in the meantime, more scenes from iowa state fair. [crowd murmuring] >> live coverage from the iowa state there. coming up, former house speaker newt gingrich. connie has been waiting on line. please go ahead. >> thank you for taking my call. why a specialtand committee has not been appointed to investigate the treason in house of congress. i would like to know, it does cost it -- the constitution and rule of law the republicans keep spending about. what constitution are they talking about? my constitution that says anything about a committee elected by the people. >> next is a viewer from eric -- from arizona, republican line. >> i just wanted to say that we are obviously well on our way to another election to the president for this great country of ours, but before we make that decision, we need to ask ourselves a very essential question. what is it about america that makes us so great? we need to choose the c that is able to try those changes to keep us on the right track. in the last 2.5 decades that i have been around, i have not

i look at the state fair tomorrow. the beginning of spring training why have been talking a lot during the off season, now you have some real competition even if it's pretty minor and then you go from there. >> juan: it's such an interesting institution, this iowa straw poll. you have got to pay to vote. they bring you in. they have only had five times because you only do it when there is not a republican incumbent. it's kind of peculiar. if you are in iowa tomorrow and you have someone paying you or you decide to vote and you choose someone and you think, you know what? i would like to write in rick perry. is it possible that rick perry or sarah palin could come out of this with unexpected numbers? >> well, sarah palin has the potential always to come out of it with unexpected numbers. she is very popular among the republican base. however a lot of people that like her don't want her as the nominee. but she has passionate supporters. rick perry is in fourth place on polling with him not being on the ballot. it's hard

i look at the state fair tomorrow.ort of the beginning of spring training why have been talking a lot during the off season, now you have some real competition even if it's pretty minor and then you go from there. >> juan: it's such an interesting institution, this iowa straw poll. you have got to pay to vote. they bring you in. they have only had five times because you only do it when there is not a republican incumbent. it's kind of peculiar. if you are in iowa tomorrow and you have someone paying you or you decide to vote and you choose someone and you think, you know what? i would like to write in rick perry. is it possible that rick perry or sarah palin could come out of this with unexpected numbers? >> well, sarah palin has the potential always to come out of it with unexpected numbers. she is very popular among the republican base. however a lot of people that like her don't want her as the nominee. but she has passionate supporters. rick perry is in fourth place on polling with him not being on the ballot. it's

>> all right, andrea mitchell, at the iowa state fair. thanks. and our chief political editor and chief white house correspondent chuck todd is in des moines, iowa tonight. chuck, where does the gop stand now going into this crucial but again very early weekend? >> reporter: well, look, if it wasn't clear before last night, it is crystal clear today, thanks to the entrance of rick perry, mitt romney's front-runner status, the two minnesota republicans, michele bachmann and tim pawlenty believe that tomorrow's straw poll is the last chance for one of them to stay relevant in this presidential race. the mad dash to the republican straw poll in ames tomorrow brought many of the contenders to the iowa state fair today. >> it's hard to get things done to move this country in the right direction, i have done it. >> here's something they don't know about herrmann cane, i have been going against the odds all my life. >> we have to endorse a very basic principle and that's called freedom. >> reporter: but today's buzz wasn't about anything said on the sta

>> over the 10 days of the iowa state fair, an estimated 1 million visitors. iowa is a state of 3 million in total and the state historical has held the first in the nation presidential caucus. the first taking place to 1970's, in the 1972 campaign, with the george mcgovern using it as a springboard to his nomination, and in 1976 none of the above came in first, with jimmy carter coming in second and iowa propelling him to the nomination. this year, of course, republicans converging on iowa for a debate last night at the state fair and a straw poll tomorrow. christine is joining us from michigan. go ahead. republican line. >> i called in as a republican but with most of my friends, we find ourselves becoming more and more disgusted with the republican party. we are moderates and we truly do not understand why there are no people either from the very liberal democrats or from the very conservative republicans who recognized that most of the people out there are moderate, middle-of-the-road. there is nothing out there that is answering any of our questions. we ar

