salon slaughter. a bitter custody battle may have triggered a shooting massacre at a california beauty shop. tax test. herman cain's 999 plan has him surging in the polls, but does it add up? we will crunch the numbers. and strategy shift. a stunning about-face at the michael jackson manslaughter trial. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, october 13th, 2011. good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. police in southern california say a child custody fight may have led to a massacre at a hair salon. eight people were shot and killed and, this morning, another is in critical condition. witnesses say the suspect is in custody.

scott evans decry is the ex-husband of a salon employee and it happened in seal beach in orange county, south of l.a. elizabeth sanchez is there with the latest. good morning, elizabeth. >> good morning, betty. >> reporter: police just released the suspect's name a short time ago. as you said, it is scott decry. police say he is the man that came into the salon behind me late wednesday afternoon, opened fire, killing his ex-wife, among others. police worked through the night digging for clues inside salon meritage, the scene of orange county's deadliest shooting spree ever. >> i have worked here my whole life and nothing has ever happened. i've never even heard of like robberies. >> reporter: authorities say 42-year-old scott decry walked into the hair salon in seal beach, california, wednesday and opened fire on nine people in broad daylight. every styling station was filled at the time.

david mcgee's wife was inside and ran for cover. >> she got back in the room and locked the door and she even said somebody was trying to get in the door. >> reporter: decry allegedly fled the scene. police caught up with him just a half mile away. >> currently, the suspect is in custody and is at the seal beach police department. >> reporter: authorities are still searching for a motive, but witnesses say the suspect and his ex-wife who worked at the salon were involved in a bitter custody battle over their son. >> he had warned her and said he was going to do something like this. >> reporter: neighbors say when police arrested decry, he was wearing this body armor. >> they took the bullet proof vest off of him, the velcro on the shoulders and under that and just pulled the thing off of him. >> reporter: following the shooting, residents were visibly shaken. >> this is a small, tight-knit commune and this is one of seal beach's greatest tragedies. >> reporter: seal beach has seen just one other homicide in the past four years. police say scott decry was

cooperative when they arrested him. he is from a nearby huntington beach, but, at this point, that's all police will say about him. reporting live, elizabeth sanchez, cbs news, seal beach, california. >> thank you, elizabeth. now to northern california where two amtrak trains collided earlier today in oakland. one of the trains was parked in the oakland station. it was actually hit from behind by an arriving train. at least 16 people were hurt. most with minor injuries. >> we heard like a big bang, like a bomb. >> sounded exactly like that. >> and we thought the forklift had hit the train, you know? we didn't even think another train had hit the train. but it sure did. >> it could have been worse. the moving train was not traveling at high speeds. now to politics and a shake-up in the race for the republican presidential nomination. herman cain has surged to the top in a just released poll. according to the nbc news/"wall street journal" survey, cain is the first choice of 27% of

republican voters and 23% chose mitt romney and rick perry was third with 16%. cain is being driven to the top of the gop field in part due to his simplified 999 tax plan. susan mcginnis is in washington with more on that. susan, explain how this works. >> reporter: good morning, betty. well, cain is gaining momentum doing all he can to push this 999 plan which he calls simple, straightforward, transparent and fair. his rivals are doing all they can to discredit it and now tax experts are digging into the details. >> my top priority is 999! >> reporter: it's catchy. >> 999 is bold. >> reporter: and has herman cain surging in the polls, but is his tax plan a solution or a slogan? if elected, he has pledged to replace the entire tax code and all of its loopholes with a 9% corporate tax, a 9% personal income tax, and a 9% national sales tax.

