the r the road ahead. nine years and still no end in sight for the war in afghanistan. southwest storms, a pack of twisters descends on northern arizona. and halladay season, the fillies ace makes history in his postseason debut. >> roy halladay has thrown a no-hitter! this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, october 7th, 2010. good morning. thanks for joining us. i'm manuel gallegus in for betty nguyen. the u.s.-led war in afghanistan enters its tenth

year today since the first u.s. troops arrived on october 7th, 2001, the once routed taliban is resurgent. osama bin laden yet to be found and american casualties continue to mount. president obama has ramped up the war effort but, insurgent forces are still finding safe haven in pakistan, america's supposed ally. preeti alair is in washington with more. good morning, preeti. >> good morning. the u.s. finds itself at a critical juncture in the war, a war that's cost dearly and doesn't appear to be getting any better. 2010 is already the deadliest year of the war with nearly 400 american service men and women killed in action. >> roger, we have enemy pinned down here in the south. they keep trying to fire -- >> reporter: operation "dragon strike" is the most important in the battle so far. at least 8,000 u.s. soldiers are involved in the massive new offensive. the aim is to strike right at the heart of the taliban

territory, kandahar. the white house reports afghan president happen mid karzai's recent attempts to negotiate with the taliban as long as they renounce violence and cut their links with al qaeda but nobody thinks the fighting will end soon. >> it's a cliche to say there's no military solution, but it's also accepted among strategists that we need some military momentum to make negotiations really possible. >> reporter: america's most important ally in the war is pakistan but the alliance has been frayed since the u.s. stepped up air attacks against insurgents in it the border region. the "wall street journal" reports members of their spy agency are pressing commanders to fight, the latest in a series of explosive allegations. a new report from the white house slams islamabad for not cracking down on militants that hit u.s. targets in afghanistan and flee to safety across the border. the pakistan military continue to avoid military engagement,

though put in direct conflict with afghan taliban or al qaeda forces in north waziristan. >> we've got to persuade them to at least put these groups on ice. >> reporter: u.s. commanders warn of more tough fighting ahead. the offensive is critical to the president's strategy to break taliban control in the area. manny? >> thank you. now to the latest on the worst offshore oil spill in history. a government panel says the obama administration kept a lid on the truth of just how bad the gulf oil spill was. after the deepwater horizon rig exploded april 20th, 206 million gallons of oil gushed into the gulf. but, the review panel says the administration's public estimates about the spill size were far lower and later it said most of the oil was gone, when it wasn't. the review panel says the administration also blocked a request by government scientists to disclose its worst-casey

estimate. the white house insists it was, quote, clear with the public about the spill. this morning, folks in northern arizona are picking up the pieces after a rare swarm tornadoes caused extensive damage. the twisters were spawned by a huge storm system that pounded much of the southwest. as sandra hughes reports. >> reporter: the tornadoes that touched down in northern arizona tossed 28 train cars from a parked freight train like they were toys. >> i came from the northeast. i've seen ice storms and hail storms and snowstorms but nothing like this. >> reporter: 30 rvs were damaged at a business where they sell motor homes and run a campground. no serious injuries or deaths are reported. dozens of homes were damaged. >> i didn't see the one at 5:30 in the morning. i saw the other one pass. it went to the east of us. >> reporter: the tornadoes were part of a storm system that swept across the western u.s., dropping record-setting rain and even surprising residents of phoenix with hail. sandra hughes, cbs news. federal prosecutors have

issued new subpoenas in the investigation of john edwards' campaign finances. edwards, former north carolina senator ran for president twice, the democrats' candidate for vice president in 2004. a former aide testified edwards' mistress received large payments during his second presidential campaign in 2006. a new report on poverty in america shows the number of people below the poverty line is growing at an alarming rate in the nation's suburbs. the analysis finds since the year 2000, the number of suburban poor has jumped 37.4% and that one-third of the nation's poor now live in the suburbs. on the "cbs moneywatch" stocks mixed this morning on markets in asia. randall pinkston is in new york with that and more. good morning. >> good morning. that's right asian stocks were mixed this morning. after hitting a two-year high, japan's nikkei was down a fraction, up about 3% for the week. hong kong's hang seng was also

lower but shanghai up. today, wall street gets a look at weekly jobless claims. another round of corporate earnings reports also on tap, with alcoa and pepsico among big names to report. wednesday, some bad news on the job front made for a mixed day on the market. the dow gained almost 23 points. the nasdaq slipped 19. wall street will also get the latest snapshot of consumer spending habits, chain stores report september sales today heading into the holiday shopping season. the national retail federation predicts sales will rise 2.3% over 2009. that would be the biggest increase in three years. consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of economic growth. soon, at&t will not be the only game in town for the iphone. apple reportedly begins mass producing a new iphone by the end of this year that would use the verizon network. while the

