>> axelrod: tonight, attack in kenya americans are among the wounded in a terror assault that leaves more than three dozen dead. charlie d'agata has the latest. ready or not-- with just daze before people can begin to enroll in the new federal health care plan, carter evans reports on widespread public confusion. >> reporter: do the people who need to know about this program truly understand it? >> they don't. >> axelrod: close calls-- how often nuclear weapons have come too close to exploding on american soil. and 300 teenagers wrecked a former pro football player's home this week. don dahler taeld us how many showed up today for the 7 cleanup. captioning sponsored by cbs

this is the "cbs evening news." good evening. i'm jim axelrod with a western edition of the broadcast. more than three dozen people are dead following an attack in nairobi, kenya. several american americans are d to be among the injured, and a terror group with links to al qaeda is claiming responsibility. witnesses report five gunmen opening fire in a new four-story mall and taking hostages. charlie d'agata begins our coverage. we warn you, some of these pictures are disturbing. >> reporter: police scrambled for cover as gunshot rang out at an up market shopping mall in nairobi. inside, the mall, popular with westerners was under siege. witnesses said a group of men armed with automatic weapons stormed the shopping center and shouted anyone who was a muzz lum could leave. they then started spraying gunfire and lobbing grenades into crowds. these graphic pictures of the aftermath snow elderly people, women, and children among the

dead mall worker sudjar singh says police were no match for the gunman. gunman. terrified shoppers took cover for hours, trying to make their escape any way they could, even crawling through air vent. u.s. state department said american citizens were among the wounded and condemned the attack as a senseless act of violence. as people sprinted out of the shopping center and emergency crews tended to wounded survivors, kenyan soldiers rushed in to flush out the militants. but for the dozens dead and more than 150 wounded, it was already too late. the al qaeda-linked somali militant group alshabib. jim, tonight, they warned more attacks were on the way. >> axelrod: charlie, thank you.

let's bring in our senior national security analyst juan czaraty in washington. juan, charlie d'agata is reporting the al qaeda affiliate al shabib is claiming responsibility. >> they are an affiliate of al qaeda operating in somalia for a number of years. it's been fighting for control of mogadishu in parts of somalia, but acted outside of somalia, not just in kenya but also in uganda. it has also served as a source of recruitment for westerners which has raised concerns for american authorities. >> axelrod: how concerned, even though this attack is taking place in kenya, how concern read american intelligence officials? >> well, they're very concerned. this is one of several al qaeda affiliated that are flexing their muscles, creating havoc regionally but also serving as a source of radicalization and recruitment for westerners, including americans, an american was just recently killed in somalia by the al qaeda

affiliates, and so u.s. officials are worried about theitize to the u.s. as well as the regional instability that groups like al shabib represent. >> axelrod: and of course americans reported injured in the attacks today. syria appears to be cooperating with the plan to get rid of its chemical weapons. today, the u.n.-backed weapons watchdog confirmed it received a disclosure from the assad regime, detailing its chemical arsenal. this would meet the first deadlineave deal forged between the u.s. and russia last week. world leaders will take up syria next week when they arrive in new york for the united nations general assembly, which could also provide an opening for talks between the u.s. and iran. elizabeth palmer joins us now from lobd. liz, are the iranians any more serious about direct negotiations with the u.s. than they have been in the last 10, faeb years. >> reporter: they're signaling very hard they are.

the backdrop is iran's economy is in real trouble because of the u.s.-led sanctions. they've been very effective and people's standard of living is dropping. so the new president has been elected on a broad mandate to get those sanctions lifted to improve people's lives so he's coming to new york, knowing he's got the people's backing. and just as important is the fact that the supreme leader the power behind the president, if you like, in iran, he's saying for the first time flexibility is a virtue. so the time has never looked more capricious than now. >> axelrod: what would the central issue be in any negotiations? >> reporter: iran's nuclear program. iran want to preserve the right to continue to enrich uranium, it says to make power plant. okay. the united states doesn't really believe that. on the other hand, thinks that it can't stop iran from enriching but it can insist on a much greater oversight. u.n. inspectors watching like hawks to make sure that iran is

not diverting down military path toward a weapon. >> axelrod: attacks by suicide bombers in iraq today killed at least 96 people. the deadliest was in background's sadr city neighborhood. suicide bombers targeted a shiite funeral killing at least 72 and wounding more than 120 others. a surge in sec taish violence has killed more than 400 iraqis this month. neither president obama nor house republicans are showing any sign of ending their impasse about funding the new health care law, even though open enrollment starts in just a few days. as carter evans reports, much of the public is still confused about what the law actually provides. >> reporter: california is just beginning the big push to get residents to sign up for the new health plans. it's a tough sell, says community organizer pal bradsh l

