. narrowing lead. a poll shows mitt romney gaining ground against president obama in at least two keet battleground states. the republican convention could be in jeopardy as tropical storm isaac gains strength and aims for a possible landfall in florida. roving mars. nasa's curiosity rover takes its first test drive on the martian nasa's curiosity rover takes its first test drive on the martian surface. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, august 23, 2012. good morning everybody. good to be with you. i'm terrell brown. the race for the white house got tighter as republicans get ready to officially make mitt romney their presidential nominee. quinnipiac university, new york

times poll shows romney gaining ground on president obama in two critical battleground states and nine out of ten voters in florida, ohio and wisconsin say they know who they're going to vote for. susan mcginnis has details. good morning to you. >> good morning, terrell. the romney campaign is hoping to gain votes from the huge exposure that a convention brings and this new poll shows romney is getting an early bump in some critical states. rkers are putting the finishing touches on the convention floor before republicans arrive in tampa. florida is a key battleground state in the race for the white house and mitt romney is gaining ground in the sunshine state. the latest quinnipiac university, cbs, new york times poll shows romney has moved into a virtual tie with president obama in florida and wisconsin. president obama maintains a healthy margin in ohio. romney has made up ground in two of the three states surveyed since the first poll three weeks

ago. in florida, a big lead among senior citizens has helped romney cut the president's lead in half since the august 1st poll. he gained four points in wisconsin but had no change in ohio. paul ryan appears to be the reason wisconsin is now back in play. a third much voters say ryan's place on the ticket makes them more likely to support mitt romney. >> since naming congressman ryan as his vp candidate, romney has spent a lot of time focusing on medicare, ryan's signature issue. now he's refocusing on the economy. >> 23 million americans out of work or stopped looking for work. it's en excusable. >> more voters trust romney to do a better job with the economy than president obama. but with medicare -- >> my plan has extended the life of medicare by nearly a decade. >> voters trust obama by at least an 8-point margin in all three states. now, these polls were conducted largely before the uproar over

congressman akin's comments about rape and pregnancy and officials in both parties say this could alter the race when it comes to the female vote. susan, thank you so much. the gop keeping a close watch on the weather. the parties' convention could open in tampa as a hurricane is hitting the region. tropical storm isaac is in the caribbean to the south of puerto rico. it could strengthen to a hurricane later today. some models show the storm arriving in south florida on monday. >> about 70,000 delegates, journalists and protesters are expected to descend on tampa in the coming week. isaac could change their plans much the mayor of the city is ready to make a decision on evacuations and even canceling the convention. >> if we ever got to that point, we would sit down with them and make that decision in the best interest of their event but most importantly in the health and safety of our citizens. >> forecasters say it's still too early to tell if isaac will

impact tampa or touch florida. >> let's look at what's steering the storm. we have a big blocking high. that's driving isaac to the west right now through the caribbean. but this jet stream dip, that is going to be key over the next several days because that is going to open up an alleyway over florida or the gulf of mexico and that is going to turn isaac to the north. and where that occurs, will have a big determination in just how strong the storm could be and also exactly where it's going to go. >> even a glancing blow from isaac could cause big problems in tampa. back in june, tropical storm debbie caused flooding and prompted evacuations. the rnc is consulting with the national weather service and is closely watching its plan if the storm poses a major threat to the convention. >> contingency plans are in place. we're working with state, federal, and local authorities. >> officials in tampa say it's unlikely evacuations would be ordered even if it reaches

category 1 strength. it could reach haiti overnight. a new tropical depression formed in the atlantic overnight. also overnight, firefighters in northern california made progress in containing a huge wildfire that's destroyed at least 69 buildings, many homes. the so-called ponderosa fire destroyed 38 square miles of land, about 170 miles of sacramento. a wind shift gave fire crews an edge. the fast-moving fire which started saturday is now 55% contained. but hundreds of homes remain at risk. federal health officials say the current west nile virus outbreak is one of the largest in u.s. history and the number of cases continues to grow. 400 new cases were -- the city houston sprayed for disease carrying mosquitoes. manuel gallegus reports. >> federal health officials say the number of cases of mosquito-born west nile virus jumped 60% last week. cases have been reported in 47

