fire storm. a monster wildfire in texas, zero percent contained, forces thousands to flee. 500 homes are already lost and hundreds more are in danger. staff shake-up. the bachmann campaign takes a hit. her campaign manager leaves and calls the gop presidential race a two-man contest. and from the ashes. one man's mission to rebuild in the face of profound losses one man's mission to rebuild in the face of profound losses suffered in the 9/11 attack.

captioning funded by cbs and good morning, everyone. appreciate you joining us. i'm terrell brown in for betty nguyen this morning. the wildfires burning across texas have exploded in size and danger. over 60 blazes have erupted since sunday. hundreds of homes and tens of thousands of acres have been destroyed. thousands have been forced to flee. the worst blaze is described by officials as a monster. burning out of control in central texas. the 16-mile-long blaze has destroyed an area the size of connecticut. sandra hughes reports. >> reporter: texas is a virtual tinder box. the state's largest fire is burning in bastrop county east of austin. it's already destroyed more than 475 homes and shows no sign of stopping. >> it's really very tragic is what it is. when you get a fire established like this, and the weather

conditions as they are, it becomes very difficult and challenging situation. >> reporter: tropical storm lee brought high winds to texas over the weekend, and fanned the flames. >> the wind is just horrific out there. low humidity's making these firefighters use indirect attacks. >> reporter: firefighters are working around the clock, but relying mostly on air attacks. at least 5,000 people have been forced from their homes, some are staying in emergency shelters, waiting for word. >> i never did get to go to the house and see anything, get anything. this -- what i have on is all i was able to leave the house with yesterday. >> reporter: texas governor rick perry is urging people to heed local evacuation orders. >> i understand that losing your home, losing lifetime possessions is an incredibly difficult thing. but do not put your life in jeopardy for that.

>> reporter: texas is experiencing its worst drought since the 1950s, and resources are stretched thin. >> there's a lot of texas burning. this is one of 23 major fires that the state and the feds are jointly responding to. >> reporter: governor perry says he doesn't expect fema to be on the scene until wednesday. sandra hughes, cbs news. wildfires also a problem this morning in california. the largest blaze the so-called canyon fire south of bakersfield started sunday when a small plane crashed. nearly 9,000 acres have burned and at least 12 homes have been destroyed. overnight folks in nearly 200 homes were told to evacuate. firefighters are battling at least two other smaller blazes. recovery efforts under way in georgia this morning. tornadoes damaged about 100 homes. the storms hit yesterday afternoon. some of the worst damage was just north of atlanta. one man suffered minor injuries. this couple was on the road when the twister hit but managed to get out alive. >> the sky started to get dark, and i said, maybe we should turn around and go back the other way. which turned out to be a bad idea. >> and so we turned around.

and when we did, it just began to -- you could see the swirling, and all of the branches were hitting, and we stopped. >> the car started to shake. and next thing you know, there's huge limbs just flying across the road. >> the twisters were generated by the weather system that used to be tropical storm lee. tornadoes were also reported in alabama. hurricane katia has grown into a monster. a category 4 storm, with sustained winds of 135 miles per hour. the good news, katia remains far out in the atlantic moving northeast, and looking less and less likely that it will hit land. politics now. a shake-up in the campaign of republican presidential candidate michele bachmann. her campaign manager, veteran gop strategist ed rollins, is stepping down along with his deputy. rollins, 68 years old, says the long days required to run a campaign are too much for him. rollins also said he thinks the front-runners for the gop nomination are rick perry and mitt romney. he also said bachmann is still very much in this thing.

bachmann was one of the candidates making their pitch for the tea party vote at a forum in south carolina. the labor day event was hosted by senator jim demint. candidates were questioned separately about their views on lowering taxes and less government spending. sarah palin did not participate in the south carolina event. she was in new hampshire at a tea party rally. she left open the possibility of a presidential bid. palin urged the crowd to unite against president obama. the senate returns to work today, the house tomorrow. president obama wants lawmakers to get to work creating jobs. tara mergener is in washington with more on that. tara, good morning to you. >> good morning to you, terrell. well, both parties agree on one thing, job creation is top priority. but can they come together on a plan? >> private companies -- >> reporter: president obama is calling on republicans to put aside party politics, and get on board with his jobs plan. >> prove you'll fight just as hard for tax cuts for middle class families as you do for oil companies and the most affluent americans. show us what you got.

