koran controversy. despite widespread condemnation, a defiant florida preacher says he will go ahead with his plan to burn copies of the muslim holy book. security scare. a bomb threat found on a flight from thailand to los angeles. and state of emergency. no relief in sight as a wildfire rages out of control in colorado, destroying dozens of homes. this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, september 8, 20 10. good morning, everybody. good to see you. it is wednesday morning. you tend to forget when you move through the week like this. i'm terrell brown in for betty nguyen. that florida preacher who plans

to burn copies of the koran, the muslim holy book, will not back down. everyone is condemning the plan by reverend terry jones, but jones says he's trying to send a message to radical islam. tara mergener is in washington with the latest on that. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. jones believes radical islam could take over america and says burning the koran is a warning. secretary of state hillary clinton is just the latest official to lash out at pastor terry jones. >> i am heartened by the clear unequivocal condemnation of this disrespectful, disgraceful act. >> reporter: the florida preacher has sparked worldwide controversy over his plans to publicly burn the koran, the muslim holy book, on september 11th. >> we're dealing with the radical element of islam they have no problem burning the flag, burning the bible. >> reporter: outrage has already

erupted in afghanistan and the top u.s. military general in the country, general david petraeus, fears american soldiers will end up paying the price. still, jones doesn't believe he should be held accountable. >> we're not pulling the trigger. we're not the one doing it. i think the finger should be pointed at them. >> reporter: here in washington religious leaders have all pressured jones to back off and called for an end to what they say is a growing anti-muslim sentiment across america. >> i say, you bring dishonor to the name of jesus christ. >> reporter: despite the sharp criticism and more than 100 death threats, jones insists he'll go ahead with his plans, though he continues to pray about his final decision. >> the only thing that could cause us to change our mind is if we felt really a deep conviction. we felt like god really wanted us not to do it. >> reporter: but the government

is still holding out hope that between now and saturday, americans will stand up and condemn the church's plan. and jones has faced controversy before. he left a church in germany after allegations he was mishandling money. back to you. >> tara mergener in washington for us this morning. thank you. a thai airways jet is safely on the ground this morning in los angeles. a bomb threat was found on board. flight 794 from lang cob carrying 189 people landed last night. it was taken to a remote part of los angeles international airport. the airline says the bomb threat written in flawed english was found taped to a bathroom mirror. the fbi says no evidence of an explosive device was found and there have no been arrests. also in los angeles, 22 people were arrested during a second straight night of protests against a police shooting. demonstrators were protesting sunday's fatal shooting of a guatemalan immigrant waving a knife.

the huge wildfire in colorado, which has destroyed 92 buildings, including 5 3 homes. strong winds are blowing the fire through three canyons north of boulder. it could be days before fire crews are able to gain control. kendis gibson reports. >> reporter: ten air tankers and helicopters dropped retardant from above. >> first of all, pray for rain. that would be helpful, okay? what it's going to take, hopefully, is higher humidities and calmer winds and a very large effort. >> reporter: the flames have burned dozens of homes in the boulder foothills. >> came up and over the ridge. took out the house on top of the ridge. took out that house next to us. and then ours was third to go. >> from here to those trees, a wall of fire. the most amazing thing i've ever heard. >> reporter: more than 1,000 people have evacuated, though about a dozen refused to leave. the fire started monday,

possibly when a car crashed into a propane tank and exploded. in less than 36 hours this has become the worst fire in boulder in more than two decades. fire crews from neighboring states are coming here, hoping more manpower will help this from getting any bigger. the fire is already taking a toll on some firefighters. >> at least nine firefighters, while actively fighting the fire, lost their homes. and that's a testament to the commitment and the bravery and the dedication of the folks. >> reporter: so far, there are no injuries or deaths. the governor has declared a state of emergency and put up $5 million to help fight the fire. kendis gibson, cbs news, boulder, colorado. high winds are also fanning fires in detroit. at least two dozen homes have burned in three neighborhoods. and power is out to more than 100,000 michigan homes and businesses. fire officials say the fires may have started when a tree limb fell on some power lines. president obama heads to cleveland today to talk taxes and the economy. yesterday the president

announced a $50 billion transportation spending plan. today he'll propose $200 billion in tax cuts for businesses. but the president continues to oppose an extension of the bush administration tax breaks for the upper income americans. >> we should and must pass legislation that extends the tax cuts for middle class families, but we cannot afford, in this environment, to -- in our budgetary and fiscal environment, to extend the tax cuts for those that make more than $250,000 a year. >> congressional republicans want to extend the high income tax cut breaks and they continue to oppose the president's spending plans. in iraq the military reported the first americans killed in action since combat operations officially ended there. officials say an iraqi soldier open fire on u.s. troops at a base north of baghdad yesterday. two of the americans died, nine others were wounded. the gunman was shot and killed.

