captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with jeff glor. >> glor: and good evening. we begin our broadcast this evening with a scathing letter sent by f.b.i. director robert mueller to officials in scotland. two days after scotland's justice minister released a libyan agent convicted of bombing pan am flight 103 in

1988, an act of terrorism that took 270 lives. at the same time tonight, britain find itself denying the bomber's release was the price of doing business. sheila macvicar has our story. >> reporter: this was how the libyan leader ghaddafi greeted abdel basset al megrahi. he could have welcoming a prodigal son, rather than a convicted terrorist. in an unprecedented move, the director of the f.b.i. weighed in today two decades ago as a prosecutor, he investigated the bombing of pan am 103. in an uncompromising letter he blasted the scottish minister responsible for releasing megrahi. now there are growing

accusations from family members and others that megrahi was released in order to pave the way for more british business deals with libya, especially oil deals. allegations the british government rejects. >> the idea that the british government, the libyan government would sit down and somehow barter over the freedom or the life of this libyan prisoner and make it form part of some business deal, it's not only wrong. it's completely implausible and actually quite offensive. >> reporter: but in these pictures taken on board the libyan plane carrying al-megrahi to freedom, ghaddafi's son tells him, "in all the trade, oil, and gas deals, whenever british interests came to libya, we would always put your release on the tablement. just 10 days ago the u.k. business secretary peter

mendelson was in greece on vacation, where he held meetings with ghaddafi. another good friend of the ghaddafi's is queen elizabeth's second son, prince andrew. he works to promote british business interests. in the last year alone he has met the libyan leader at least three times and sees his son frequently. he is supposed to return to libya next month. ghaddafi himself added to those suspicions by publicly thanking britain's prime minister gordan brown, queen elizabeth, and prince andrew for their role in the, "courageous decision to release megrahi." >> the government is going to come under pressure to make a more detailed statement. there are a number of outstanding questions, and silence, i don't think, is serving the british interest well. >> reporter: megrahi was released by the scottish justice minister on what he claimed were compassionate grounds but it all now has the whiff of money. while there may not be a dell, there is the clear expectation that megrahi's release will improve relations between

britain and libya and that better relations will mean more business. sheila macvicar, cbs news, london. >> glor: tonight there are new allegation of torture by the c.i.a. "newsweek" magazine is reporting that a secret 2004 report reveals that interrogators used mox executions to intimidate prisoners and a federal judge has ordered the release monday of that five-year-old inspector general's report. earlier today, i spoke with one of the authors the article, "newsweek" investigative correspondent mark hosenbal, and asked about what was in the previously classified document. >> the report is going to reveal for the first time the the c.i.a. conducted what are described as mock execution of some of the high-valued detainees, more than one from the sound of things. and in the case of one detainee that we know about, somebody named abdel-rahman al nashiri,

an alleged architect of the uss cole bombing, the report alleged at some point c.i.a. interrogator brandished a gun in front of this guy in an effort to frighten him and took a power drill in front of him and turn turned it on and went bzzz, implying they were going to use it on him. >> glor: does this report make an investigation by attorney general holder more likely? >> attorney general holder in an interview with some of my colleagues at "newsweek" and other statements for the last two or three months has been making pretty strong hints he does want to conduct a criminal investigation of whether officials at the c.i.a. exceeded justice department guidelines laid dun by the bush administration. >> glor: mark hosenball, thank you so much for your time. >> thank you. >> glor: we move to hurrican bill, the storm down to a category one, churning through the north atlantic but still big enough to affect most of the east coast with wet weather and

wild surf. bill shields from our affiliate abz joins us from martha's vineyard in massachusetts. >> reporter: you would never know there is a hurricane offshore when you look at the ocean. on the other side of martha's vineyard it's a whole different story. there's pretty good surf over there and it's making a lot of vacationers very unhappy. it's not exactly a good beach weekend along the eastern sea board unless you're a surfer. the brunt of hurrican bill won't come anywhere near the coast but there could be heavy wind gusts and offshore waves of up to 20 feet. >> bill is very far offshore but it is such a big storm, in fact, tropical-storm-force wind extending out 275 miles from the center. >> reporter: the biggest danger-- rip tides that can drag swimmers out to sea. horrible timing on one of the last weekends of summer. >> i'm disappointed not to go into the water. because i really, really do like

to swim. >> i think it's back to the house to the deck. >> reporter: most beaches at least remain open to sun bathers but at high tide the sand was sometimes underwater. >> we're going to probably see many, many more situation where people are going to be walking ankle deep and get swept out because ankle deep goes to knee deep, goes to waist deep, goes to chest deep. >> reporter: still, it's nothing like what happened in bermuda where 105 minor miles an hour wind caused flooding and power outages. for all bill's bluster, the island reports no injuries or deaths. >> we got a bit of wind. we're used to that. >> reporter: after bringing heavy rain and high winds to the islands and cape cod, hurricane bill is expected to move north and slam into prince edward island and nova scioscia tomorrow. jeff. >> glor: and, bill, we also know the first family is expected on martha's vineyard tomorrow. is the hurricane expected to affect their trip at all? >> reporter: own the arrival, jeff. maybe the president and his