you're looking at scenes from the iowa state fair. this is day one of the iowa state fair. we are featuring republican presidential candidates who are stopping off at the soap box posted by "the register." you are looking at live coverage from the state fair at des moines. the straw poll will be taking place at the university of iowa. nine names will be on the ballot, including gov. jon huntsman and former gov. mitt romney. mitt romney won the iowa straw poll in 2007, but came in second in the iowa caucuses in 2008. todd is joining us next from mississippi. >> i would like to make a statement. if you do not think that government is too big, they can check out what happened in california last week where 25 swat team military guard-wearing individuals reyes did an organic food store because they were ided an raw milk -- rate organic food store because they were selling raw milk. that is definitely government overstepping their boundaries. >> in 1995, bob dole won the straw poll. he also won the iowa caucuses the following year. in 1999, george w. bush won both the iowa straw

which is from the indianapolis state fair. according to the indianapolis star website. high winds toppled the stage rigging between the opening and main acts of the outdoor concert. here's what we're hearing. the country band sugarland was just about to take is the stage, when that accident occurred. again, this video just coming into cnn. these are live pictures coming from our affiliate wthr. we're going to be following up on the news. ann ramsay was at the state fair on a ride and ann, you said you felt it shaking. was this weather, did a system come through you felt like? >> we were at the fair. i was with my kids and my sister-in-law back in the midway and all of a sudden is, the wind started blowing. things started blowing around. luckily, my son was ushered off the ride and people just started running and screaming. and i watched a mom and her daughter almost get trampled. the worker got her up and we got up to the front and tried to get on a tram to see if we could get to our car. and they shut the tram down and ushere

ann ramsay was at the state fair on a ride and ann, you said you felt it shaking. was this weather, did a system come through you felt like? >> we were at the fair. i was with my kids and my sister-in-law back in the midway and all of a sudden is, the wind started blowing. things started blowing around. luckily, my son was ushered off the ride and people just started running and screaming. and i watched a mom and her daughter almost get trampled. the worker got her up and we got up to the front and tried to get on a tram to see if we could get to our car. and they shut the tram down and ushered us into a building for safety. and they said there were tornado warnings around. we had driven by the stage and you could see people emptying out and that the point, nothing looked like it had fallen. but when we got inside and they turned the news on to try to find out what the weather was going on, then they started showing from our local station that the stage had collapsed. and we could all stand and see. >> hey. ann, i want you to stand by. don't go anywhere. i want to b

just turned up at the des moines state fair. chuck today is host of "the daily rundown." >> crash is the right word. there's 700 journalists around. i'll come. look at me. >> rick perry we can talk about what his game is. for sarah palen to show up on the eve of the straw poll, she's not an announced candidate. perry we know is. >> we'll know sarah palin's serious about doing something in american politics when she quits her day job. when she quits working as a fox news comment taytors. that's what the other guys did at some point. what i've noticed is she doesn't get the same type of lumps of attention each time she does this in the last six months. keep an eye on what palin says about rick perry. they're personally very close. if there's something she's closer to in this race and rumors that somehow she's here to help him. that she's here to step on ames to help rick perry. >> or help herself. here's sarah palin just moments ago at the state fair. >> are you a potential candidate? >> still a potential. still thinking about it.