he says it will raise the same amount in revenue, but would be simpler and more fair. it would definitely make filing taxes a lot easier. most families would play a flat 9% income tax with only one deduction for charitable contributions. there would be no tax on capital gains but analysts say the bottom line is. >> it will raise taxes on the poor and cut taxes on the rich. >> reporter: the bipartisan tax policy center calls the plan a double hit on low income americans. the 30 million households that now pay no federal taxes, including some families making up to $49,000, would start paying 9%, plus the 9% sales tax on consumer goods, including food, medicine, and gasoline. upper income americans, meanwhile, would see their top 35% income tax rate slashed to 9%. >> they would absolutely pay less than they are paying right now. >> reporter: cain is promising

to add to his star and campaign harder in iowa and pushing that 999 plan. meanwhile, rick perry is ready to release his economic plan tomorrow. >> we will be watching that for. susan mcginnis in washington, thank you. pakistan officials say a u.s. drone missile strike today killed a leader of the militant haqqani network. it happened in a village near the afghan border in waziristaw. local police say the last killed an operative and two other militants. haqqani is a taliban ally fighting u.s. forces in afghanistan. in indonesia, workers and tourists fled into the streets today as a strong magnitude 6.2 earthquake shook the island of bali. dozens were injured, but no deaths were reported. there are celebrations in libya this morning following reports that one of gadhafi's son has been captured. hundreds rallied in the streets

of benghazi. th they say he was arrested as he tried to escape the besieged city of sirte. saudi arabia says iran will pay the price for an alleged plot to assassinate the saudi ambassador to the united states. iran says the plot was a fabrication by the united states, but u.s. say the plot was tied to the iranian government. secretary of state hillary clinton called the plan a reckless act. >> this plot was a flagrant violation of international and u.s. law, and a dangerous escalation of the iranian government's long-standing use of political violence and sponsorship of terrorism. >> the u.s. is pushing for a new round of u.n. sanctions against iran. in detroit, underwear bomber umar farouk abdulmutallab

pleaded guilty yesterday. he ended his trial yesterday by pleading guilty to all charges. his lawyer called the decision disappointing. >> we wanted to continue the trial. but we respect his decision. certainly no lawyer, i think, would recommend a plea to life without parole. >> mutallab told the court the bomb he carried was, quote, a blessed weapon to save the lives of muslims. just ahead on the "morning news," conrad murray sings a different tune at the michael jackson trial. plus the blackberry blackout. find if your cracked berry will get back online today. this is the "cbs morning news." ...with humira. for many adults with moderate to severe ra,... ...humira's proven to help relieve pain and stop joint damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis.

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lugging around a hot water extraction unit can be a rush! that's why i'm carpet for life. but if things get out of hand, there's no shame in calling us. ♪call 1-800-steemer. the arrests are piling up at anti-protests around the country. in san francisco, 11 people were taken into custody on wednesday during a demonstration at wells fargo bank headquarters. in new york, hundreds of

protesters marched past jpmorgan chase bank. a scuffle with police led to four arrests there. meanwhile, the new york park where the protesters have been camping out will be cleaned on friday. the city says the three-week-old encampment has created unsanitary conditions. the cleaning will be done in stages and protesters will be allowed to return afterward. on the cbs "moneywatch," stocks up on asian markets following another good day on wall street. ashley morrison is here with more on. asian markets were encouraged today by europe's efforts to clamp down its debt crisis. japan's nikkei gained 1% while hong kong's hang seng was up more than 2%. today, wall street gets the weekly jobless claim numbers and another round of earnings report starting with jpmorgan chase. on wednesday, stocks gained more ground. the dow climbed 102 points while the nasdaq added 21. some blackberry users are still having problems this morning. wednesday, the outage that affected much of the world

spread to the u.s. leaving many without e-mail, texting or internet access. research and motion says they have fixed the problem, but it's taking some time to clear up the backlog of e-mails and messages. home foreclosures are picking up speed. reality track says 14% more homeowners got their first default notice in the first quarter compared to the second quarter. it appears banks are getting more aggressive with homeowners who are late with their payments. there is rich and then there is warren buffett rich. the billionaire investor said he made almost $63 million last year and paid about $7 million in federal taxes and that works out to around 17% of his taxable income. buffett made waves this summer when he argued the rich don't pay their fair share to uncle sam. ebay is about to make browsing a breeze. the online auction king plans to add image recognition technology to its website.

