the battle for november. president obama hits the road to try to boost democratic chances in some critical races. critics are outraged. police in florida reportedly investigate a detailed how-to manual for molesting children. and a room with a view. a california woman takes her recycling to a whole new level. this is the "cbs morning news" for monday, september 6, 2010. and good morning, everyone, on this labor day. thanks for joining us. good to see you this morning. i'm terrell brown in for betty nguyen. labor day marks the beginning of the traditional push towards election day. this year with the economy working against them, democrats are fighting to retain control of congress. with that as a backdrop,

president obama heads to wisconsin today. there a key senate seat and race for governor are hotly contested. tara mergener is in washington with more on that. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. both of these races are very competitive. this week the president will make two speeches aimed at trying to convince voters he can get the economy back on track. president obama will try to convince voters this week that democratic policies are working. >> to heal our economy, we need more than a healthy stock market. we need bustling main streets and a growing, thriving middle class. >> reporter: he'll head to wisconsin today to give a speech about the economy. on wednesday he'll visit cleveland where he'll announce new steps to help small businesses. all along the way, the president will also try to shore up support for democrats ahead of midterm elections. >> are we enthused? >> reporter: first-term incumbent jerry conley of virginia is one democrat hoping

to hang on to his congressional seat. >> talking to many of my colleagues, they get the threat. they understand there's understandable anxiety in the country given the state of the economy, but they're prepared going into battle. >> reporter: president obama has much at stake. not only does he risk losing his party's majority in congress this fall, his chances of re-election could get hurt. >> from a republican point of view, we need to bring checks and balances, tell the american people if we get back in control, we're going to check this obama agenda that has no limits. >> reporter: the latest gallup poll has troubling news for democrats. republicans have a ten-point lead and democratic voters may be in danger of dragging their feet. with twice as many republicans saying they're very enthusiastic about voting this fall. >> there's nobody in town that thinks democrats don't lose at least 20 seats. the question is, could it be 40? could it be 60? >> reporter: democrats do have a financial edge heading into the fall, but republicans insist they have the momentum. and, again, the president will

be in cleveland on wednesday where the races for governor, u.s. house and u.s. senate are also tight. terrell, back to you. >> tara mergener in washington this morning. appreciate it. good to see you this morning. thanks. in the gulf this morning, a tropical depression has formed off the coast of mexico. the depression is located 200 miles southeast of tampico. it has sustained winds of 35 miles per hour. it could become a tropical storm later today. heavy rain and possible flooding is forecast for northeastern mexico and south texas. meanwhile investigators have finally got their hands on a critical piece of evidence in the gulf oil spill. the blowout preventer was raised saturday night. this morning it's headed to a nasa facility for analysis. mike >> reporter: federal agents took control of a key piece of equipment at the scene of the largest offshore oil spill in the nation's history. the blowout preventer could provide answers to what went wrong on the deepwater horizon. on april 20th a methane gas bubble that escaped from the

underwater well exploded on the rig. the blowout preventer did not prevent the blowout by sealing the pipe as it was supposed to. as a result, more than 200 million gallons of oil spewed into the gulf. it's still unclear why equipment on the rig failed. 11 workers died in the explosion. >> i think these guys, they deserve this. we need to find out not only for them and their memories but for the industry, because i know they would want it no other way. >> reporter: it took 29 1/2 hours to raise the device from the ocean floor one mile beneath the surface. fbi agents are escorting it to a nasa facility in louisiana where investigators will examine it. a bp spokesperson says they hope it will end the moratorium on deep water drilling in the gulf. >> everybody's going to understand what has taken place and will be able to better, you know, get the oil industry back up and moving again.

