washout. north carolina declares a state of emergency as a nasty storm batters the east coast. unfinished business. congress leaves a number of issues on the table as lawmakers break to campaign for midterms. and sex tape suicide, a new jersey college student kills himself after a video is posted on the internet. this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, september 30th, 2010. good morning, everybody.ñbp &hc& thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. jjrñi the atlantic coast slammed by a two-pronged, flood producing

storm system, headed north after dumping rain on florida, cuba and jamaica. in north carolina flood watches are in effect and a state of emergency has been declared. >> it washes all sorts of nasty stuff off o the land, oil and greece from cars, animal waste, even things that are directly related to flooding like overflowing sewers or failing septic tanks, all those contaminants and bacteria are in that water. >> the drenching rain is, in part, a result of one storm system interacting with the remains of what was tropical storm nicole. late wednesday, congress ñi passed a temporary budget bill that will keep the government running through early december. with that taken care of lawmakers can head home and campaign for the midterm elections. tara mergener is in washington with much more on this. good morning, tara. >> good morning, betty. well, despite the politicalxd written gelling and unfinished

business, congress is now adjourned, now time to face down some angry constituents.çó president obama huddles with top congressional democrats later today for one final pre-election meeting before lawmakers hit the campaign trail. >> the motion is adopted. >> reporter: overnight congress approved a stop gap spending bill to keep the government running but critics say lawmakers went on recess without addressing controversial issues that might cost them votes. >> washington democrats will go campaign to try and save their own jobs while doing nothing to save the jobs of working ñi americans. >> reporter: republicans are furious no vote was scheduled to extend sweeping bush-era tax cuts that expire at the end of the year. >> the reason they're not bringing this up for a vote is because we have the votes, in the house and senate, to extend all of the current tax rates.xdó >> reporter: president obama and democratic leaders want to extend tax cuts only to families making less than $250,000.ñr >> america's middle class will

have a tax cut. >> reporter: president obama says the gop's plan to continue tax cuts for high-income americans would add $1 trillion to the federal deficit. >> what they're selling is the same thing they sold back in 2000 and 2001, which is you can slash taxes including for the wealthiest americans and somehow that's not going to affect çó anything and that's just not how it works.çó >> reporter: with all 435 house and 35 senate seats up for grabs in november voters will get a chance to show president obama and congress which party they believe is headed in the right direction. if congress takes no action on tax cuts by year end, americans at all income levels will face significantly higher tax bills. betty, back to you. >> tara mergener live in washington, tara, thank you. now to the rough world of xd politics in new york. there was a heated exchange between the republican candidate for governor, carl paladino and a reporter for the "new york post."

paladino was upset the "post" sent a photographer to the home of a daughter he admitted fathering out o of wedlock then challenger, andrew cuomo, had an extra-marital affair. >> what's the evidence? you sent another goon to my daughter's house and i'll take you out, buddy. >> you are going to take me out? >> yeah.ñi >> how are you going to do that? >> watch! >> are you threatening me? >> paladino said he would provide proof of an alleged cuomo affair at the apprporiate time. and in the california's governor's race republican candidate meg whitman is denying allegations she employed an illegal immigrant as a housekeeper who worked for her nine years. she says whitman knew she was in the country illegally. all was fine until last year, when whitman considered running for governor and fired her with these words. >> and from now on, you don't know me and i don't know you.

you never have seen me, and i have never seen you. do you understand me? >> whitman denies knowing diaz santillan was undocumented or received a notice questioning her housekeepers' status. the world of astronomy abuzz this morning. for the first time astronomers have spotted a so-called goldilocks planet, seen here, in an artist's rendering, so similar to earth in temperature, size and proximity to the sun the conditions for life to exist are just right. this just discovered planet is about 100 trillion miles away. security officials in the u.s. and overseas say a pilot -- a plot, i should say, to launch a series of commando type terrorist attacks in europe remains active. the plot was discovered in its ó early stages but intelligence ñr officials say an unknown number of trained terrorists remain on

the loose. >> they know al qaeda intends to send operatives into western capitals with mumbai-style ñi attacks against soft targets in cities but they don't know who they are, they don't necessarily know where they are. >> there is beefed-up security at tourist sites overseas and so far there is no indication this particular plot targeted america. now to last may's plot to bomb new york's times square, y plan saying he wasn't going to stop with just one bomb. jeff glor has the details. >> reporter: the just released material includes thebmovernment most damaging information against faisal shahzad, including this detonation video. that's what investigators say would have happened if his bomb went off in new york city this past may. he said he wanted to kill at least 40 people and he confessed to investigators he was planning a second bombing in the city only two weeks lq.q). he never got there. arrested only three days after his crude car bomb fizzled in times square.

