>> mason: tonight, occupy wall street, the movement goes overseas from violent clashes with police in rome to a peaceful march in tokyo, anger spans the globe. charlie daggetta and celia hatten have the latest. in some polls, herman cain is the g.o.p. fund-raiser. what's a homeowner to do when giant snails attack? we're on the front lines in miami. and san francisco politicians going to the dogs. john blackstone looks into a political action committee for man's best friend. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with anthony mason. >> mason: good evening, i'm anthony mason.

the occupy wall street movement that began with a hand full of people in lower manhattan spread to at least 85 cities on six continents today, including europe, where government austerity measures are helping to stoke the rage and asia, where income inequality is hitting particularly hard. we have two reports on the overseas demonstrations, beginning with charlie d'agata in london. >> reporter: in italy, what began as a peaceful protest turned bloody as hundreds of demonstrators fought running battles with police in a rampage through the streets around rome's historic landmarks. riot police battle back with tear gas and water cannons. one italian politician called it chaos nothing less than urban guerilla warfare. today's protesters are angered by crippling unemployment, and an $83 billion austerity package that both raised taxes and took

away government benefits. the organized demonstrations were largely far more peaceful in other european cities. thousands gathered in madrid, lisbon, berlin, and frankfurt. in london, more than 2,000 people occupied the financial district and refused to budge. today's demonstrations are being held in solidarity with occupy wall street, but in fact, they've been protesting for months throughout europe against cuts in government benefits and rising unemployment. a slash in retirement benefits and a steep rise in taxes in spain and greece has sparked months of confrontation between protesters and police. last november, violent demonstrations broke out in london against big hikes in college tuition. this grandmother came today to take part in what has become a global campaign. >> i came here, also, because i want to protest what the banks have done to our economy, to our society, to my children and my grandchildren, because they've

made them insecure. >> reporter: protesters say they're determined to keep up the pressure. european leaders may be taking a close look at the dramatic events that unfolded in rome today and hoping that's not a sign of things to come. charlie d'agata, cbs news, london. >> reporter: this is celia hatten in beijing, half a globe away from wall street, the message is the same... >> we are the 99! >> reporter: ...cities across asia, from manila to seoul were home to peaceful but passionate anti-corporate rallies saturday. many asian economies have dodged the worst of the global recession but these demonstrators argue the rich are benefiting the most. take hong kong, china's largest financial hub carries the biggest income disparity gap with the wealthiest citizens earning 27 more times money than the average worker.

>> reporter: many rallies touched on local issues, too. in tokyo, protesters questioned whether the fukushima nuclear crisis could have been prevented. in sydney and melbourne, australia's powerful mining industry was targeted. >> the big corporations, the 1%, we're talking about, the mining companies, the banks and so on, they dominate our entire political establishment. both major parties in australia are servants of capital. >> reporter: the anger is palpable but not everyone is expressing it. many rallies were smaller than predicted. hong kong's organizers thought 400 would turn up today but they only saw half that. they vow this protest is only the beginning. celia hatten, cbs news, beijing. >> mason: here at home, occupy protests are reported in more than 100 cities from coast to coast.

from their home base in a downtown park, new york protesters marched uptown towards times square late this afternoon. at least 24 demonstrators were arrested at a chase bank branch along the way. in orlando, florida, nearly 1500 people protested outside several local banks. in washington, thousands of people attended a jobs rally at the base of the washington monument. the reverend al sharpton condemned the u.s. senate for blocking president obama's jobs bill. from the monument the demonstrators moved on to the martin luther king jr. memorial which is to be dedicated tomorrow. for some perspective on the economic backdrop to the protests we're joined we financial expert jordan goodman. first the university of michigan confidence survey showed expectations hit the lowest levels since 1980. >> right. >> at the same time we saw

retail sales hit the highest level in seven months. what's going on? >> consumers at the high end are doing pretty well. tiffany's, nordstrom, their sales are doing well and prices are up. retail sales are up because people are paying more for food and gas and other kind of things. the expectations is the key thing. people are losing income and thinking things are getting worse and the result is most people out there are cutting back every way they possibly can. >> mason: meanwhile we've seen foreclosures surge again. they were up 14%. is the foreclosure crisis deepening? >> absolutely. the banks were holding off but are getting more aggressive doing foreclosures they had not been doing in the past causing the housing prices coming down. i'm hearing from appraisers they're saying a home foreclosed on hurts the valleys in the entire neighborhood. when people see values go down they abandon their home. there are currently about 6.5 million people in this country behind on their mortgages so there are more foreclosures to come. >> mason: every one is a potential foreclosure. >> that's right. >> mason: we're saying banks paying to have properties steroid in the city of cleveland. is this something we're going to

