election eve. despite taliban attacks and threats of more to come, afghan voters prepare for a key presidential election. model mflt. a swim suit model murdered in l.a. police hunt a reality show contestant for questioning. and he's back again. brett favre unretires for the second time to quarterback the vikings. captioning funded by cbs this is the cbs "morning news" for wednesday, august 19th, 2009. good morning. thanks for joining us. afghanistan's government is shutting down the country's media outlets this morning, hoping to blunt the impact of violence heading into tomorrow's presidential election. susan roberts is in washington with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. the taliban is vowing to disrupt the vote.

the scare tactics and violence, they're hoping to use this. the militant groups out in full force thoepg key the voters away from the polls tomorrow. a group of armed gunmen raided a building in the heart of afghanistan this morning. the taliban says it was part of an election eve attack. police are calling it a robbery gone bad. despite beefed up security in and around afghanistan's capital, the taliban has unleashed a wave of violence to try to disrupt tomorrow's election. a suicide bomber targeted a nato convoy tuesday, killing eight and injuring 55. two u.s. service members died in a separate attack. a senior nato officer insists the violence won't shut down 6,500 polling places. >> these will not have the capacity to intimidate and prevent 50 million afghan voters for these elections. >> reporter: there are more than two dozen candidates in the election but the obama administration is not taking any

sides. the u.s. expects to see exchanges in the afghanistan government no matter who wins. president karzai currently leads the polls. most analysts believe he'll win a second term as long as his top cot pet tor doesn't get a last-minute push. >> this is putting more pressure on president karzai to be more responsive to his people. >> reporter: as the threat of violence looms over the election, many believe there will be a strong voter turnout. there will be crucial for the candidates, as well as president the obama's campaign to turn around a devastating war. here in washington, secretary of state hillary clinton is speaking out, saying the u.s. is doing all it can to make sure the polling places are as safe as possible for tomorrow's elections. >> susan roberts in washington, thank you. >> protecting afghan voters is a

crucial mission right now. in the south, there is no putting the war on hold. u.s. marines are slugging it out with taliban fighters in hel mands province and laralogy san with them. >> reporter: the marine mission has taken on greater significance. here echo company is heading out to a known taliban village just a mile from their small combat outpost. this time they've chosen an unusual way in. coming up for the canal, the marines are hoping to have the element of surprise. in the month and a half since they've forceded their way in here, they've never been to this village without getting into a fight and never been all the way in water often up to their necks. >> it's hard to do anything covert. >> reporter: the marines keep going even though they now

realize they could be heading straight into an ambush. they're trying to secure the area so people can vote. the nearest polling station 12 miles to the north. along the way is hard core taliban territory. so few people here are expected to make the journey. what are we waiting for now? ieds? ieds are a taliban weapon much choice here. marine engineers go ahead to clear the route and quickly return, hurrying to get away from an ied they just found in the exact place the marines often use to enter the village. the marines have just found an ied in their way. approximate everybody is pulling back so they don't get blown up. after four hours in the water waiting to destroy the ied, the marines get word the enemy has moved out. they start to head back, taking cover as the ied is finally blown up. it's rare for these marines not

to get into a gun battle. they say it will happen tomorrow. it has almost every day since they arrived. lara logan, cbs news, helmand province. >> in the atlantic ocean, hurricane bill continues to strengthen. video shows the storm's vast reach, 300 miles across. bill is now a category 3 hurricane with winds near 125 miles per hour. it's expected to pass northeast of the caribbean later today. it will miss florida but could hit farther north on the east coast.beaumont, texas say people in the path of a tornado are fortunate to be alive this morning. video shows a twister forming yesterday in the sky. it skipped across a major shopping area, tossing cars like toys. >> the next thing i know, another car just landed on top of mine and the entire hood of my car came in on me. and it was just very scary. >> despite all the damage,

injuries were minor. just cuts and bruises, except for one man who suffered cardiac arrest. on the "cbs moneywatch," a sell-off for asian stock markets. claire leka is here with more. >> good morning to you, michelle. that's right. we did have asian markets going back to their losing ways, tumbling deep into the red. foreign investors rushed to cash in profits. steep losses in shanghai stocks. tumbled more than 4%. on wall street, a 19% drop in hewlett-packard's quarterly profits could weigh on tech stocks today. the dow begins up 82 points. the nasdaq starts higher by 25. general motors will spend the rest of the year beefing up production thanks to the government's cash for clunkers program. gm said it will increase production by 60,000 vehicles and call back nearly 1,400 laid off workers.