>> it is probably more than this to life. >> reporter: also included as evidence this chilling video of a calm, determined shazad, then 30 years old, explaining why he went to a terrorist training camp in pakistan last july. >> for the intention of making this video is not to show off or to gain fame and to incite the muslims to get up and fight. >> reporter: he pled guilty in june and will likely get a life sentence next week. prosecutors say he never showedó any remorse. jeff glor, cbs news, new york. this morning a search is under way for a pair of american balloonists believed lost over the adriatic sea. richard abruzzo and carol davis took off from bristol england last saturday. they were taking part in a race and were last heard from on wednesday. conditions in the area are poor, with rough seas and thunderstorms. >> they have life rafts, they have survival suits and life jackets, of course. and they also have an emergency

location transmitter. >> family members say they've heard the pair had electrical issues. the other 19 balloons in the race have landed safely. just ahead on the "morning news" fast food giant mcdonald's cooks up controversy over health care.ñr plus, going once, going twice,çó this private island in the pacific northwest could be all yours. this is the "cbs morning news." [ female announcer ] new crest 3d white professional effects whitestrips. it's professional-level whitening. start seeing results in 3 days. new crest 3d white professional effects whitestrips. equals chili's $20 dinner for two. share one of five appetizers, like our famous texas cheese fries. then choose two freshly prepared entrees from 14 chili's favorites, like our chicken crispers with new sweet & smoky sauce, our new slow-smoked honey chipotle baby back ribs, or grilled all-white meat chicken fajitas

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or any swelling or affected breathing, or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. i found answers about fibromyalgia. then i found lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. new york police have recovered a body from the new york police have recovered a body from the hudson river thought to be that of a rutgers university student driven to suicide by a video posted on the internet. protesters at the university's new jersey campus last night held a vigil for 18-year-old tyler clementi who jumped from the george washington bridge last week. two other students are charged with secretly recording him in a sex encounter with another man. some protesters call it a hate crime. >> we want to make sure the entire community is aware what happened.

>> he had a whole future ahead. of him and really sad to think his family has to deal with losing him.xd >> a family friend describes him as a fine young man and distinguished musician and the family is heart broken beyond words.ñr in other news, mcdonald's is warning it may drop health care coverage for nearly 30,000 hourly workers because of the new health care reform law. the hamburger chain does not provide full health insurance for such workers but does offer so-called mini-med plans that provide limited coverage for a weekly fee. the "wall street journal" reports mcdonald's wants regulators to waive a key element of health care reform to continue to offer the minimed coverage. on the "cbs moneywatch" stocks in asia took a big hit this morning. ashley morrison is here in new york with the latest on that. good morning, ashley. >> good morning to you, betty. asian markets were in the red after new worries about european debt. japan's nikkei dropped nearly 2rs while hong kong's hang seng was also down. today, wall street gets the

latest measure of how much the economy is growing and a look at the weekly jobless claim numbers on wednesday, the wednesday, stocks took a ñi breather from their september rally. the dow slipped almost 23 points, while the nasdaq gave back three. fed chairman bernanke delivers an update on financial reform on capitol hill later today. although the set of new rules was passed in july, congress left most details to a team of regulators, headed by treasury secretary timothy geithner. the rule writing just under way has drawn intense lobbying from the financial industry and some critics worry the new laws won't have enough bite.ñi the foreclosure crisis continues to drag down home prices.xd according to reality trac, 24% of homes solid last quarter were in foreclosure, that's up 5% from the first quarter of the year. the average price of these properties was more than 26 "%low the average price of seizure. nevada, arizona, and california were especially hard hit.xd

google is giving you more control over o your "in" box. g-mail will allow users to choose whether they like their e-mail stacked in chronological order or grouped together by conversation. the so-called conversation view confused and frustrated many users, who preferred their messages stacked in the same way microsoft outlook does it. if you've ever dreamed of having your very own slice of paradise, today is your big chance. vendovey island goes on the auction block later this morning in seattle. the 216-acre property off the coast of washington state boasts six beaches and an 1800 square foot home. accessible only by boat or seaplane. it was recently assessed at a little bit over three million dollars but today will go to the highest bidder. betty, i think we should start it off at a huck bucks. >> yeah, that's about the only way we'll have a chance to buy an island. maybe if we pool our resources, we'll share it.ñi >> nah, we sill don't have enough money.

