disaster in the gulf. 11 missing workers feared dead as their sunken oil rig threatens a major oil spill. porn patrol. sec workers caught surfing the net for sex during the financial meltdown. and a dollar a dream. a missouri man down to his last 30 bucks wins a quarter of a billion dollars. >> i got lots of text messages and stuff from my friends, is it true, you know. >> this is the "cbs morning news" for friday, august 23rd, >> this is the "cbs morning news" for friday, august 23rd, 2010. captioning funded by cbs good morning. thanks for joining us. i'm emily smith in for michelle gielan. rescue crews searched, but still no sign of those 11 missing oil rig workers. two empty lifeboats were recovered.

the oil rig itself has gone under creating a potential for a major oil spill and sparking fears of environmental catastrophe. terrell brown has our report. >> reporter: more explosions rocked the deepwater horizon oil rig. after burning for 36 hours, it sunk. rescue teams in the gulf of mexico are still focused on locating the 11 missing workers, even though hope for their survival has faded. >> based upon reports from our crew members we met as they came in last night, at the time of the incident, they believe that they may have been on board the rig and not able to evacuate. >> reporter: crews 50 miles off the coast of louisiana are also dealing with a growing environmental concern. the rig was carrying 700,000 gallons of diesel fuel and could spill as much as 8,000 barrels of crude a day. >> i think it certainly has the potential to be a major spill. >> reporter: the coast guard and bp oil, which leases the platform, have dispatched

containment vessels and a national strike force. throughout the day, family members of some of the more than 100 survivors have gathered at this hotel to reunite with their loved ones. this man's son told the family on the phone what the explosion was like. >> he said he was as scared as he'd ever been. >> reporter: this father also shared what he planned to do when he saw his 33-year-old son, jonathan, in person. >> i'm going to hug him, tell him i love him. he knows i love him, but i'll tell him anyway. >> reporter: president obama got an oval office briefing on the situation thursday evening. he spent thoughts and prayers to the families and pledged every government resource needed for the search, cleanup and investigation. terrell brown, cbs news, louisiana. in west texas, some wild weather caught on tape. take a look at this video of one of two tornadoes that touched down thursday. the first was a huge funnel cloud that raced through the panhandle about 40 miles southeast of amarillo. luckily it hit in a mostly rural

area and no injuries or damage has been reported. another funnel cloud was also captured on video in the area. again, no injuries or major damage reported. amazing. and now to a modern day case of rome burning. at the height of the financial meltdown, a number of senior staffers at the securities and exchange commission spent hours watching internet porn instead of overseeing the crashing financial system. the sec's inspector general investigated 33 employees, 31 during the last 2 1/2 years when the financial system nearly crashed. one senior attorney spent eight hours a day looking at and downloading porn. he agreed to resign. an accountant was blocked 16,000 times in just one month from visiting porn sites but bypassed sec filters. he received a 14 day suspension. 17 of the employees investigated earned up to $222,000. this morning democrats are gearing up for a senate showdown next week over financial reform. the first vote is expected on

monday, but republicans want more time to bargain. meanwhile, the president didn't mince words as he tried to convince wall street. tara mergener has more. >> reporter: well, democrats claim they are running out of patience with this whole debate and that it is time to move forward. but republicans say not so fast. >> a free market was never meant to be a free license to take whatever you can get however you can get it. >> reporter: after scolding wall street for what he called their reckless practices, the president asked them to join in the fight for reform. >> unless your business model depends on bilking people, there's little to fear from these new rules. >> reporter: as it stands now, the senate bill would create a consumer protection agency, regulate the complicated derivatives market that brought down aig, and require banks to keep more cash on hand. but while the president was wooing bankers, a familiar

debate was taking place on capitol hill. >> here we go again. >> reporter: just one day after committing to bipartisan talks, the two parties were playing the blame game. >> there are ways of doing this, but the games of stalling are over. >> reporter: while democrats promised not to let the debate drag on the way it did for health care reform, republicans say they'll take all the time they need and argue the president's plan is not what the american people want. >> they want sensible reforms that will fix the problem. they don't want a government takeover of the entire private sector. >> reporter: and without consensus, democrats need 60 votes to move ahead in the senate, but so far all 41 republicans remain opposed. emily, back to you. >> thank you, tara mergener in washington. well, a group of suspected pirates who allegedly attacked u.s. navy ships off the coast of africa is expected to appear in a u.s. court as early as this morning.

