and a soldier story. a day after the don't ask, don't tell policy is lifted, a serviceman makes a heartbreaking phone call. >> can i tell you something? >> yeah. >> will you love me, period? this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, september 21st, 2011. captioning funded by cbs good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. president obama dives head-first into the precarious role of middle east politics today. at the u.n., the palestinians are pressing ahead with their statehood bid. the president hopes to convince palestinian leader mahmoud abbas to delay a vote on that and resume peace talks with israel. terrell brown is at the u.n. with the latest on all of this. good morning, terrell. >> reporter: betty, good morning to you. the president has a tough crowd this year, his speech in essence has on deliver a sense of calm not just here but across the globe. the overriding issue at this session, palestinian statehood.

president obama will try to convince palestinian leader mahmoud abbas today to back off his bit for statehood. he'll meet separately with abbas and netanyahu after addressing the u.n. general assembly this morning. >> with the israelis and with the palestinians, the president will be able to say very directly why we believe that action with the united nations is not the way to achieve palestinian state. >> reporter: abbas has been trying to line up support before he asks the security council on friday to formally recognize a palestinian state. the u.s. would push for peace talks with israel. last year, president obama had high hopes for a two-state solution. >> when we come back here next year, we can have an agreement that will lead to a new member of the united nations. sovereign state of palestine leaving in peace with israel. >> reporter: while u.s. officials say they can't stop abbas from asking for statehood, they at least hope he'll postpone his plans. a delay could give mediators time to jump-start the negotiations.

in the west bank, even talk of a separate palestinian state is sparking new clashes. palestinians youth hurled rocks at u.s. soldiers on tuesday, while in another village, hundreds of israeli protesters marred in protest. >> this is our country. >> reporter: in gaza, palestinians remain determined. they unveiled this giant chair a symbol they hope will be their seat at the u.n. world leaders are trying to steer away from this high stakes confrontation that we could see by the end of the week. meanwhile, talks on terrorism, nuclear safety, and the global economy will continue here this week as well. betty? >> terrell brown at the united nations, thank you. republican presidential hopefuls are criticizing the president's mideast policy. speaking to jewish leaders here in new york yesterday, texas rick perry said, quote. before perry spoke, mitt romney called the u.n. dealings an unmitigated disaster.

in other news. afghanistan's president hamid karzai was attending the u.n. summit but he cut his visit short to return home following the murder of the man leading peace negotiations with the taliban. former afghan president burhanuddin rabbani was killed yesterday. his tej is sedeath is seen as ag setbacks with hopes of a settlement with the taliban and raises fears of afghan war in 2014. it appears the united states is building a secret of drone bases in af africa and the arabian peninsula. one of the bases in ethiopia is already operational. "the washington post" says the bases will be used to launch the unmanned aircraft in somalia and yemen. one of the bases in ethiopia is already on operational. in japan, more than a million people have been told to

vatic vatican. the storm is headed to the power plant crippled by this year's tsunami. lawyers are asking prison officials to let a prison to take a polygraph test. demonstrators protested last night. davis insists he is not guilty. mark strassmann reports. >> reporter: troy davis was sent to georgia's death row for the 1989 murder of mark macphail. the off-duty savannah cop was shot as he tried to stop the beating of a homeless man. a fight over a bottle of beer outside this bus station. davis was in the crowd but denied he was the killer. seven of the nine prosecution witnesses have now recanted. four who said they saw davis pull the trigger and three who claim davis told him he was the killer. all seven now allege pressure by police to blame davis. >> he tried to break up a fight

and the fight went bad and a cop got shot and then he got blamed for it. >> reporter: dijon davis carerra is troy davis' nephew. his earliest childhood memories are prison visits to see his uncle. are you 100% convinced he is innocent? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: when i say the name troy davis to you, what goes through your mind? >> the man who killed my father. that's what goes through my mind. it's a man who took him from me. >> reporter: mark macphail jr. was 2 months old when his father, mark macphail, was murdered. what is your memory of your father? >> i grew up my entire life not knowing my dad. it's tough for a 5-year-old to ask his mother, why don't i have a daddy? it's tough to talk about it. >> reporter: even today? >> even today. >> reporter: the conviction of troy davis has been growing for