happy to be here in iowa at the state fair. i heard you all have something called a pork chop on a stick. i just sent my staff out to get me one. in georgia, we eat pork chops for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, so i feel right at home. i'm glad you are here, and thank you for stopping by. thank you for giving me the opportunity to share a few thoughts about this great country that we live in. the first announced and i want to make that might be different from the way that others do it, we are an exceptional nation, the united states of america. ina cain presidency, i will never do an apology tour. we have nothing to apologize for. the founding fathers got it right. the founding fathers got it right when they said we hold these truths to be self-evident , that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain, in a new level -- unalienable rights, and among these rights were life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. it did not say anything about a guarantee. it said the pursuit of happiness. it did

the iowa state fair. what is she up to?quire just that. >> reporter: one of the main reasons for the iowa state fair is the show casing of livestock. since the state of iowa became important for political reasons, a different kind of livestock is now paraded around here. presidential candidates. all the photographphs. former governor pawlenty is flipping pork. and into this cattle call came a candidate who is not a candidate, at least not yet. former alaska governor, sarah palin. her every move so scrutinize for science as to whether she would run. the media fuels the suggestion hat she's stealing the spotlight from the official candidates. >> he's running to be the mayor of [ bleep ] blockington. why are you here in iowa before the straw poll? >> very thankful we were invited this year. we've been invited the last couple of years. finally, we were able to incorporate the stop into our one nation tour. >> reporter: do you think it is possible you could come back as a candidate? >> not sure yet. >> reporter: let's get the io

way, sean welcome to iowa. >> sean: great to be back. [ cheering ] >> sean: more from the iowa state fairman who won the caucus in 2008, former arkansas governor huckabee is here. he will tell us what it makes to what it takes to win in this great state. this great state. that and more. also get a free flight. you know that comes with a private island. really? no. it comes with a hat. you see, airline credit cards promise flights for 25,00miles, but... [ man ] there's never any seats for ,000 miles. frustrating, isn't it? but that won't happen with the capital one venture card. you can book any airline anytime. hey, i just said that. after all, isn't traveling hard enough? ow. [ male announcer ] to get the flights you want, sign up for a venture card at capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? uh, it's okay. i've played a pilot before. what's in your wallet? at exxon and mobil, we engineer smart gasoline that works at the molecular level to help your engine run more smoothly by helping remove deposits and cleaning up intake valves. so when you fill up at an exxon or mobil station, you can r

i of course will be participating at the state fair tomorrow and unlike the last time i was at the states going to be cool and sunny both. >> mitt romney will stand on a soapbox, that's right, an actual soapbox and address the crowd at the state fairgrounds in des moines, iowa this morning. it's a tradition. more than a million people are expected to visit the fair. 100th anniversary of the famed butter cow. there are actually banners on downtown iowa on light poles honoring the 100th anniversary of the butter corn. at least half of them are running for president, as far as how many people might show up today. robert, you're going to be there, you're going to be interviewing the supposed front-runner. i say supposed, out here he doesn't feel like the front-runner. >> he is on the ballot. >> mitt romney will be standing on the soapbox, so he will be engaged in this race. >> it fits the whole narrative that romney is a flip-flopper, sometimes he's in, sometimes he's out, we don't know exactly where he stands. we don't know if he's going to win the straw poll or not. but the million dollar

. >>> and later, the tragedy at the indiana state fair. the video is just unbelievable. you'll see what happened as it happened. get the latest on investigators trying to figure out how to prevent anything like this from ever happening again. so many lives lost. >>> anderson, you may have seen the video. an 11-year-old boy's amazing shot at a hockey game. the crowd went wild. the boy won $50,000. but now he may not be able to keep the money. we'll tell you when "ac 360" continues. anananananannouncer ] this...is the network. a living, breathing intelligence that's helping drive the future of business. in here, inventory can be taught to learn. ♪ machines have a voice. ♪ medical history follows you. it's the at&t network -- a network of possibilities... committed to delivering the most advanced mobile broadband experience to help move business... forward. ♪ to help move business... it's true.rd. you never forget your first subaru. energy is being produced to power our lives. while energy developement comes with some risk, north america's natural gas producers are committe

meanwhile mitt romney was at the state fair in his every man dungarees when he was ambushed by liberal activists with a gotcha question about social security. and with his answer, romney proved he didn't just dress like the average joe, he understands the average joe. >> we have to make sure that the promises we make in social security, medicaid and medicare are promises we can keep. and there are various ways of doing that. one is we could raise taxes on people. -- >> corporations. >> corporations are people, my friend. >> stephen: yes. corporations are people, my friend. they're like members of your family. your brother, fax machine. your uncle ben, your auntannie, your mam ma celeste, your go daddy. folks, i have been fighting this good fight for years. corporations are legally people in the united states. >> no. >> corporations are people. >> corporations are people. >> corporations are people too. >> would you let your daughter date a corporation? sir? >> no i would not. >> stephen: wow. in this day and age that kind of bigot ree, it is time to remake guess who's coming to dinner.