>> all right, ashley, thank you, joining us live in new york. still ahead, your weather and, in sports, 25 years at the helm and still in the playoff hunt, braves manager bobby cox. whatcha doing little bite™? trying to be big like you, dad. you're so good at keeping everyone full... and focused with your fiber. [ laughs ] but you already are great at doing that. really? sure. you're made with fiber, just like me. but best of all, you're the perfect size for smaller kids. [ female announcer ] give your little ones kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats little bites™ cereal in chocolate and now original flavor. they're an excellent source of fiber packed in a smaller size. [ doorbell rings ] oh, it's original little bite™. we're off to practice keeping 'em full and focused. yeah! we've got big shoes to fill!

here's a look at the here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country, new york heavy rain, 75. miami partly cloudy, 87. chicago, sunny, 73. denver, sunny there, as well, 78.

l.a. partly cloudy and 87.ñi time now for a check of the nationa@útjut(páu the latest satellite picture shows cloudy skies up and down the east coast while parts of the southeast are starting to see some clearing. later today, severe weather could impact the east coast. gusty winds and heavy downpours are expected. temperatures continue to get cooler in the midwest. in sports, san francisco hangs on to the lead in the national league west. giants xdace tim lincecum got a wake-up call from the diamondbacks, stephen drew, who led off the game with a homer. but in the fourth inning, the giants' pat burrell answered with a three-run shot and san francisco won it 3-1. giants lead the padres by two games in the division. in atlanta the braves honored retiring manager bobby cox for 25 years of service. then derek lowe went to work against the marlins and in the third inning brooks conrad hit a three-run homer as the braves won it 5-1 to stay in the hunt for a playoff berth.

now to the american league, and a big night for the twins' delwyn young.çó in kansas city, young homered and drove in a pair of runs to become the fifth twin to hit 20 homers, 40 doubles and 100 rbis in a season. the central division champs won it 4-2.xd in toronto, the blue jays threw cito gaston a retirement party featuring fake mustaches in the dugout and capped it off by the 8-4 win over the yankees. toronto's second baseman aaron off new york's javier vazquez. of when we return, another look at this morning's top stories, and the woman who lied about having acid thrown in her face answers criminal charges. , dog: bacon? gotta get that bacon! smokey bacon, crispy bacon, tasty bacon! where is it? where is the bacon? tv newscaster: bacon popular, story at 11. dog: yummy. crunchy. bacon. bacon. bacon.

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more bold flavor. more variety. more value. more of what you want. not what you don't. blue diamond almonds. [ man ] it's up, and it is good! [ male announcer ] more than a snack. on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at the forecast,

tropical weather moving up the eastern seaboard. portions of the midwest are cooling down as a cold front is slipping into southern plains and the southwest continues to be warm. here's another look at this morning's top stories, a state of emergency has been declared in north carolina, as a drenching rain and wind storm threatens coastal areas with flooding. the storm is moving up the coast after hitting jamaica, cuba, and florida. congress passed a temporary bill that averts a government shutdown friday. the stop gap measure funds the government until december. lawmakers now break to campaign for those midterm elections. former president jimmy carter spent a second night in a cleveland hospital so doctors could monitor his recovery from a viral infection. mr. carter, who is 85, was rushed to the hospital tuesday after he became ill during a flight to ohio for a book

signing appearance. the washington state woman who confessed to an acid attack hoax made her first court appearance. 28-year-old bethany storro pleaded not guilty wednesday to three counts of theft in connection to the donations she received from good samaritans. authorities say she admitted she made up the story about being attacked with acid and instead rubbed drain cleaner on her face. >> the community, i think, is clearly polarized in what they think should happen but i think the community needs to understand that, you know, people that have the entire record of what happened are law enforcement and then the defense. ñ>;storro's trial is set for december 20th. until then, she's been ordered to live in a mental health ñi facility. now to a breakthrough in the study of adhd, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. for years, it was blamedñi on environmental factors like bad parenting. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

here's first warning doppler radar. while you were asleep, we already had tornado warnings in effect for anne arundel. in the past five minutes pretty much area wide. we now have a tornado watch in effect until 1:30. rain will fall heavy for the next few hours. we'll get a break in the action midday. then it will come at us role heavy in 12 hours. details coming up shortly. at the top of the knew, the

weather -- news, the weather, rain and more. we're live with complete coverage, including a simple broom that helps keeps flooding to a minimum. what caused a tour bus to plunge 45, killing the driver. and a comedian has passed away. more news in a couple of minutes. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,