen? >> i have no -- i wouldn't begin to hazard a guess as to what a judge and jury will do. but i think the great majority of the families recognized that what congress was trying to do here was to demonstrate the slol darity and support of the american people for these families suffering such traumatic loss and come to their aid quickly so they could move on as best they could. >> kenneth feinberg, tough job. thank you so much for sharing your stories with us this morning. we appreciate it. >> thank you. morning headlines are next, including the threat of another al qaeda terror attack on 9/11. it's 49 minutes after the hour.

. exclusive to the military. and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. from free checking to credit cards to loans, our commitment to the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. ♪ visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. usaa. we know what it means to serve.

it's 51 minutes after the hour. here are your morning's top headlines. u.s. intelligence chasing terrorist possibly trying to

strike ten years to the day on 9/11. new york and washington on alert again. a senior administration official says the plot may involve car or truck bombs. the power is back on in san diego. a massive outage hit parts of southern california and arizona. the outage is being blamed on a tripped up power line that stretches across both states. at least five people have died in massive floods in the northeast. president obama declaring an emergency in pennsylvania and new york. he authorized federal aid to help with the relief effort. thousands have evacuated as the susquehanna river rose above flood stage. president obama unveils his $474 billion dollar jobs plan. including tax cuts for working americans and small businesses and spendsing initiatives for transportation and infrastructure like building for schools but the cost, the white house said, offset by spending cuts. mark zandi says it would create, if passed in full, about 1.9 million jobs. u.s. markets set to open in 40 minutes. and it could be another down day

on wall street. dow futures and s&p 500 and nasdaq trading lower right now. scrubbed again! nasa delaying the launch of two space labs that will eventually study the moon. it's now expected to lift off from cape canaveral florida tomorrow. packers made a final goal line stand on the final play to beat the states 42-34 in the first game of the nfl season. "american morning" will be back after the break.

september 11th was a very tough time for the fire department. friends, guys i went to academy

with. afterwards, people came from everywhere to help us out. it was incredible. you knew you weren't alone. a new yorker, point of kindness and generosity was more powerful than the terror that happened. that really changed me. >> i'm jeff parnese and i want to show the world what people did for us following 9/11. every year on the 9/11 anniversary, we take volunteers from new york and send them to some part of the country where they had a disaster and helped folks rebuild. nice to meet you. >> you pull into town and the tallest thing there is the grain silo. definitely a culture shock. >> rebuilding homes or barns or churches is our way to say thank you. more more than half of our volunteers are not from new york. people from all of the small towns we helped, they keep showing up to help the next community. from louisiana, california, indiana and illinois. every year you see more t-shirts from more locations.

>> after katrina, we jumped on his band wagon. this whole thing is just contagious. >> it's like this big dysfunctional family reunion of the disaster survivors that get together and do a barn raising. >> banging nails and building something but it's the relationships that help you heal. >> it's about using the 9/11 anniversary to celebrate in that volunteer spirit. >> we will see you all next year! >> people say thank you for doing this and you say you want to thank me? show up on the next one.

there is lower emanhattan. the two ponds, the two pools will be these memorial sites and the footprint of the trade center. the south print there in new york city. a lot of people down there this morning. ray kelly down there. a lot of getting ready for the 9/11 anniversary. >> join us tomorrow as cnn will cover it all. the question we asked you this morning how has 9/11 changed you? chris says september 11th made me more of a citizen