>> reporter: in detroit monday, he offered a sneak peek at the proposal he'll unveil to congress thursday. the president called for infrastructure projects across the country, and urged lawmakers to act quickly. >> we've got more than 1 million unemployed construction workers ready to get dirty right now. >> reporter: the president is still putting the finishing touches on his proposal, but his republican rivals are also pitching their own plans. >> the reason i see us struggling economically is because washington has become too assertive, too big. >> reporter: mitt romney will unveil his proposal in nevada this afternoon. in an editorial published in today's "usa today," he said it would included 59 initiatives and wrote, the contrast between what the obama administration has done and what i would do as president could not be starker. >> despite all the changes -- >> reporter: but president obama isn't romney's only competition. >> while he was governor of massachusetts, he didn't create very many jobs. >> reporter: texas governor rick perry, who is considered the gop

front-runner, is also selling himself as the candidate with the best job creation record. and today on capitol hill, the senate votes to revamp the patent system, which could make it easier for inventors to get their products to market, and, in turn, could encourage hiring. terrell, one step at a time, right? >> there you go. tara mergener in washington for us. thank you so much. an american civil engineer has been found dead in afghanistan. he worked on a military base in kabul. afghan intelligence sources say it appears he was murdered. in pakistan, another blow to al qaeda. younis al mauritania, a senior leader in the terrorist organization has been arrested. pakistani intelligence made the announcement monday. they were working with the cia. he was believed to have been personally assigned by osama bin laden to target american economic interests around the world. to libya now, hundreds of forces loyal to moammar gadhafi have left the country. a massive convoy carrying the troops reportedly crossed over into niger, and gadhafi may have cut a secret deal to seek refuge

in nearby burkina faso. meanwhile, rebel forces plan to enter the town of bani walid today about 90 miles south of tripoli. they reached a deal in the town. a tense hostage standoff in australia. police have surrounded a building near sydney where a man is holed up in a lawyer's office. he claims to have a bomb in his back pack and is holding his teenage daughter. officials say the man has made a number of demands and they're trying to negotiate with him. take a quick break on this tuesday. when we come back on the morning news, wall street braces for what could be an ugly day. plus this man eater. a massive killer croc caught alive in the philippines. this is the "cbs morning news." what do you got? restrained driver... sir, can you hear me? just hold the bag. we need a portable x-ray, please! [ nurse ] i'm a nurse. i believe in the power of science and medicine.

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100 feet long, and are rarely seen so close to land. >> it was incredibly amazing. i never thought i'd see a whale in my lifetime. honestly. it was just breathtaking. >> one came up right near the boat. and went like -- went underneath and went up, and like aaah! >> just a few years ago, blue whales were almost hunted to extinction. they're still considered endangered. only about 10,000 are left in the world. and from the largest animal in the world to the largest croc ever captured alive. caught in the philippines, the 20-foot beast weighs 2,370 pounds. it was caught over the weekend after a village reported a deadly croc attack. now officials say they're hunting an even bigger beast. you guys, go on ahead. >> "cbs moneywatch" time now. "the help" needs no help at the box office. ashley morrison here in new york with that and more. ashley, good morning to you. >> good morning, terrell. big losses on the asian markets today. japan's nikkei fell more than 2%. most other markets were down. but hong kong's hang seng gained

a fraction. global markets have largely tumbled since friday's u.s. jobs report showing no jobs were added in august. today, wall street is back open for business, after the long holiday weekend. traders are bracing for more losses over fears we're headed back into a recession. last week the dow lost about half a percentage point. the blue chips have now fallen five of the past six weeks. while the nasdaq was up a fraction. the senate banking committee holds a confirmation hearing today for richard cordray, the former ohio attorney general is the president's pick as head of the new consumer financial protection bureau. the new office, created in the wake of the financial crisis, is meant to protect consumers taking out loans, using credit cards, and making other financial transactions. oil is continuing its slide. the price of crude dipped to $83 a barrel this morning in asia. despite its slide, gas is still rising. the average price of a gallon of

