ariel castro is dead. the man who held three cleveland women in his home for a decade is found hanging in his jail cell, dead of an apparent suicide. i'm going to call for action. i believe my colleagues should support this calling for action. bills for a military strike against syria. lawmakers vote today on a measure authorizing president obama to respond with force against the assad regime. and prosecutors speak. the prosecutor who won the case against jerry sandusky talk for the first time about the case and the role school officials may have played in the coverup. >> do you believe that coach paterno was part of the conspiracy to conceal, to cover

up the christmases at penn state by jerry sandusky. captioning funded by cbs this is this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, september 4th, 2013. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. well, ariel castro, the ohio man who held three women captive for years has apparently committed suicide. castro was found hanging in an ohio prison cell last night. his death marks the end of an ordeal that began more than ten years ago and came to a climax bag in may when his victims escaped his cleveland home. castro spared himself the death penalty by pleading guilty to more than 900 counts, including rape and kidnapping, but he spent less than four months in captivity before dying. susan mcginnis has more. >> reporter: ariel castro, the man responsible for holding

three women captive for about a decade has apparently taken his own life. late last night prison officials say inmate ariel castro was found hanging in his cell this evening at 9:20 p.m. at the correctional reception center. shortly after he was transported to osumc where he was pronounced dead. at so at 10:52 p.m. a thorough review of this incident is under way. in late july castro was sentenced to life in prison plus 1,000 years for the kidnapping, rape, and torching of amanda berry, gina dejesus, and michelle berry. >> a reporter spoke to gina dejesus's aunt about how they'll take the news of the suicide. >> she also said, well, now he has to answer to god. that was it. he has to answer to god. >> reporter: the girls were kidnapped between 2002 and 2004. neighbors say this is an appropriate end. >> i think he did those girls a favor by taking his own life because he took theirs. >> reporter: castro fathered a 6-year-old daughter with amanda

berry during her captivity. now, castro was in protective custody. he was checked on every 30 minutes, but he was not on suicide watch. prison medical personnel performed cpr on him before he was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. anne-marie? >> susan mcginnis in new york. thank you, susan. now to syria. the senate foreign relation's committee is expected to vote on the solution to the military regime. the deal was agreed to last night by committee leader. it bars the use of american ground troops for combat operations. once the measure is approved the president has 60 days to strike, but that time frame can be extended by 30 days. the president arrives in stockholm this morning on his way to the g-20 economic summit in st. petersburg, russia, where he will urge foreign leaders to back a u.s.-lead strike against syria. the obama administration now says the number of chemical weapons attacks by the syrian government is in the teens.

we have more on the efforts to win congressional approval for military strikes. >> reporter: secretary of state john kerry sounded optimistic as he left capitol hill. >> i believe members of congress will look at this very, very closely and i have a great confidence in their judgment. >> reportr: he and others on the administration spent hours. the use of force against syria for allegedly using chemical weapons. kerry says the world is watching. >> they want to know if america will rise to this moment and make a difference. >> reporter: the secretary of state adds the president was not asking for u.s. troops on the ground in syria. committee chairman and new jersey senator bob menendez supports the plan. >> yes, there are risks to action, but the consequences to inaction are graver and graver. >> reporter: others say their constituents don't. >> i have not had one person come up to me and say they're

for this war. not one person. >> reporter: for the administration, this was an all-day lobbying effort. the president spent the morning in key meetings behind closed doors. >> i'm going to support the president's call for action. i believe my colleagues should support this call for action. >> reporter: the administration will continue pressing its case with lawmakers on wednesday. ko em for cbs news, capitol hill. in an interview this morning russian president vladimir putin warned the west against one-sided action against syria, but putin said russia could approve military action against syria with u.n. approval. putin said there must be conclusive evidence that chemical weapons were used by syrian forces. now, elizabeth palmer is in the syrian capital where the residents left are on edge as they wait for possible military action. >> reporter: damascus, depending