years. larry young was the homeless man beaten in the fight that ended with macphail's death. he testified he saw davis fire the gun, but then in 2007, young said this to cbs news. you don't know who killed the officer? no idea? >> no idea. i don't even know who he -- >> reporter: young now maintains he had medical treatment for his bleeding head until he agreed to falsely blame davis. there is something else. all sides agree there is no physical evidence linking davis to the murder. no murder weapon was ever found, no dna recovered. mark strassmann, cbs news, savannah, georgia. in congress, democrats and republicans are at odds over disaster relief aid. the measure is part of a bill that must be passed by the end of the month to avert another government shutdown. the republican-controlled house is expected to pass it today, but democrats oppose it because it includes cuts in a program to help car companies build more fuel-efficient vehicles. now to another funding issue.

this one involving another case of taxpayers getting burned. a department of justice investigation found what is described as wasteful and extravagant spending. and some of the numbers will astound put susan mcginnis is in washington with the costly details. good morning, susan. >> reporter: good morning, betty. this is especially bad time with white house and congress looking for trillions in spending cuts. we now learn that thabout this extravagant spending. in 2008-2009, the u.s. justice spent $120 million on food, beverages and event planning for 1,8 hundred conferences. the details can be found in a new audit from doj's inspector general. at one conference held at the capitol hillton in washington, doj spent $4,200 on 250 muffins

at a cost to taxpayers at $16 each. for a u.s. attorney summit, taxpayers shelled out $54,000 for meals, drinks and tips highlighted by beef wellington hors d'oeuvreses. costing more than $7 a serving. swedish meatballs served at another conference was $5 apiece. then the march 2009 meeting at a san francisco hilton to discuss violence against women. they provided snacks that cost $32 a person. coffee was also served at $8.24 a cup. officials explained those costs were high because san francisco is an expensive city. now, event planners apparently ignored the rules that prevent this kind of excessive spending. another crackdown has been ordered on excessive spending and doj says the expenses in this area are down for the first six months of this year. >> interesting. susan mcginnis in washington, thank you.

just ahead on the "morning news," google ceo faces a tough round of questions on capitol hill. plus, dramatic new pictures of a shooting at an arkansas courthouse. this is the "cbs evening news." chous. this is the "cbs evening news." ♪ have a better day [ male announcer ] only subway has a deal 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.

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about your child's medicines and medical conditions, including heart, liver, or kidney problems. [ woman ] adding intuniv helped eric. [ male announcer ] ask the doctor about once-daily nonstimulant intuniv. an investigation in arkansas concludes that officers were justified when they shot and killed a gunman last week at a county courthouse. newly released surveillance video shows james palmer firing an assault weapon in the office of a judge who approved palmer's divorce a year ago. one court worker was injured. police caught palmer outside the courthouse and shot him. on the cbs news "moneywatch," google is in for tough questions today. ashley morrison here in new york with that and more. good morning, ashley. >> good morning to you, betty. most asian markets saw gains today. tokyo's nikkei up a fraction and hong kong's hang seng lost about 1%. on tuesday, stocks finished

mixed. the dow edged up almost 8 points while the nasdaq lost 22. republican leaders on capitol hill want the federal reserve to sit tight. tuesday, they sent a letter to fed chair ben bernanke warning against any further attempts to lower interest rates. we have serious concerns, they said, that further intervention could exacerbate problems or could harm the economy. they expect some kind of action from the fed today at the close of its two-day meeting. google chairman eric schmidt could be in for a rough day on capitol hill. a senate committee is looking into whether the company uses its power to unfairly compete with smaller internet rivals. google controls roughly two-thirds of the internet search market. this might be described as a unique marketing technique. like a lot of homeowners, the owners of this home in suburban chicago are having a hard time selling. the asking price is $450,000,