flood victims in pakistan are getting a celebrity visit today. actress angelina jolie is there. a goodwill ambassador arrived yesterday. record floods have destroyed more than one-fifth of their territory. more than 6 million are homeless. on the "cbs moneywatch" this morning, a rough day for stocks in asia. peggy bunker is here in new york with more on that. good morning to you. >> good morning to you. boy, did you say they're certainly having a tough start? asian markets were down amid concerns about europe's debt crisis. japan's nikkei gave back over 2%. hong kong's hang seng lost nearly 1.5%. today wall street will get news on the job market and the fed's latest take on the economy. on tuesday, stocks finished lower after a light day of trading. the dow dipped 107 points. the nasdaq gave back 24. the small investor exodus from wall street continues for a 17th straight week. americans have pulled money out of mutual funds in search of a safer investment. on tuesday, the head of the

s.e.c. said the so-called flash crash in may when the dow dropped nearly 8,000 points in less than half an hour, still has investors spooked. in response to that incident, regulators have put a pilot program into effect that briefly halts the trading of stocks that make wild surprise swings. workers are paying a big other share of their health insurance. the average employee contribution for family coverage climbed almost 14% this year to an average of nearly $4,000 as businesses try to ride out the economic downturn. companies that offer benefits still pay about 70% of the total premium. and google is holding a press conference today that has the tech world guessing. it's not clear what they'll be announcing but some think it might have something to do with the new google doodle they had on their home page on tuesday. now, this is the dots that formed and then scattered when they were touched by the mouse. i have to say, after a while, that just got a little annoying. i think i'm not the only one that thought that either. >> a lot of people that have

said that, i think they're just messing with us. they're probably sitting back saying, sucker. >> bring back the pac-man. i like that. >> peggy bunker in new york, thanks. just ahead on the morning news -- chicago mayor richard daley calls it quits. and a possible plea deal and a psychiatric evaluation for the world's most famous fed-up flight attendant. depression is a serious medical condition that can take so much out of you. i feel like i have to wind myself up just to get out of bed. then...well, i have to keep winding myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the trouble concentrating, the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] if depression is taking so much out of you,

ask your doctor about pristiq®. pristiq is a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain, serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens and young adults. pristiq is not approved for children under 18. do not take pristiq with maois. taking pristiq with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. tell your doctor about all your medications, including those for migraine, to avoid a potentially life-threatening condition. pristiq may cause or worsen high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or glaucoma. tell your doctor if you have heart disease or before you reduce or stop taking pristiq. side effects may include nausea, dizziness and sweating. for me, pristiq is a key in helping to treat my depression. ask your doctor about pristiq. you know she always finds out.

oooh! you ruined mom's tablecloth. not this time. what's that? my get out of jail free card. no way. you're busted. [ chuckles ] [ male announcer ] tide stain release. an in-wash booster that works with any detergent, to target and remove tough stains the first time. [ dad ] see? hey, look who's home. huh. what's that? [ male announcer ] tide stain release. stains out. no doubt. now also available as a pre-treat spray. pretty bizarre bomb scare here. authorities in central florida called out the bomb squad to investigate a suspicious device. a toy-stuffed pony. a nearby elementary school was in partial lockdown while the toy was checked out. there was no bomb. and no injuries. chicago mayor richard m. daley says he's retiring. daley announced he is not running for re-election after more than 20 years in office. many thought he might stay in the job for life, but he says

it's time to move on. the 68-year-old democrat has been chicago's mayor since 1989. one possible candidate to replace daley, white house chief of staff, rahm emanuel. a federal judge in washington has refused to lift a ban on government stem cell research funding. the ruling yesterday rejected a justice department request to delay the early order that could shut down funning of human embryonic stem cell research. the obama administration said it would set back key research and cost more than 1,000 jobs. former jetblue flight attend steven slateder will undergo a mental evaluation. he had an angry exchange with a passenger last month and exited the aircraft by way of the emergency chute. he went to court tuesday on a criminal hearing -- a criminal mischief hearing. a plea bargain may help him avoid jail time. >> we hope to continue those discussions to favorably resolve this matter for mr. slater.

