afghanistan crash. nine more nato deaths make this the deadliest year in the nine-year war. recession over. the economic downturn may have ended but for millions of americans, the tough times are still here. and sudden collapse. more than 100 racing fans are injured after the bottom falls out of the bleachers. this is the "cbs morning news" for tuesday, september 21, 2010. and good morning, everyone. i'm terrell brown in for betty nguyen. in afghanistan this morning, a deadly helicopter crash has claimed the lives of nato service members in the southern part of the country. nine coalition troops were killed. it's the deadliest year for nato in the nine-year war.

mandy clark is in kabul with more. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. according to nato sources, early reports indicate that the dead were americans and on a special forces mission. now, the crash happened at 4:00 a.m. in southern afghanistan. many of these covert operations happen at night and the goal is to disrupt taliban operations, either hunting commanders or searching for caches of drugs and weapons. there was no enemy fire when the helicopter crashed in the region, so the cause of the crash is being investigated. according to sources, it happened in zabul province, north of kandahar and a taliban-dominated area. unfortunately, helicopter crashes have happened in the past. last october was one of the deadliest with two crashes leaving 14 americans dead. terrell? >> it's a crash we will certainly be following.

mandy clark in kabul for us. thank you. later today the senate is expected to vote on whether to repeal don't ask, don't tell. the house has already passed a bill repealing the policy regarding gays in the military. tara mergener joins us with more on that. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. today's vote could be a close one. in any case, supporters call it a critical moment for gay rights. the senate today could move one step closer to repealing the military's don't ask, don't tell policy, a law that bans gays from serving openly. leading democrats need 60 votes to push it through and all eyes are on a handful of lawmakers who could cast the deciding vote. >> don't ask, don't tell is wrong. >> reporter: in maine monday, pop sensation lady gaga ditched her trademark outrageous look for a black suit. she urged republican senators olympia snowe and susan collins to break with the gop and support the bill

>> doesn't it seem to you that we should send home the prejudice, the straight soldier who hate the gay soldier? >> reporter: she even had her own policy to propose. >> our new law is called, if you don't like it, go home. >> reporter: the proposal to repeal don't ask, don't tell is actually part of a larger defense bill. today's vote is to end the debate and bring the bill to the floor. republicans say congress shouldn't vote until after the pentagon completes its study on the issue in december. democrats argue the move is long overdue. >> repeal it. it's absurd. >> reporter: on the street the feelings are mixed. >> i think we should leave it the way it is. >> reporter: don't ask, don't tell was enacted in 1993 by president clinton. under the policy more than 13,000 soldiers have been discharged. it could take time before the issue is resolved. while today's vote is a critical step, a final vote isn't expected until after november's

midterm elections. republicans are also bashing language in the bill that would lift a ban on abortions at military hospitals and legalize illegal immigrants who go to college or join the military. terrell, back to you. >> tara mergener in washington for us. thank you. turning now to the economy and news that the recession is officially over. in fact, according to the national bureau of economic research it ended in june of 2009. but if that is over, if the recession is over, that's news to a lot of americans who feel worse off since the recovery began. anthony mason reports. >> reporter: the official declaration of the recession's end won't mean anything to the nearly 17% of americans who were either out of work or have been forced to take part-time jobs. people don't just feel poorer, they are. as real estate values have tumbled, household net worth has plunged 19% from its peak in 2007. the economy may be in the

recovery room -- >> however anyone who's been in a recovery room knows that it still really hurts when you're in the recovery room and there's a lot of healing that still has to take place. >> reporter: economists says we have recovered about 70% of our economic growth. and about 40% of the business and retail sales that were lost, but only 9% of the private sector jobs wiped out in the recession have come back. from here, looking forward, what do you see? >> continued slowly in the economy. >> reporter: this slowdown is typical he says, but the more than 7 million jobs lost in the great recession are not. >> that time of having unemployment down at 5% or 4%, it's going to take a long time, maybe a decade, before we see anything like that again. >> reporter: while the economy is still fragile, leading indicators have started edging up again, he says, and we'll know by no later than

thanksgiving whether the economy is headed for a so-called soft landing or for another recession. anthony mason, cbs news, new york. president obama said the recession may be over but he realizes times are still tough for most americans. during a town hall discussion yesterday, he assured americans he understood their frustration with the slow pace of the economy. >> even though economists may say the recession officially ended last year, obviously for the millions of people still out of work, people who have seen their home values decline, people who are struggling to pay the bills day to day, it's still very real for them. >> the president also defended his administration's economic record and challenged republicans to come up with a better approach. on the "cbs moneywatch," in asia stocks were mostly higher. ashley morrison is here in new york with that. good morning to you. >> good morning to you. asian markets mostly advanced. japan's nikkei closed about a quarter of a percent lower while

hong kong's hang seng was mostly higher. wall street rallied yesterday. the dow added 145 points in its highest close since may while the nasdaq gained 40. and today's federal reserve meeting the slowed recovery for economy and double-digit unemployment numbers are likely to top the agenda. investors are looking for some hints about the fed's next move. one possibility, buy large amounts of government debt. that would lower mortgage rates and corporate loans. this is the fed's last meeting before the november election. a key concession from bp. a requirement that wage earners buy oil spill clean-up workers be subtracted from their claims of lost revenue has been waived. bp set up a $20 billion fund to compensated gulf workers. since august bp has received more than 68,000 claims. the holiday season is closer than you think. that means holiday presents, particularly toys.

