family and two young journalists gunned down on live tv by a disgruntled former coworker. he described himself as a, quote, human powder keg." a big sigh of relief on wall street where the dow soars after some massive losses. and colorado gunman james holmes is sentenced and dismissed by a contemptuous judge. >> get the defendant out of my courtroom, please. thank you. captioning funded by cbs captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, august 27th, 2015. good morning and thanks for us.

i'm alison harmelin in for anne-marie green. this morning investigators are trying to pinpoint why a reporter opened fire on two journalists during a live broadcast. the shooting killed alison parker and ward. he later killed himself. he said he obtained his gun legally. president obama calls the shooting heartbreaking. don champion is in roanoke. good morning, don. >> reporter: good morning, alison. there's been a huge show of support from the community. many here in southwest virginia watched as what was supposed to be a live feel-good story turned into anything but. a memorial of flowers and balloons grew outside the news station in roanoke, virginia. the station still can't believe

two beloved colleagues are gone. >> all day the community has provided an outpouring for us. >> reporter: reporter alison parker and photographer adam ward were ambushed and killed by a former disgruntled employee of their station. that employee was a fellow journalist. vester flanagan. he went by the name bryce williams while reporting for the station. the 41-year-old was let go two years ago. andy parker says his daughter died doing what she loved. >> it's hard to get your arms around it and realize or make sense of what happened. >> reporter: before killing himself he said alison made racist comments and adam complained about him. the general manager here said flanagan had to be escorted out of the building by police when he was let go. he also called him difficult to work with. >> reporter: in a 23-page document faxed to abc news,

flanagan apparently described himself as a human powder keg motivated by the charleston church shooting massacre. president obama called it one more moment to reflect on. >> it's one more argument we need to look at how to reduce gun violence in the community. >> reporter: prayer vigils are planned in the coming days. at last check the woman they were interviewing was still recovered in the hospital. she had been shot in the back and did undergo surgery. meantime flanigan's family did release a statement last night saying their thoughts and prayers were with the families of the victims. alison? >> don champion for us in roanoke. thank you, don. victims alison parker and adam ward both started as interns at wdbj. ward was engaged. they worked there for almost a year.

parker was also engaged. they planned to marry. >> alison was the brightest light i had ever met. she was the funniest, kindest, most beautiful woman i ever met and she just happened to love me back. >> reporter: the other victim vickie gardner runs the local chamber of commerce and was being interviewed about tourism. she was shot in the back but is expected to survive. james holmes begins this morning spending the rest of his life behind bars. the colorado gunman responsibility for the kohl meesh massacre was sentenced wednesday for 12 life terms. the judge gave him more than 3,000 years for his other crimes. >> if there was ever a case that warranted the maximum sentences this is the case. one of the victims yesterday said the defendant does not deserve any sympathy. i wholeheartedly agree. >> holmes has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and is being evaluated. he could wind up in a prison mental hospital. walmart says its decision to

stop selling semiautomatic weapon weapons is not political. the company says it will continue selling other guns. it's been undr some share holders to top selling guns with high-capacity magazines. on the "cbs moneywatch," an impressive increase on wall street and something in packages of bread. good morning, jill. >> good morning, alison. the dow had its biggest gain in seven years. struggling chinese stocks also rose. cbs news senior business correspondent anthony mason explains one factor involved in the surge. >> the head of the new york federal reserve said the case for an interest rate hike in september now seems less compelling than it was a few weeks ago. bill dudley said what we're seeing is not a u.s. problem. >> dudley said the fed needs to see more improvement in the u.s.

labor market before it increases interest rates. the dow gained 619 points wednesday, its third largest point gain ever. the s&p was up 72. the nasdaq rose 191 points. stocks in asia rebounded this morning. shanghai's composite rose more than 5%. japan's nikkei was up more than 1%. a suit claims the companies have known for years about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning when keyless vehicles continue to run once drivers leash the car. the lawsuit says at least 13 carbon monoxide deaths are linked to the defect. and there's a bread recall in 11 states today. the maker of sara lee, nature's harvest, and other brands is recalling about 48,000 packages. the bread may contain fragments the glass from a broken light bulb at a factory.

the company says one customer found small pieces of glass on the outside of the bread. no one was hurt. alison? >> we're hoping for another good day. tropical storm erika is bearing down. the storm's about 100 miles off antigua and is move west. it's headed for puerto rico and the virgin island. it's delivering heavy rains at 35 to 40 miles an hour. it's expected to be by south florida monday. forecasters say it's too early to know how much force it will have. now to a potential political storm brewing in the democratic party. vice president joe biden made his first public comments about his possible presidential candidacy. biden's been huddling with his advisors trying to evaluate his options as he considers a run against hillary clinton. >> good morning, alison. the vice president says he has to figure out if he has the, quote, emotional fuel to make his third run for president.

