campaign campaign crossfire, republican front-runners rick perry and mitt romney butt heads in the gop debate over the economy and more. >> michael dukakis created jobs three times faster than you did, mitt. >> well, as a matter of fact george bush and his predecessor created jobs at a faster rate than you did, governor. tonight it's president

obama's turn. he'll unveil his new jobs plan to the nation. flash floods, entire neighborhoods go under as what's left of tropical storm lee unleash another heavy round of rain along the east coast. look out below a giant u.s. satellite is coming back to earth and no one knows where or when. captioning funded by cbs >> good morning everybody and thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. at last night's republican presidential debate there were eight candidates on the stage but it was mostly a two-man conversation. texas governor rick perry and mitt romney stole the spotlight. squaring off on social security, health care and jobs. >> governor romney left the private sector, did a great job of creating jobs in the private sector all around the world but the fact is, when he moved that experience to government, he had one of the lowest job creation

rates in the country. so the fact is while he had a good private sector record, his public sector record did not match that. as a matter of fact, we created more jobs in the last three months in texas than he created in four years in massachusetts. >> texas has a zero income tax. texas has a right to work state, a republican legislature, a republican supreme court. texas has a lot of oil and gas in the ground. those are wonderful things, but governor perry doesn't believe that he created those things. if he tried to say that it would be like al gore saying he invented the internet. >> let's get more on the debate from jessica stone in washington. good morning, jessica. >> good morning, betty. this was the first debate for texas governor rick perry, his debut coming into this debate he was the front-runner according to three polls and in true texas fashion he came out swinging. the race for the republican presidential nomination is looking more like a two-man contest. >> michael dukakis created jobs three times faster than you did, mitt.

>> well, as a matter of fact george bush and his predecessor created jobs at a faster rate than you did, governor. >> just minutes into last night's debate in california, texas governor rick perry and former massachusetts governor mitt romney clashed over who had the better job creation record. it was perry's first presidential debate, and the gop front-runner didn't shy away from controversy calling social security a fraud. >> it is a ponzi scheme to tell our kids 25 to 30 years old today you're paying into a program that's going to be there. >> reporter: the candidates faced off on everything from health care reform to immigration. the one thing they did have in common was their main goal, taking over the white house. >> whoever the nominee is, we are all for defeating barack obama. >> reporter: tonight the president will do his part to try to win over voters, he'll unveil his jobs plan in a speech before a joint session of congress, the package could cost up to $400 billion, it's expected to include an extension

of payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits, new infrastructure spending, and money for states to hire teachers and first responders. president obama will push congress to pass a plan by the end of the year with hopes of making a dent in the unemployment rate in 2012. and it won't be long before we see all of these gop contenders again. round two is on monday in florida. betty? >> you know we will be watching. jessica stone in washington thank you. to pay for his jobs proposal the president will have to get congressional republicans on board but it is part of a long-term deficit reduction plan, something republicans are unlikely to accept. >> we don't blame the president for the problems he inherited, he inherited some, but we do believe he ought to accept responsibility for making our economy worse. employment is worse. housing is down. debt is up. the number of jobs lost is worse.

>> cbs news will bring you live coverage of the president's address tonight at 7:00 eastern, 6:00 central time, that's 4:00 in the west. here on the east coast this morning, what's left of tropical storm lee is dishing out another round of flood-producing rain. heavy rains are forecast today from virginia to vermont, flood watches and warnings are in effect throughout the region, flash floods in pennsylvania closed roads and forced evacuations yesterday. in some areas, this storm produced more flooding and damage than hurricane irene. >> a lot of people are going to lose a lot of money and investment in what they have. their homes are going to be gone. thought this would have happened during a hurricane, nope. >> it's a nightmare and we pray to god it soon stops. >> there is also heavy flooding near baltimore and up the coast all the way through new england. there is more tropical forecasters say tropical storm