iphone's consumer ratings are through the roof, the complaint has always been it was available only to at&t customers. and facebook trying to make it easier to organize your friends. the social networking site unveiled a new groups feature wednesday allowing you to separate your friends into more subcategories. although users already have the option to separate friends into lists, only 5% did so. facebook says they hope the new feature will both encourage more interaction and address privacy concerns. manny? are you going to friend me? >> certainly, randall. >> all right. randall pinkston in new york. thank you very much. to the most powerful women in the world. on the annual list from "forbes" magazine first lady michelle obama ranks number one. second place goes to kraft foods ceo irene rosenfield and oprah winfrey third, followed by the german chans lor angela merkel and secretary of state hillary clinton. then, a couple of surprises. pop star lady gaga ranks seventh

on the most powerful list and "forbes" places singer beyonce knowles number nine. just ahead sportcaster brett musburger stirring up a controversy over steroids. plus something old, something new an eye-opening look at the first moon landing. first katie couric has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." >> you've heard from the politicians, polls and pundits, but what about the people? before americans vote november 2nd, some of them will have their say. we'll go straight to the voters in our special series "american voices" tonight only on the cbs evening news. [ female announcer ] all you need for sensitive skin. all you expect from the number-one recommended detergent by dermatologists. all free clear is free of dyes and perfumes.

and has powerful stainlifters to help get your whole wash clean. it's all good. [ male announcer ] with its 43 safety features, like the parkview rear back-up camera... hi, sweetie. there you are. [ male announcer ] ...electronic vehicle information center, and rear cross path detection system, now available in the safety tech package, the chrysler town & country is a safe bet to make. ♪ [ male announcer ] a big day deserves a better breakfast. choose from a dee-licious lineup of our newest $5 footlong breakfast melts, like the sunrise subway melt. [ strahan ] subway. build your better breakfast. with the $2.50 breakfast combo. get a 16oz. cup of piping-hot seattle's best coffee and a savory new sunrise subway melt

built fresh to your order for just $2.50. subway. build your better breakfast. is the lighting half-way decent? >> we've all seen the pictures before, the black-and-white television feed from "apollo 11" during their first moon landing in 1969. but this version of that familiar video is different. using modern digital technology,

australian tech nan -- technicians removed nearly all the radio interference that obscured the original transmission. the resulting two and a half hour video remains soft and focused but far greater contrasts giving us a new look at the amazing adventure 41 years ago. the battle goes on this morning for emergency workers in hungary facing an environmental disaster. a vast lake of red sludge burst from an industrial reservoir in the western part of the country on monday. mark phillips has the latest. >> reporter: it was a red tide of death and this toxic torrent that killed at least four people and left 120 more with burn and other injuries may be just the beginning of an environmental catastrophe. the fear is this deadly cocktail of caustic chemicals might turn the blue danube red. the spill threatens to seep into the great river system and head downstream, causing a potential ecological disaster in the six countries it flows through on its way to the black sea.

>> it's a caustic solution equivalent of touching drain cleaner for an extended period of time. >> reporter: the sludge, a byproduct from an aluminum plant broke through the banks of a massive reservoir. enough escaped an estimated 35 million cubic feet, if the spill were poured into yankee stadium it would more than fill the place up. the hungarians are trying to clean up and contain the mess and have launched a criminal investigation. now, many residents are refusing to move back to their homes until the government guarantees another spill won't happen, a promise the government says it cannot make. mark phillips, cbs news, london. tv sports caster brett musburger sparked a controversy over steroids telling journalism students the truth about steroids is that, quote, they work. he said they should not be used in high school athletics but might have a place in pro sports. he said, quote, what do doctors actually think about anabolic

steroids and the use by athletes? don't have a preconceived notion that this is right or this is wrong. straight ahead, your thursday morning weather. and in sports, the phillies' roy halladay throws himself into baseball's all-time history book. >> roy halladay has thrown a no-hitter! all-time history book. introducing precise from the makers of tylenol. precise pain relieving cream works quickly to activate sensory receptors. it helps block pain signals fast for relief you can feel precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol.

here's a look at the weather in cit here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, sunny, 71. miami, sunny, 81. chicago, sunny, 75. denver, partly cloudy, 74. los angeles, sunny, 69. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows clouds covering much of the western half of the country and moving slowly northward. the northeast has cloudy skies but those clouds are breaking up in some areas. later today, showers and some thunderstorms will be moving up the rocky mountains and into the northwest. scattered showers will linger in some parts of the northeast and warm to mild temperatures are the rule in the plains, all the way from the gulf to canada. in sports, it was one for the ages. phillies' ace roy halladay kicked off the playoffs with an amazing pitching performance against cincinnati. >> the 0-2. >> it's only been done once before in the history of baseball. >> in time!