gwen: the republican presidential campaign got a jumpstart here in iowa, but the state fair roller coaster had nothing on the stock market. the story from here and there, tonight on "washington week." it must be getting serious. >> i have a very consistent record of fighting very hard against barack obama and his unconstitutional measures in congress. i'm very proud of that record. >> she said she's got a titanium spine. it's not her spine we're worried about. it's her record of results. gwen: the candidates are sharpening their attacks. >> i predict in this place on this day that in november of 2012, president obama will not carry the state of iowa. gwen: leading up to the iowa straw poll, the jockeying has begun to see who will struggle and who will survive. >> if you want to know what i'm going do, i'm going to do exactly what i did as governor. it's called leadership. gwen: the common target, president obama, who spent the week pushing back against a tidal wave of bad economic news, a credit rating downgrade -- >> the political brinkmanship we saw over raising the debt ceiling was some

thank you. >>> the iowa state fair kicks off today.ial candidates to reach voters but someone is planning to crash their party? who's rolling into town? i bet you can guess. that's coming up. >>> here's today's "get smart" question. how much in sales have uk retailers lost because of the riots? a, $129 million, b, $161 billion, or c, $242 million. we'll have your answer coming up in two minutes. it's 38 minutes past the hour. >>> its sis 40 minutes past the hour. time for the get smart question. how much in sales have uk retailers lost because of the riots? a, 129 mlt dollars, b, $161 million, c, $242 million. the answer is a, $129 million. sorry, you don't win a thing but you can feel very proud of yourself. >>> now for your our political ticker let's bring in cnn political reporter shannon travis live on the phone from des moines, iowa. is anyone up there yet, shannon? >> hey, there, carol. i'm up. we're up. it's going to be a big political day in iowa. not just because you can get the fried stick of butter at the state fair but for

but hurry, this offer ends august 31st. >> sean: we live from the iowa state fair. presidential contenders did their best to win the support of citizens of this great state. joining me now is somebody who knows a lot about getting the people of iowa in his corner. the man who won the caucus in 2008. mike huckabee. let's welcome governor huckabee. >> great to be here sean. terrific crowd gathered to watch your show. what a weekend for politics. anybody who is a political junkie, this is the place to be. >> sean: iowa has been a very good state to you. >> yes. i did a chapter in a book the first chapter was called "i love iowa." >> sean: i'm not surprised. every state seems to have a different dynamic. iowa, family values, a big, big part of people's concerns in government. new hampshire, live free. you go to south carolina and move around the country. is there a certain -- for example, to win iowa, what does it take? >> first iowa people have an knowing when someone is real and authentic and when someone is not. one of the things that is of benefit to the rest of the

. >>> and later, the tragedy at the indiana state fair. the video is just unbelievable. you'll see what happened as it happened. get the latest on investigators trying to figure out how to prevent anything like this from ever happening again. so many lives lost. >>> anderson, you may have seen the video. an 11-year-old boy's amazing shot at a hockey game. the crowd went wild. the boy won $50,000. but now he may not be able to keep the money. we'll tell you when "ac 360" continues. anananananannouncer ] this...is the network. a living, breathing intelligence that's helping drive the future of business. in here, inventory can be taught to learn. ♪ machines have a voice. ♪ medical history follows you. it's the at&t network -- a network of possibilities... committed to delivering the most advanced mobile broadband experience to help move business... forward. ♪ with aveeno nourish plus moisturize. active naturals wheat formulas target and help repair damage in just 3 washes. for softer, stronger... ... hair with life. [ female announcer ] nourish plus. only from aveeno. [ mar