toys "r" us expects them to follow last like year's zuzu pets, cute, cheap and collectibles. analysts expect toys sales to do slightly better than last year when they were down 1%. and walmart is looking for ways to grow. walmart wants a bigger presence in nation's bigger cities, meaning squeezing into smaller spaces. real estate executives says walmart has been scouting sites in urban markets including new york and san francisco. it's important to note that target, terrell, has also been doing the same thing. so, hopefully we'll see some competition here with target and walmart in new york city. >> oh, i know. ashley morrison in new york. thank you so much. the commander of utah's army national guard is taking the blame for a wildfire in salt lake city. the fire has claimed three homes so far. practice rounds on the utah army national guard base sparked the blaze sin and burned six square

miles in a suburb just outside salt lake and blamed for about 20% -- it's only 20% contained. the live fire training was allowed despite high wind warnings. 1600 homes were evacuated. streets in southern texas were flooded, partly from rain from hurricane karl. nearly 7 inches fell in a 24-hour period. some border towns got up to three feet of water. at least one person is missing and more rain expected through tomorrow. just ahead, an arrest warrant for actress lindsay lohan. plus, genetically engineered solomon may be coming to your dinner table. first, katie your wick a preview of the "cbs evening news." campaign ads are back, many of them are paid for by groups who don't have to tell you where their money is coming from. so, who's really pulling the strings? we'll investigate tonight only on the "cbs evening news." investigate tonight only on the "cbs evening news." a to. with so many to choose from it's hard to see the difference. but this is the way his dentist chooses a toothbrush. fact is, more dentists brush with an oral-b toothbrush

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race sunday. the metal bleachers gave way. with hundreds of people falling on top of each other. six people were taken to the hospital. two are still in serious condition. amazing. an investigation is under way to determine what caused that collapse. the fda has to decide whether genetically modified fish should be approved for americans to eat. some expert say it's safe to eat while critics charge there needs to be more testing. wyatt andrews reports this morning. >> reporter: the salmon would grow twice as fast as normal but taste the same and cost much less. the question is, should we eat it? >> it's very scary. what are they putting in this stuff? what is going to be the side effects? >> reporter: the industry invented the salmon by taking a single gene from an eel-like fish which grows year-round and spliced it into a farm-raised salmon to keep the salmon's growth hormones on overdrive. >> when you have -- >> reporter: expert after expert

told the fda panel that that genetic change did not change the salmon itself. that the flesh and nutritional content is no different from normal salmon, just as the company growing the fish has claimed. >> it means it's the same as the traditional fish. it's indistinguishable. from the traditional atlantic salmon. >> keep it out of the food supply. >> reporter: but several environmental groups say the fda has failed to study this fish outside the lab or in any kind of clinical trial. >> the fda hasn't done the necessary safety tests to make sure these fish are safe for human consumption. >> reporter: another concern is these oversized fish could escape from the tanks where they are supposed to be confined and become predators. >> there's absolutely no way you can contain these salmon. if they get out it's a threat to wild salmon. >> reporter: several of the outside experts also questioned the fda's conclusions and now the fda has 60 days to rule if this fish should be sold as food and if it should be labeled. even with approval, however, it could still be years before the first gene-altered salmon is on the table.

wyatt andrews, cbs news, washington. actress lindsay lohan has to go back to court. her probation was revoked and a formal warrant was issued for her arrest. that warrant is held until friday when she has to appear in court. she failed a court-ordered drug test. if she is found to have violated probation she could be sent back to jail. in las vegas paris hilton pleaded guilty to cocaine possession. she was fined $2,000 and ordered to complete 200 hours of community service. if hilton has any new arrests in las vegas she would go to jail. straight ahead, your tuesday morning weather. plus, in sports, a cliffhanger ending on monday night football. we'll show you next. [ female announcer ] it's not always easy to get the calcium we need from our diet. caltrate delivers 1200 mg of calcium plus vitamin d to help reduce your risk of osteoporosis. it's never too late for caltrate. and now big news -- the same caltrate comes in a new, smaller, easy to swallow pill.