bradshaw. pal bradshaw. appropriate 10 days before enrollment begins, 75 pfers californians still no little or nothing about how the affordable care act could affect them. why is it, do you think that so few people understand what's going on? >> we haven't had enough marketing. i feel like we need more marketing. we need more information out there. >> welcome to covered california. >> reporter: the state's $45 million multilingual ad campaign is only now getting under way. just as republican lawmakers are trying to pull the plug on the entire plan. u.s.c. health policy professor geoffrey joyce. how much of a distraction is the partisan bickering in washington right now joit creates uncertainty, and uncertainty creates anxiety. >> reporter: and the pressure is already high. the law requires all americans to have health insurance by january 1. >> it's really those who have been on the margin who most benefit from this, but that's who we have to target and try to

inform about the benefits of this legislation. >> reporter: like 28-year-old consuelo dwaiton. she's self- >> i have my dog insurance, auto and home. >> reporter: but no health insurance. >> no health insurance whatsoever. >> reporter: it's because she can't afford it. is it frustrating? >> absolutely frustrating. what would happen if i was in injured? troarpt these shooez in limbo like millions of others until the new plans kick in. >> axelrod: a series of shootings across chicago last night left four people dead and another four wounded. dean reynolds tells us the gunfire comes hard on the heels of a shooting thursday night at a neighborhood park that wounded 13 people. >> reporter: with the city reeling, rahm emanuel's frustration was apparent. >> for a city to have a sense of civility, a sense of community tmust live by a moral code, not

a code of silence. >> reporter: but the code of silence is hard to break in gang-infested, drug-infused areas like the park where a gunman opened fire thursday night. >> reporter: today a group of former and current n.b.a. stars gathered for a neighborhood basketball game to show support for the local community. isaiah thomas is from chicago's west side. >> it's hard enough being poor. it's hard enough living in the household with no resources, but when you put weapons and drugs inside of that household, we've got no shot. >> reporter: police superintendent garry mccarthy said friday a military-style assault rifle was used in one shooting this week, a trouble ling escalation from the usual handguns. as mccarthy was speaking a federal grand jury convicted

david "big man" lewisbey? a drug-smuggling scheme. they used evidence from his cell phone and facebook page which showed him with wads of cash and lots of gun. he faces up to 35 years in prison for doing exactly what the police here are trying to stop. dean reynolds, cbs news, chicago. >> axelrod: later, this american nuclear bomb almost blew up in north carolina 52 years ago. we'll talk to the author who uncovered the details. and hundreds of partying teenagers trashed this former nfl player's house. guess how many came to help clean it up. we'll tell you when the cbs affect news continues.

>> axelrod: this week, the home of a former nfl player was ransacked by teenagers who used the house for a party. after they posted pictures of themselves online, the player invited the kids to help him fix

the damage. don dahler shows us just how many showed up. >> reporter: former are nfl lineman brian holloway offered in his words redemption to the teens who trashed his home while he was way. we showed you the tens of thousands of damage caused by partiers. holloway says he first saw the results on social media. >> i'm watching the tweets and listening to them saying what a great party. and i'm going, you have to be kidding me. >> reporter: he found holes punched in walls, graffiti, and'rein stained carpets but the teens left plentyef evidence, including on social media. he reached out to them. a rumor spread that anyone coming would be arrested, but he was hoping for more than this. only three of the kid who were here that night and her parents. why do you think the parents aren't here with these kid if they know what their kids did? >> i can't even wrap my head

around it. if my kid was there, that money minute, that day i found out, my life stops, i grab them by the scruff of their neck, we're going over to the house way toothbrush, and that child is going to stay there if they have to clean that for the rest of their life. >> reporter: what was it like here that night? >> it was crazy. there were so many people. it was body to body. >> reporter: these are pictures of 15-year-ol 15-year-a byrnes. she didn't know they were trespassing but when she found out she policied to holloway. >> i felt guilty and wanted to cloor my conscience a little bit. >> reporter: her mother, annette byrnes, says she, too, has learned a lesson from this. >> we just need to be more in tune with the kids. i think a lot of times we weren't. >> reporter: holloway says some of the parents are threatening to sue him over photos he posted on his web site. their kids took of themselves while on his property. so far, none of the teens has been arrested.

jim. >> axelrod: don, thank you very much. up next, hong kong braces for impact as deadly typhoon pummels the pacific.

schlosser schlosser >> axelrod: there is a monster storm in the western pacific tonight. typhoon usagi is nearly 700 miles wide with winds gusting to 150 miles per hour. right now, it poses a severe threat to hong kong where it's expected to strike tomorrow night. it blew through the luswron straits today. at least two people were killed. within hours, a chinese court is expected to hand down its verdict in the trial of bo xilai, the highest ranking official to be tried for corruption in years. seth doane on the trial offering a rare look into the usually secret world of the ruling communist party. >> reporter: this trial offerredly the first glimpse of