industry wide, 411,000 vehicles have been traded in under the program. watch out. your facebook page could come back to haunt you, especially if you are in the running for a new job. 45% of employers say they're now checking social networking sites, such as facebook, as they screen potential employees. 11% say they're about to start doing so. sony is chopping 100 bucks off the price of playstation 3 starting today. you can buy the game console for $299. in september, a slimmer version will be available for the same price. video game softwaremakers hope the price cut will help boost sales ahead of the holidays. michelle? >> claire leka here in new york, thanks. just ahead on the "morning news," michael jackson's doctor breaks his violence. plus, a swim suit model is found murdered and a reality show contestant is being sought by police. first, maggie rodriguez has

a preview of tonight's cbs evening news. >> a million people are hospitalized for heart failure every year. 1 in 4 is readmitted every 30 days. one hospital has a plan to fix that nationwide, tonight only on the cbs evening news.

i have done all i could do. i told the truth, and i have faith the truth will will prevail. >> michael jackson's doctor speaks out for the first time. in a youtube video, dr. conrad murray thanks his supporters and apologizes for not responding to well-wishers. he is the target of a police investigation. he told them he gave jackson diprivan just before the singer died. a jackson spokesman said jackson will be born in glendale, california next saturday, august 29th. that would have been his 51st birthday. only family and close friends

will be invited. mr. california, a woman's body found in a dumpster has been identified as a swim suit model who disappeared over the weekend. now police want to talk to the man who reported her missing. as our los angeles station reports, their l.a. neighbors can't believe it. >> she was close. she had a good roommate. she was strong with everybody else. it was just a shocker. >> reporter: 28 year-old jasmine fiore seemed excited to move into a new apartment. some neighbors describe this man as her husband. >> he wasn't as shy as the two girls were. >> reporter: her fourth floor penthouse is now a crime scene. >> we are searching for any evidence that may led to the suspect in this case. >> reporter: forensic investigators dust for

fingerprints and shoot video of her empty apartment. police want to know who straining emmed the 28-year-old and left her body in a suit case. she was discovered in a dumpster saturday night. >> it just isn't right. >> reporter: that same night say police, ryan jenkins walked into the police substation and filed a missing persons report for his wife. then police say, he went on the run. in either a black bmw suv with calgary license plates or his wife's white mercedes. >> we believe he may be heading towards canada. >> reporter: jenkins told police he was at a poker party on saturday night, the last night she was seen alive. police have contacted police enforcement as well as canadian mounties. jenkins' publicist told tmz that jenk sins speaking with his

attorney and plans to cooperate fully with police and will meet with them in the near future. stacy butler, cbs news. >> straight ahead, your wednesday morning weather. in sports, brett favre changes his mind again and returns to the nfl. you've wanted to quit smoking so many times, but those days came and went, and the cigarettes remained. but today's a new day. and a few simple steps can make a real difference in your next quit... things like starting with a plan to quit smoking... getting support... and talking to your doctor about how prescription treatments can help you.

talk to your doctor about prescription treatment options. and make this time, your time. how about a swim? i'm a little irregular today. don't you eat activia? for my little issues? they're not that bad. summer's no time to put up with even occasional digestive problems. believe me, once they go away, it's amazing how good you feel. announcer: activia is clinically proven to help regulate your digestive system in two weeks. summer's a wastin'... take the activia challenge now. it works, or it's free. ♪ activia here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, thunder, 91. miami, thunder as well, 90.

chicago, thunder as well, 82. denver, 83. los angeles, 71 degrees. time for a check on the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows clouds are scattered over the great plains while the north and southwest are mainly clear. later today, strong scattered storms will be popping up across much of the plains. the northeast remains hot and humid. look for heat to return to the northwest where temperatures could top 105 degrees. powerful storms likely around the midwest this afternoon. in sports, quarterback brett favre is coming back to the nfl. announcing a deal to play for the minnesota vikings, the 39-year-old quarterback decided not to retire for the second year in a row. favre even suited up and practiced with his new team. in baseball, 37-year-old pedro martinez again started for the phillies. he only gave up two hits with three strikeouts in three innings. but a rain delay forced him out of the game.

jayson werth hit his 25th home run as the filz beat arizona, 5-1. ryan garbingo hit a two-run double to left center, scoring two runs. the giants beat the reds, 8-5. and boston's david ortiz went 2 for 3 with a solo homer. boston and texas are back in a tie in the wildcard race in the american league. whnch when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. what's behind the shortage of primary care doctors in the u.s.? control my diabetes, to stay healthy - and get on with my life. it comes from liberty medical. and now, it's not only where i get my diabetes testing supplies - but it's where i get my prescription drugs as well. see if you're on medicare, the cost of your diabetes testing supplies as well as your prescription drugs may be covered.

