swing state showdown. a just released poll has good news and bad news for both candidates in the election battle grounds amid a campaign flap over welfare. guilty plea. jared loughner admits to the tucson shooting spree that left six people dead and wounded former congresswoman gabrielle giffords. >> mr. loughner will spend the remainder of his natural life in prison. seeking shelter, more than a million people in china are evacuated ahead of a powerful typhoon that left parts of the philippines underwater. tangled up. a police officer is called in to rescue a bull moose wrapped in a a police officer is called in to rescue a bull moose wrapped in a child's swing set. captioning funded by cbs. this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, august 8, 2012.

yes, i said moose. wait until you see that story. good to be with you. the rhetoric on the presidential campaign trail is heating up. this morning is the issue a flap over welfare work requirements and former president clinton is on this one. a just released poll carries good news for both candidates. manuel gallegus is in washington with more. good morning to you. >> good morning terrell. the latest poll shows that each candidate has certain advantages in key battleground states. for example, across the board, women and younger voters appear to favor president obama over mitt romney. most say romney will be more likely to improve their personal financial situation. >> president obama is headed to the battleground to promote his plan. in colorado today. the president won the state in 2008. but he has more work to do if he hopes to win it again. the latest swing state poll from quinnipiac university, cbs news

an "the new york times" shows mitt romney with a five-point lead in the rocky mountain state. there's better news for the president in virginia where he has a four-point lead overall and in wisconsin where the lead bumps up to six. >> there's nothing like a good job. >> the majority of voters say the economy is their number one issue. and on that issue romney has a decisive lead in colorado and a slight edge in virginia. only wisconsin voters prefer president obama's handling of the economy. >> there's not another country on earth that wouldn't gladly trade places with the united states of america. >> a new mitt romney ad is drawing sharp criticism from the white house. it claims that president obama is trying to get rid of the work requirements needed to collect welfare. >> under obama's plan you wouldn't have to work or train for a job. they just send you a welfare check. the white house say the changes to the law will give states a waiver from the requirements but only if the state can prove more people will move off welfare with the

change. >> this advertisement is categorically false and it is blatantly dishonest. >> romney defends the ad saying president obama is fostering a culture of dependency. now last night, bill clinton released a statement saying the allegations made in mitt romney's ad are false. it was clinton who signed those work requirements into law. but terrell, romney's campaign responded saying president obama was a vocal opponent of that law back in 1996. >> the back and forth continues. manuel gallegus in washington for us. thank you so much. another hot button topic on the campaign trail. gun control the same quinnipiac toll asked likely voters in colorado, virginia and wisconsin if tougher gun laws would prevent violent attacks and all three states the vast majority said no. the man accused of last year's deadly tucson shooting agreed to spend the rest of his life behind bars. without the possibility of parole. jared loughner pleaded guilty to 19 counts of murder and

attempted murder yesterday including the attempted assassination attempt of congresswoman gabrielle giffords. karen brown reports. >> jarod lee loughner pleaded guilty tuesday to the 2011 shooting rampage that killed six people and wounded 13 others, including his intended target then congresswoman gabrielle giffords. a thinner expressionless loughner repeated i plead guilty 19 times, one for each count. >> mr. loughner will spend the remainder of his natural life in prison with no possibility of parole. >> a federal judge ruled that months of psychotropic medication and counseling to treat loughner's schizophrenia made him competent to stand trial and enter pleas. >> for some survivors it was little comfort. >> i'm glad he knows what he did. it doesn't change the facts. >> the plea deal spares jared loughner from the death penalty and spares the survivors and the victims' family from the pain of a lengthy trial.

>> i grabbed him by throat and said don't move or i'll choke you. >> retired army colonel, bill badger helped disarm loughner at the shooting scene in spite of his own injuries. hes relieved this is over. >> i just want him locked up so he's being punished for what he did but so he can never do something like that again. >> gabrielle giffords was not in the courtroom. she and her husband say they're satisfied with the plea deal and hope it will help them and the community recover and move forward. loughner is set to be sentenced on november 15th. karen brown, cbs news, tucson, arizona. >> officials in wisconsin are still searching for a motive in the attack on a sikh temple. a vigil was held to remember the victims. six people were killed by wade page. investigators say page was involved in the white supremacist movement. local police tell cbs' elaine quijano, they don't believe it was premeditated. >> do you think the attack was