but, so far, no bites. so they decided a little incentive might help. they are offering a $1,000 tab at a nearby bar if you buy their home. of course, that raises the question if you're so desperate for beer money, how are you going to pay the mortgage? >> yeah, a good point. i've heard of flat screen televisions, but a beer tab? really? >> i don't know. >> just take the money off the house. >> right. >> ashley morrison here in new york, thank you. straight ahead, your wednesday morning weather. and in sports, timely pinch-hitting kept st. louis in the wild card chase. is is the n. a network of possibilities. excuse me? my grandfather was born in this village. [ cellphone translating ] [ male announcer ] in here, everyone speaks the same language. ♪ in here, forklifts drive themselves. ♪ look at the map. okay. [ male announcer ] in here, friends leave you messages written in the air. that's it right there. [ male announcer ] it's the at&t network. and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say.

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new scope dualblast. 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 lingering over the southeast, while it's dry and mainly clear on the west coast. later today, rain will fall from alabama into the carolinas. low pressure is pulling cold canadian air into the northern plains. and the west coast stays warm and sunny. in sports, the red hot cardinals are keeping the chase on in the national league wild card race. ryan theriot hit a double to give the cards the first lead of the night against the mets.

the cards won it 11-6. their 11th win in 13 games. in miami, randall delgado was pitching. the braves stay two and a half games against st. louis in the n.l. wild card race. in the american league, boston's playoff hopes are dangling by a thread. in the eighth inning robert andino hit a hit that gave the orioles a 7-5 win but boston stayed up two up in the a.l. wild card race because tampa bay lost to the yankees. in the west, texas maintained five-game division lead over the angels. michael young's rbi single gave him 200 hits for the sixth season. the rangers beat oakland 7-2. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. plus, meet a survivor. a 64-year-old hiker who crawled for miles through the utah wilderness.

after more than two years in jail... the cal grads in iran are finally set to go home. the late developments that secured their release. a five year old girl.. caught in the crossfire of a shootout in san francisco. the clue police hope will help them catch the suspects. she knows the pain of a missing child. how another grieving mom.. ended up finding michelle le's body. and.. botox without the needle. the pain-free way to get rid of wrinkles. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. it's a done deal.. the american hikers in iran are finally going home. when,,,,

on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. the southeast and the ohio valley will get more showers. up to an inch or two in some places. it will be chilly and windy in the northern plains. the central plains will be mild, white the west coast heats up. here is another look at this morning's top stories. president obama addresses the u.n. general assembly this morning. then he tries to convince palestinian leader mahmoud abbas to delay his proposal for palestinian statehood. troy davis is scheduled to be executed in georgia tonight for the murder of an off-duty police officer in 1989. a pardons board rejected his latest appeal, even though seven of the key nine witnesses who testified against davis have changed their stories. wayne richards is a survivor.

the north carolina man broke his ankle while hiking alone deep in the utah desert. sarah batiste of our charlotte, north carolina, wb-tv, reports on how he made it to safety. >> this is one of them stretched around my knee. >> reporter: wayne richards showed me the camera bag he used to pad his knees as he crawled miles through a desert in utah. inspired by the movie 127 hours which details the true survival story of a hiker gets caught in a blue john canyon, richards decided to pack it up and hike it too. but as the 64-year-old made his way down, he lost his footing, falling nearly ten feet. >> took me maybe about three or four minutes to work my shoulder and get it back in place. once i got it back in place, i stood up and i realized my ankle hurt a little bit. >> reporter: turns out his left ankle was broken, leaving him no choice but to try to crawl

through the seven miles of rocky terrain back to his car. surviving on rain water he put in this bottle and two snack bars, richards crawled five miles over four days. his cell phone did not work, but by the fourth day, park rangers found his car and abandoned camp site. they were searching for him. then he saw the helicopter. >> i got out and i was waving. i had my camera out trying to get it to flash. >> reporter: park rangers spotted him and flew him to the hospital where he was treated for his broken ankle and dehydration. he knows he's one lucky man. >> feels good to be back. >> indeed, it does. that was sarah batiste of our charlotte, north carolina, affiliate wb-tv. with the repeal of the military's don't ask, don't tell policy, gay and lesbian service members are free to serve openly in uniform. the change prompted one soldier in germany to call his father in the u.s. >> dad, i'm gay. >> you're gay? >> i always have been. i have known since forever.