states, more than 1100 people infected and at least 41 have died. >> this year looks like the biggest year in years and we're only starting the major west nile season. >> most of the cases are in texas which is also enduring a severe drought. experts say that could be fueling the outbreak. >> the drought means that there are very few water sources available. that's where the mosquitoes breed and then the birds which carry the virus go to those water sources. the mosquitoes bite them. they're infected and then the mosquitoes bite us. >> about 1 in 150 patients infected with the virus becomes seriously ill. >> 60 to 70% of those individuals are going to have long-term effects such as paralysis, memory loss. >> january somehow was infected seven years ago. he hasn't been the same since. >> couple of days later, i was getting dressed and i was putting on my shorts and i just collapsed. >> the city of dallas is among

several nationwide that have sprayed insecticide to try to protect its citizens. but individuals are warned not to stop there. use insect repellent freely and often, particularly early in the morning and in the evening. >> consult your doctor if you have flu-like symptoms with neck pain. manuel gallegus, cbs news. a quick break now on a thursday. when we come back, details on a new book about the raid on osama bin laden's compound. plus, how members of congress get around lobbying laws to go on all-expense paid trips abroad. this is the morning news. it's time to live wider awake. only the beautyrest recharge sleep system combines the comfort of aircool memory foam layered on top of beautyrest pocketed coils to promote proper sleeping posture all night long. the revolutionary recharge sleep system... from beautyrest.

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[ male announcer ] visine® with hydroblend, find it in these visine® products. a book that could rattle the presidential election is set to be released on september 11th called "no easy day" the firsthand account of the mission that killed osama bin laden. according to "the new york times" it's written by a former member of the navy seal team 6 and a leader of the operation. u.s. military officials don't believe the book has been cleared by the defense

department. congressman kevin yoder got caught with his pants down while on a junket to israel. it isn't that republicans and democrats go on all expense paid trips. they were banned by congress until lobbying groups found a loophole. >> this week republican kevin yoder issued an on-camera apology for the incident in the sea of galilee. >> it seemed like a good decision. the more i thought about it, i thought that was a bone headed decision to make. >> a bigger issue may be the trip itself. yoder was one of 32 republicans on the all-expense paid trip to israel last august paid for privately by a nonprofit linked to -- the public affairs committee. the same group flew 30 democrats to israel the week before and a second group of republicans the week after. 89 members of congress in all, spouses and staff went along too. the trip included accommodations

at the scott's hotel and a meeting with shimon peres at which republicans sang their birthday song. >> this is our birthday song ♪ >> congress banned lobby groups from paying for these types of trips in 2007. but it's not illegal for the very same lobby groups to use their own nonprofits to pick up the tab as is the case here. jacque freely -- says the privately funded travel can give special interests unfair advantage. >> the group with the most money and the ability to take people to these locales and treat members of congress well, they get the biggest voice and the biggest say, they get to educate members of congress about their particular issues. >> those congressional trips to israel last summer broke the record for money spent by a private group in a single year. $2 million. the american israel public affairs commit even add the

nonprofit declined our interview. intensely substantive and approved by the congressional ethics committee. all told, there are 1600 privately paid congressional trips last year. that's up 75% over the year before. sharyl attkisson, cbs news, washington. cbs "moneywatch" time on a thursday. the federal reserve drops new stimulus hints and the shrinking class. erica ferrari with that and more. >> good morning, terrell. investors are hopeful that the federal reserve could take action in the near future to bolster the u.s. economy. on wednesday, minutes from the fed's latest policy meeting were released. they hint that the central bank may be preparing to launch a new bond-buying program in an effort to drive down long-term interest rates. and that news sent overseas markets higher. the nikkei added half a percent. the hang seng rose more than 1%. and the release of the fed minutes triggered a rally on wall street.