>> reporter: bp and the coast guard say the oil well is sealed and no longer a threat to the gulf of mexico, but the economic and environmental impact may linger for years. cbs news, new york. another u.s. soldier has been killed in afghanistan. nato says the american was killed sunday while fighting in eastern afghanistan. five u.s. troops have been killed in afghanistan this month. at least 321 have been killed so far this year. for the first time since u.s. combat operations in iraq formally ended, u.s. troops found themselves in the middle of a fire fight. at an iraqi military base in baghdad, it was all on sunday. there were six heavily armed militants with explosive vests, automatic weapons and grenades. u.s. forces are based at that compound to train iraqi forces. 12 people were killed but no u.s. troops were injured. two days after a massive earthquake in new zealand, the army has taken over security in the hard-hit city of christchurch.

at least 500 buildings were destroyed by saturday's quake. there was no loss of life. the city center where falling glass remains a concern is off limits for business owners for everyone except business owners. the quake measured 7.1. power is back on for most of the city. and guatemala mudslides have left 38 people dead. torrential rains triggered by a tropical depression saturday saturated the ground over the weekend. some victims were buried as they tried to dig out a bus that was hit by a wall of earth. this morning those 33 chilean miners begin their second month trapped a half mile underground. but their ordeal is far from over. they have not been rescued for a month. seth doane reports. >> reporter: dad, how are you, she shouts to the screen? separated by a half mile of rock and seemingly a world apart, miners can now connect with their families by video conference. it was a very emotional experience to see him after such a long time, this wife of a miner says.

to boost morale for families just waiting and waiting, these former rugby players from urag auch uraguay made a special visit. their real life drama inspired a book and then the movie "alive" which tells of their 72 days of survival in the andes mountains before they were rescued. their plane crashed while headed to a game in chile back in 1972. the miners are capable of living through something like this, this crash survivor said, with support and humility. and add to that, life-saving supplies. as part of regular deliveries through one of three small shafts, miners are now receiving new clothes and even poles to build small cots. to give you a sense of how far under ground they're trapped, compare their 2300 foot depth with the statue of liberty, or the eiffel tower which is just

over 1,000 feet tall. even the empire state building appears dwarfed. so far workers boring the main rescue tunnel have drilled down about 130 feet. once that rescue shaft is completed, it's estimated it could take around three hours to pull each miner to safety. work on a second and planning for a third rescue tunnel is under way. as officials are driven to find any route to reach these miners faster. as the world watches and waits. seth doane, cbs news, new york. and just ahead on the morning news, craigslist blocks it's daylight service it's adult services section. plus, bass the blue cheese. you won't believe who won this chicken wing eating contest. ♪ [ sniffs ] morning. you got in pretty late last night. dad, i'm not sixteen anymore. still, it was late. well...

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section. on saturday visitors to craigslist found a black bar reading censor. that's where the sex-related ads including offs of prostitution had been. attorneys general from 17 states recently sent craigslist a letter demanding the adult services section be taken down. police in central florida are hoping to find out who wrote a detailed manual detailing how to molest children. orlando television station reports the 170-page document has been circulating in the orlando area and online. police say writing and distributing a thing is not illegal but they suspect whoever put it together may have committed crimes against children. on the "cbs moneywatch" this morning, stocks in asia continued a winning streak ts morning. japan's nikkei came out ahead for the fourth straight day, gaining more than 2. . kathryn brown has more headlines this morning. >> reporter: wall street kicked off september with a winning streak and investors are hoping to keep that rally going as they get back to business tomorrow.

stocks surged on the latest labor department report which showed even though the unemployment rate rose to 9.6%, private companies are beginning to hire again. taking a look at the numbers, the dow closed up 127 points. the nasdaq tacked on 33. september is national coupon month and a study shows americans are using them more than in the past. the growth looks to build on a record-breaking trend. last year companies handed out 311 billion coupons between circulars and the internet. and tech-savvy consumers are using them about 23% more often. delta airlines plans to upgrade seats on some planes starting next summer and wrapping up the project by summer of 2012. the business elite and economy cabins will be getting the overhaul with more personal space and storage as well as on demand entertainment. football season always means big business, but now restaurants and bars are cashing in on the fantasy world. many places are offering everything from free food to

gift cards to lure fans in for draft parties where attendees choose their favorite players to make up the ultimate fantasy team. and that's your "moneywatch" report. for more business headlines, click on cbsmoneywatch.com. in new york, i'm kathryn brown. in buffalo, new york, home of the famed buffalo wing, it was a case of the bigger they are, the harder they fall. petite sonia thomas defended her chicken wing eating title downing 181 wings in 12 minutes. that's almost five pounds of wings eaten by a 105-pound champion. get 'em, girl. i love them but i can't eat them like that. straight ahead, your labor day weather forecast. in sport, the giants are having a blast as they charge toward the top of the national league west. having a blast as they charge toward the top of the national league west. [ female announcer ] fact. when pain keeps you up, nothing is proven to help you fall asleep faster than advil pm liqui-gels. rushing real liquid relief to ease you to sleep fast.