the 11 suspects are accused of firing on two navy vessels in two separate incidents, one in march and one in april. they've been held for weeks on american ships off the somalia coast. they were flown to the u.s. thursday to face charges in federal court. three american hikers held in iran are considering going on a hunger strike. the three graduate students from california have been held since july. they crossed in to iran from iraq while hiking. swiss diplomats say two of the americans are in poor health. iranian officials say the trio will be prosecuted but no trial date has been set. on the cbs "moneywatch," it was downhill for stocks in asia this morning. farnoosh torabi has that and more. >> reporter: stock markets in asia finished lower on worries over greece's debt crisis. today wall street gets the latest report on durable goods. thursday, the major indices bounced back after a rough start. analysts predict today's report on new home sales will see them

rise more than 8%. thursday the government said existing home sales jumped almost 7% in march. still, most economists say the true test of a housing rebound will come after this month when federal home buyer credits expire. a new rule limiting how long airline passengers can be kept waiting on the tarmac goes in to effect april 29th. no exceptions. the government yesterday rejected requests from five airlines looking for temporary exemptions. starting next thursday, planes cannot stand on the tarmac for more than three hours without taking off or letting the passengers off. some airlines are worried the rule will force them to cancel flights. us airways has pulled the plug on merger talks with united. united is still looking to make a deal with another carrier, possibly continental. if they join forces, it would create the world's biggest airline. and amazon's kindle is about to take up some shelf space at target. the electronic reader has only been available at amazon.com, but starting on sunday, target

will be the first brick and mortar retail store to offer the device. at first, the kindle will only be sold at target's flagship minneapolis store and another 100 stores in south florida. emily? >> thank you, farnoosh. just ahead, sticker shock when it comes to the newly reformed health care law. plus the case of the runaway mom. an ohio woman reported missing has been found. first katie couric has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." a stranger helped hundreds of hurricane victims raising money and rebuilding homes. it turns out that stranger was neil diamond. and for these families, the good times never seemed so good. that's tonight only on the "cbs evening news." ws." crafted to be exceptionally smooth...

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rocket from cape cavaveral, but its military payload is top secret. it's being described as a miniature space shuttle. its air force mission, classified. wow. a nationwide hunt for an ohio mother reported missing last weekend is over. she's been found. ohio authorities say the 31-year-old turned up in miami beach with a man police had called a person of interest in her disappearance. here's what her husband had to say at a news conference yesterday. >> we're just so -- so glad to know that tiffany is safe, that she's been found. and that she is safe. obviously moving forward there are going to be other things that we will be dealing with. >> he asked for privacy to deal with those other things. now to health care and a new analysis of costs under president obama's reform law.

government health experts say it will not lower costs, predicting about a 1% rise in health spending over ten years. the white house disputes that finding. separately, the congressional budget office estimates that under the reform law, nearly 4 million americans could face penalties averaging $1,000 if they fail to get health insurance by 2016. cancer experts are debating a controversial new study suggesting that some types of cancer are being overdiagnosed. the focus is on tumors that may never cause symptoms in a patient or lead to death, meaning treatment may be unneeded. the study in the journal of the national cancer institute estimates that a quarter of all breast cancers and 60% of prostate cancers fall into this category. in los angeles, another setback for roman polanski who pleaded guilty to having sex with an underaged girl in 1977, then fled the country. polanski remains under house arrest in switzerland. yesterday the appeals court

denied polanski's request to be sentenced to time served. swiss authorities will now decide whether to extradite him to the u.s. straight ahead, your friday morning weather. and in sports, it looks as easy as one, two, three, but the yankees haven't done it since mickey mantle was in pinstripes. pinstripes. from general motors. a lot of americans didn't agree with giving gm a second chance. quite frankly, i can respect that. we want to make this a company all americans can be proud of again. that's why i'm here to announce we have repaid our government loan, in full, with interest, five years ahead of the original schedule. but there's still more to do. our goal is to exceed every expectation you've set for us. we're putting people back to work, designing, building, and selling the best cars and trucks in the world. with our 100,000-mile, 5-year powertrain warranty to guarantee the quality.

and the unmatched life-saving technology of onstar to help keep you safe. from new energy solutions. to the designs of tomorrow. we invite you to take a look at the new gm. [ female announcer ] kids who don't eat breakfast may not be getting the nutrition they need to keep their bodies strong. a nutritious start to the day is essential. that's why carnation instant breakfast essentials supplies the nutrients of a balanced breakfast. so kids get the protein and calcium they need to help build strong muscles and healthy bones. ♪ carnation instant breakfast essentials. good nutrition from the start. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, sunny and 68.

miami, sunny and 84. chicago, mostly cloudy and 62. denver, showers, 51. los angeles, sunny, 63. time now for a check on the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows clouds scattered over the rockies and central plains. the northern plains are mainly clear. skies are clear across much of the west. and the southern plains are looking at cloudy skies. later today, scattered showers will be popping up across much of the ohio valley and central plains. the northeast and southeast are mainly dry. while much of the west will have a milder day. temperatures will be in the 60s and 70s and scattered showers are likely over the northern and central rockies. in sports, a wild one for the yankees and as in oakland and a game the as won't forget. a three run homer off cc sabathia. in the sixth, he grounded for a triple play, the first since 1968. the as won it 4-2.