he knows there's pressure to make a decision, but it is clear from his comments yesterday he is torn. speaking on a call with national committee members, biden talked about the emotional toll the recent death of his elder son beau has taken on the family. according to cnn biden said he has given a lot of thought to family issues as he considers moving forward. if i were to announce to run, biden said, i have to be able to commit to all of you they could give it my whole heart and my whole soul and right now they're pretty well banged up and we're trying to figure out that issue. speaking in iowa, hillary clinton called biden a friend and said his decision is a difficult one. >> i think he has to make what is a very difficult decision for himself and his family, and he should have the space and the opportunity to decide what he wants to do. >> meanwhile spanish language journalist jaime ramos was on fox news and found common ground

with host megyn kelly who also exchanged words with trump. >> he doesn't like uncomfortable questions. it happened with you. it happened with your colleagues at fox news. he hates it when he's being confronted. >> trump said he doesn't think ramos behaved appropriately. as for him he's expected to meet with his senior advisers today. coming up on the "morning news," in his own words, the former prep student accused of sexual assault takes the stand at his trial. we'll show you his testimony about an encounter with a freshman student. this is the "cbs morning news." shman student. this is the "cbs morning news." which matches my dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic inserts. now i get immediate relief from my foot pain. my knee pain. find a machine at drscholls.com

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>> reporter: 19-year-old owen labrie admitted to the jury that at one point during his encounter with the 15-year-old girl he thought they would have intercourse and he even put on a condom, but then he says he thought better of it. >> i thought to myself, you know, maybe we shouldn't do this. >> reporter: and he says he did not. his attorney jay carney asked why then did labrie later confirm to friends that he had had sex with her. >> i guess i wanted to look good and, you know, i wanted everyone to think it had gone great. >> reporter: in cross-examination the prosecutor was skeptical. >> you thought sex was happening. >> yes. >> right? and she was half naked on the ground in front of you, correct? >> yes. yeah she was back over on the blanket at that point. >> and you want all these people here to believe that after all that time spent thinking about her and having foreplay, that

you just stopped. >> we didn't stopped. i kissed her more afterward, but i didn't have sex with her. >> labrie also testified he thought the girl had great time. wednesday she ran from the courtroom in tears during his testimony. anna warner, cbs news, concord, new hampshire. today president obama travels to new orleans to help mark the recovery from hurricane katrina. it was ten years ago this weekday that the hurricane tore into the gulf coast. more than a million people in the region were displaced. jane pauley spoke to mitch landrieu on last night's evening news. he was lieutenant governor of louisiana when ka free na hit. landrieu is now mayor of new orleans. >> i mean this entire city was under water. as you know, we lost 1,800 of our brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers. it was an amazing time.

it was a magnificent story of neighbor helping neighbor and then everybody in the country in the world coming to help us. as grateful nation one of the things we want to do is say thank you to the rest of the nation for helping to lift us up. >> a question looms over your country. black income has fallen and poverty has increased while whites are more prosperous. >> the people of new orleans realize katrina did not cause all of our problem. but what we promised over the last ten years is not fix every ill but fix the way we address them and the way we deal with them. the real telltale is going to be whether we've actually taken the responsibility that has been laid on our shoulders, the burden we have to bear and do something wonderful with it. >> katrina was a 3. if the national category was a 4 or higher, isn't new orleans more vulnerable?

>> it isn't even the most vulnerable. miami is number one, new york is number two. we're way down the list. that's why i've said to the people of america with the canary in the coal mine on the issue of response and resiliency, the city of new orleans has done something significantly. we have looked in the mirror and seen our problems going forward. they i'm commemorate their tenth anniversary. straight ahead in sports, justin verlander makes a bid for a third no-hitter.

here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. in sports, detroit's justin verlander came very close to his third no-hitter against the angels last night. in the ninth inning the angels' chris iannetta hit a lead-off double. it hit the left field line and rolled into the corner that. was the first and only hit off verlander. he retired the next three batters for a 5-0 one-hit shutout against the angels. the baltimore orioles put on a power show against kansas city's pitching. v.o. smacked five home runs against a orioles and got an impressive performance against the royals and ended a sick-game losing streak.

they lost nine straight games to kansas city. in washington, san diego's jason upton hit two home runs against the nationals. his second run was over the field. they hung onto the edge. washington, 6-5. and the new york mets increased their league over washington in the national league east. cuddyer hit a home run. the 9-4 win puts the mets ahead of the nationals by 6 1/2 games. and when we return another look at this morning's top stories. plus the dog days of summer. why man's best friend is receiving extra special treatment. days of summer. why man's best friend is receiving extra special treatment. w ensure active high protein. i help you recharge with nutritious energy and strength to keep you active. come on pear, it's only a half gallon. i'll take that. yeeeeeah! new ensure active high protein. 16 grams of protein and 23 vitamins and minerals.

