gop game. a republican upset in a new york house race that became a referendum on president obama. relaxed rules. flying is about to become less of a half, at least for parents.

this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, september 14th, 2011. captioning funded by cbs good morning, thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. the state of the nations economy and the growing political implications for president obama. first, the politics and special election for a new york city house seat that turned into a referendum on the president's economic policies. republican bob turner was the upset winner in brooklyn and queens in new york city. vacate the house seat. the hole in nevada leaves

republicans with 49-seat majority in the house. both of those elections, the state of the economy played a major role. the president knows it. this morning, mr. obama pitches his 447 billion jobs plan in north carolina. tara mergener is in washington with more on that. >> reporter: since unveiling the plan to congress just last week, the president has been out almost detail promoting, urging voters to push congress. president obama heads to raleigh, north carolina, this morning, hoping to build support for his jobs plan. >> my question to congress is what on earth are we waiting for? >> reporter:? ohio tuesday, he called on lawmakers to quickly pass the proposal said it would create tens of thousands of construction jobs in that state alone. the stop seemed to have a campaign feel to it, but the president insists his road trip isn't about politics. >> this isn't about giving me a win. this isn't about giving democrats or republicans a win. it's about giving the american

people a win! >> reporter: while both parties agree on the need for more jobs, republicans have issues for how the president wants to pay for the plan. >> we see permanent tax increases put into effect in order to pay for temporary spending. >> reporter: gop leaders claim the white house is repackaging ideas republicans have already rejected. essentially daring them to vote against the measure. >> this is largely a campaign proposal and not about getting our economy going. >> reporter: president obama could also soon face opposition from fellow democrats. according to "the new york times," next week, he'll call up to 500 billion dollars cuts in medicaid and medicare. >> reporter: the white house says it is willing to pass the plan in pieces rather than as a single package. betty? >> tara mergener in washington, thank you. in afghanistan, a 20-hour taliban siege in the heart of

kabul finally ended early this morning. u.s. and afghan forces battle taliban fighters who fired on the u.s. embassy, nato headquarters and other arguments from a high-rise building under construction. no u.s. personnel were injured. during the attack, u.s. ambassador ryan crocker told cbs news it is heavily reinforced. >> we are very well prepared in terms of our physical structure, the personnel we have and the systems we have to respond to this type of attack. >> the they are overjoyed. iran's president said the men could be released in a few days.

>> reporter: the three were arrested two years ago while hiking on iraq's border in iran. they were convicted of espionage by the iranian government. shourd released last year. they told the two men would be released on $500,000 bail each. the bauer and fattal families said it's a huge relief. in an nbc news interview, iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad called the release a gesture. >> translator: we are trying to make arrangement for the freedom of the other two. i think these two persons will be freed in a couple of days. >> reporter: but secretary of state hillary clinton remains cautious. >> we are encouraged by what the iranian government has said today, but i'm not going to

comment further than that. >> reporter: iran's president ahmadinejad will address the united nations intlef next week. >> if you release them, it shows the case was political from the beginning, it shows the judiciary has been underdeemed for itself and they wanted intelligence and the entire case was a game for the iranian intelligence. >> reporter: some speculated the iranian president may even bring the two hikers with him to the united states as he comes to address the united nations. that, of course, would be a way to be seen as more benevolent leader. it's worth noting that sarah shourd was released one week before he addressed the general assembly last year. seth doane, cbs news, new york. a bus driver is being blamed for a deadly crash at a rail crossing. the bus driver tried to beat the

nonk plane but he was way too late. what you don't see in the video, a second train going the other way also crashing into the train's derailed cars. in all, 11 people, including the bus driver, were killed. and more than 200 injured. a final report on last year's bp oil spill may be released today, but some details are leaking out and they don't look good for bp. after the deep raurt horizon rig sp exploded nearly 5 billion barrels of oil spilled into the gulf. bp didn't reveal it to investigators for up to a year. and the gulf coast is still suffering the effects of that oil spill. tropical storm lee stirred up tar balls that are still washing up on beaches in louisiana and alabama. the mayor of one alabama town says tests show the tar balls are from the bp spill.

smoke from a major wildfire in minnesota is blanketing much of the northern midwest. the fire is in minnesota's north woods near the canadian border and has blackened nearly 160 square miles. the smoke has drifted south and east as far as chicago. 600 miles away. just ahead on the morning news, complaints from an airline passenger who is stripped searched on the knife anniversary. plus the woman who was fired for taking time off so she could donate a kidney to her child. first, though, scott pelley has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news". we ask the man who built the multibillion starbucks empire how he would fix the economy. that is tonight on the "cbs evening news." in here, pets never get lost. ♪

in here, every continent fits in one room. it was fun, we played football outside. why are you sitting in the dark? ♪ [ male announcer ] in here, you're never away from home. it's the at&t network. and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. 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.