>>> the tragedy at the indiana state fair, the video is unbelievable. you'll see what happened as it happened. the latest from investigators trying to figure out from preventing anything like this from happening again. >>> you may have seen the video, an 11-year-old boy's amazing shot at a hockey game. the crowd went wild. the boy won $50,000, now he may not be able to keep the money. we'll tell you why. anananananno] this...is the network. a living, breathing intelligence that's helping drive the future of business. in here, inventory can be taught to learn. ♪ machines have a voice. ♪ medical history follows you. it's the at&t network -- a network of possibilities... committed to delivering the most advanced mobile broadband experience to help move business... forward. ♪ sure, but let me get a little information first. for broccoli, say one. for toys, say two. toys ! the system can't process your response at this time. what ? please call back between 8 and 5 central standard time. he's in control. goodbye. even kids know it's wrong to give someone the

as the state fair reopened. i cannot tell you how proud i am. >> reporter: the fairs had been closed since saturday night when a deadly gust of wind tore down scaffolding from the main stage minutes before sugar land was supposed to play. >> people were laying on the grounds. >> chaos. chaos. >> david wood is one of the many who rushed in trying to free people pinned underneath. >> after i climbed back in there, people were hollering i'm a doctor and emt. it was astonishing. >> the national weather service was tracking the storm and 8:39 issued severe thunderstorm warning. at 8:35, announcer says storms are coming but there is no order to evacuate. winds moving faster than 60 miles per hour moved in. five people died. others injured. >> what is remarkable is throughout the rest of the fairgrounds, midway particularly, there were no damages to structures there. >> reporter: several state agencies are investigating to see if anything could have prevented this or if governor daniels claims the tragedy was a freakish

we'll see, again, may be better off going on the roller coasters at the state fair.he grade." msnbc air as special two-hour program on the state of the country education system this sunday at noon. hosting that special and joining me now, nbc news "news nation" tamron hall and jeff johnson. thank you both. tamron, let me start with you. all right. you're going to be in detroit. this was a school system trying to figure out how to shrink. what's the message you're trying to send by being in detroit on this, for this story? >> interesting, cluck, because jeff is right now in new orleans and detroit is considering itself the new new orleans. it didn't take a natural disaster like katrina, but detroit is now focusing in on the schools that are at the lowest, the 5% that represent what's failing about that school system, and now they want to really push teachers, parents and the students to take it to the next level. this is not a charter school program, bought way to say instead of throwing out the kids and the schools away and deeming them failures, let's look at it and

. >>> and later the tragedy at the indiana state fair. the video is unbelievable. we will see what happened as it happened. the latest on investigators are trying to figure out how to prevent anything like this from happening again. so many lives lost. >>> you may have seen the video. an 11-year-old boy's amazing shot at a hockey game. the crowd went wild. the boy won $50,000, but now he may not be able to keep the money. we will tell you why when 360 continues. ananananannouncer ] this...is the network. a living, breathing intelligence that's helping drive the future of business. in here, inventory can be taught to learn. ♪ machines have a voice. ♪ medical history follows you. it's the at&t network -- a network of possibilities... committed to delivering the most advanced mobile broadband experience to help move business... forward. ♪ that's not going to satisfy you. it's time for a better snack. here, try this. it's yoplait greek. it has two times the protein of regular yogurt. you'll feel satisfied. [ female announcer ] yoplait greek. it is so good. it's pretty