nate in the gulf of mexico should become a hurricane by tomorrow. it appears nate will make landfall along the mexican coast. in the atlantic, tropical storm maria is expected to reach the eastern caribbean by this weekend and hurricane katia is still pushing north in the atlantic, away from land, but churning up large waves along the eastern seaboard. that giant wildfire in central texas has now destroyed almost 800 homes but firefighters report that bastrop blaze east of boston is now 30% contained thanks in part to easing winds. dean reynolds reports. >> reporter: this video supplied by the texas parks and wildlife department shows just how fast the fire is racing across the area. leaving some neighborhoods less than 15 minutes to evacuate. >> this is where the house was, and this is all porch area right here. >> reporter: now an elite search and rescue team has been brought to look in the ruins for trapped homeowners or bodies. >> this is not a one-day deal. it's going to be a long process.

>> reporter: road blocks are up at major intersections in an attempt to give firemen the best shot at surrounding the blaze. at one checkpoint we met julia hickman and cecil reynolds. >> we just want to see our home. we just want to see where it was. >> reporter: a neighbor snapped a picture of where their two-story brick home used to stand and where their dog, annie, died. finding a place to live is an issue for thousands. the bastrop middle school is a temporary shelter. can and lynn connor arrived with only the clothes on their backs. their house burned monday. >> we are going back, that's our property, our life out there. >> reporter: dean reynolds, cbs news, bastrop, texas. overseas, moammar gadhafi says he is still in libya and vows to never leave, it came in an audio message broadcast on syrian tv this morning. the voice, purportedly moammar

gadhafi, urges followers to keep fighting. in russia, investigators are hunting for clues for what caused a plane crash that killed most of a hockey team. the russian built jet went down in the volga river, killing 43 people, most of them hockey players and coaches. a former olympian's embarrassing run-in with the law, just ahead. plus reese witherspoon's run-in with an elderly driver. the oscar winner winds up in the hospital. this is the "cbs morning news." hospital. this is the "cbs morning news." a complete women's multivitamin, plus more -- for metabolism support. and that's a change i feel good about. [ female announcer ] from one a day.

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it's the at&t network. and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. it's the at&t network. cbs new l cbs news learned the government will ban so-called bath salt drugs. the drug enforcement administration says it will outlaw possession and sale of three synthetic stimulants that are also used to make home bath salts. they can cause extreme paranoia and violent episodes. the dea says the ban will last

for at least a year while it decides to make the ban permanent. jury selection starts today in los angeles in the trial of michael jackson's dr. conrad murray. he's charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the singer's 2009 death. dr. murray is accused of giving jackson a fatal dose of anesthetics to help him sleep. oscar winning actress reese witherspoon is recovering this morning after being hit by a car. it happened while she was jogging in santa monica wednesday. the car was driven by an 84-year-old woman and was going about 20 miles an hour. on the "cbs moneywatch," asian markets were mixed following a big day on wall street. ashley morrison is here in new york with that and so much more. good morning, ashley. >> good morning to you, betty. an up and down day for the asian markets. japan's nikkei edged up a fraction and hong kong's hang seng edge down. today wall street gets a look at the weekly jobless claim numbers. the dow shot up 275 points and

the nasdaq gained 75. wall street will be listening when federal reserve chairman ben bernanke speaks later today. the head of the central bank could give clues what steps the government may take to jumpstart the economy. united, continental and delta have raised some air fares on some round fare trips. the hikes mainly affect business travelers who buy at the last minute. others carriers have not followed suit yet. and facebook is on track for $1 billion in profits this year with overall revenues doubling in the first half of the year compared to last. the increase is mostly due to how the social networking giant cashes in on advertising. many analysts expect the company to go public next year. and here is a man with a plan. well sort of. early monday morning a man dressed as gumby tried to rob a

