taliban attack, at least ten people are dead after a fiery four-hour standoff at a kabul hotel. make or break, firefighters struggle against a massive wildfire threatening to overrun the los alamos nuclear facility. and still considering. sarah palin meets hundreds of fans in iowa, but says she's undecided about 2012. captioning funded by cbs >> good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. we begin with the deadly taliban attack on a hotel in kabul, afghanistan. as many as eight taliban fighters penetrated the hotel's tight security. this morning officials say at least ten people were killed,

along with the eight attackers. joel brown joins us from washington. joel, what is the latest? >> betty, good morning. hours before a conference was slated to get under way, when handing over security to the afghans, the taliban made its move on the conference hotel. the message? it's still a force to be reckoned with. flames poured out of the intercontinental hotel in kabul overnight following the taliban's brazen attack. late tuesday a team of suicide bombers and gunmen stormed the heavily guarded building, firing at civilians and setting off a tense four-hour standoff with security forces. at least ten civilians died in the assault. some militants were also killed after nato helicopters swooped in and pounded the rooftop with rockets. the attack came just hours before an important meeting on the handover of security from nato to afghans was said to take place. just last week president obama announced his plans to withdraw

u.s. troops from afghanistan, but this latest bloody incident is raising concerns again that afghan security forces may not be ready. >> it just shows the lack of police physical presence, police physical capability, and we're a long ways away, if this is where we're at. >> reporter: attacks in afghanistan's capital are somewhat rare but militants vow to step up their assaults after the killing of osama bin laden, and the start of the taliban's spring offensive. >> these are true jihadists. they're very smart to send a message, this enemy is not willing to give up just yet. >> reporter: neither are allied forces. today's scheduled conference is still on with nato and afghan officials determined to move forward. the standoff was thought to be over after nato choppers took out the militants on the hotel's roof but hours later another explosion, a lone suicide bomber who managed to survive, only to blow himself up in one of the hotel rooms.

betty, just a terrifying night in kabul. >> no doubt. joel brown in washington, thank you for that report, joel. now to that big wildfire in northern new mexico. officials at the los alamos nuclear weapons lab are standing by with foam in case it gets too close to the radioactive nuclear waste. thousands are standing by round the clock to bring the fire under control. the fire has forced the evacuation of the entire city of los alamos. sandra hughes spoke with one of the last residents to leave. >> the fire went from nothing to 40,000 acres overnight. it's now over 60,000 acres. it's extremely dry. >> reporter: with the wind picking up and the weather remaining hot and dry, all 12,000 residents of the town of los alamos were told to leave. it's not known what started the fire sunday and it's growing quickly. >> i seriously believe it could easily go to 100,000 acres. i hope not. god, i hope not. there is unburnt fuel out there. >> reporter: fueled by dry

woodland and burning out of control this northern new mexico fire has charred almost 161,000 acres, an area just under the size of milwaukee, and destroyed 30 structures. this is what happens when wildfire burns through a forest, wildlife is forced to go near neighborhoods and homes just to find food. but the biggest concern is how close the wildfire is to the los alamos national laboratory, where some radioactive material is stored. >> we have fire all around the lab on two sides. when you ask how close it is on the border, it's a road away. >> reporter: i just spoke with a man who works security up at los alamos lab. he said he is not going to leave town even though the city has been evacuated, because he is waiting for the call which he hopes he doesn't get that the worst has happened. in los alamos, new mexico, sandra hughes, cbs news. turning to politics now, sarah palin made a quick trip to iowa to make a big splash in the small town of pella. palin attended the premiere of a

documentary about her rise in politics. it's called "undefeated" but she says she's still undecided about 2012. randall pinkston reports. >> reporter: sarah palin made an appearance in iowa for the premiere of her documentary "undefeated." her first order, answering questions about the white house. >> it's a tough decision, big decision to decide whether to run for office or not and still contemplating. >> reporter: palin dismissed earlier comments by daughter bristol suggesting she had made up her mind. >> i texted bristol saying what did you say on some news program? oh, mom, watch the interview. you know how they take everything out of context. >> reporter: palin joined 300 of her supporters to watch the documentary. the film's director says his goal is to clear up distortions about palin's record. >> they think they know her because she's one of the most media covered people around the world but her story has never been told.

>> reporter: palin's story may continue here in iowa. there's still time to register for the 2012 presidential race, and some in this early voting state hope she joins. >> i like her, believe in her. >> i like her spunk. she's said some things other politicians aren't bold enough to say. >> reporter: president obama also came to iowa tuesday. he toured an aluminum plant and recalled his win here in 2008. >> we've got some history together and together we're going to make some more history for years to come. >> reporter: palin's stop comes a day after fellow tea party supporter michele bachmann announced her candidacy. while palin said she hasn't decided to run -- >> there are still many months down the road. >> reporter: -- comments have indicated she's not ruling it out. ran doll pank pinkston, cbs news, pea, iowa. in washington president obama will discuss the stalled talks on raising the nation's debt limit with democratic leaders and hold a news conference on the nation's economy at 11:30 eastern time