see more of around the country? >> very much so. you have these properties sitting there deteriorating. the banks have to pay for up upkeep. it's cheaper to destroy the thing. what we saw in cleveland you'll see in detroit. you'll have empty lots but at least they won't be deteriorating. >> mason: president obama took south korea's president lee to the detroit area yesterday to tout the new u.s.-korea free trade agreement as a job creator for the american auto industry. for mr. obama, key to that end are electric cars and the batteries that power them. cynthia bowers went to a plant where federal stimulus money has already let to new jobs. >> half the people here, approximately half the people upon unemployed, so we put people back to work. >> reporter: david view's company, a123 system, makes batters for electrical vehicles. last year he hired 1,000 employees for this factory just

outside detroit takes to a $249 million stimulus grant. >> having this job means everything to me. >> reporter: anet herrera had been out of work for three years. >> it was really hard. you go down the streets and you see empty houses. there's just a lot of people unemployed. >> reporter: michigan has lost a million jobs in just the last decade. one in 10 has gone overseas. for years, asia has dominated the lithium battery industry. but the obama administration is betting big to bring it back, gambling $2.5 billion to claw back skilled, blue collar jobs and grow the electric car sector. >> you're helping america lead in a growing new industry. >> reporter: the administration has set an ambitious target, aiming to center 20% of the global lithium battery market in the u.s. by late 2012, 40% by 2015.

so far, sales of electric vehicles have not met expectations, leading some to wonder about the wisdom of investing in a technology for a car with little demand. >> we don't know if the electric vehicle is going to take off in this country. that's a real concern. if they can drive down costs and make it easier to have an electric vehicle, people will actually buy them. >> reporter: this week, a123 systems announced a deal with general motors to provide batteries for its first all- electric car, the spark, which will be sold in limited quantities beginning in 2013, news that only makes anet more confident about the days ahead. >> i think this is going to be a wonderful future. i think we will be here a long time. >> reporter: long enough, she hopes, to see her through to retirement. cynthia bowers, cbs news, detroit. >> mason: coming up, an insurgent attack on an american base in afghanistan.

>> mason: overseas, u.s. drones have made another strike on al qaeda-linked militants in yemen. officials say at least nine militants were killed in attacks in the south of the country. including the media chief of al qaeda's branch there. also killed was the one of the american-born cleric who died in a similar attack last month. in eastern afghanistan, where violence has been on the increase, a bold attack today took u.s. and afghan forces by surprise. mandy clark reports from the scene. >> reporter: it's not the size of the attack but the location that makes this bombing shocking. it happened in the safest province in afghanistan, panjshir valley, 60 miles north of kabul. the target-- an american base, focused primarily on development projects. the attack happened at 5:00 a.m. this morning. a car bomb exploded outside

these gates, punching a hole in them, and then four suicide bombers entered the base. one was shot dead and three detonated, but they only killed themselves. a quick reaction force arrived to help secure the base and investigate the scene. they also fingerprinted one of the bodies to find out if the attacker was a known insurgent. army lieutenant colonel jason fry says this attack was a failure. >> they didn't accomplish their mission. they were all killed, every one of them, and they didn't breach our security, so i don't know what they were trying to accomplish, other than to lower their numbers. >> reporter: security in the valley was handed over to the afghan forces in july. they admit the bombing here took them by surprise. "we're not afraid of this taliban message," he says. "but it is a wake-up call." the worry now for u.s. forces is how this attack might impact their exit strategy. getting out of afghanistan depends heavily on afghan forces holding their own against the taliban.

mandy clark, cbs news, panjshir valley. >> mason: ahead, candidate cain rises to the top of the republican field. that story is next.

>> mason: the obama administration has scrapped the long-term care component of the health care reform law before it even took effect. plan would have provided disability coverage for workers who voluntarily paid a premium during their working lives. however, the administration said yesterday enrollment projections are falling far short of what would have been required to fund the program. in a few short weeks, herman cain has gone from afterthought to a top republican presidential contender. just who is this former pizza executive with the 9-9-9 mantra, and why has he caught on?

tony guida takes a look. >> the american people are going to raise some cain in 2012! >> reporter: they chant for his catchy tax plan. >> audience: 9-9-9. >> reporter: three simple numbers and a baptist preacher's charisma. >> i'm the only non-politician running. >> reporter: cain has never held public office and he's proud of it. >> he will shake the establishment of the republican party and the democratic party to their very core and the that's the main reason i support him. >> reporter: cain is the all- american story, up from working class roots to the top of the ladder, a c.e.o. he ran godfather's pizza for 10 years. that's when cain first hit the national spotlight. 1994, president clinton stumping