and i know i haven't seen you in like a year, and i don't know when is the next time i'll be able to see you and i didn't want to do it over the phone, i wanted to tell you in person but, i mean, i didn't want you to find out any other way. >> okay. >> do you still love me? >> the father replied "yes." he stills still loves his son. this morning on "the early show" elvis presley's words before he became king of rock 'n' roll. i'm betty nguyen. and this is the "cbs morning news." about this flat haircolor! [ gigi ] try nice 'n easy anti-flat, always dimensional. in one simple step, get tones and highlights built into every shade with nice 'n easy. nurse...! [ female announcer ] dawn power clean

can give you the power of an overnight soak in just 5 minutes. [ sponge ] it's a scientific miracle! [ female announcer ] dawn does more. [ sponge ] so it's not a chore. that didn't just hide your breakouts... but actually made them go away. neutrogena skin clearing makeup has our proven blemish fighting formula so it clears your breakouts. now that's beautiful. neutrogena®. 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.

,, all for just $3. take a look at this. it's time lapse video created by a maryland science teacher. he stitched together still pictures from the international space station showing the view along the west coast of the u.s.

from north-to-south, from 200 miles up. along with city lights, you can see flashes of lightning in the clouds. that's pretty cool. in medical news, a new report on cancer says there has been major progress against some forms of the disease, but little or no improvement in others. dr. jon lapook takes a look at what has been accomplished so far and the important work that still remains. >> reporter: are we winning the war on cancer? >> well, we have made tremendous progress in the war against cancer but we haven't won yet. >> reporter: dr. judy garber heads the american association for cancer research which published the progress report. over the last 30 years, death rates for all cancer dropped by 22% for men and 14% for women, resulting in almost 900,000 fewer deaths in the united states. >> we have a greater than 90% survival rate for breast cancers and cervical cancer caught early. for colon cancer caught early the recovery rate is also up.

>> reporter: the biggest advance has been the understanding that all cancers are not the same. and each one has to be treated differently. >> cancer is probably 200 diseases, not one disease, and we can cure cancer. we just can't cure all cancer. >> reporter: the report highlights the success of targeted therapies. attacking cancer cells based on their specific genetic makeup. drugs hick herceptin, used for breast cancer, target cancer inside the cells. gleevec it has revolutionized one type of cancer. avastin literally starving it to death. it's used in a number of cancers including colon and kidney but many cancers remain tough to treat. >> lung cancer remains a big challenge, though we have been able to do some improvement. pancreatic cancer, brain tumors, owe vein -- ovarian cancer, we have our work cut out for us. >> reporter: work that is

increasing difficult as funding for cancer research has remained flat the past five years. with inflation, that is actually a cut. the report calls for annual budget increases of more than 5%. >> if there is less money for cancer research, there will be fewer cures and fewer insights. >> reporter: innovative treatments are crucial but it's important to focus on better ways of preventing cancers and detecting them early. because despite all of the progress, as people live longer, cancer will soon overtake heart disease as the leading killer in the united states. dr. jon lapook, cbs news, new york. coming up later on "the early show," the case of the 16 dollar muffin. why the justice department bought 250 of them with your tax dollars. then it's chicken little time. a giant satellite will soon fall to earth somewhere. and my interview in samoa with "survivor's" ultimate survivor, the show's host, jeff probst. that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching, everybody.

i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. ,,,,,,,,

finally going home. when t'l be released. your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. the american hikers in