this morning, which you can see right here on cbs. a senate panel passed a resolution giving president obama limited authority to continue military operations in libya. the resolution is for one year and prohibits the use of u.s. ground forces. the bill goes before the entire senate next month, it was rejected by the house last week. in egypt a second day of violent clashes between police and demonstrators in tahrir square. the protesters want the government to prosecute security troops who killed 850 people during the uprising that ousted president hosni mubarak back in february. and in greece, more riots overnight. 46 people were injured and at least 14 arrested in the violence in athens. they're protesting a vote in article pamt planned for today in parliament on tough new austerity measures. a major new tylenol recall. johnson & johnson is pulling tylenol extra strength cablets

off the shelf, made in 2009 with a bad smelling chemical which can cause bad digestion problems. "cbs moneywatch" ashley morrison has the latest. >> good morning to you betty. stocks in asia were up this morning. the nikkei finished higher by 1.5%, on news japan's industrial production had the sharpest rise in nearly 60 years and hong kong's hang seng was up a fraction. in this country, signs of improving housing markets lifted stocks yesterday. the dow finished 145 points higher and the nasdaq was up 41. bank of america is close to settling with a group of investors who claim they were sold poor quality mortgage-backed securities. the securities tanked when the housing market plunged, the deal is reportedly worth $8.5 billion. drug labels are sometimes

deceive key safety warnings. "consumer reports" magazine evaluated five national chain drugstores filled prescriptions for blood thinner medications. four of the five failed to include guidelines under federal law. google is taking another shot at cracking the social networking market. its latest foray is called google plus. it will make online sharing more real life and allow users to be more selective with who they share information. betty, virginia isn't just for lovers, it's for business as well. a just released study ranks virginia as the top state to do business. some of the reasons, well its strategic location, a friendly business climate, diverse economy and improving tax situations, and texas, your home, came in second. >> i'm so glad said that, way to go, texas, which is also for lovers as well. >> oh, yes it is. >> ashley morrison in new york thank you.

just ahead on the "morning news" the first big storm of the hurricane season and where it might be heading. plus ahead for the life boats, a close call for the crew of the space station. first scott pelley has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." hundreds of florida's homeless children take refuge in motels. you saw them on "60 minutes." now after a devastating fire we'll have an update on that story tonight on the "cbs evening news." the stronger the rapids, the more we loved it.

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including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. lets go... haha. if you have high cholesterol, you may be at increased risk of heart attack and stroke. don't kid yourself. talk to your doctor about your risk and about lipitor. all looks calm in these newly released nasa pictures but things were anything but calm aboard the international space station yesterday. the six-member crew took shelter in the soyuz lifeboat capsules when an unidentified piece of space junk flew by, the closest close call ever for the station. the first named storm of the hurricane season is called

tropical storm arlene, in the gulf of mexico, currently about 200 miles east of the mexican coast. arlene is expected to gather strength as it moves closer to land over the next 24 hours. mexico could face heavy rains and flooding and some rain may reach south texas. the fda advisory council will vote today on whether to end its approval of the cancer drug avastin. some cancer patients are pleading with the fda not to take their drug away. dr. john lapuque reports. >> reporter: liz cleary and her husband, bob, were newlyweds nine years ago, when they got devastating news, liz had breast cancer and 18 months later the chemotherapy stopped working. so as a last ditch effort, doctors decided to try avastin. which kills cancer cells by choking off their blood supply. cleary credits the drug with keeping her alive the past five years. according to the fda, liz cleary is the exception, not the rule. the fda granted preliminary approval to use avastin for advanced breast cancer in 2008.

last year studies of almost 3,000 women show the drug can cause life-threatening complications, delay tumor growth by three months or less and on average did not extend the lives of patients so the fda planned to withdraw approval. dr. gary lyman of duke university was one on the fda panel who voted to revoke approval. >> no survival improvement, no improvement in quality of life demonstrated and the serious toxicities that have been reported i voted no. >> reporter: cleary was one of the patients pleading with the fda to approve avastin for breast cancer otherwise insurance companies may not cover the cost. the cancer community worries the controversy will make the fda less likely to give preliminary approval to other expensive cancer drugs in the pipeline because it's so hard to take a drug away once patients are using it. dr. john lapuque, cbs news, new york.

straight ahead your wednesday morning weather. and in sports last night was twice as nice for the mets on a rare trip to motown. nice for the mets on a trip to motown. ♪ ♪ -wee! -woo hoo. [ kids ] pop-tarts, please! [ laughter ] ♪ [ female announcer ] when you give your kids frosted strawberry pop-tarts baked with real fruit, they'll rise and you'll shine. pop-tarts. made for fun. with aveeno nourish plus moisturize. active naturals wheat formulas target and help repair damage in just 3 washes. for softer, stronger... ... hair with life. [ female announcer ] nourish plus. only from aveeno.

here's a here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york sunny, 84 degrees. miami thunderstorms 87. chicago sunny 77. dallas, sunny and hot 102.

