>> smith: tonight, the clues bin laden left behind. why u.s. intelligence believes he's given them the best chance in years to destroy the heart of al qaeda. i'm harry smith. also tonight, the commander in chief tells the team that got bin laden... >> job well done. ( cheers and applause ) job well done. >> smith: u.s. navy seals. what it takes to become the best of the best. and nearly a quarter of a million new jobs, but the supply can't keep up with demand and the jobless rate jumps back to 9%. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric.

>> smith: good evening, katie is off tonight. al qaeda finally acknowledged today that osama bin laden is dead and the terror group vowed revenge, saying it will turn america's happiness into sorrow. but it appears bin laden left al qaeda's remaining leaders with a big problem: he left behind clues to where they're hiding. in fact, sources say bin laden has unwittingly given u.s. intelligence their best chance in years to dismantle the heart of al qaeda. but first, bob orr has breaking news about a u.s. strike against another al qaeda leader in yemen. bob's with us from washington. bob, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, harry. cbs news now has confirmed that the u.s. on thursday tried to kill another leading al qaeda figure, anwar al-awlaki, with a drone strike in yemen. three people, we're told, including two members of al- awlaki's terror group, al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, were killed in the attack but al- awlaki himself was not hit. al-awlaki, as we've told you, has been tied to the fort hood shooting and two failed attacks

in recent years-- the underwear bomb attack in 2009 and last fall's cargo bomb plot. one official told us today "we were hoping it was him. but it was not." meanwhile, the evidence collected in the killing of osama bin laden on sunday may now be putting other al qaeda leaders in the cross hairs. since 9/11, ayman al-zawahiri, al qaeda's number two, has been just as elusive as osama bin laden. but now an intelligence source says documents recovered in the raid on bin laden's compound have revealed positive intelligence that's helping the u.s. narrow down potential locations. the officials said the analysis of the raw information is producing numerous new leads, but cautions al qaeda leaders like al-zawahiri are likely on the run. this is not as easy as going to an address, the source said. the unprecedented haul of evidence also confirms that bin laden to the very end was right at the center of the al qaeda network and plans. scrawled notes, likely written by bin laden himself, spell out a spectrum of potential plots.

sources say the terror leader dreamed of another 9/11 targeting major u.s. cities, transit systems and infrastructure targets on key american holidays. there's no evidence so far that any of this produced a concrete plot, but analysts are digging into a massive volume of captured intelligence. sources say the navy seals grabbed 2.7 terabytes of data from bin laden's lair. how much is that? enough for 5,000 hours of audio files or 800 hours of video or 600 million pages of computer text. now, the c.i.a. is working as fast as possible to find what they call "actionable intelligence" to identify solid targets, and be assured the u.s. is poised to strike again. harry? >> smith: bob orr, thanks. president obama traveled today to fort campbell in kentucky to thank in person the team that took out bin laden. he told them "job well done." chief white house correspondent chip reid is at fort campbell tonight with the latest on that. chip, good evening.

>> reporter: well, good evening, harry. the white house says the president's primary purpose in coming here was to personally thank the special forces who were involved in that mission to kill osama bin laden. the president called it one of the greatest intelligence and military missions in our nation's history. the white house said there would be no victory laps following the killing of osama bin laden, but it sure sounded like one today at fort campbell, kentucky, home of the 101st airborne division. >> our strategy is working and there is no greater evidence of that than justice finally being delivered to osama bin laden. ( cheers and applause ) >> reporter: but the real news here happened not in a public celebration, but quietly behind closed doors as the president and vice president biden met with the team of navy seals who stormed the compound in pakistan last sunday and killed osama bin laden. after being briefed on the mission and sharing his gratitude, mr. obama awarded a presidential unit citation, the

highest honor a military unit can receive. >> they trained for years. they're battle-hardened. they practiced tirelessly for this mission. and when i gave the order, they were ready. >> reporter: the president also met with and thanked the helicopter pilots who flew the seals in and out of the compound. one pilot is now being hailed as a hero for saving the mission by bringing his stalled helicopter- - loaded with navy seals-- in for a controlled crash landing. no one was hurt. some in the audience of more than 2,000 here recently returned from afghanistan and say the death of bin laden was like a homecoming present. >> it was a good ending for our deployment because it happened right when we left, so it was a really good ending. >> reporter: the president said there is now more pressure on al qaeda than at any time since 9/11. harry? >> smith: chip reid, thanks. president obama told steve kroft of "60 minutes" that the safety of the navy seals was uppermost on his mind as the mission to take out bin laden was being planned.

what was the most difficult part? i mean, you had to decide... this was your decision. >> yeah. >> reporter: whether to proceed or not and how to proceed. what was the most difficult part of that decision? >> my number-one concern was if i send them in, can i get them out? and a lot of the discussion we had during the course of planning was how do we make sure there's backup? how do we make sure there's redundancy built into the plan so that we have the best chance of getting our guys out. >> smith: you can see more of the president's first interview since the killing of bin laden this sunday on "60 minutes." one thing the president was able to count on in planning the raid is intelligence-- not just from satellite photos and phone records, but today we learned there were c.i.a. operatives on the ground living in a safe house in the same neighborhood as bin laden. much to the embarrassment of the pakistanis, the spies had been there for months. elizabeth palmer reports from islamabad. >> reporter: pakistan's once-

proud army is now a laughingstock, and its powerful i.s.i. intelligence service in disgrace. not only was the world's most wanted man hiding right under the their noses, so was the c.i.a., spying on bin laden from a nearby safe house. brigadier asad munir was an i.s.i. chief, proud to have once worked with the c.i.a. in hunting down bin laden. >> reporter: no question. new pictures taken inside bin laden's hideout show the compound stripped by navy seals of anything with intelligence value. nothing was left for the pakistanis except three women and eight children from the household, who had to be taken into custody. people are angry with the u.s. for violating pakistan's borders.