liberty takes care of all the paperwork with medicare and sends the prescription forms directly to your doctor for approval. then, on your schedule, packs up this box and sends it right to your door with no charge for shipping. and liberty assures you have everything you need to manage your diabetes, including most brand name meters. call now and we'll send you a free meter. plus, a free cookbook when you join. call liberty. they can help you live a better life. call the number on your screen.

on the cbs "morning news," here's a look at today's weather. powerful thunderstorms will be dre developing across the great plains. hot and sticky in the northeast. the northwest and southwest will be hot and dry.

here's another look at this morning's top stories. despite ongoing taliban attacks and threats against voters, afghanistan is preparing for a key presidential election. the current president, hamid karzai, leads preelection polls. michael jackson's doctor is speaking out on youtube. dr. conrad murray post aid short video thanking supporters and saying he, quote, told the truth about jackson's death. now to the health care debate. one of president obama's key proposals is to require all americans to have health insurance. how does mandatory insurance work in massachusetts where it was imposed three years ago? dr. sanjay gupta went to find out. >> reporter: you're looking at the second busiest emergency room in the state. they treat over 100,000 patients over a year. here's the thing, another to this doctor who runs the e.r., a quarter of them don't need his

services. >> the way i would phrase is i think there are alternative sites of care that would be more appropriate. >> reporter: he means a primary care's doctor's office. >> the majority of users have a doctor's office and a primary doctor's office but come here because they don't have access. >> reporter: like kenneth mills, who's in pain from a bowling injury. >> i want to call my doctor but wouldn't be able to get in to see him. >> reporter: he is bruised and broken and could have easily been treated outside the emergency room. are you surprised you had to come to the emergency room? >> i wish i had a primary. i wouldn't have to wait as long. >> reporter: that's the issue. there aren't enough doctors. that's a real problem. we have more than 16,000 primary doctors short in the united

states. only 6,500 doctors every year start in primary care. their starting salaries are a lot lower than for specialists like radiology and cardiology. >> i owe $60,000 in medical school loans. >> reporter: it's not just the pay. it's the paperwork. dr. kate adkinson is drowning in it and says that's what's keeping doctors away from primary practices. >> this is the reason why. >> reporter: too much paperwork? >> too much paperwork. >> these are particularly bad. >> reporter: the reality is that the doctor and her nurse practitioner treat 3,000 patients. >> aetna, cigna. >> reporter: filling out hundreds of different forms takes a staff of 11. she simply can't make ends meet. >> do you know i lost a staff person last year to starbucks, because they could pain her more money? >> reporter: what good is insurance if doctors like

adkinson can't afford to stay in business? >> this doctor said it's a good first step. >> reporter: unless that card is of value to them, what good is it? >> that's the steps we have to get to next. >> reporter: including ways to entice more doctors into primary practice, so that everyone has a card and a proper care. dr. sanjay gupta, cbs news, springfield, massachusetts. >> tributes pouring in for long-time columnist robert novak, who died this week of brain cancer. he reporteded from washington for 50 years, becoming a legal conservative voice in print and on television. robert novak was 78 years old. and this morning on the early show, a closer look at the side effects of a cervical cancer drug.

it's critical that i stick to my medication. i cannot be one of the 61 million americans who do not refill their prescriptions on time. readyfill at cvs pharmacy automatically refills my prescriptions and reminds me to pick them up. you mean, reminds me to pick them up. [ chuckles ] stop by your local cvs pharmacy to ask if readyfill is right for you, and get a $25 coupon book. readyfill, only at cvs pharmacy. - how? - well, funny you should ask. say i stay 5 nights on business, then 5 nights on a family vacay, boom. free night. welcomerewards. smart. so smart.

when i joined the national guard, i never thought i'd be saving lives. it's more than money for college. it's built my character and given me a sense of accomplishment. now i'm on a career path, and i'm the leader of my team. i put on the uniform and i have a whole new outlook on life. country, community, family-- that's what matters most to me. if that matters to you, go to 1-800-go-guard.com.

ravens are honoring our country.

u good morning, it is a muggy start to the day out there this morning. we'll have traffic in a moment. but we'll go over to marty. >> it is muggy out there. and the most oppressive that we have had what you call so far this season. this tay will be very much like yesterday,