shoppers will be able to upload an image of something they are looking to buy and ebay computers will look for a visual match. it's what i need. online shopping made even easier for me. >> you won't leave the house. >> no, i'm not! >> i don't know if that is a good thing. ashley morrison in new york, thank you. the defense will cross-examine a key prosecution witness today in the los angeles trial of dr. conrad murray. he is charged with manslaughter in the death of michael jackson. this follows a day of dramatic testimony. as kendis gibson reports. >> reporter: the defense delivered a big surprise. abandoning its claim that michael jackson swallowed a fatal dose of propofol. the singer's personal physician is accused of giving jackson the powerful anesthetic that killed him. the jury was out of the room when dr. conrad murray's attorney told the judge that jackson could not have taken the medicine orally. it is unclear whether the defense will argue the singer injected the powerful drug. jackson died in his los angeles

mansion in june of 2009. a cardiologist who reviewed dr. murray's care of jackson found six instances of gross negligence on the day he died. >> he should never have given propofol in the first place. he didn't have to guide monitor. he wasn't ready for an emergency. didn't have an emergency plan. if you put all of those together, yes, he is responsible. >> reporter: dr. alon steinberg says dr. murray made another critical mistake because he didn't call 911 when jackson lost consciousness. >> had dr. murray called 911 at 12:00, would michael jackson still be here today? >> yes, sir. >> and there's just no doubt in your mind about that? >> no doubt. >> reporter: the prosecution is wrapping up its case. murray's attorneys are expected to start calling witnesses next week. kendis gibson, cbs news, los angeles. straight ahead, your thursday morning weather. and in sports, extra inning victory puts texas one game away from returning to the world series.

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could've had a v8. 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 clear skies up and down the plains and in the southwest.

clouds are moving on shore in the northwest. most of the eastern third of the nation has showers and storms from iowa to maine and down to florida. later today, the storm system in the northeast will push rain into new england. the southeast and great lakes will have thunderstorms. it will be sunny and very warm in the southwest. the northwest and the northern plains will be cool and breezy. in sports, st. louis has taken the lead in the national league championship series. in the first inning, the cardinals got three doubles, jumping to go a quick 4-0 lead over milwaukee. the brewers mark kotsay homered to get the brewers within one run. but the cardinals held on for a 4-3 win. they lead the seven-game series 2-1, with game four tonight in st. louis. in the american league, texas is on the verge of a return to the world series. in the 11th inning, rangers catcher mike napoli singled to break a 3-3 tie. then outfielder nelson cruz

blasted a three-run homer and texas beat the tigers 7-3. the rangers lead the series three games to one, with game five this afternoon in detroit. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. scarlett johansson and mila kunis and christine yeah aguilera, all of them alleged victims of an e-mail hacker. well, now authorities have found him. victims of a media hacker. now authorities have found him. . ♪ ...and roasted the same as our other premium coffees. let johansson and others are the victims of a media hacker. now authorities have found him. others are the victims of a media hacker. now authorities have found him. so, try it for yourself. buy a pack of 100% natural starbucks via® ready brew. we promise you'll love it or we'll send you a bag of starbucks coffee. it's the starbucks via® taste promise. look for it at starbucks stores and where you buy groceries. it's the starbucks via® taste promise. ♪ the signs of fall are everywhere. like the petsmart fall festival of savings. save 20% on all whisker city® cat furniture,

scratch posts and beds, select hooded litter boxes, fountains and more. exclusively at petsmart®. this morning.. all service is suspended. the new information about what went wrong.. and who may be at fault. oakland names its interim police chief. who's taking over for chief batts. and the huge slide in the mayor's popularity. customers duck for cover. what we're learning about the motive behind a hair salon rampage in southern california. and the protest over a millionaire's bay area visit. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. "the train just comes to a stop and then we crash." amtrak trains collide head-o,,,,

on the "cbs morning news," , here's a look at today's weather. the northeast will have showers and gusty winds and watches of fog as a slow moving storm system rides up the coast. thunderstorms are spreading along a cold front from the great lakes to the gulf coast. here is another look at this morning's top stories. eight people are dead after a shooting rampage at a southern california beauty salon. police identified the suspect as