he'd like to move on with his life. >> after his mental evaluation, slater might qualify for an alternative sentencing program that would let him perform community service. he's due back in court next month. and a new study reveals that women think good dancing by men is a good thing. researchers in britain used 3d motion capture technology to create avatars to test dancing styles. they say women like mostly large and varied motion involving the neck and trunk. they say it's just a matter of learning the right moves. we'll dance on to break here. straight ahead, your wednesday morning weather. and in sports, the top seed at the u.s. open showing off in late night action. [ female announcer ] stay once... stay twice... earn a free night! two separate stays at comfort inn or any of these choice hotels can earn you a free night --

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walgreens. there's a way to stay well. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country.un partly cloudy, 88 degrees in new york. thunderstorms, 89 in miami. sunny, 73 in chicago. sunny, 82, denver. los angeles, partly cloudy and 71 degrees. time now for a check of the time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows clear skies over the northern plains with scattered showers over the northwest. later today, muggy and warm conditions will remain over the southeast. heavy rains move into the central plains and some trormz thunderstorms are possible in the northeast. in sports this morning, rafael nadal and venus williams

advanced at the u.s. open. top seed, nadal beat fa lease anno lopez advancing to the quarterfinals. venus williams is headed to the semifinals to take on kim clijsters. in baseball, philadelphia took over first place in the national league east. the phillies hit a tie-breaking single here, eighth inning against the marlins. philadelphia beat florida 8-7 to go up a half game on atlanta. and san diego, adrian gonzalez doubled against the dodgers and gave the first place padres what they needed. matt latos struck out ten dodgers. padres win that one 2-1. 2005 heisman trophy winner reggie bush may be stripped of that award. the former usc running back has been declared ineligible for the season because of illegal gifts he took from two sports marketers. bush would be the first heisman winner to have that taken away.

when we return, after nine years of 9/11, there's finally major progress to be seen at ground zero. 9/11, there's finally major progress to be seen at ground zero. [ female announcer ] fiber has never looked better. all-natural benefiber. the fiber supplement that's tasteless and dissolves completely. to make getting fiber easier. that's the beauty of benefiber. stay twice... earn a free night! two separate stays at comfort inn or any of these choice hotels can earn you a free night -- only when you book at choicehotels.com.

the richmond city council comes to the rescue of three of endangered schools. the comments from a long public hearing last night. a long night for some passengers at los angeles airport. the threat that forced authorities to remove everyone from the aircraft. no more free parking at some favorite tourist spots in san francisco. the places new parking meters are being installed. plus... highlights from the,,,,

on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. flooding continues to spread into the southern plains as tropical depression hermine moves inland. warm and humid air will break down in the northeast with scattered thunderstorms. showers will cover the northwest. here's another look at this morning's top stories. an out of control wildfire burning north of boulder, colorado, has destroyed 92 buildings, including 53 homes. officials believe the fire started when a car crashed into a propane tank.

and government and religious leaders have condemned the plan by a florida preacher to burn copies of the koran on the anniversary of 9/11. but the reverend terry jones says he will not back down.k now to the controversy over the islamic community center, planned for lower manhattan near the world trade center. an opinion article in today's "new york times," the muslim imam spearheading the project faisal rauf says it will be built. he describes the center not as a mosque but as a, quote, center for unification and healing. rauf says it will have prayer spaces to for muslims, christians, jews and other faiths and will include a multi-faith memorial dedicated to the victims of the september 11th attacks. construction of that islamic center has not begun but as jim axelrod reports, almost nine years after 9/11, rebuilding at ground zero is advancing rapidly. >> reporter: they lowered a 70-foot column into ground zero, two tridens, as their known.