>> yes, it feels like an extension of the state fair. the state fair is full of politics. it is going on at the same time as the fair, so it is not that much to hit the road, drive 40 miles north and get to this republican enclave of the iowa state fair. >> did the thursday debate in any way change the equation of the straw poll today? >> i think it's sort of reinforced the story line, which is that somebody needs to emerge as a viable alternative to mitt romney. mitt romney weathered the indirect and direct assaults from all of his rivals on thursday night, and he seemed to keep his head above it all. he is the one to be. the story line coming out of the rick perry announcement is can he authentically challenge mitt romney on the economy? mitt romney has made himself all about the economy in his second bid for president. one of these candidates today either has to emerge as a viable jobs alternative to romney or maybe that grass-roots candidate who is going to come in from the grassroots and not the establishment. the debate did not change much, but it kept romney as the f

as the state fair reopened. i cannot tell you how proud i am. >> reporter: the fairs had been closed since saturday night when a deadly gust of wind tore down scaffolding from the main stage minutes before sugar land was supposed to play. >> people were laying on the grounds. >> chaos. chaos. >> david wood is one of the many who rushed in trying to free people pinned underneath. >> after i climbed back in there, people were hollering i'm a doctor and emt. it was astonishing. >> the national weather service was tracking the storm and 8:39 issued severe thunderstorm warning. at 8:35, announcer says storms are coming but there is no order to evacuate. winds moving faster than 60 miles per hour moved in. five people died. others injured. >> what is remarkable is throughout the rest of the fairgrounds, midway particularly, there were no damages to structures there. >> reporter: several state agencies are investigating to see if anything could have prevented this or if governor daniels claims the tragedy was a freakish

the historic iowa state fair. iowa state fair is historic. just like the state fairs in the other 49 states are historic too. but the one that sarah palin is visiting this week, coincidence, the peak of the republican debate and the ames, iowa straw poll is the state fair that this week happens to be held in iowa. i don't know why anyone thinks that sarah palin is not running. the last big political event, the last biggest political event on mitt romney's political calendar as the republican front-runner for the nomination is when romney formally announced his candidacy in new hampshire back on june 2. remember that? sarah palin's family vacation one nation bus tour made sure that the bus was stopping in new hampshire that day to big foot that mitt romney event as well. the palin bus tour barreled through tornadoes in massachusetts to make sure they were in new hampshire that day in time for a patriotic landmark clam bake five minutes from mitt romney's presidential announcement on that same day. mitt romney is and has been from the beginning

at the iowa state fair, eric hanson, news channel 8, iowa's news leader. >> we'll take your word forg up, steve forbes on the volatile stock market and what needs to be done to get the u.s. economy back on track. >>> plus the latest on the capture of the dougherty gang in colorado. >>> and in these tough economic times a break from reality, a look at why hollywood may be recession-proof. >>> that's the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. thanks for watching. i'm randall pinkston. make it a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

here to the state fair., you see that sign behind me in deep fried twinkies. you can't come here and not have a twinkie fried on a stick. today is a heavy dose of politics. some of the presidential candidates to the state fair. mitt romney we expect him later on tonight and others will be coming here tomorrow. they will all be lobbying for support. a crucial contest. the ames straw poll on saturday and they want their supporters to get out there and cast a ballot for them. also, as i just mentioned later on tonight, a debate tonight where the candidates will be there. mitt romney will be there and jon huntsman, his first time and tim pawlenty who possibly might go after mitt romney and michele bachmann on stage. this is the time all of the presidential republican candidates together again since the last debate aired on cnn in june. >> shannon, thank you from the iowa state fair. >>> 42 minutes past the hour now. >>> coming up, something i haven't seen yet and i intentionally didn't watch it yet because my te

the people we caught up we state fair had other things on their minds. some of them couldn't get the names of the candidates straight. listen and then you and i will talk about it. here are the fair queens? >> yeah. all of the counties in iowa. >> who do you have in mind? who is your favorite candidate? >> for like big time or for like here? >> perry. >> probably the best one there is michele bachmann. >> i say roxanne bachmann. >> roxanne bachmann? >> for sure. >> why? >> she understands what the girls think and want. >> she is not necessarily on my list. >> she is not? >> she is on mine. >> reporter: shea is is on you? >> yeah. >> don, roxanne bachmann? >> come on, dude! that's what she said. at first she thought i was talking about the candidates in the county fair thing and then she said locally or big time? i said big time and she said, oh, yeah, roxanne. >> honest mistake. >> reporter: let me tell you what people are talking about. a little fun here. this is iowa aims to be number one in health, do you see that? have this whole pledge they want to b