regular is now $3.66 nationwide. "the help" didn't take the holiday weekend off. the story of southern black maids during the civil rights movement was the top draw at the box office for the third week now in a row. behind "the help," "the debt" finished second with "apollo 18" rounding out the top three. box office revenues are slightly up this year because of higher ticket prices, but attendance is down to its lowest since 1997. and still no end to royal wedding fever. britain's "daily mail" reports more than 350,000 people have visited the buckingham palace exhibit where kate middleton's dress is on display. at $27 a pop. that's a cool $9.5 million. final ticket sales are expected to pop $13 million. all the profits go to charity, and palace maintenance. terrell, that's one way to get a second use out of that wedding dress. >> yeah, i know. i just don't get it, though, ashley.

i don't understand. i mean these folks got to put their drawers on just like i do in the morning. >> pay to see -- i don't know. i could ask the neighbors if they want to come see my dress but i'm thinking no one's coming over, or paying for that matter. >> ashley morrison here in new york. good to see you this morning. appreciate it. coming up on your tuesday morning, get your weather forecast. and in sports, he hasn't missed a football game in years. so you know whatever is keeping peyton manning on the sidelines has got to be serious. we'll talk about it coming up. ugh, time to color. woohoo! whoa. haircolor is a chore no more!

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here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. 69 degrees and rain in new york. 91 with thunderstorms in miami. 70 and sunny in chicago. 86 and sunny in dallas. and sunny and 87 in los angeles. time now for a check of the national forecast. latest satellite picture shows more soaking rains from the southeast up to the northeast. clear skies can be found up and down the midwest. later today, remnants from tropical storm lee will be felt from alabama to maine. heavy rains could cause flooding and there's a risk of tornadoes across the carolinas and georgia. it will be warm and sunny from texas to the west coast. sports, the phillies cruising toward their fifth straight national league east title against the braves. ryan howard makes a sensational sliding grab of a foul ball and catches it bare-handed. cliff lee keeps atlanta swinging. struck out six for his sixth shutout this season. phillies blank the braves 9-0. in the american league the red

sox lost to the big right hander josh beckett who left in the fourth against the blue jays with a sore right ankle. he would get it all checked out today. in the 11th, brett lord hits the long ball for the game-winning run. toronto 1-0 over boston. the nfl season starts tomorrow without one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. the indianapolis colts say peyton manning may not play on sunday against houston. he's reportedly still recovering from neck surgery and is undergoing tests. manning hasn't missed a start in 227 consecutive games. he's only the second on the all-time list behind brett favre. at the u.s. open serena williams is back in the quarterfinals. the wind was causing all kinds of problems in her match. this was yesterday, she powered past the former number one 6-3, 6-4. and in a thrilling first set tiebreaker novak djokovic and alexandr dolgopolov, djokovic won that, and the match, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2, and moves on to the quarterfinal. when we come back another

look at this morning's top stories. and surviving. a look at how one business rebuilds after losing almost everything. i'm phil mickelson,. if you have painful, swollen joints, i've been in your shoes. one day i'm on p of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience

persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. get back to the things that matter most. good job girls. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. who tried to follow a woman on a bus. the california supreme court makes a crucial decision on the fate of prop 8. how today's hearing could open the door to gay weddings again. new steps to prevent another san bruno explosion.. nearly one year later. the push to make gas pipelines safer. a bear.. a prius.. and a wild ride. the test drive that ended with one incredible story for a bay area family. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. ,,,,

on the "cbs morning news" here's a look at today's weather. remnants of tropical storm lee moving up the east coast. spreading heavy rains throughout the region, including the risk of tornadoes. monsoonal moisture is heading to the southwest. the great lakes will be sunny and cool. another look at this morning's top stories now. 25,000 acre wildfire is burning out of control in central texas. some 500 homes have been destroyed north of austin and hundreds of others are threatened. over 60 wildfires have erupted in texas since sunday. and michele bachmann's campaign manager ed rollins has resigned. rollins says the rigors of the campaign were too much for him. he also said he thinks the gop

race is between mitt romney and rick perry. the world trade center memorial is still being finished as we near sunday's tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. the memorial is at ground zero here in new york city. it features cascading waterfalls and the footprints of the twin towers. the memorials will open on sunday but the key parts of it, like the museum, will not be open until next year. ten years ago on 9/11 cantor fitzgerald lost nearly all of its staff. the bond trading powerhouse was in danger of going under. but the company has since made an amazing comeback. alexis christoforous reports. >> reporter: this is the trading floor at cantor fitzgerald. after a remarkable comeback from september 11th. 658 cantor employees died on 9/11, trapped above the fire in the north tower at the world trade center. ceo howard lutnick survived because he was taking his son to kindergarten but he lost his brother gary and his best friend and he became the public face of cantor's tragedy.