in the national league, the pirates took a drubbing from the visiting brewers. milwaukee won it 20-0. it was the pirates worst defeat in their 120 year history. now to the nba playoffs and a pair of upsets. oklahoma city's kevin durant took on the l.a. lakers' kobe bryant winding up with 29 points and 19 rebounds on the night. and the thunder won it 101-96. their first ever home playoff victory. in chicago, derrick rose scored 31 points including a nifty give and go in the first quarter and the bulls went on to beat lebron james and the heavily favored cavaliers 108-106. finally, it was oklahoma night at the nfl draft. sam bradford was chosen first overall by the st. louis rams. one of three sooners in the top six picks. closely watched florida quarterback tim tebow went to the broncos 25th overall. when we return, another look

at this morning's top stories. and cyber crisis. the dangerous security hold on our nation's computer networks. alright kid, let's get ready for this morning's quiz. christopher columbus sailed the ocean blue... in 14 hundred and 92. nice! follow me, the missouri river is this way! lewis and clark expedition of 1804. oh, he'll never get this. magellan, 1520. awww, my 8 layers must've given it away. help keep your kid full and focused with 8 filling layers... of whole grain fiber found in kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats® cereal. this is one giant leap for mini-kind™. keeps 'em full. keeps 'em focused. hoo hooo! time to face the pollen that used to make me sneeze... my eyes water. but now zyrtec®, the fastest 24-hour allergy relief, comes in a new liquid gel. new zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air®.

on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. powerful thunderstorms will be developing across the south and southern plains. the southwest has a much drier and milder day. and the northeast will be dry and pleasant. here's another look at this morning's top stories. there's the potential for a major oil spill in the gulf of mexico now that an oil platform has sunk. 11 workers are still missing following tuesday's explosion. and officials say there's little hope they'll be found alive. and the sec's inspector general found senior staffers at the agency spent hours surfing the internet for pornography over the last five years. one senior attorney spent eight

hours a day looking at and downloading porn. internet security is becoming more and more critical considering just how much we depend on computers. terry mccarthy reports. >> reporter: cyberspace. it enables e-mail, electricity grids, international banking and military superiority. we can't live without it. but increasingly experts say the openness of cyberspace is putting the u.s. in jeopardy. >> basically our whole super power status of the united states depends on computers. we lose them, we lose our status as a super power and become a third world country overnight. >> reporter: the u.s. is vulnerable because there's no accountability, limited security, and no international rule of law in cyberspace. regularly state sponsored hackers in russia and china are attacking government networks. the pentagon gets 360 million unauthorized probes every day. they're not alone. under constant attack, corporate

america is losing critical data to overseas competitors robbing the u.s. economy of up to $20 billion a year. most worrisome is the risk to the u.s. power grid, a 6 million mile web of electrical distribution lines powering up nearly 145 million homes and businesses. all controlled by computer commands and open to cyber attack. this american hacker known as mudge knows firsthand how vulnerable these systems are. ten years ago, he bored in to regional telecom and utility networks. within a week, he'd worked out how to take most of them down. >> it was terrifying. it was absolutely terrifying. that was my epiphany was if i figured it out, other people figured it out, also. >> reporter: the government is quietly hiring hackers to learn their secrets. last month, mudge began working for the secretive research arm of the department of defense. however, the u.s. is playing catchup. countries like china and russia are dedicated considerable

resources to the cyber battlefront while the u.s. has been slow to react. >> so establish the problem, declare it as a national priority, develop a plan, and then invest properly in this. >> reporter: the u.s. invented the internet. now it needs to find ways to make it safe. terry mccarthy, cbs news, ashburn, virginia. a man went from minimum wage to a multimillionaire overnight. 29-year-old chris shaw won this week's power ball lottery jackpot worth a whopping $258 million. he purchased the winning ticket at the convenience store where he works as a clerk. yesterday shaw, who until recently had only $29 in his bank account, said he planned to use his winnings to take care of business. >> pay off some debts first, you know. that's the first thing. got some electric bill and gas bill and stuff like that to pay for. i'm just a regular guy, work paycheck to paycheck. >> shaw is also considering

buying a new hot rod, boat and taking his three children and his girlfriend's two children to disney world. this morning on "the early show," a live interview with chris shaw. i'm emily smith. morning on "the early show," a live interview with chris shaw. i'm emily smith. and tortilla strips. h, add grilled chicken, and finish it with crispy quesadilla wedges. the quesadilla explosion salad is part of our entree plus an appetizer pairings for $9.99. pick one of our 16 entrees, like baby-back ribs or honey chipotle chicken crispers. then choose an appetizer -- all for just $9.99. for a limited time, only at chili's. blend it. sprinkle it. sweet! [ female announcer ] just about anywhere you use sugar you can use splenda® no calorie sweetener. [ male announcer ] savory. fluffy.

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it's friday! and in 25 seconds, it will be 5:00. not a bad day's start. we'll have the traffic after the weather. >> no, not a bad day's start. we'll see temperatures moving