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cantaloupe from colorado linked to a deadly listeria outbreak. four deaths from the bacteria i. kant loc cantaloupes south of denver are suspected but not yet reordered. an 8-year-old awe 'tissic boy is hospitaled in california but in good condition after lost in a mountain forest. joshua rob was found tuesday in the san bernardino mountains. he wandered away from an elementary school on monday and was found about a mile away. a new york woman is facing charges involving a fist fight between her 12-year-old daughter and another child. the fight was captured on video on sunday and ended up on youtube. the mother, daphne melon, was reportedly goating her doubt to fight over what she says is a case of cyberbullying. police say she got into the

fight herself attacking another 12-year-old girl allegedly. a woman removed from sunday's airplane on sunday's 9/11 says she was singled out because of her appearance. she is one of three people removed from a frontier airlines plane sunday in detroit. she was strip-searched and says she is half arab and half jewish she was targeted because of her middle eastern appearance. homeland security plans to roll out the new policy to screen children without resorting to pat-downs that involve intimidate contact. children will also not to have remove their shoes at airport security checkpoints but there may be some exceptions to keep airport security unpredictable. on the cbs "moneywatch" more positive news for the automobile industry. ashley morrison is here with more. >> reporter: asian markets fell today over more worries about

the debt crisis after moody's downgraded big french banks. japan's nikkei down a little over 1%, while hong kong's hang seng gained a fraction. on tuesday, stocks finished higher for the second straight day. the dow gained 44 points, while the nasdaq was up 37. toyota says it is finally back to its normal production levels in north america after a six-month slowdown. the automaker had big supply problems following the march earthquake and tsunami in japan. they build 12 model in japan accounting for nearly 70% of its u.s. sales. google jumped into the travel business. the search giant unfailed its new google flight section of the site on tuesday and google says it will make it easier and quicker to find the best prices being offered. the new feature has raised feature google will trample the

competition in the fast growing online travel marketplace. meanwhile, good luck getting a seat. airlines are putting new growth plans on fuel. high fuel prices and sluggish economy. analysts suspected 3% to 5% fewer domestic flights next year. a philadelphia woman lost her job because she took time off to donate a kidney to her son. claudia rendon took a leave of absence to donate the kidney. when she went back to work last week, she was told she had been replaced. now the company's owner tells a local tv station, she will be paid until another position opens up. i certainly would hope so. >> goodness. we don't make this touch up, do we? thank you. ahead, your wednesday morning's weather. yankees

mariano rivera goes for a career milestone, career save number 600. we're taking silk soy milk and silk pure almond to your cereal bowl. i like it! most people prefer the taste of silk vanilla in their cereal over dairy milk and love that it has fifty percent more calcium than milk. i think it's great. taste for yourself switch silk for milk in your cereal.

ú a mouthwatering combination of ingredients...e for you! i know you're gonna love. [ barks ] yes, it's new beneful healthy fiesta. made with wholesome grains, real chicken, even accents of tomato and avocado. yeah! come on! [ barking ] gotta love the protein for muscles-- whoo-hoo! and omega-rich nutrition for that shiny coat. ever think healthy could taste so good? [ woman announcing ] new beneful healthy fiesta. another healthful, flavorful beneful. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. time now for a check on the national forecast. the latest satellite picture

shows storms scattered storms swirling over the plains and the southwest and the central plains. skies clearing up in the west coast and the southeast. later today, severe weather could hit parts of the southern plains. thunderstorms will stream from arizona north to wyoming and it will be a cool day in the northern plains. in sports, a milestone save for new york yankees closer mariano rivera. rivera was protecting a one-run lead in the ninth inning in seattle when ichiro suzuki was on first but he was thon out trying to steal, giving the yankees a 3-2 win over seattle and rivera, his 600th career save. rivera needs only two more saves to top trevor hoffman for the most in baseball history. in boston, dustin pedroia hit two home runs over the green monster and tim wakefield got his 18th win in a win over toronto. in the national league, the 11th inning in milwaukee, the brewers ryan braun hit a long

blast to left center for a walkoff home run. milwaukee edged colorado 2-1. in college football, the ncaa has slapped boise state university with major rules violations. the nationally ranked boise state football team goes on probation for three years and loses some scholarships. the ncaa found the school had recruiting and other violations involving more than 75 prospects and student athletes in five sports. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. and the latest poverty report isn't just about unemployed americans. many with jobs are still below the poverty line. below the poverty line.w the poverty uit, it's parfait our way. and a delicious treat you can enjoy any time of day. subway. eat fresh. this flat-out delicious -- the new $3 flatbread breakfast combo. a toasty 6-inch flatbread breakfast sandwich

and a 16-ounce cup of freshly brewed seattle's best coffee. all for just $3. build your better breakfast today. bankruptcy scandal takes center stage on capitol hill this morning. the key players who will be skipping out. bart accused of media manipulation. how the agency coached riders.. to speak out against protesters. freedom isn't a done deal yet for the u-c berkeley grads jailed in iran. the comment raising questions about their release.