family will be delayed a little bit. after that the weather is suppose to be great for the rest of the week. >> glor: bill shield from our affiliate wbz joining us from min tonight. bill, thank you. in his weekly address today, president obama called for an honest debate on health care reform and he accused some critics of making "phony claims." it has been a rough summer for the president and as kimberly dozier report tonight, right now he's looking for a recharge. >> reporter: this is a mansourly in need of a vacation. barack obama still has a 57% approval rating, but that's down by more than 10 points. so are his poll numbers for his handling of the economy, the war in afghanistan, and his signature issue, health care reform. his critics say he hasn't done a good job explaining why reforms are needed despite 11 town hall meetings, 12 speeches... >> our health reform bill will extend kochblg. >> reporter: and 16 interviews

devoted to just to health care. >> reduce the cost inflation of health care. >> reporter: and the reasons the white house gives for the need for reform keep changing. >> i don't think they've ever distilled their argument down to 25 words or less that lead people to say, "i get it now. i see why he wants us to do this." >> reporter: critics say part of the problem is he delegated the process of coming up with a bill to congress. >> it's very difficult to sell something when you don't have a concrete bill. >> reporter: and that lack of clarity is confusing or turning off key voting blocs, like seniors. >> i think that's the biggest problem that none of us really know. what's going to be. >> reporter: reform opponents point to mr. obama's own words when they warned seniors their benefits could be slashed. >> cutting out the waste and insurance company give-aways and medicare... >> reporter: seniors want to know just what's being cut out. >> people talk about seniors losing coverage. where's it written? where are the words?

>> reporter: democratic strategists say the white house is trying to refocus its message by selling this as a benefit to the middle class instead of an obligation to pay for 46 million uninsured. >> what it's going to offer to the middle class, and that's stability. or security. it's peace of mind. >> reporter: now, the other job ahead is to bring some discipline to this pros. last weekend, the white house sent out confusing messages about whether it was for or against government-sponsored health care, the so-called public option. the strategists say mr. obama needs to choose one plan and stick with it. jeff. >> glor: kimberly, any hint at this point on which plan he will choose to go with? >> reporter: well, if you speak to the white house strategists, they say they are sticking with the public option, but behind the scenes, congress right now during the recess is debating merits of that option back and forth and trying to come up with a compromise. what the white house is ping is they'll come up with that compromise before they come back in session, and then the president doesn't have to break

the tie. >> glor: all right, kimberly dozier from the white house this evening. kimberly thank you. overseas tonight, dozens of wildfires are raging in greece in villages and olive groves north athens. soldiers and firefighters are trying to protect homes as people flee from those flames. two children's hospitals were evacuated. still ahead on tonight's cbs evening news, a history-making haven not far from the presidential retreats. but up next, a new wave of foreclosures. the cause-- blame rising unemployment. it could happen to me... a heart attack at 53. i had felt fine. but turns out... my cholesterol and other risk factors... increased my chance of a heart attack. i should've done something. now, i trust my heart to lipitor. when diet and exercise are not enough, adding lipitor may help. unlike some other cholesterol lowering medications, lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk... of heart attack, stroke, and certain kinds of heart surgeries...

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issue still causing concern-- the still-rising unemployment rate which as priya david tells us is leading to even more housing foreclosures. >> reporter: after eric williams was laid off from his job as a copy machine repairman earlier this year, he fell behind on his home mortgage. >> i'm trying to keep it together you know. it's hard. >> reporter: williams is at high risk of losing his new jersey home, now 120 days delinquent on his current payment of $2700 a month. >> it's the american dream to own a house and live happily and earn a good wage. >> reporter: but that good wage is increasingly out of reach as unemployment rose in 26 states last month with six people unemployed for every one new job. eric williams is facing what economists say is the next wave of foreclosure-- prime, fixed rate borrowers who can no longer afford to pay their mortgages because of unemployment. already, these once-stable

borrowers make up a third of homeowners starting the foreclosure pros. 9% of prime loans are actually in foreclosure, up from 5% one year ago. >> house prizes, my bet is they're going to fall another 10 per to 15% so we're going to see more and more people in the situation where they have negative equity. they owe more than the value of their house, so if they get hit with a spell of unemployment, they have nothing to fall back on. >> reporter: at neighborhood america, a nonprofit that helps homeowners in financial distress marietta rodriguez sees a trebd. >> 50% of the borrowers in distress that are reaching out to housing counselors right now indicate job loss, reduction in income, as a major reason for delinquency that is leaving them vulnerable to foreclosure. >> reporter: williams hopes to stave off foreclosure by modifying his mortgage through a new lender. if the loan modification goes through then how much would you pay? >> it could go down to $1,000 with the esk row built in. >> reporter: a savings that's

music to his ears. priya david, cbs news, plained field, new jersey. >> glor: in sports tonight, the mammoth video board at the dallas cowboy's new $1.2 billion stadium became part of the game last night when tennessee's a.j. trapsso hit the structure with a punt. the play was ruled dead and kicked again. cowboys owner jerry jones insists despite the issue the scoreboard will not be moved higher. up next on tonight's cbs evening news, a young guantanamo detainee could be leaving for home after a military prosecutor chose to help the defense. 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.