for nighttime pain, make advil pm your #1 choice. and then there's most complete, like what you get from centrum ultra women's, the most complete multivitamin for women. it has vitamin d, which emerging science suggests supports breast health, and calcium for bone health. centrum ultra women's. when allergies make them itch, don't wait for your pills to kick in. choose alaway, from the eye health experts at bausch & lomb. it works in minutes and up to 12 hours. bausch & lomb alaway. because it's not just your allergies, it's your eyes. but look below the surface. your mouth is no different. brushing leaves teeth looking clean, but millions of plaque and gingivitis germs

are left behind. a 30-second rinse with listerine® antiseptic cleans deeper. [ bomb! ] its unique penetrating formula destroys germs [ bomb! ] brushing leaves behind. [ exhales ] [ male announcer ] listerine®. clean deeper. get healthier™. and to strengthen kids' teeth 99% better than brushing alone, get listerine® smart rinse™. here's a look at the weather in some cities across the country. 82 degrees and sunny in new york. 85 and partly cloudy in chicago. sunny, 78 degrees in denver. los angeles, sunny, 75 degrees. time now for a check of your national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows clouds moving in the southeast. while storms are building over parts of the northern plains. later today, there will be plenty of sunshine in the northeast. and the southwest for this labor day. and the northern plains, severe

thunderstorms will be building up. scattered storms will be found in texas and florida. just a few showers moving into the northwest. in sports, the surprising san francisco giants are one game back in the national league west. to los angeles this morning. giants left-hander jonathan sanchez held the dodgers scoreless over seven. in the seventh, juan uribe smacked a two-run homer right here. san francisco up 3-0. they went on to win. the giants picked up 5 1/2 games on slumping san diego in less than two weeks. in the american league, visiting white sox down to their final out in the ninth when boston closer jonathan papelbon gave up a hit. padded at five robert manuel issued a bases loaded walk. tigers win it 7-5. to the u.s. open venus williams advanced to the quarterfinals. sparkling in a tight red sequin dress, williams beat 16th seeded shahar peer of israel two sets 7-6, 6-3.

on the men's side rafael nadal beat gilles simon of france, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. the new york jets said they agreed on a new contract with revis, ending his holdout. one week before the start of the nfl season. when we come back, another look at this morning's top stories. unemployment may be up, but some parts of the job market are red hot. we'll tell you the places looking for workers. we'll tell you the places looking for workers. hey what's going on? doing the shipping.

man, it would be a lot easier if we didn't have to weigh 'em all. if those boxes are under 70 lbs. you don't have to weigh 'em. with these priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service, if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. no weigh? nope. no way. yeah. no weigh? sure. no way! uh-uh. no way. yes way, no weigh. priority mail flat rate box shipping starts at $4.95, only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. volunteers and investigators will be back out at a pittsburg landfill today... looking for clues. the vigil last night for the victims. some bar owners say it would tap them out. the bay area city proposing a new fee for alcohol. and what it could cost you, per drink. and the high tech company that

,,,, on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. labor day looking great for the east coast and the west coast. the midwest could see some more severe thunderstorms by the afternoon hours. cooler temperatures are starting to settle into portions of the northern plains. southern plains are still hot and humid. here's another look at this morning's top stories. president obama heads to

wisconsin this labor day. he'll pitch his economic policies and try to boost democratic chances in two key races. a key piece of evidence in the gulf oil spill has been recovered. the blowout preventer that failed to prevent the leak is on its way to a nasa facility to be examined. the economy remains fragile, with the latest figures showing unemployment inched up, but there are some employers out there who are desperate fork workers. jay dow reports this morning. >> reporter: chip poli's growing mortgage business based outside boston needs workers. >> these jobs are full-time jobs. 100% benefits. >> reporter: he has two dozen openings but even the best applicants will need training. >> can take anywhere from four to eight weeks to get somebody up and running. >> reporter: even with unemployment hovering near double digits for the last 16 months, there are 3 million unfilled jobs in this country. many health care and green jobs, but applicants often lack required skills. >> so when we start looking at the bank statements --