bo xilai in 18 months. since this once-popular rising star in the communist party fell from power. he faced charges of bribery, abuse of power, and embezzle. >> this is a trial by the communist party of a senior political guy that went off the rails, in their mind. >> author james mcgregor has worked in china for 25 years. he said bo xilai was perceived as a threat. he was a celebrity, really, of sorts in china. >> well he was a western-style politician who people really liked and you don't do that in this party. this is a party of gray men who kind of hide behind the party, not their own personality. >> reporter: prosecutors charged that around $3.5 million in bribes, mostly from a wealthy businessman, were funneled through bo's wife and son. bo's political life started to come apart after the 2011 murder

of a british businessman. his wife, gu kailai, was found guilt of killing him, and bo was charged with using his position to try to cover up the murder. bo's wife testified against her husband. she told stories of safes filled with cash hidden in the couple's homes. bo called his wife crazy and mounted a vigorous defense. he acknowledged mistakes in leadership, but did not admit guilt. the communist party, which runs china, also runs its courts. and while it's not nobody yet how much jail time bo might serve, it is almost certain he'll be found guilty. seth doane, cbs news, beijing. >> axelrod: this hydrogen bomb nearly exploded in north carolina half a century ago. so how safe are our weapons today? we'll hear from the man who wrote the book on it next

>> schieffer: a newly disclosed document reveals a u.s. hydrogen bomb almost detonated near goldsboro, north carolina, in 1961, and according to a new book by the author eric schlosser, that near miss is not an isolated event. in fact, far from it. >> the pentagon has issued an official list of broken arrows, of serious weapon accidents that could threaten the public, and there are 32 accidents on that list. i found that 32 is actually a small fraction of the number of accidents that occurred. one document that i obtained from the sandia national laboratory, which is one of our big weapons laboratories, listed 1200 nuclear weapons involved in accidents or incidents that threatened safety between 1950 and 1968. >> axelrod: 1200? >> 1200. now, some of them were relatively trivial, but they

were nuclear weapons accidents that weren't as dramatic as a plane crash or a missile exploding. they were actually very dangerous. >> axelrod: what is the closest we've come in the last 60 years to a major disaster? >> in 1961, in january, there was a b-52 bomber that started leaking fuel while it was preparing the emergency landing, there was a weight imbalance, and the plane started to break apart midair. there were two hydrogen bombs on the plane, and as the plaeb was breaking apart midair, there were so many wires that if one of those wires had crossed with the wire o arming wire of the b, there would have been a full-scale detonation of this hydrogen bomb in north carolina. there would have been huge firestorms and the lethal radioactive fallout could have extended as far north as washington, d.c. >> axelrod: you're not just documenting in your book close

calls in the past. >> yeah. >> axelrod: are you saying this is also a problem that continues to confront us presently. >> the defense science board issued a report just this year saying that our nuclear command and control system might be vulnerable to being hacked. >> axelrod: even if the united states gets its act together in terms of command and control, there's a world out there which doesn't adhere to the same standards. >> absolutely. and i think that the greatest threat that we face in the short-term sense in the world is the use of a nuclear weapon. our controls and our systems are superior to that of any other nation. but when you look at the long list of accidents and near misses that we've had, despite our expertise, it gives you enormous pause about other countries like pakistan, india, north korea having nuclear

weapons. >> axelrod: and you can see our full interview with eric schlosser on our web site, cbsnews.com. and coming up, a homecoming football game in the colorado flood zone.

>> axelrod: finally tonight, colorado faces a long road to recovery following this week's historic flooding. lyons, colorado, saw the worst of it. but as anna werner reports, people there are already fighting for a comeback. >> reporter: for this football game, the coach delivered a pep talk full of emotion. >> i believe in the end there's going to be a lot more good memories that come out of this than bad. >> reporter: just over a week ago, floodwaters consumed these plairds' hometown. residents don't know when or if they'll be able to rush. ♪ ♪ so many came here. players and cousins gaspar and aaron vasquez both lost their homes in the flooght.

>> i couldn't watch it. when i went out to practice, it felt like i was back again. >> reporter: abbie liquori is a sophomore cheerleader. >> just trying to see all my friends and just keep my head up because i know it will get better in the end. but we just have to get through the hard times together. >> reporter: students will be attending class in a loand building here in long mond for now. most are living in temporary homes. some members of the band played loaned instruments today. karen gregg is band director. >> something as normal as playing fair football game can be really reassuring. >> reporter: the game wasn't trouble free. in the second quarter a player broke his leg. >> we have to overcome again. this is one more thing thrown at us. >> reporter: but lyons still won the game, 28-7. anna werner, cbs news, long

people from attending a sou bay celebration. the last day of summer brings the first significant downpour of the rainy season but it didn't stop people from attending a south bay celebration. >> the a's win today's game bringing them a step closer to clinching a spot in the play- offs. >> and a california homecoming queen brought to tears. a powerful message that's making headlines. kpix 5 news is next. ,,,,,,,,

your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. good evening, i'm ann notarangelo. record-breaking rainfall in the bay area on this last day of summer. this is daly city around 10:30 this morning ra