scott evans decry, the ex-husband of an employee who were among those killed. changing particular tack tickets in the murder trial of dr. conrad murray. dr. conrad murray's lawyers say they will not try to prove jackson tried to swallow a fatal dose of anesthetic while murray was not looking. a florida man is free on bail this morning after being charged in federal court with hacking into the personal e-mail accounts of hollywood celebrities. ben tracy has that story. >> reporter: his alleged victims are a who's who of film and music, including act dresses scarlett johansson and mila kunis as well as christina aguilera. the arrest of christopher chaney in florida comes after 11-month investigation dubbed operation, hack a razzi. investigators say during a three-month span, chaney took control of the forwarding

feature so that a copy of every e-mail was sent virtually instantaneously to his e-mail account. >> using these methods, chaney stole not only private and personal photographs of the victims, he also took financial information, movie scripts, and conversations that the victims believed to be private. >> reporter: chaney is charged with 26 counts, including identity theft and wire-tapping. authorities say he offered some of what he stole to celebrity blog sites and some of it was published, including nude photos of scarlett johansson that appeared online earlier this year. but they say chaney was not trying to make money. >> there was no money to be had here. these are high profile people that are put on a pedestal in our society and that is what they want to do is take them down a notch. >> reporter: unlike the scandal in britain, it does not appear that chaney was working for any particular publication.

the fbi says more than 50 people were victims of chaney's hacking, all of them with ties to the entertainment industry. >> i'm betty nguyen. and this is the "cbs morning news." so the doctor kept eric on his current medicine and added nonstimulant intuniv to his treatment plan. [ male announcer ] for some children like eric, adding once-daily nonstimulant intuniv to their stimulant has been shown to provide additional adhd symptom improvement. don't take if allergic to intuniv, its ingredients, or taking other medicines with guanfacine, like tenex. intuniv may cause serious side effects, such as low blood pressure, low heart rate, fainting, and sleepiness. intuniv may affect the ability to drive or use machinery. other side effects include nausea, tiredness, trouble sleeping, stomach pain, and dizziness. tell the doctor about your child's medicines and medical conditions, including heart, liver, or kidney problems.

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some new free trade agreements are headed to the white house for president obama's signature. wednesday, congress approved the trade pacts with south korea, colombia and panama, and that could boost american exports and create tens of thousands of jobs right here in the u.s. right now in this country, there are 4.6 unemployed workers competing for every available job, but job seekers can improve their odds if they want to get their hands dirty. elaine quijano explains. >> i don't really dig the second shift, but you got to start somewhere. >> reporter: despite the worst job market in decades, listen to what 20-year-old nick sinetti found right out of high school. how many offers did you get? >> three, i think.

>> reporter: three offers? >> right. >> reporter: he graduated in 2009 as a certified welder from a career in technical education high school, or what used to be called vocational education. he now works for air products in allentown, pennsylvania. of the 7,500 employees you have here in the united states, how many are what you would say are the skilled workers? >> 4,000. >> reporter: john mcglade is president and ceo of air products. his global company designs high tech hydroagain equipment and devices. how worried are you you won't find another skilled workers in the future? >> i'm worried. i've been worried. >> reporter: mcglade says he hires about 550 u.s. workers a year. 300 are technically skilled positions that requires two years of college or advanced certification. these positions can often go unfilled for 12 months. but this year, funding for vocational education was cut by $140 million, and president

obama is proposing a 20% cut next year. what is your sort of biggest fear if there isn't this continued support for voc-tech education? >> without the support and without the continued development of the skilled work force, we're not going to be able to fill the jobs. >> reporter: lehigh career and technical institute would be impacted as well. 5% of its budget comes from federal grants. the school trains about 3,000 students from across the lehigh valley. according to the national association of career and technical schools, these students can earn about $26 an hour more than similar students in nontechnical fields. >> there is going to be more and more of those skilled jobs available that are going to be well paying and be a sustainable career for years and years to come. >> reporter: a career path that mcglade estimates will need 10 million more skilled workers over the next decade. elaine quijano, cbs news, allentown, pennsylvania. coming up later on "the

early show," the latest on the hair salon massacre in southern california and the suspect who is in custody. then blackberry users are moaning over a huge service outage, including myself, as the company struggles to fix it. and we will tell you how long the nutrients last in the food stored inside your refrigerator. that's the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. thanks for watching, everybody. i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. ,,,,,,