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and... a napkin. [ male announcer ] have you built your better breakfast? now's the time! try our better-for-you western egg white muffin melt or the dee-licious double bacon egg and cheese on toasty flatbread. subway. build your better breakfast. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the current. new york, sunny, 75 degrees. miami, thunderstorms, 88. chicago, thunderstorms, 84. sunny ask and 88 in denver. 78 and partly cloudy in los angeles. let's get a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows a large area of storm clouds moving through the northern plains. skies are cloudy over the northwest. clear skies over the eastern seaboard and southwest. later today, heavy showers will continue to impact parts of texas. a few severe thunderstorms could bother the northern plains and great lakes regions. the cool, autumn air is moving into parts of the country with some places only getting into the 50s.

in sports, we begin with a tragic story. denver broncos wide receiver kenny mckinley apparently took his own life. police say mckinley's body was found in his colorado home. he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. the 23-year-old was on the broncos' injured reserve list. with a knee injury. monday night football, new orleans pulled out a dramatic win. score tied. drew brees of the saints, 30 yard completion to get close enough for a field goal. garrett hartley will kick it. as time runs out. new orleans beat the 49ers 25-22. in baseball, the yankees extend their lead over tampa bay. new york's curtis granderson, two home runs against the rays. the yankees win 8-6. that victory gives them a game and a half lead in the american league east. in philadelphia, right fielder jason hayes made an error that led to the philadelphia go ahead run. phillies beat the braves 3-1. by the way, in the seventh inning of that game, a fan ran

onto the field in a red costume. atlanta left fielder matt diaz tripped up the fan. security guards took him away. diaz got an ovation from the phillies' crowd out there. when we come back this morning, another look at this morning's top stories. plus, the woman that burned herself in that acid attack hoax now faces criminal charges. asid attack hoax now faces criminal charges. stay once... stay twice... earn a free night! two separate stays at comfort inn or any of these choice hotels can earn you a free night -- only when you book at choicehotels.com. when you spend $50 or more, including sale prices. download your coupon at sears.com/savings. plus, apparel clearance is up to 80% off. sears. [ female announcer ] we've got stains, down to a science.

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no need to be nervous. we're here to help. these are healthy choice fresh mixers and marie callender's homestyle creations. these guys actually allow you to prepare meals fresh. think of them as the lunchbox of the future. that's the sound of fresh taste. the noodles are separate from the sauce, but they desperately want to become friends. you cook the pasta, you strain it, you mix in the sauce, you'll find them in the canned pasta or soup aisle. did you hear me? the canned pasta or soup aisle. respect lunch! on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. summer wraps up, the heat still hangs on to the southern half of the country. autumn is felt in part of the northern plains and scattered storms could move to the great lakes and southern plains. here's another look at this morning's top stories. in afghanistan a helicopter crash claimed the lives of coalition service members. nine troops were killed, making

it the deadliest year for nato. in the nine-year war. the recession has officially been declared over but president obama is warning americans the road to recovery is a long one. a new study out today finds being obese is not only unhealthy, it's expensive. researchers at george washington university found the annual cost of being an overweight woman is more than $8300 in higher medical bills, employment sick days and the value of years lost due to premature death. for a man it's more than $6500. the reason for the difference, obese women earn less. the washington state woman at the center of an acid attack hoax faces criminal charges. 28-year-old bethany storro claimed a stranger threw acid on her face last month. she later admitted the wounds were self-inflicted. yesterday prosecutors filed three theft charges related to the $28,000 in donations she received. >> if the evidence supports the

filing of these felony charges, and i think the criminal justice system needs to react and is reacting to her behavior. >> court records showed storro spent about $1500 of the donations on dinners for parents and clothing. storro's parents say all the money raised will be returned. france's first lady is coming to the defense of michelle obama. yesterday carla bruni sarkozy denies that mrs. obama told her life in the white house is hell. french president nicolas sarkozy and his wife arrived at the u.n. yesterday. the french first lady said she never said mrs. obama could not stand her job. she also says she doesn't know where that alleged quote came from. this morning on "the early show," the latest from the bedbug summit in chug. i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news."

words alone aren't enough. our job is to listen and find ways to help workers who lost their jobs to the spill. i'm iris cross. we'll keep restoring the jobs, tourist beaches, and businesses impacted by the spill. we've paid over $400 million in claims and set up a $20 billion independently-run claims fund. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. i'm gonna be here until we make this right.

bernadette woods is in for marty bass. >> we warm up into the 70s but we have warmer air coming our way. this is what we have going on. everything ranging from 51. 40s out west. some of the suburbs are in the 40s. taking it a little bit close are. 63 in annapolis, closer to the wart. as we head through the afternoon, we're getting up to 77, a lot of sunshine, a beautiful day. then the changes come and we'll

have that forecast. he's the seoul survivor of -- sole survivor of the shooting in the johns hopkins hospital, plus a review on the security. ravens head coach har baghdad could be -- harbaugh could be fined. and paris hilton pleads guilty to cocaine possession, but will she phase jail time? more news in a couple of minutes. ♪

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