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. forecast in some cities around the country.

taking another look at today's top stories, president obama called the on air murder of two tv journalists heartbreaking. reporter alison parker and cameraman adam ward of cbs afill yacht wdbj were gunned down during a live interview. a disgruntled former employee vester flanagan was the shooter. he purchased the gun legally. wall street is poised to gain. the good news followed six straight days of losses. today's family is mourning the death of the so-called 911 dust lady. an iconic image from the september 11th attacks in 2001 is the photograph of marcy borders. she's covered in dust and ashes. she escaped the world trade center. she died monday of cancer at the age of 42 nearly 14 years later.

one of the panda twins born saturday at the national zoo has died. zookeepers wither using a bottle to feed the panda cub because its mother stopped nursing it. mei xiang is still feeding the surviving cub, which appears to be healthy and strong. the mormon church is keeping its longtime affiliation with the boy scouts. but the church says it will continue supporting the organization. the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints is the largest sponsor of boy scout units. in case you missed it, there's always time to celebrate with your dog. yesterday was national dog day. many people used it as an excuse to share pictures of man's best friend on social media. and coming up after local news on "cbs this morning," the boyfriend of the reporter killed on live tv in virginia reflects the tragedy that ended her life. i'm alison harmelin, and this is the "cbs morning news." ning news."

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this morning a nation is remembering the rights of civil rights activist amelia boynton robinson. in 1965 boynton robinson was knocked unconscious during the bloody march in selma. earlier this year she returned to the march. she spoke about it then as an icon. >> they would say, well, we appreciate what you've done, we're standing on your shoulders. and my curse word was get the heck off of our shoulders and get to work! >> boynton robinson suffered a stroke in july.

she was 104 years old. returning to new orleans, today president obama will make his sixth trip to the city since taking office. he'll see a city transformed in the decade since hurricane katri katrina, but as michelle williams reports some of what has made new orleans has not changed at all. >> i've been a chef for 69 years. >> reporter: for her cooking is a calling and at 92 years young, she's calling all the shots. >> in this kitchen i tell you it's my highway or the highway. >> reporter: you'll find her at dooky chase. for three generations the family owned restaurant has been a fixture in the town of tre may. it's been a fixture, a crown town neighborhood that's endured the grade degree dee presentation and the perils of forced segregation. what did this place mean? >> this was like a safe haven for all of us. >> reporter: but i2005 it didn't stand a chance against hurricane katrina. >> we had 5 1/2 feet of water in here. lost everything. >> when did you first see your restaurant?

>> a year after that. i couldn't get in here. >> what made you come back? >> people said, well, what are you going to do at your age. there was only one thing for me to do. no matter what you do on this earth, you have to do it and do it well. it takes everybody to do a part. >> reporter: so mrs. chase teemed up with her family, friends, and some of the chefs she mentored and in 2007 dooky's was back. the customers haven't stopped flooding in, eating and paying homage to the grand dame of new orleans cuisine. and her personal fan? >> mr. bush was a big fan. he was a good person. he said would you like to fix me breakfast in the morning. you don't tell the president no. i love mr. obama. i wish i had one more chance to feed him.

>> reporter: with his visit, she just might get her chance. michelle williams, cbs news, new orleans. and coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," we're at the scene of the shooting ambush in virginia where a reporter and her cameraman were killed on live tv. plus new jersey governor and presidential candidate chris christie is in studio 57. and we look at the growing trends of grown-up coloring books. that's the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. i'm alison harmelin. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

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>> i'm brian hackney. frank mallicoat has the day off. >> it's 4:30. we're here and awake. >> roberta? >> yes. ready to go. we'll top off at 104 degrees, i'll tell you when in a matter of minutes. good morning. we are going to talk about the bay bridge toll plaza. it is wide open leaving oakland heading into the city. just keep in mind on san francisco city streets, reports of an accident at ninth and harrison. i'll have details with "kcbs traffic" in just a few minutes. this morning, the wdbj news team is back on the air without two young journalists murdered on live television. this is a live look as a growing memorial