planned well in advance? >> no, i don't. i personally don't from everything i've seen. i don't think there's any indication this was a well thought out plan type thing. >> the first funerals for the victims are scheduled for friday. twitter has accepted a court order to identify a user who threatened a theater here in new york city. the threat was made against the long acre theater where mike tyson is appearing in a one-man show. the tweet read, people are going to die just like in aurora. an apparent reference to last month's theater shooting in colorado. four days ago the company had refused to comply with the subpoena. overseas, the egyptian military fired missiles on suspected militants killing at least 20. it happened near the border with israel and sinai following another attack on a protest. there were protests between police and armed men. militants attacked three checkpoints wounding six people. on sunday, 16 border guards were killed. this is the first time egypt has fired missiles in the sinai since egypt's 1973 war with israel. in syria, rebels fighting

for control of aleppo were forced to abandon several frontline positions this morning and are running short on ammunition. president bashar al assad made an appearance on television. he met with key iranian officials. iran is one of the few countries backing assad. it's the first time assad has been seen in public in two weeks. eastern china got slammed by a typhoon this morning. the storm packing winds of 90 miles per hour triggered widespread flooding am hundreds of thousands were forced to evacuate from shanghai where all outdoor activities have been canceled. this is the third typhoon to hit china in less than a week. recovery efforts under way in the philippines following 12 days of torrential rain. the widespread flooding killed at least 11 people, nearly 800,000 were forced from their homes, many trapped on their roofs. hurricane ernesto made landfall early this morning on the yucatan peninsula. ernesto is expected to weaken later today. ernesto has sustained winds of 80 miles per hour. a dangerous storm surge of 1 to 3 feet is expected along with heavy rain.

the area is a popular tourist area. many have been evacuated. take a quick break on this wednesday morning. when we come back, up in smoke. a major fire at a california oil refinery could be higher gas prices across the country. plus, a store clerk strikes back against a would-be robber. the showdown caught on camera. this is the morning news. would-be robber. the showdown caught on camera. this is the morning news. ♪ [ acoustic guitar: upbeat ] [ dog ] we found it together. on a walk, walk, walk. love to walk. yeah, we found that wonderful thing. and you smiled. and threw it. and i decided i would never, ever leave it anywhere. because that wonderful, bouncy, roll-around thing... had made you play.

and that... had made you smile. [ announcer ] beneful. play. it's good for you. his morning starts with arthritis pain. and two pills. afternoon's overhaul starts with more pain. more pills. triple checking hydraulics. the evening brings more pain. so, back to more pills. almost done, when... hang on. stan's doctor recommended aleve. it can keep pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is rudy. who switched to aleve. and two pills for a day free of pain. ♪ [ female announcer ] and try aleve for relief from tough headaches. [ female announcer ] and try aleve hgotta start the day off right. wardrobe.

cute. then new activia breakfast blend. a great way to help start the day. mmm... creamy lowfat yogurt with grains in yummy breakfast flavors, like apple cinnamon. its hearty, with twice the protein of regular lowfat yogurt and helps regulate your digestive system. our morning routines are important, aren't they? new activia breakfast blend. here's a convenience store owner you do not want to mess with. he takes on a knife wielding robber with a broom stick, then with a flimsy display rack. this happened in new bedford, massachusetts. the hooded thief and an accomplice retreat without any loot. the store owner says, look, he works 14 hours a day and wasn't about to give that robber any money. you messed with the wrong one. 48-year-old woman will be arraigned today in southern california for allegedly trying to kidnap a newborn baby. police in garden grove, southeast of los angeles, say the suspect entered a hospital

monday wearing nurses' scrubs. she allegedly put an infant in a tote bag and tried to leave. authorities say she told her husband she was pregnant and needed the baby to continue the deception. that baby was not harmed. cbs "moneywatch." the jobs market gets a boost. plus superheroes rescue disney's bottom line. ashley morrison with more. good morning, terrell. homeowners are getting better at a new study showsgage payments.- the percent of borrowers falling behind on loans is at a three-year low following positive news about the job market. on tuesday, the labor department said the number of job openings rose to 3.8 million in june. that is the most since july of 2008. but the competition is tough. there are more than three unemployed people for each opening. that news gave a boost to most overseas market, the nikkei rose 1% an the hang sang lost a fraction. strong corporate earnings sent stocks higher on wall street. the dow added 51 points and the nasdaq gained 25 and closed

above 3,000 for the first time since may. you may notice the price at the pump is on the rise again. according to aaa, the nationwide average for a gallon of regular is at $3.63. that's up about a quarter from just one month ago. and prices could go even higher because of this refinery fire in california. the chevron facility near san francisco caught fire on monday and sent huge plumes of black smoke hundreds of feet into the sky. the refinery is one of the nation's largest producing about 16% of the west coast's daily gasoline supply. with the refinery shut down, analysts say gas prices in the region could increase to more than $4 a gallon. iron man thor the hulk and captain america came to disney's rescue. the huge box office receipts for marvel's. the avengers helped to lift disney's third quarter earnings. the movie studio saw a more than six-fold increase in profits