and now they're back as part of a memorial. >> as i look at ground zero today, i think we finally are seeing progress. >> reporter: days before the anniversary of 9/11, new yorkers are seeing what they've been aching for at ground zero -- progress. >> nine years is not unreasonable for go as complex politically, complex financially, given the world has changed since 9/11, and as complex from an engineering point of view. >> reporter: 2,000 construction workers are on the job seven days a week. the freedom tower is now 36 stories high, on its way to 105. one new story is said to be added each week. 80% of what will be the largest manmade waterfall in the country is now finished. a few days ago, the first 16 of 400 trees were planted to symbolize the return of life to the site. the man in charge of the 9/11 memorial promises it will

be done for next year's tenth anniversary. >> a bunch of people's jobs are on the line, i would assume my own. as far as i'm concerned, everything is going to happen to get it done. and i truly believe on the 10th we're going to open this memorial. >> reporter: but the emotion tied to this piece of land guarantees it will always be more than just a construction job, and explains why to so many, construction has taken too long. >> fundamentally the site is disgraced the memory of those who perished there. >> reporter: because of how long it's taken? >> because of confidence that's been exhibited in the entire rebuilding process. >> reporter: nine years later, the grief remains raw for the survivors of those killed on 9/11. even while the rebuilding here is now easier to see than ever before. jim axelrod, cbs news, new york. and this morning on "the early show," that florida preacher who's threatening to burn the koran, despite condemnation from almost every

corner, will talk about it. i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news." this is the "cbs morning news." no oil has flowed into the gulf for weeks, but it's just the beginning of our work. i'm iris cross. bp has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf and that includes keeping you informed. my job is to listen to the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel and restaurant workers and find ways to help. that means working with communities. we have 19 centers in 4 states. we've made over 120,000 claims payments, more than $375 million. we've committed $20 billion to an independent claims fund to cover lost income until people impacted can get back to work. we'll keep looking for oil, cleaning it up if we find it and restoring the gulf coast. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here.

bp is gonna be here until the oil is gone and the people and businesses are back to normal... until we make this right.

♪ ♪ let's dance this morning, shall we? dancers from new york's alvin ailye american dance theater danced yesterday at the white house. it also included hip-hop dancers, broadway and the new york city ballet. it was the first in a new dance series hosted by first lady michelle obama. america's average age is rising as millions of baby boomers move into their 60s. it isn't just happening here. one famous german carmaker is adapting. here's richard roth. >> reporter: just looking at its 18,000 workers here, bmw worried the problem was inevitable. it's committed to producing more than 1200 luxury cars a day with a work force that's getting older.

>> you could force them to retire. you could fire them. you could find easier jobs for them. >> yeah, that might be the simple way to solve the problem. but that's not the solution we will look for. especially since we don't have enough younger people to replace, so it wouldn't work even if we wanted it to. >> reporter: it's happening everywhere. over 65s will make up more than 16% of america's population by 2020. germany's aging even faster. more than a fifth of the country will be 65 within ten years. even the smartest engineers at bmw had to accept an aging work force was inevitable. but they wondered if a work force that's less productive might be preventable. in what the harvard business review called an experiment diffusing the time bomb, bmw tinkered with the staffing on one assembly line so the average

age of workers here would be 47. then it asked them how to make things better. >> that's the new magnifying glass. >> it's very simple. because older people can't read anymore as good as young people do. >> reporter: workers said their feet hurt, so the company made them special shoes and put in wooden floor pads. some got a place to sit. and everyone got a chance to stretch. in all, there were 70 small changes introduced, including lost time bmw says the project cost about $50,000. >> that's nothing. we basically thought it would be maybe ten times as much we would need to invest. >> reporter: and it paid off. productivity went up 7%. and the line's defect rate dropped to zero. time off for sick leave fell below the factory average. >> all the response i've been receiving is, wow, it's so simple, but it seems to work. >> reporter: so, the experiments expanding to other

plants, including in the u.s. bmw doesn't think all of their manufacturing can be redesigned to capitalize on an aging work force, but it's confident here workers won't just be getting older, they really will be getting better. richard roth, cbs news, germany. >> can we all work at bmw? that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching. we hope you'll join us later on for "the early show." i'm terrell brown. have a great day. take care, everybody. ,,,,,,

your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. caption colorado, l.l.c. comments@captioncolorado.com three west contra costa schools are saved not by the bell but by the city council. how richmond leaders stepped in late last night to keep those schools open. a message