>> my brother is on the 105th floor. there is no 105th floor. >> reporter: today, he is back on his feet, composed and driven. he's rebuilt cantor, and like other wall street firms that lost employees, the company has helped victims' families, giving away $180 million. >> most important thing in my life was how big a number i could get to. how much could i be a part of their lives and make a difference. >> reporter: cantor relocated to midtown manhattan, rebuilding its headquarters on the lower floors. the company is now twice as profitable as it was a decade ago. >> offer me 1.810. >> reporter: and the new york offices have grown, from just 150 people after the attack, to nearly 1,500. some are children of cantor employees who were killed in the attacks. >> the fact that they'd be willing to go work for the firm where -- where their dad was killed, it is the greatest honor we can have. and it's my pleasure. >> reporter: lutnick remains a

fierce businessman, but at certain moments he struggles. he describes himself as heartbroken. but says he finds comfort in family. both his own, and the extended family at cantor fitzgerald. alexis christoforous, cbs news, new york. and this morning on "the early show," the battle over jobs. as president obama and the republican candidates come out swinging, i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news."

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president of the teamsters union, jimmy hoffa, is in hot water with the tea party group this morning. they say his remarks at a labor union rally in detroit monday are dangerous and irresponsible. >> president obama, this is your army. we are ready to march. let's take these [ bleep ] out and give america back to america where we belong. >> president obama also spoke at

the rally, and the tea party group is asking him to condemn what hoffa said. the white house is declining comment. the staggering economy presents problems for union leaders. many state and local governments are running out of money so unions face a tough decision. cave in to concessions or make a stand. elaine quijano reports. >> reporter: it took 15 years for joshua sawyer to found his calling. how do you like being a state trooper? >> love it. it's like the front row seat to the best show on earth. >> reporter: what you thought it was going to be? >> absolutely. >> reporter: but less than a year after graduating from the police academy, the father of two is losing his job. one of 56 connecticut state troopers being laid off, as the state struggles to close a $3.5 billion budget deficit this year. >> when i was younger my father would say you've got to get into government, or you get into -- into the federal government, because you'll be all set. well, i'm here now. and it's not exactly the case.

>> reporter: the state had offered sawyer and other union members a deal. guaranteed job security for four years, in exchange for a two-year wage freeze. sawyer and the police union said no. >> how many more times are they going to come back to us and say, we need more, we need more, we need more? you know, is it going to be to the point where we've given everything back? >> reporter: connecticut is one of at least eight states asking its public unions to make concessions. how worried were you that your job was going to be on the chopping block? >> i was very worried. >> reporter: efrem golden, a forensic fraud examiner in connecticut, voted for the deal. >> given the economic climate, i think that it wasn't really the time to draw the line in the sand. we got an offer to get four years of no layoffs. that was what led me to vote yes, was the protection from layoff. >> i will adapt and overcome. >> reporter: trooper sawyer has no regrets about his decision. >> it's going to be disheartening when i hand my badge and my gun and my i.d.

over to my commanding officer because i worked so hard for it. >> thursday will be his last day on the job. elaine quijano, cbs news, middlebury, connecticut. coming up a little later on "the early show," texas governor rick perry on the battle to control the wildfires raging through this drought-stricken state. thousands have been forced to flee. but, all-star quarterback peyton manning sidelined for the home opener. chris russo explains what that means for the colts and the nfl. and the whale watcher's dream off the coast of southern california. all that and much more coming up a little bit later on on "the early show." for now that will do it for this tuesday edition of the "cbs morning news." appreciate you watching. as always, i'm terrell brown. have a good day. have a good day. ,,,,