southern california convenience store. he said he had a gun but his gloves were so big he couldn't pull it out. eventually he ran out dropping 27 cents on the floor. surveillance footage did not show pokey behind the wheel of the car. not a very well thought out plan. >> he went to rob it and left money there. >> right. >> amazing. ashley, thank you, joining us live in new york. a giant nasa satellite launched 20 years ago is about to come down and no one knows exactly where or when. the satellite is 35 feet long and weighs nearly seven tons. decommissioned in 2005 it will soon fall from orbit. most will burn up in the atmosphere but about half a on it of debris will hit somewhere. nasa will discuss the potential risk at a news conference tomorrow. olympic gold medal gymnast paul hamm is free on bond this morning, after a run-in with a cab driver and police near columbus, ohio.

>> puss your hands behind your back. >> why are you guys trying to -- >> because you're acting like an idiot. >> it happened saturday. police dash cam video shows hamm struggling with officers, who charged him with assaulting a taxi driver, and refusing to pay a $23 fare. straight ahead your thursday morning weather. and in sports one swing makes all the difference for tampa bay. >> goes deep, way back left field and the rays win it by four. [ thinking ] i wonder what other questionable choices i've made? [ '80s dance music plays ] [ sighs ] [ male announcer ] choose taste. choose prego.

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here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, rain, 69 degrees. miami mostly cloudy, 90. chicago, showers there, 69 degrees. dallas sunny and hot 90. l.a. sunny and 94. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows storms moving up the east coast and scattered showers are heading into the midwest from the rockies. the west coast is mostly clear. later today though heavy rains in the northeast ease as the day goes on. the midwest will be sunny and warm while the west coast is heating up with temperatures in the 90s and 100s. in sports, a washout at the u.s. open. for the second day in a row, the tournament was forced to shut down due to rain. four women's quarterfinals and six men's matches were postponed. some players were upset play wasn't allowed to start at all. in baseball the yankees' six-game winning streak was snapped.

in the 11th inning at yankee's stadium, baltimore's single drove in the go-ahead run and the orioles held on for a 5-4 win. in the seventh inning in tampa, the ray's desmond jennings blasted a walk off home run to beat texas 5-4, cuts the rangers lead in the a.l. west to 2 1/2 games. and in denver arizona's justin upton smacked his 28th home run of the season, gave the diamondbacks a 5-3 win over the rockies. the d-backs lead the national league west by seven. the indianapolis colts are denying rumors that quarterback peyton manning needs more neck surgery. if that is true it would probably end his season before it begins. the colts have said that manning will not play their season opener on sunday. when we return another look at the top stories.

>> and almost ten years after 9/11 and ten years of war in afghanistan, what u.s. troops there are saying. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia -- thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and less pain means i can feel better and do more of what i love. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision, or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you.

i found answers about fibromyalgia. then i found lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. the woman accused of murdering the bay area nursing student faces a judge. what we're learning about the suspect.. and the plea from le's family. commuters brace for more delays... and bart starts talking tough. the stiff new fines it wants to charge protesters. a republican rumble! from jobs.. to health care.. g-o-p presidential hopefuls don't hold back. the candidate that took the most hits. and why it may be ok to bash your boss on facebook. join us for cbs 5 early edition,

on the "cbs morning news," here is a look at today's we on the "cbs morning news," here is a look at today's weather. it will be another day of soaking rains for the water-logged northeast but it will soon be over. the southwest will see scattered thunderstorms in higher elevations and the west coast is warming up. here's another look at this morning's top stories. texas governor rick perry and mitt romney dominated last night's republican presidential debate in california. the two front-runners clashed over jobs, social security and health care. and tonight, president obama delivers his jobs plan to congress and the american people. the president is expected to call for an extension of payroll tax cuts for workers and major spending on public works and infrastructure. authorities in nevada