from a year ago. but overall, disney's revenue missed expectations. terrell, that remind me. we need to get to a movie. >> i'm not a big movie watcher. it's not by habit. it just happens that way. >> popcorn is calling me too. >> on it this weekend. ashley morrison in new york. thank you so much. coming up next, your weather forecast. in sports, she flew through the air with the greatest of ease for olympic gold. but he felt 400 pounds much iron on the back of his neck. k of his neck. tl 400 pounds muc iron on the back of his neck. 4n on the back of his neck. this is the top ten advantage. this is sears.

maybmaybe you can't.re; when you have migraines with fifteen or more headache days a month, you miss out on your life. you may have chronic migraine. go to mychronicmigraine.com to find a headache specialist. and don't live a maybe life. well hello, welcome to hotels.com. summer road trip, huh? uhuh yep uch let's find you a room. at hotels.com, you'll always find the perfect hotel. because we only do hotels. wow. i like that. nice no. laugh... awe uch ooh, yeah hmm nice huh book it! oh boy call me... this summer, we're finding you the perfect place - plus giving you up to $100 at hotels.com

here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. partly cloudy in new york, 86. miami, partly sunny, 91. partly cloudy skies in chicago, 81. thunderstorms in dallas, 102. sunny in los angeles, 91 degrees. let's check your national forecast. showers and thunderstorms from the southeastern portion of louisiana north up to florida and up the coast of southern virginia. the heaviest rain will fall from central georgia to the coastal carolinas. thunderstorms are also likely from maine to western pennsylvania and west texas and oklahoma. from the central plains to minnesota, most of of the west will be dry. in sports, another good day for u.s. olympians in london. most of them anyway. in women's gymnastics, aly raisman won the gold in the individual floor exercise and picked up a bronze on the balance beam. photo finish in the women's 100-meter hurdles. australian sally pearson beat dawn harper shall the reining olympic champion.

her u.s. teammate kelly wells took the bronze. in dressage, rafalca, the horse co-owned by mitt romney's wife ann failed to qualify for the medal rounds. here's a look at the medal count headed into the 12th day of competition. china has 73 medals. including 34 gold. team usa in second with 70. 30 gold. britain and russia tied for third with 48. britain with 22 gold and russia 10. one frightening moment in men's weightlifting. germany's matthias steiner, he lost his balance while trying to lift 432 pounds. the barbell came crashing down on his neck. he managed to walk off the platform but did not come back for another attempt. i guess not. to baseball now. angels at oakland. the a's homer four times starting with johnny gomez. solo in the first inning and back-to-back long balls in the sixth. norris and rosales. that put the a's up 9-0. in the eighth.

angels struck back. they move past l.a. in the west. houston, pretty much national second baseman espinosa against the astros and espinosa wins this thing. he hit a two-run homer. he tied the game at 2. still tied in the 12th. an rbi single up the middle and half an inning later, a great catch by washington left fielder roger bernadina. that ended it. nats 3, 'stros 2. >> in detroit, yankees pitcher cody eppley was hit on the head by a bill by his own teammate. my bad. fortunately, it was a lob from third baseman chavez. no harm done. eppley laughed it off. tigers beat the yanks 6-5. finally, here is the best play of the week by a fan with a baby. you know how these things usually can go. monday night, cubs at san diego, foul rolls down third baseline and a padres fan with a baby in his right arm reaches over to snag the ball bare handed then calmly returns to his seat. look at the baby. no reaction. no big deal, pops.

thank you so much. you know we've seen babies fall before. thankfully, another happy ending. when we come back, how do you free a large moose snagged on a swing set? very, very carefull. we'll show you how this whole thing went down. chili's lunch break combos are a sizzling deal, starting at 6 bucks. try our new lunch-size chicken fajitas, sauteed onions and peppers topped with grilled chicken, served with soup or salad. chili's lunch break combos, starting at 6 bucks.

are made with sweet cherries and the crisp, clean taste of our cranberries. i cannot tell a lie -- 'tis tasty. okay, george washington, did you take my truck out last night? 'tis tasty.