>> reporter: to address that, poli started a training program. >> to help keep our people up to date with all the changes in the industry. >> reporter: with 180 employees, poli mortgage group is considered a small business, a category which accounted for a majority of the nation's 67,000 new hires last month. >> training programs are much less effective in an economy like this one where there are lack of job openings across the board. >> reporter: poli is doing what he can. he took on 20 more employees this week. >> the unemployment situation is a big number. i don't know if our industry will have that big an effect on it, but i'll tell you, people come in here that aren't trained and they do pick it up, they do work hard. i have a big belief in the american people. they go to work, they get it done. >> reporter: but there are currently five unemployed worker for every available job. economists say until employers start to see a rise in demand for their goods and services, it is unlikely we are going to train our way out of this recession.

jay dow, cbs news, new york. malibu, california, an eco-friendly house that's taken flight. you've got to see this. a woman is building a dream home from parts of a retired 747. it's being called the wing house. the wings and tail stabilizers were made into the roof. the owner wanted a sleek design for her home, so the architect said, hey, why not use an old airplane? >> the idea was how do we use something that exists, that already had billions of dollars of research and development that went into creating the most efficient structure using the most judicious use of resources to achieve the highest strength and lightest weight. >> all the parts of the plane will be used for seven different structures, including a guest house. the completed house will feature solar power and natural ventilation. whatever floats your plane in this case, right? this morning on "the early show," tips for your labor day barbecue. looking forward to that. i'm terrell brown.

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congress holds hearing in the for-profit colleges. which have exploded in popularity. enrollment has soared from 365,000 a few years ago to five times that now. but complaints by students are also growing. wyatt andrews reports. >> reporter: two years after graduation, michelle does not know how her college debt reached $86,000. she was told the cost would be less. and all for a criminal justice degree she says many police agencies don't recognize. her degree came from westwood college, a for-profit school with 17 campuses. >> it definitely is a false american dream. i can't -- i can't get a job. i'm in debt. and i'm living at home. >> and then i got my cap and

gown. justin, another westwood student borrowed $84,000 and also says he was never told the true cost. he describes his degree in video game design as almost worthless. >> i feel like i went to walmart and bought myself a degree. >> reporter: widespread complaints like this overpriced degrees, misleading promises, student debt led to revelations on the for-profit colleges, including westwood. when the gao went undercover to investigate how 12 for-profit schools recruited students -- >> we have some students making $1,000 a day. >> reporter: and found every one, 12 out of 12, made deceptive claims and that for colleges encouraged fraud. here a westwood sales agent tells the gao agent not to report a quarter million dollar bank account in order to

maximize student leans. >> nqi, they don't need to know your cash. >> reporter: in june senate heard testimony on why these colleges recruit so aggressively. >> if you excuse the language putting [ bleep ] in classes. >> reporter: the explosion of the growth, including the biggest names like kaplan and the university of even iffic, is being funded by students using taxpayer financed grants and loans. the industry now educates 10% of all college students, 1.8 million. but those students get 23% of federal loans and grants and are the most likely to default on those loans. >> we are always going to have higher default rates than those that go to much more highly selective traditional institutions. >> reporter: westwood college declined our interview request but claims most of its graduates have, quote, positions in their field of study. justin, meanwhile, works in a mail room. michelle, retail. westwood tells cbs news michelle got the information she needed

on the cost and value of her degree, but westwood and other colleges caught on tape by the gao have promised to improve their recruiting. and give students more information on tuition and the odds of getting a job. wyatt andrews, cbs news, washington. that is the "cbs morning news" for this monday. thanks for watching. we hope to catch you later on for "the early show." i'm terrell brown. happy labor day. take care. we'll see you later on.

is still missing. the man who may be the fifth victim of a bay area murder spree volunteers now helping search through a landfill. initial findings into that small plane crash in redwood city released but they do not pinpoint the cause of