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be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. you take care of your kids, now it's time to take care of yourself. >> glor: one of the youngest detainees at the guatanamo bay prison could be returning this weekend to afghanistan. he was arrested seven years ago for allegedly throwing a grenade at american soldiers. mohammed juwad's big break came when a u.s. military lawyer made a highly unusual choice. our chief foreign affairs correspondent lara logan has more. >> information about how he was captured... >> reporter: reserve lieutenant kernel darryl vander velt could not keep silent. >> silent in the face of evil is collaboration with evil. >> reporter: he was a military prosecutor in guantanamo until he decided to speak out against

the corruption of justice he found there. >> our fighting men and women who have been putting themselves in harm's way, they're not fighting for rigged, kangaroo trials. >> reporter: that's exactly the kind of trial colonel vanderveld says they were getting at guantanamo. he should know-- he was the lead prosecutor in seven cases. when darryl arrived in may 2007 he was fresh from the battle field. >> i wanted to punish them. >> i would characterize himmaise true believer. >> reporter: he was the defense attorney in the case that would ultimately compel darryl to risk everythings. he was accused of throwing a hand grenade at two u.s. special forces soldiers in 2002, injuring them severely. at the time, this afghan boy was 16 or 17 years old. his case was prosecutored aggressively by vanderveld. so it was clear to you that he was guilty. >> i had no doubt in my mind based on what i received that he would be convicted. >> reporter: but a chance discovery would reveal that

important evidence in the case had been withheld. >> i saw something that floored me. >> reporter: in the evidence file of an unrelated trial, vabd discovered jurks wad made a statement to military investigators, a statement backed up by the u.s. guard force at his prison. >> he had been hooded and slapped, that he had been shackled, hooded, and thrown down stairs. >> reporter: and you knew nothing about this as the producer in his case. >> i knew nothing about the existence of the statement. >> reporter: how is that possible? >> the evidence was in a state of chaos. >> reporter: by lou, vanderveld had to share his discovery with the defense. he now believed juwad was tortured, even though he had no intelligence to offer and he did not believe juwad could be convicted. >> i think he was just as appalled by what he found in those records as i was. >> frakt says that discovery changed darryl vanderveld forever. he couldn't ignore the violations of law he discovered, critical evidence that was missing, lost, or withheld.

>> the rules are applicable to everyone. there is no exception. there are no different forms of justice. >> reporter: that led vanderveld to make the most agonizing decision of his life. in september 2008, he resigned from the military commissions. so your conscience is clear. >> my conscience is not clear. i prosecutored mohammed juwad for to go. i participated in the commissions for too long. >> reporter: the pentagon nay statement to cbs news said vanderveld's statements are proven to be unsubstantiated. he received a evaluation that effectively ended his military career. >> if you do the right thing you will forever be grateful you did it, no matter what happens to you. >> glor: updating a story we reported earlier this year, an egyptian man was released from a federal detention center in miami yesterday after an immigration judge refused to order him deported. agents arrested 23-year-old former college student youseff

megahed in april, shortly after he was acquitted of terrorism-related charges. we'll be right back. how about a swim? i'm a little irregular today. don't you eat activia? for my little issues? summer is no time to put up with even occasional digestive problems. take the activia challenge now. it works, or it's free. ♪ activia of the outdoors for your indoor cat. specially formulated to promote hairball control and healthy weight.

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but randall pinkston explains what does make oak bluffs special. >> reporter: when the first family arrives on martha's vineyard, they will be returning to a familiar place. as a u.s. senator, barack obama and his family often vacationed here, spending time in oak bluffs, a historic haven for african americans vacationing on the vineyard. this visit, of course, is different. the first family is renting a private home far from oak bluffs but the president will be seeking the same experience as generations of successful black americans. >> well, this area is all about tradition. it's all about family. it's going to give him a chance to relax. >> reporter: these days, martha's vineyard may be one of the most racially diverse vacation spots in the nation, representative, perhaps, of the very spirit that helped put president obama in the white house. but the island still retains a distinct and long-standing african american tradition. >> we go back to slavery days. >> reporter: historian robert hayden, a longtime oak bluffs

resident, says martha's vineyard was one of the first places in the nation to embrace a black leisure class. >> we're involved here in civic activities, business activities, religious activities. we built some institutions on this island over the years. >> reporter: the documentary "a place of our own" chronicles african americans who opened business and built summer homdz. they even had their own beach nicknamed the ink wel. >> it's been a place where at least for the summer the world did not look at us and define us solely by race. >> reporter: it's one of the reasons he and his family came here to escape boston and the racial divides. >> couldn't fish in boston. i couldn't ride my bicycle at will. >> reporter: gordon found freedom there then and now and thinks the new first family will too. >> everybody is here to relax, vacation, and not really be pothered. so i'm-- i'm happy to see him come. >> reporter: a special place for

all who come here. randall pinkston, cbs news, martha's vineyard. >> glor: that is the cbs evening news tonight. russ mitchell will be here tomorrow night. i'm jeff glor, cbs news, in new york. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org