on the area, is either mostly empty or mostly full. in the outlying areas where there's been heavy fighting, the 20% who are left are mostly the members of something called the civilian defense force. it's a millishy that's being set up by the afghan government. you might think of it as a neighborhood watch on steroids to help the overstretched area. there are civilians, young men and their families sometimes, and they have access to guns, grenades, weapons, and also backup from the syrian military. now, in the center of damascus, which is one of the safest places in the country behind a whole barrage of checkpoints, people have poured in from the countryside and also the suburbs i mentioned. they're living in overcrowded squalid conditions. life here has this rather weird veneer of normalcy. every day i can look out and see the flower beds across the road are still perfectly looked

after. although there are some power cut, the government offices are open. the assad office is anxious to project an air of control. but, of course, there's this constant thunder of fighting just a couple of miles away in the suburbs and death can rain out of the i'll ask, killing children. children aren't going to school regularly and a lot of businesses are closed, and so there's a huge amoun of unemployment and idleness, people sitting at home, worrying, being stressed, now also about the prospect of u.s. air strikes and wondering how in heaven's name they're going to get out of this mess. elizabeth palmer, cbs news, damascus. >> there's been more sectarian violence in iraq this morning. gunmen opened fire on two shiite muslim families, killing 11. nearly 60 were killed in coordinated attacks across the area yesterday. the deadliest attack took place

near restaurants and shops near a northern suburb. the u.n. said about 800 iraqis were killed last month. in sectarian violence. and coming up on the "morning news," too close for comfort. a research team is sent running for cover as a volcano erupts before them. this is the "cbs morning news." over as a volcano erupts before them. this is the "cbs morning news." f our game yesterday! asthma doesn't affect my job... you were out sick last week. my asthma doesn't bother my family... you coughed all through our date night! i hardly use my rescue inhaler at all. what did you say? how about - every day? coping with asthma isn't controlling it. test your level of control at asthma.com, then talk to your doctor. there may be more you could do for your asthma.

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(announcer) flavors this delicious with tempting subway fresh fit breakfast sandwiches are worth searching for. friskies. feed the senses. a volcano in a volcano in peru erupted monday, spewing a thick cloud of ash into the air. a team of scientists just happened to be there and captured this dramatic video. then they had to scramble for cover. the last time the volcano erupted was in 2009. researchers believe monday's eruption was due to snow falling in the equator. they also say the eruptions are not a danger to the population. now to the "cbs moneywatch." applying am mon strategy to the

"washington post" and a sweet partnership for android. wendy gillette is here with that and more. good morning, wendy. >> good morning, anne-marie. asian markets were mixed ahead of the gdp figures. tokyo's nikkei gained a .5%. hong kong's hang seng lost a quarter percent. fears of a possible u.s. strike on syria slowed a rally on wall street tuesday. the dow inched up just 23 points while the nasdaq gain 22 points. jeff bezos is meeting with his staff today on the "washington post" today. last month the amazon founder announced he would buy the newspaper for $250 million. bezos says he wanted to use the three ideas that made amazon such a hit. put the customers first, invest, and be patient. the sale is expected to be final next month. the victims of a texas-sized ponzi scheme are finally getting some of their money back. more than four earring ago texas tycoon r. allen stanford was charged with bilk iing several

thousands. we see stadiums and tv shows sell their naming rights. now a smartphone operating system is getting sponsored. the deal puts google and hershey together. google's naming the next version of their android after the kit-kat bar. the internet company has named each operating system after a popular dessert like a cupcake or doughnut. android kit-kat is expected to launch this fall. financial deals were not disclosed. >> a delicious partnership. wendy gillette, here in new york. thank you, wendy. well, straight ahead, your wednesday morning weather. and later, two men who prosecuted the sex abuse case at penn state speak out for the first time about the possible coverup of the crime. about the possible coverup of the crime. completely. as so you can feel free to add it to anything. and feel better about doing it. better it with benefiber. people have been daring them to clean up tough messes. my fans think a paper towel can't handle this.