that's why lysol partners with schools to help teach healthy habits, habits you can reinforce by adding lysol wipes and no-touch hand soap to your back to school list. learn more at lysol.com/schools here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. in d.c., partly sunny, 90 degrees. in atlanta, thunderstorms, 86. in st. louis, thunderstorms, 94. partly sunny in denser, denver, 93. partly cloudy in seattle, 72. nasa scientists are loving this. getting increasingly detailed messages and pictures from curiosity, the sophisticated new rover on mars. edward lawrence has the latest from the propulsion center in pasadena, california. >> the rover curiosity sent back the first color photo of the red planet.

it shows the crater where it touched down. >> this is the first color image of the landscape where we've landed. like i said, we'll talk about it some more in a second. i -- i've waited a long time for this to come back. >> nasa also released a 2.5 minute video of the plunge to the surface. a video camera captured the final moments as curiosity dropped through the atmosphere. it deployed this antenna allowing for a direct connection between mars and the earth without relaying through a satellite. nasa scientists are checking out the rover's systems to make sure everything works before trying to drive. >> i'm confident there will be a lot of surprises when we start looking around. >> next engineers will raise the mast on the rover. it can rotate and look around as it sends back high resolution color pictures. >> we can do focus now. and in color. >> it will be a couple of weeks before curiosity will be able to make a tour of the red planet and start to explore whether

there was ever life on mars. edward lawrence for cbs news, pasadena, california. now for a more down to earth story. a case of bull in chains. a bull moose in this case tangled in the chains of a backyard swing set in northern utah. this could have been bad. sheriff's deputy set to work with bolt cutters. offering the powerful animal a reassuring pat on the nose while cutting the chains. the moose is like, look, i got this. once free, as you can see, the moose ran off into the woods. now meet the dolphin dog. kyra is a black labrador that finds dolphins for tourists. this is in the indian ocean. off east africa. once kyra locates a pod of dolphins, she goes into the water and while she can't quite keep up with the graceful sea mammals, she clearly enjoys chasing them around. let's hope that kyra knows the difference between dolphins and sharks. by the way, those dolphins seem like they're game with this, too. fun stuff. coming up after your local

news on "cbs this morning," an ingredient in curry that may help fight diabetes. i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news." here's my morning routine. gotta start the day off right. wardrobe. cute. then new activia breakfast blend. a great way to help start the day. mmm... creamy lowfat yogurt with grains in yummy breakfast flavors, like apple cinnamon. its hearty, with twice the protein of regular lowfat yogurt and helps regulate your digestive system. our morning routines are important, aren't they? new activia breakfast blend. mid-grade dark roast forest fresh full tank brain freeze cake donettes rolling hot dogs bag of ice anti-freeze wash and dry diesel self-serve fix a flat jumper cables 5% cashback sign up for 5% cashback at gas stations through september. it pays to discover. chase scene netflix coming soon extra butter tickets swoon penguin journey

junior mints movie phone evil prince bollywood 3d shark attack ned the head 5% cashback sign up for 5% cashback on movies through september. it pays to discover.

it's time to free ourselves from the smell and harshness of bleach. and free ourselves from worrying about the ones we love. new lysol power & free has more cleaning power than bleach. how? the secret is hydrogen peroxide. it attacks tough stains and kills 99.9% of germs. new lysol power & free. powerful cleaning that's family friendly. another step forward in our mission for health.

4 minutes before 5:00 on a wednesday morning. marty is at first warning weather. >> it's still a bit humid. it's going to be like yesterday. in the low 70s now. 87 at lunch going to a high of 90. 88 this evening. here's what we have our eye on today. five new speed cameras popping up across baltimore county. they're up an running today. they include johnny cake road and rooisers town road. >> the governor is set to make an announcement about infant mortality. >> tax free week begins august the 12th. >> already making news this morning, the family of a baltimore county teen killed by an off duty police officer is back in the news. we will tell

you about their new mission. >> jared lofner pleads guilty but will not get the sentence some expected. >> troubling information about heath related deaths here in maryland. >> more news, first warning weather and your first traffic report of the morning in a couple of minutes. ,,,, i'll have the $4 everyday value slam with... bacon.

wait... yeah... well, yeah, bacon. and my eggs sunny side-up. no, umm, over-easy. the $4 everyday value slam. one of 4 great choices for $4 off the 2-4-6-8 value menu. i need all the help i can get. i tell them, "come straight to the table." i say, "it's breakfast time, not playtime." "there's fruit, milk and i'm putting a little nutella on your whole-wheat toast."

funny, that last part gets through. [ male announcer ] serving nutella is quick and easy. its great taste comes from a unique combination of simple ingredients like hazelnuts, skim milk and a hint of cocoa. okay, plates in the sink, grab your backpacks -- [ male announcer ] nutella.