l.a. a sunny 75 degrees. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows a coastal storm over the northern california region, and that is bringing rain showers to much of the west coast. another system is moving across the southeast, the midwest is mostly clear with a few isolated storms. later today, temperatures will be in the triple digits in the southern plains, and parts of the midwest. the northwest will be cooler than normal. scattered thunderstorms will bring wind and rain to the gulf coast and sunshine will return to the northeast. in sports, the mets slammed the tigers twice. new york got grand slam home runs from jason bay and carlos beltran in detroit. it's been almost two years since a met player hit a grand slam. now they get two in one game! the final mets 14, tigers 3. in the ninth inning in florida, tampa bay's evan longoria hit a walkoff home run into the left field seats. it was his fifth homer in eight

games. the rays edged cincinnati 4-3. in the first of two in chicago, san francisco's aaron rwowan doubled down the left field line to drive in three runs and the giants hammered the cubs 13-7, won in the night cap 6-3 as nate shierholz had three hits and barry zito pitched seven strong innings. tw wigginton of the rockies blooped a single to center and troy tulowitski came all around to score, colorado beat the white sox 3-2. when we return another look at this morning's top stories and you will not believe how much somebody paid for this little piece of paper. [ female announcer ] new from nivea. express hydration. the fast absorbing body lotion for moisture that lasts all day

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their condition. more than a million dollars each, to the mother and sister of oscar grant. the legal battle today, that could cost bart even more. the state budget, gives shoppers a break. how you can save big, just by waiting a few days to spend. and.. a pain for parents, or peace to passenger's ears. the airline booting babies, from first class. join us for cbs 5 early edition, on the "cbs morning news," , here's a look at today's weather. the southeast will see more thunderstorms while sunshine

returns to the northeast. heat in the southern plains will spread northward into the dakotas. late season rain on the northern california coast will reach inland. here's another look at this morning's top stories. at least ten people are dead after taliban fighters stormed a hotel in kabul, afghanistan. all the attackers were also killed during a four-hour battle. and that big wildfire in new mexico is getting closer to the los alamos nuclear facility. officials say they're standing by with fire resistant foam to protect drums filled with radioactive waste. many residents of flooded minot, north dakota, are still waiting to return to their homes. the mouse river forced more than 10,000 people to evacuate in the past week. the record floodwaters are slowly receding. some residents are living in their businesses in town and there are long lines of evacuees at the post office. in arizona today an emergency hearing on medication

for jared loughner. prison officials have been giving an anti-psychotic drug to the man accused in the tucson shooting rampage. loughner's lawyers want a judge to order them to stop. new pictures from cuba of fidel castro with venezuela's hugo chavez, the first time venezuelans have seen their president in ten days. chavez went to cuba earlier this month only for what's described as only pelvic surgery. in the world of stamp collecting this is a very big deal. at auction in london a two penny blue mauritius stamp sold for more than, get this, $1.4 million, for a stamp, but it's engraved in 1847, and it is one of the rarest stamps in the world. and they paid for it. this morning on "the early show," another reason to avoid tick bites, a deadly blood disease that you probably never heard of. i'm betty nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news."

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japan's government reported this morning that its economy is finally starting to come around more than three months after the earthquake and tsunami, but in the disaster zone, survivors living near the wrecked fukushima nuclear plant remain fearful of radioactive contamination. lucy craft reports. >> reporter: for ten years akiko murikami has lived the sur ban dream, growing leafy flowers as she raised four sons as she lived in fukushima. we brought a counter to her house. the home she and her husband built for her kids ages 12 to 21 is surrounded by pockets of radiation known as hot spots. >> i'm always worried about my kids, always thinking about whether i should leave here or not.

i'm always thinking about that. >> reporter: the government has lowered radiation exposure standards in the fukushima region to 20 millisieverts a year, that's about the same amount as 50 mammograms. fukushima city is 40 miles from the nuclear plant, the source of the radiation, but japan is telling its residents that there's no additional risk. many international experts and even the prime minister's former nuclear adviser disagree. they claim that fukushima is no longer safe especially for children. residents traveled to tokyo to protest after the government loosened safety limits, despite the fact the long-term impact of low dose radiation is unknown, the uncertainty has especially affected students. the government is trying to do something. cesium laden topsoil is now being removed from playgrounds but in a city of 300,000, it's simply impossible to get rid of it all. so parents who can are voting

with their feet. at this day care center these are some of the few kids left. most of the children have moved out of town with their parents. founder sadako monma vows to carry on but she can't pay her rent anymore. >> translator: the rest of the world must be thinking what on earth is wrong with japan? where is the sense of crisis? where isn't our government protecting us? >> reporter: akiko kamura is losing sleep over the worst case scenario. >> my biggest fear is my children's health. i'm worried that after ten years or 20 years that they would come down with something like cancer, i don't know what. if that happens, i would be the person responsible. >> reporter: and those fears are moving the family closer toward leaving their home behind. lucy craft, cbs news, fukushima city. coming up a little bit later on "the early show" the latest on the wildfire in new mexico closing in on the los alamos

nuclear weapons lab. then, how is he doing? a new cbs news poll on president obama's job approval rating. are moviegoers tired of 3d? the latest "transformers" sequel is about to find out. that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching, everyone. i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

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