roy halladay has thrown a no-hitter! >> roy halladay just the second player to pitch a no-hitter in a postseason game helping his philadelphia phillies beat the cincinnati reds in game one of the national league division series. >> to be able to go out and have a game like that, you know, it's a dream come true. >> what makes halladay's game even more impressive, this is the first time he's ever pitched in a playoff game. the 12 'year veteran with the nickname doc was surgical in his performance, striking out eight hitters, even with the bat in the second inning he had a hit that scored the run. >> tremendous. great command. absolutely unreal. >> 3-2 pitch. >> his only blemish, a walk in the fifth inning but not one cincinnati player got a hit. after the final out carlos ruiz jumped into halladay's arms, a scene reminiscent of 1956 world series when new york catcher yogi berra jumped into the arms of don larson, after he pitched

a perfect game. hall day is known as a cool customer and after the game he said history was never on his mind even in the midst of making it. for the record tomorrow is the 54th anniversary of don larson's perfect game. the phillies and reds play the second of their five-game series friday night. in the american league playoffs texas and tampa bay the rangers' cliff lee also pitched well allowing just five hits and striking out ten. the rangers hit a pair of home runs for a 5-1 victory. game two is this afternoon in florida. in minneapolis, yankees first baseman mark teixeira hit a tie-breaking two-run homer in the seventh against the twins. mariano rivera got the final four outs as new york took the division serious opener 6-4. game tonight is tonight in minnesota. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. plus, sarah palin, the tea party and what's turned into a wild senate race in alaska.

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. how are you getting to a happier place? running there? dancing there? how about eating soup to get there? campbell's soups fill you with good nutrition, farm-grown ingredients, and can help you keep a healthy weight. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do.

on the "cbs morning news" a look at today's weather beautiful autumn weather will continue in the midwest with mild temperatures from north and south. the northeast is showing signs of improvement with sunshine improving and temperatures on the rise. here's another look at this morning's top stories. the u.s. war in afghanistan begins its tenth year today. the conflict has taken the lives of more than 1200 american service men and women, nearly 400 of them killed this year. a government report finds the obama administration blocked government scientists from revealing just how bad the gulf oil spill really was. now to politics. the battle for control of congress and the impact of sarah palin and the tea party movement. a new cbs news poll finds that

more than twice as many americans have a negative opinion of palin as a positive one but those polled are about evenly split on the tea party. in alaska, palin and the tea party supported joe miller who took the republican senate nomination from incumbent lisa murkowski. she's now waging a write-in campaign while democrat scott mcadams trails. ben tracy has more from anchorage. >> reporter: pressing the flesh at a hockey game in anchorage, republican u.s. senator lisa murkowski never expected to be on such thin ice. >> nobody was more disappointed than i was. >> reporter: she's the incumbent from one of the state's political power families. >> i'm joe miller. the true conservative choice. >> reporter: yet an unknown attorney and tea party insurgent beat murkowski in the republican primary. she is now running as a write-in candidate. the race is a dead heat. >> this will be a republican seat. the real question to alaskans is which republican do you want to represent you in washington,

d.c. >> reporter: miller, who denied repeated requests for an interview, questions whether federal programs such as social security, medicare and unemployment benefits are constitutional. >> the tea party express joins. >> reporter: palin played kingmaker in the primary endorsing miller. the california-based tea party express bought $600,000 in ads that savaged murkowski. >> how liberal is lisa murkowski? >> reporter: now, miller may be at odds with the palins after dodging this question. >> do you think that sarah palin is qualified to be president? >> that's not my role to comment on those candidacies. >> reporter: for a week since, sarah palin has not even mentioned joe miller and her husband, todd, sent him an angry e-mail, joe, please explain how this endorsement stuff works. is it to be completely one sided. >> her decision to run is hers alone. >> reporter: on fox news, miller would only say palin is constitutionally qualified to be president. >> we don't have professional sports here so really politics is our game. >> reporter: and even with winter already blowing in, the game couldn't get any hotter.

ben tracy, cbs news, anchorage, alaska. this morning on "the early show" actress diane lane. i'm manuel gallegus and this is the "cbs morning news." [ male announcer ] see this? nobody else has what this paint's got: and that's a number one rating. it's a paint and primer in one -- so it goes on bold, and looks even better. it means getting more done -- in half the time. and it means the shade you see on that swatch -- ends up on that wall...

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it's this easy, skys are clearing and we'll have wonderful weather. taking a look at the radar. you don't see nothing. the rain's over and done. sunshine and the low 70s. thank you, in the news, a sweet heart murder plot. a teen accused of i too -- trying to kill his girlfriend's parents. and a gas line explodes and who's without service. and sorting your friends. face booklets you control who sees what on your page. >> and more news and the first

warning weather and your first traffic report of the morning in a few minutes. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

>> hello, in 40 seconds it will be 5:00. we're a week into the month of october now. and it's a nice, and dry day's start and marty has stuff he wants to talk about, of course. and i've gotten mixed up, sharon is at the sharon gibala traffic control and marty's at first warning weather.