the dow was down as much as 83 points. but climbed back on the news to finish 30 points lower. the nasdaq added 6. according to a new report by pew, america's middle class is struggling. through its worst decade in modern history. the survey finds 85% of middle class americans feel it is more difficult now to maintain their standard of living than it was ten years ago. 62% say they were forced to reduce their spending in the last year and 42% say their finances are worse now than before the recession. as for who gets the blame, 62% say congress deserves a lot of it. t-mobile is bucking the trend amongst wireless companies and allowing customers to choose an unlimited data plan. the company is back traging after it stopped selling its unlimited plan earlier this year. t-mobile is following metro pcs which also began offering an uncapped data plan this week. it's seen as a move to make

these smaller wireless companies more competitive as big providers like verizon and at&t are thought to be gearing up to sell the latest version of the iphone. >> you got do what you got do. erica ferrar any new york. we'll have the thursday morning weather and in sports, the orioles serve up a texas size helping of homers. adrian beltran. my frequent bladder urges, or the worry my pipes might leak get in the way of my busy lifestyle. that's why i take care, with vesicare. once-daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle and is proven to treat overactive bladder with symptoms of frequent urges and leaks day and night. if you have certain stomach or glaucoma problems, or trouble emptying your bladder, do not take vesicare. vesicare may cause allergic reactions that may be serious. if you experience swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue, stop taking vesicare and get emergency help. tell your doctor right away if you have severe abdominal pain,

or become constipated for three or more days. vesicare may cause blurred vision, so use caution while driving or doing unsafe tasks. common side effects are dry mouth, constipation, and indigestion. i've worked hard to get to where i am... and i've got better places to go than always going to the bathroom. so take charge of your symptoms by talking to your doctor and go to vesicare.com for a free trial offer. 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 look at the

weather. mostly sunny in new york, 85. partly sunny in miami, 92. partly cloudy skies in chicago, 88. same deal in dallas, 94. clouds, then sun in los angeles, 79 degrees. let's check your national forecast. a slow moving system dumping as much as 2 inches of rain will drift over parts of the southwest. a few showers are possible in the pacific northwest. the rest of the country will remain mostly dry with a mix of sun and clouds. isolated thunderstorms could develop across florida into the carolinas. in sports this morning, big power in texas courtesy of adrian beltran. in the second against the orioles, he hits a long ball straight center. that's one. two innings later, he nails a homer to left. make that would. same inning, another monster blast for his third homer of the game. the second time in his career he's done that. the rangers pound the orioles. check out this catch. a fan with a great seat makes a tremendous grab with his hat.

swats that thing out of the air. >> an rbi single to right. the guy who threw the pitch, frank francisco, blows a gasket in the dugout. calm down, dude. it's not that serious. >> colorado beats the mets 5-2. another play hit with a 50-game suspension. it's oakland pitcher bartolo colon. he was suspended after testing positive for testosterone. the same substance that got cabrera banned. he apologize and and accepted responsibility for hi actions. scored three runs on the night. tommy malone was solid on the mound striking out five and allowing one run in eight strong innings. oakland tops minnesota 5-1. whether we come back, making tracks. the mars rover takes its first step in a historic journey. grilled chicken fajitas, tre with sauteed onions and peppers, served with soup or salad. lunch break combos, starting at 6 bucks.

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here's a look at the weather.

in d.c., fog in the morning, 88. mostly sunny skies in atlanta, 88. same deal in st. louis, 94 degrees. mostly cloudy skies in seattle, 66. so you can just call this the ultimate test drive. curiosity, nasa's six-wheeled mars rover passed another milestone making its first tracks in the red sand and as ben tracy reports, nasa was ecstatic. >> in nasa's california control room, it was a huge relief when they saw their curiosity rover make its first tracks on mars. project manager. >> we built a rover. unless the rover roves, we really haven't accomplished anything. >> his new animation shows the small but successful test drive. 15 feet forward, a 120-degree turn and then 8 feet back. engineer matt heiferly. >> the system is performing very

well. we're in a great place to do some science. >> over the next 23 months, this will partly climb the side of a martian mountain trying to determine if life -- brad bury landing after the late martian chronicles author ray brad bury who would have turned 92 today. >> he would likely be thrilled to see that this mission to mars has become much more than a mere curiosity. >> this hollywood-style video nasa made about the rover's landing has now been watched more than 6 million times. john beck created it. >> i've read so many of the comments saying wow, this makes nasa cool again. this makes me want to be on engineer, a scientist. makes me want to be an astronaut. that's exactly the kind of thing that i want to hear. >> lift-off. >> without the space shuttle program and with funding cuts, many wondered if nasa could