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to make peanut butter so deliciously creamy. it can even bring a kid out of her shell. that's why choosy moms choose jif. here's a look at today's fo here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. new york, mostly sunny today. miami, thunderstorms. but mostly sunny in chicago and dallas, and los angeles with a high of 89. and time now for a check of the national forecast. a stalled front along the gulf coast could cause heavy downpours and flash flooding in some areas. it will be hot in the midwest while the cold front pushes through the northeast, and out west showers and storms are possible from colorado to washington. a wall of muddy water shut down roads near palm springs, california, tuesday. an afternoon storm swept through the area, dumping around two inches of rain. the black flow is from areas where wildfires burned away all the vegetation.

the two prosecutors who helped convict former penn state coach jerry sandusky of child sex abuse are speaking out for the very first time. during an interview on "60 minutes sports," they talked about a possible coverup and whether legendary head coach joe paterno was involved. armin keteyian spoke with the two men. >> reporter: frank fino was the art text of the case against sandusky. joseph mcgettigan was the seasoned no-nonsense prosecutor. it took a while, fina said, before the prosecutors realized that penn state president and athletic director tim curry were putting brand above the repeated sexual abuse against boys on penn state's campus. >> you've about got a massive multi-million-dollar entity that

at the time we don't realize or that we would come to reamize it may not be fully committed to disclosing what the reality is. of course, we come to realize that they're actively obstructing our investigation. >> they're obstructing justice. >> yeah. and they had been for many years. >> in a detailed investigative report commissioned by the penn state board of trustees, former fbi director louis freeh found it repeatedly. >> i think the evidence now, you know, they're going to be tried on that. >> i understand. >> but i investigated that case. they deserve to be charged, and i hope justice will be served there. >> did you two ever look at each other and go, i can understand if they're covering up recruiting violations, but this is serial sexual abuse of children that they are institutionally resisting efforts to uncover? >> many times. it happened over and over again. just astonished. >> you know, some of the thinking on the simplest level and simplest expression of

thinking is, well, that was then, that was jerry sandusky, that was someone else, this is now, let's move on. we are penn state. >> do you belief coach paterno was part of the conspiracy to conceal, cover up at penn state by jerry sandusky? >> i do not. i'm viewing this strictly on the evidence, not any kind of feeling toward anybody. i did not find that evidence. >> but you know as well as i do, frank, joe paterno, was the most powerful man on the campus, arguably the most powerful coach in college football. he knew what was going on in that university. and the argument is if he knew, what he knew, he should have put a stop to it. he should have done more. >> well, that's right. and i don't see any need to judge him beyond his own words. he said it best. i didn't do enough. i should have done more. >> that was armin keteyian reporting. spanier, schultz, and curley deny taking part any any

coverup. they are due to stand trial on charges of perjury and other related crimes sometime next year. and you can see more of this story tonight on showtime's "60 minutes sports." when we return, a historic penalty in one of the world's old is sports events. and searing skyscraper. we'll show you a building that inadvertently acts as a magnifying glass, giving off enough heat to burn cars. searing skyscraper. we'll show you a building that inadvertently acts as a magnifying glass, giving off enough heat to burn cars. d statl and i've been pretty well banged up but the worst pain i've experienced was when i had shingles. when i went to the clinic, the nurse told me that it was a result of having had chickenpox. minutes sports." i wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. yowithout thinking officing sotheir own satisfaction.