and.. no more kiddie patdowns. the new airport security guidelines. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. it took millions in stimulus,,,, on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. the first signs of fall are coming to the northern plains with some morning lows in the 30s. bands of storms will pop up in the desert southwest and the central mississippi valley.

here is another look at this morning's top stories. in a race that became a referendum on the president's economic policies, a republican was the upset winner in a special new york city congressional election. a two-day taliban attack in afghanistan's capital ended early this morning when the last attackers were killed. they fired on the u.s. embassy and other buildings, killing 11 civilians. no americans were hurt. the poverty rate in this country has grown dramatically. now 15.1%, the highest number in more than two decades. the number of americans living below the poverty line, about $11,000 a year for an individual, has surged from about 37 million at the start of the recession to 46 million at the start of this year. dean reynolds has more. >> reporter: in chicago's lincoln square neighborhood,

52-year-old jose tafoya is among the 10 million americans described as the working poor. >> i'm just looking for work. >> reporter: a naturalized citizen from mexico the construction business he owned in 2007 went broke when the housing industry collapsed. now he gets the occasional odd job, but his family of five depends on his wife's waitressing and his southern's auto parts job. their household income has dropped from 26,000 to 25,000 a year, from a bright future to food stamps. >> i never feel good. never get the food stamps before and now we have to get food stamps for my kids, yeah. >> reporter: to eat? >> to eat, yeah. >> reporter: he can't afford health insurance any more. joining the nearly 50 million americans without medical coverage. his credit card is $20,000 in the red. he hasn't been able to pay his mortgage in three years, and the bank is now selling his house. twenty houses for sale in the neighborhood? >> yes, yes. >> reporter: most of them are forced to sell?

>> yes, right. >> reporter: he says he still gets calls from his former workers wondering when the jobs will be back, but he has no answer for them, and he worries about his children and whether they will ever live the american dream that drew him to this country in the first place. now, he says he has trouble sleeping these days. mr. tafoya says he doesn't feel poor but has had to give up a lot of things the last four years, and this fall, he'll give up his home. dean reynolds, cbs news, chicago. this morning, on "the early show," facebook faces more tough questions about privacy. i'm betty nguyen. and this is the "cbs morning news." your digestive system could be working better. listen to this with occasional irregularity, things your body doesn't use could be lingering in your system, causing discomfort. but activia has been shown in clinical studies to help with slow intestinal transit when consumed 3 times per day. 7 out of 10 doctors recommend activia.

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"survivor samoa" premieres tonight on cbs. it's the first time the show has returned to the island nation since a devastating tsunami two years ago. i traveled to samoa to see how

the people on that island have discovered from the disaster in 2009. >> reporter: joe enendale and his wife touey knew what to expect for the tsunami but nothing prepared them for what was to unfold. >> we saw this massive wall of water rolling in. >> reporter: with no time to seek higher ground, the couple sought shelter in a car parked behind a neighbor's house and waited. >> wave just rolled in and picked up the house and picked us up and slammed us against that tree there. >> reporter: there is left now. >> nothing left. >> reporter: the sheer power of the wave carried them nearly a quarter of a mile. the couple had been married for 40 years and owned a popular island resort. he was a village chief. she, a former beauty queen. they were inseparable until swept apart. >> and her last words, and i still remember, her last words is, "jesus, help us." >> reporter: many of the

>> reporter: to, uey was more than of those to perish that day. many of the victims, children. today the bustle of the local markets has returned and many sections of the coast are once again lush and pristine, but the effects of the tsunami are still seen in some places. some resorts still haven't rebuilt since the deadly tsunami. the owner of this one simply didn't have the money, even though it offers one of the best views of the south pacific. joe enendale faced the same economic hardship rebuilding his resort, but he forged on because his is not a survivor story, it's a love story. >> you've got to rebuild and you got to redo it and rebuild for touey and that is what we have done. >> reporter: how has this changed you? has it made you more of a resilient person? >> i'm not quite sure what it has made me. i still have my weak moments. >> reporter: when you have your moments, what do you do?

>> i love music and i play the guitar. ♪ >> reporter: a song he hopes will heal the heart. ♪ this reminder. you can see "samoa" and all of its splendor when "survivor samoa" premieres tonight on cbs. coming up on the "the early show" poverty in america. 1 in 6 americans are below the poverty line. then we will meet some of the heroes who saved a motorcyclist trapped under a burning car in utah. and i'll have part two of my series on this season's "survivor samoa." that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching. i'm betty nguyen. have a great day.

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