released 911 calls during tuesday morning's deadly shooting at a carson city ihop. frantic witnesses described the attack. >> there's a man with a machine gun at the ihop. >> now he's coming back out with a gun. he's shooting people in the parking lot. oh my god, he's shooting at us now. >> the gunman opened fire on a table of national guard members with an ak-47 assault rifle. four people were killed, including three guard troops and seven others who were wounded before the gunman took his own life. as we approach the tenth anniversary of 9/11 attacks, the u.s. military also nears the end of its tenth year of war in afghanistan. it began on october 7th, 2001, and as mandy clark reports from helmand province, there is still no end in sight. >> reporter: nearly 100,000 u.s. troops will spend september 11th in afghanistan. >> still doing our job, fighting the dirty deed, trying to make

this place better. >> reporter: soldiers say they'll never forget the attacks a decade ago that brought them here. >> the significant part of that for us would be the progress we made within ten years, and is it going to take another ten years, you know, to settle this thing. >> reporter: the biggest success for u.s. forces came last may, when navy s.e.a.l.s killed osama bin laden in neighboring pakistan. the victory came more than nine years after the u.s. invaded afghanistan to defeat al qaeda terrorists and their taliban hosts. the september 11th attacks motivated many young americans to join the military. >> being able to do something about it just gives me all that much more pride. >> reporter: troops are still facing a fierce battle from the taliban and other insurgent groups. many afghans say having u.s. forces on their streets makes life better. >> they are like a support to afghan, to afghanistan people. it feels so good. >> reporter: but others want

american troops out. this taxi driver says the presence of foreign troops means the fighting will never end. >> as far as how long it's going to take, i don't have the answer to that. i don't know. the only thing i can do is make sure we do our part here. >> reporter: one thing is certain, this won't be the last september 11th u.s. forces will spend here. mandy clark, cbs news, helmand province, afghanistan. this morning on "the early show," country versus city living. find out which is healthier. i'm betty nguyen. this is "cbs morning news." my doctor told me calcium

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before 9/11, the worst terror attack on u.s. soil was a home grown plot, the 1995 bombing of the oklahoma city federal building, it killed 168 people, more than 200 children lost a parent. anthony mason takes a look at three oklahoma sisters and how they moved on. ♪

>> reporter: when oklahoma city remembered the 1995 federal building bombing earlier this year -- >> dr. margaret l. "peggy" clark. >> reporter: the children of peggy clark were not there. they didn't visit her chair or the other victims of the memorial. >> we had a big focus on not forgetting the event but not having it dramatically affect our daily lives. >> reporter: rosalyn biggs is the eldest of the three daughters. >> about a third of the building has been blown away. >> each life is valuable and in an instant it can be gone. >> reporter: her sister blaine was 13. >> you try to step away from it so it isn't as hard. >> reporter: they had no mother to guide them through their teenage years. clark's youngest daughter

chelsea was just 6 when clark died. >> i'm hesitant to tell people not because i'm ashamed or it makes me sad. i don't want that to define who i am. >> reporter: over the past 16 years, peggy clark's daughters have demonstrated an amazing capacity to cope. >> being held down by the event or the things that happened here wasn't going to allow us to move forward. >> reporter: move forward, for one, with their education, all 219 children who lost a parent in the oklahoma bombing were offered a college scholarship by the state. rosalyn became a veterinarian just like her mother. she holds her mother's old job at the federal department of agriculture. >> i get to find out what she was like professionally and know a different side of her. >> reporter: one side of their mother that these women believe they inherited was her resilience. >> no matter what the situation she never gave up on anything.

no matter what has thrown at her, she's never been lying down. >> reporter: chelsea has chosen to become a school teacher. >> maybe in the back of my mind some day i'll run across a student just like myself and they need someone to talk to or help and i can be there for them. >> reporter: just as these sisters have been there for each other. anthony mason, cbs news, new york. coming up on "the early show," the first big republican debate, who won, who lost and who was ignored. president obama unveils his jobs plan tonight, we get a preview from white house chief of staff bill daley. plus a look at the latest full-figured fashion. and we gear up for a new season of fantasy football. get ready, everybody. that's the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com