the indiana state fair. you've probably seen the video. concert goers running for their lives.ls knew bad weather was on the way. how did this happen? investigation is under way. we'll bring you the late details. those stories and the ridiculous at the top of the hour. >> see you in a few minutes, anderson. thanks. >>> the republican field has as many candidates now as it did when the sun rose saturday morning, but it's a different field. tim paw length se also a former candidate. texas governor rick perry is now officially in and aggressively so. >> that big black cloud that hangs over america, that debt that is so monstrous. >> so let's stack the gop field with cnn contributors erick erickson and alex cast ta lan oes. you have congresswoman bachmann who took the day off today. a lot of people saying this is a three-way race. >> i don't think it's a three-way race yet. it's a two way race, romney and governor perry. we're not sure that michele bachmann is yet a top tier candidate. she's got something to prove. she can win it inside a coliseum in iowa, can she show suburban vot

peter, she comes to the state fair today.on her bus tour, the one nation bur us to that made its way up the east coast, and said hello to romney during his tour. it was striking, obviously she picked the timing on purpose and one of the things that she said, i want people to listen closely. she was the former governor of alaska, obviously. rick perry is the governor of texas now. the governor of texas as we learned from george w. bush days, doesn't have much powers as other governors and sarah palin decided to point that out. >> you have different functions in the state of texas and the state of alalca in terms of governing powers in the governor's office. so kind of tough to compare with the executive duties are. a very, very strong governor's office form of government up there. but he's a great guy and i look forward to seeing him in those debates. >> maybe, peter, i'm making too much of this. but we have a very strong governor in alaska. he's a great guy. >> reporter: yeah. that was not just the only gentle criticism that

he came to the state fair today. just as it's likely that folks in her hometown will forgive her for one night's performance. rick perry seems to have been largely forgiven by iowaians by were announced in south carolina. who would have thought two months ago that the leaders of the pack would be michele bachmann, mitt romney and rick perry. now with bachmann having won the straw poll, defeating ron paul and essentially ousting tim pawlenty in the race. perry in it and mitt romney who hasn't put a lot of earth in iowa campaigning mostly in new hampshire. they are in fact the equivalent of the top tier such as it is in the 2012 race, laura. >> laura: do you get the sense, carl, this is now a race for the evangelical vote, more a social conservative vote right between bachmann and perry and that romney is on his own? he has raised a lot of money but these two know it's only going to be one of them against romney in the end? is that the sense you are getting in. >> well, it's kind of the same story in presidential polit

expectations might signal the end of the road for others, despite the attention focused on the iowa state fair and some of the biggest names are vying for the spotlight far away. chief political correspondent carl cameron live in ames, iowa. carl, the speeches are underway and what's the mood like there at ames? >> well, kelly, as we speak, rick santorum, the former pennsylvania senator wrapped up the first speech of the straw poll gala this afternoon with a very, very staunch, socially conservative address to this iowa crowd of republicans straw poll voters, insisting his record after 12 years in the u.s. senate as a fighter for right to life and the sanctity of life will continue if he is president and he's been frustrated he feels the national media has not been giving him the attention he deserves and got the crowd on its feet, saying they have an opportunity to make a statement today by supporting him. santorum has had a boost and some think he may have reached from deep in the weeds. and for him a mainly achievement and could potentially breathe new life into his candidacy. throughout th