remain relevant. >> kicking at my console, this is what i see. data streaming back from curiosity ♪ >> this fan video with 2 million hits online, shows nasa is not only relevant but borderline cool. >> we're nasa and we know it ♪ >> curiosity traveled more than 350 miles to get to mars. by rolling just a few more feet, it's already left some pretty big tracks to fill. ben tracy, cbs news, los angeles. and if you need any proof, you shouldn't mess with actor and rapper ll cool j. this is it. he allegedly broke into his studio city, california mansion early wednesday. the l.a. times says ll got into a "knock down, drag-out fight" leaving the suspect with a broken nose and jaw. the alleged intruder has a long record for thefts. i bet ll after it was like mama said knock you out. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," a new

study that links autism risk to older fathers. i'm terrell brown. this is the morning news. mmmm, just how satisfying is every spoonful of new light & fit greek? morning donut cookies chips, chips,...! silence those tempting thoughts with new light & fit greek. its creamy thick texture helps satisfy you. it has twice the protein of regular lowfat yogurt. and at 80 calories it's the lightest greek yogurt with fruit. cupcake! it's not gonna happen. new light & fit greek. be light and fit and satisfied.

. good morning. welcome to 9news now. i'm andrea roane. today is thursday. we're almost there. good morning. i'm mike hydeck. monika samtani will have

traffic momentarily. my commute starts with big, fat raindrops on the windshield and then they went away. >> just a couple of sprinkles. most of it is down south. you might see a couple of sprinkles there. our pattern still where it was the last couple of days. partly sunny to partly cloudy. little patchy fog early. then isolated shower or storm this afternoon. noontime temp 84. highs today upper 80s. even near 90 with a 5:00 p.m. temperature of 86. we'll see a good deal of sunshine but also have the threat again for the afternoon shower or storm. look at temps down in the 50s again in western maryland, even toward winchester, 59 degrees. upper 60s in fredricksburg. patuxent naval air station 68. more clouds here, 71. the clouds are streaming in

southwest to southeasterly. some showers around. farther north and west the clouds are lighter, thinner up there. this afternoon mid-80s in the shenandoah valley. we'll have highs in the upper 80s again. near 90 in a couple of spots. it is 4:26. let's go to monika samtani with your timesaver traffic. if you're planning to head around the beltway, you are still going to find construction in place, especially if you're traveling to the west side of town between tysons and annandale which is there every single night. it's beginning to clear up but be aware of that. no problems to report on the inbound side of i-66, the dulles toll road. everything is fine. on the southbound tied of 395 there is construction at edsall road. that also should be clearing shortly. no delays as you can see. back over to our maps, this time to the north side of town where there's construction on the beltway near kenilworth avenue. bw parkway, route 50 everything is fine as you head through sheverly heading for the northeast corridor. beltway right here at kennel worth avenue looks like

everything is moving well. i'll be back with more traffic at 4:39. we begin with breaking news. police are investigating the shooting death of a 17-year-old girl. >> she was found just after 10:00 last night at a home on chartsey street in upper marlboro. kristin fisher joins us live this morning on where the investigation begins. >> reporter: prince george's county police say they have no suspects and no motive. for now they're investigating this as a possible home invasion which turned into a homicide. again that could all change. this is still very in the early stages of this investigation. but this all started right around 10:20 last night. that's when the call came into prince george's county police. when they arrived here at this home in upper marlboro, what they found just an awful tragedy inside. this 17-year-old girl shot and killed. she was pronounced dead on the scene. there were other people inside the home at the time of the

shooting, but we don't know what happened to these people, if any of them were injured. all we know is they were interviewed by police but absolutely no idea how the other people in the home relates to this homicide, possible home invasion. one more thing. there's been a lot of questions about whether or not this home is the home of the girl. is this where she lived or is this the home of one of her friends. we don't know. this is all in the early stages of this investigation. it's still ongoing very early this morning. there were a lot of police cars out here of course earlier today. there's still quite a few out here. you can see the lights on inside as they continue to try to figure out what happened here earlier this morning. police are now asking for the public's help to try to solve this crime. if you have any information or saw any sort of suspicious activity, you're asked to call crime solvers. the phone