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities toward country. washington, d.c., mostly sunny. atlanta, mostly sunny as well. st. louis, sunny as well. denver, though, thunderstorms and showers. and seattle with a high of 77. be careful where you park in london. a skyscraper just might melt your car. the 37-story building nicknamed the walkie-talkie is not scheduled to open until next year. some people say the building's

curve turns it into a giant magnifying glass and concentrates the sun's rays. one owner says it warped the panels of his jaguar. the developers say they may have to put a coat on the outside of the windows to die fuse the light. there has never been a penalty as harsh as the one handed down yesterday against or akling ork kl team usa. an international injury docked them two points and banned them from the entire event. they used an illegal boat in the warmup races to successfully retain the u.s. keep. they must win 11 races, challenger new zealand must win nine. and the u.s. open -- at the u.s. open rather the top seeded players on the men's and women's sides are moving on. serena williams was perfect in

her quarterfinal match, beating carla suarez navarro 6-0, 6-0. djokovic beats marcel granollers and wins the last 13 games to advance to the quarterfinals. and for the first time in 20 years you can't call the pittsburgh pirates losers. in the top of the ninth inning against milwaukee, schneider travis snider breaks up a 3-3 tie with a home run to right field. the pirates win, 4-3. it's their 81st victory of the year, meaning they can't finish with a losing record. but pittsburgh's thinking about winning the division, last night they get some help from the reds. cincinnati topped st. louis, 1-0. that gives pittsburgh a two-game lead in the n.l. central, and it puts the reds and the cards neck and neck in the wild-card race. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," nfl commissioner roger goodell. plus, we'll take you behind the scenes with some of the nfl's referees. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news."

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diana nyad says her maturity helped her complete a record swim from cuba to florida without a shark cage. she's 64 years old. as elaine quijano reports, nyad had to overcome some tough moments during her swim. >> how did you sleep last night? >> like a baby. and i kept waking up and i was smiling. >> reporter: but diana nyad says there were moments during her 110-mile swim when her struggle was almost too much, especially saturday night when she became nauseous from swallowing seawater. >> honestly, it was like hell on earth. >> at your lowest point did any part of you think, that's enough. >> i admit during saturday night i thought, can i do this for two more nights? >> reporter: things turned

around when nyad's best friend bonnie stoll saw something on the horizon. i said, oh, the sun's coming up. she said, no, it's not the sun. those are the lights of key west. my heart skipped a beat. >> so when you looked over and you saw those lights, you felt what? >> i thought, this is it. i'm not going to go through the crushing disappointment again. i thought it doesn't matter now. nothing can stop this. >> she swam 15 hours more before reaching land. her last four attempts to cross the florida straits cost a million dollar, but not everyone saw the value. >> people have written me to criticize and say, look, it's all great. inspiring. but do you know what can be done with that kind of money instead of just financing your little personal dream? you know, forget about the world record. just a human willing to chase a dream and show her resolve to the point that she just won't give up. after all this failure she just won't give up, that message and

the way people resound to it, that's worth a million bucks, isn't it? >> diana nyad says she's done now with endurance swimming in the open ocean, but she's already planning another swim next month. 48 hours in a pool in new york city to raise money for hurricane sandy victims. elaine quijano, cbs news, key west, florida. >> next month? remarkable. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," congress weighing in on military action against syria. we'll hear from republican representative marsha blackburn. plus, more on the apparent suicide of convicted kidnapper ariel castro. we'll get the latest from ohio. and nfl commissioner roger goodell stops by the studio. and finally, a man in singapore has a very unique hobby, at least for a man. he collects barbie dolls.

the 36-year-old has about 6,000 of them and 3,000 other dolls. his barbie obsession began when he was only 13 years old. that is the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com com

good morning. it is wednesday. september 4. i'm michelle griego . >> hi, everyone. i'm frank mallicoat. time now 4:29. almost 5:30. breaking news at this hour

out of san leandro. fire investigators say a person was killed in a mobile home fire overnight. the fire at the trailer park on grant avenue near 580 started shortly before 3:30 this morning. crews knocked down the flames in about 10 minutes. we're gathering some more information at the scene. our crew just arrived. we'll get more information as soon as it comes in. for now, let's get a check on the weather. patchy fog along the coastline and inside the bay but all is looking good this afternoon. right now 50s and 60s. we have a big heatup on the way. we'll talk about it coming up. >> and it looks like things are cooling down a little at the bay bridge. the new span opened and traffic has been moving along. no major issues. the first accident was 11:30 yesterday morning and right now no delays. >> you