. >> pelley: and the disaster at the indiana state fair. as victims are remembered, investigators ask if anything could have prevented it. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. the military retirement system has long been considered untouchable, alongside social security and medicare. but in these days of soaring deficits, it seems everything is a potential target for budget cutters, and tonight a pentagon- sponsored study says military pensions are no longer untouchable, they're unaffordable. sharyl attkisson has details of a plan to dramatically overhaul a long-cherished veterans benefit. >> reporter: cbs news has learned high-level closely held meetings are taking place at the pentagon regarding a radical proposal to overhaul retirement for the nation's 1.4 million service members, a bedrock guarantee of military service. the proposal comes from a panel of military advisors called the defense business board. their plan, laid out in a 24- page presentation, "modernizing the

are now at least five people dead after saturday's tragic concert stage collapse at the indiana state fair. officials plan to reopen the fair today with a public memorial service. nbc is at the fairgrounds in indianapolis for us. good morning, wendy. >> reporter: good morning to you. it's a somber day here at the indiana state fair grounds. the pile of wreckage behind me is a sobering reminder of what happened here. as you mentioned a short service is scheduled here to remember those five people who lost their lives so unexpectedly. concert goers' worst nightmare turned to reality in just seconds. just minutes after the announcer warned that severe weather was p possible, a gust of wind, between 60 and 70 miles per hour sent the massive scaffolding crashing into the crowd. >> it just came down. i saw people running. the next thing you know, you look back and there's people underneath the stage trying to get up. >> oh, my gosh. i was scared. >> reporter: chris lost sight of his son and wife in the kayous. >> then the gust of wind came. the stage blew over. and i took off down there to see w

than they bargained for at a couple of thrill seekers get more than they bargained for at the iowa state fair. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> hello and good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation including the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry. today we begin with it's all about the economy. as the president prepares to make the final stop on his economic bus tour today, his republican rivals are on the road and on the attack over the nation's economic slump. nbc's steve handelsman has our report. >> reporter: on his campaign style swing through the midwest president obama was in iowa, the state that put him on the path to the white house in 2008. the path rick perry hopes he's on for 2012. the texas governor was in iowa targeting barack obama. >> mr. president, you have tried now for 2 1/2 years of government creating jobs. >> reporter: here he brags about his jobs record. texas unemployment is a point lower than the u.s. average. oil companies are profitable. tax revenue has not dropped in texas. and in fact, almost all of new texas jobs are government jobs. so

live at the state fair, thanks, peter.st political pros what sarah palin is, and most shrug. she doesn't trust the political establishment. one exception is fred malick who is dated back to the nixon days. it's good to see you. you've been sarah palin's escort. you've interviewsed her introd people. is she going to run? >> sarah palin is a friend and does a great job of energizing people and in getting people interested in voting. i don't think you're going to see her on a billion lot but she'll have an influence because she sucks up a lot of oxygen in a room and brings a lot of attention to wherever she goes. i think she will be influential and part of the process but i don't expect to see her on the ballot. having said that, di do believe that our next president will be a governor or a former governor but i don't think it's going to be sarah palin. >> you know her well. you've been through this with george h.w. bush and through this with others. you know what it's like, especially those candidates that need a good straw

who lost loved ones are still looking for answers in the collapse of that stage at the indiana state fair died and 25 peopl are still in the hospital after the accident. abc's chris bury has more on those unanswered questions in indianapolis. >> reporter: the fair reopened on a somber note with a memorial service honoring the dead and injured. >> we come today with hearts that are broken. but also hearts that are full. >> reporter: a newly hired teacher, an activist, a 49-year-old father of two are among those who died in the accident, now raising so many questions. >> did that wind gust just take everybody by surprise? >> yes. it really did. >> reporter: cindy hoy, the fair's director, was backstage on her way to call off the concert because of approaching storms, when that sudden powerful gust smacked the stage. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: that night, fair officials spoke at least five times with national weather service forecasters. but violent wind gusts, something they called gustnados, swept up from the ground. strong gusts of wind that swirl like a tornado in advance of a storm fro