for his health care plan, a c.e.o. challenges him. >> the cost of your plan will cause us to eliminate jobs. >> reporter: to create jobs cain a signature idea is his 9-9-9 tax plan. scrap the current code for a 9% tax on personal income and corporations and a 9% national sales tax. then there's the issue of campaign money. cain has slightly more than $1 million on hand for a presidential run that's chump change. >> message is more powerful than money, and the american people like the message! >> a fervent segment of republicans at least, but will they be with him when the snow flies in iowa and new hampshire. >> the republican primary voters are looking for a candidate who inspires them. >> reporter: political analyst dan shurrer, says the republican base prefers anybody but mitt romney. they anointed michele bachmann, then rick perry. they even flirted with men who wouldn't run, donald trump, and new jersey governor chris

christie. >> they've all auditioned to be the not-romney candidate in the race. none of them have been able to sustain in that role for a very long time. >> reporter: if cain hopes to, he'll need the money to build organizations in early primary stateses like nevada, where he next faces his rivals in debate on tuesday. tony guida, cbs news, new york. >> mason: still ahead, the snail infestation that's driving miami homeowners up the wall.

>> mason: south florida is mobilizing to fight an incursion by alien mollusks. the invader maybe slow moving, but scientists are in a hurry to stop them. ( light chirping )

>> reporter: they're the sounds of an invasion. the march of giant african land snails, one of the world's most invasive species. they took ryan kesser's garden in miami and, he says, his appetite. >> i see gigantic snails and they're really slithery and juicy and they have all kind of fluids coming out. >> reporter: how many snails would you say have been found at your house? >> at least a thousand. >> reporter: it's still unclear how they got here. they are native to east africa and just last month they were spotted in a south florida home. now more than 24,000 snails have been recovered. >> it's nasty. it's really nasty >> reporter: grace keeps finding them on the side of her home. they eat stucco. >> we've got a lot of snail damage in here. >> reporter: and over nine different types of plants. >> it is a known carrier of

meningitis, so this snail is one bad dude for the environment, for humans, and for our economy. >> reporter: the snails are thriving in trash, under moss, and even inside coconuts. >> they're all over the place. >> reporter: dr. paul skelly is florida's lead scientist driving the hunt to find then freeze to death every last snail. how long do you think florida could be dealing with this latest outbreak? >> oh, it's already-- we're planning years. >> another one. >> reporter: it took nearly a decade and a million dollars to eradicate the state's last infestation in the 1960s. there are fears this one could stretch beyond florida. >> they can move, actually, in yard debris, yard waste, and garbage, move to landfills. >> reporter: at home, ryan kesser discovers new snails almost daily but because one snail can lay up to 1200 eggs a year, he, like others in the search, may find it hard to keep up, even with the pest moving at a snail's pace. >> mason: and ahead, the dog owners' action group that's

giving politicians pause. that story is next.

>> mason: finally this evening, they say every dog has its day. well, in san francisco, a growing group of politically minded dog owners certainly hope it's true for them. here's john blackstone. >> reporter: andrea and rubin, along with marissa and poncho, could be considered a typical san francisco family of four-- two humans, two dogs. >> we don't have any kids, but we have two dogs. >> reporter: an urban couple with dogs. >> yes. >> reporter: and no kids. in san francisco, dogs outnumber children, as many as 140,000 dogs compared to fewer than 108,000 kids. >> i think a lot of people that want to start a family move to the suburbs. and that's probably why we have so many dogs, more dogs than kids. >> reporter: now the city's dog owners are no longer content just exercising their pets. they've started exercising their political power.

>> all this will be closed off for dogs. >> reporter: bruce wolf is president of a political action committee appropriately named dog pac. >> if the dog could vote, we think they would vote with our endorsements. >> reporter: dog pac has been getting candidates in san francisco's november municipal election. among those running for mayor, they have chosen john abalo as man's best friend even though he doesn't have one. >> i love dogs, and i wish i had more time to spend with them. it's a big endorsement. it's an endorsement they sought, and i also want to do good work and build a relationship with dock pac. >> reporter: he supports dog pac's big issue-- nothing less than liberty, the liberty to run free in some of the city's actual parks. >> we're actual people with all these dogs. they're part of our families, and we don't want to be restricted. >> reporter: one of the park where's dog freedom is threatened is fort funston,

along the pacific at san francisco's south end. the one-time military base is now a battleground. >> it's a place where people have been taking their dogs off leash for decades. >> reporter: she says the fight is as much about humans as it is about dogs. >> the restrictions on dogs end up being restrictions on the people who have the dogs. >> reporter: and now the people who have dogs in san francisco have been unleashed as a political force. politicians may be begging for their support. john blackstone, cbs news, san francisco. >> mason: and that's the cbs evening news. later on cbs, "48 hours mystery." i'm anthony mason in new york. russ mitchell will be back here tomorrow. thanks for watching. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

area tonight...and the actor-activist leading one f the largest. frustration spreads across the country and now across continents. and one of the activists leading a demonstration in the bay area. a big turnout over crime in a bay area community. the simple plan unveiled to make the streets safer. police predicted it might happen. why officers were called to the scene of a hell's angels funeral in the south bay. cbs 5 eyewitness news is next. ,,