>> reporter: but they also resent their own security services who allowed it to happen. to add insult to injury today, a u.s. drone fired missiles into pakistan's territory at suspected militants. does this mark a low point in relations between the i.s.i. and the c.i.a.? >> reporter: it's going to take a lot of work, but both the u.s. and pakistan know they have to restore trust and cooperation-- winning the fight against terrorism in this unstable region depends on it. now pakistani intelligence officials tell cbs news they expect the head of the i.s.i. to resign, which could be the first step in rebooting a troubled but crucial relationship with the united states. elizabeth palmer, cbs news, islamabad. >> smith: here in this country, by one measure the jobs picture

is improving, but by another there is still a long way to go. the labor department reported today that private employers created well over a quarter of a million jobs in april, the most in more than five years. but there were still far more workers looking for jobs than finding them, and the unemployment rate went back up to 9%. here's senior business correspondent anthony mason. >> reporter: at this career center in california, job seekers scanning the help- wanteds can see the economy improving. >> i've just seen a lot more jobs that weren't there before. >> it seems like it's picking up. there's more job offers coming up, but there's so many people looking for work right now. >> reporter: the economy's now added more than 850,000 jobs this year, an average of 213,000 a month. >> this is a long road still ahead of us, but i think the dynamics we're seeing in hiring are certainly encouraging. >> what kind of life does he want, steve? >> reporter: governments are cutting workers. new york city's proposing to cut

6,000 teachers. houston's considering laying off more than 600 in law enforcement. but across most industries, companies are hiring. wal-mart's creating 4,000 jobs in south carolina. this wind turbine company in charlotte, north carolina, is adding 200 positions. and allison transmission is also adding 200 jobs at its indianapolis plant. that's where the president was today, noting that accelerating gas prices have not put the brakes on the recovery. >> we can take a hit and we can keep on going forward. that's exactly what we're doing. ( applause ) >> reporter: but millions of unemployed are being left behind. >> i see people getting jobs, which is a good sign, and people... you know, they call it landed-- "i've landed." >> reporter: ted fitzer has not landed yet. a financial controller who lost his job when his company moved from pennsylvania to colorado, he's been out of work for nearly two years now. >> i didn't ever imagine that it would be this long that i'd be

out of work. absolutely not. >> reporter: the number of long- term unemployed did decline slightly last month, but nearly six million people have been out of work for six months or more. next week in our series "help wanted," we'll be looking at what government and business can do to get them back to work. harry? >> smith: anthony mason, thanks. bob schieffer is our chief washington correspondent now marking 20 years as anchor of "face the nation." bob, congratulations on that and let's talk about the president's week. it's about as good a week a president can have, i'd guess. >> yes, i would say so. i mean, this was a great week for the president. presidents have weeks like this- - both good and bad. certainly, george bush had one like this after 9/11 when the country came together. bill clinton had a week like this in reverse when the monica lewinsky scandal happened. but i must say, harry, i think this is bigger than whether it was good or bad for the president. i think what happened was an important moment in american history.

i think it was good for the country. i think we needed this, and i think it sent a message to the terrorists around the world that we don't give up. you know, we live in this fast food society where everyone wants to get everything immediately-- twitter and all of that business-- but the core value of this country is our determination and our resolve. and we saw that this week and the world saw that. >> smith: mm-hmm. >> reporter: we stuck with this until we got this guy. until we got this guy. i think the president might be able to seize this moment and get some more things done because the country is really feeling different about itself right now. it's going to be hard. he's got to get those gas prices down but this could be a very important moment in the country's history. >> smith: bob schieffer, thanks so much. and bob's guests this sunday will be senator john kerry and former defense secretary donald rumsfeld. still ahead on the "cbs evening news," they take on the toughest jobs. what makes seal team 6 the best of the best.

but up next, mississippi rising. the worst flooding since the great depression. [ male announcer ] this is lara. her morning begins with arthritis pain. that's a coffee and two pills. the afternoon tour begins with more pain and more pills. the evening guests arrive. back to sore knees. back to more pills. the day is done but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. just 2 pills can keep arthritis pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lara who chose 2 aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. i buy plants, i bring them home, and then...i water too little... too much... or i just forget. but look. this is doing fine. why? it's planted in miracle-gro moisture control potting mix. it holds 33% more water... than ordinary potting soil. releasing it as plants need it. not when i get around to it.

and there's miracle-gro plant food mixed in. so you get miracle-gro results... i like that. [ female announcer ] miracle-gro moisture control potting mix. success starts with the soil. spending the day with my niece. i don't use super poligrip for hold because my dentures fit well. before those little pieces would get in between my dentures and my gum and it was uncomfortable. even well-fitting dentures let in food particles. super poligrip is zinc free. with just a few dabs, it's clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat. so it's not about keeping my dentures in, it's about keeping the food particles out. [ charlie ] try zinc free super poligrip.

what helps keep her moving? caltrate soft chews. ready-to-go, delicious, and packed with 20% more calcium than viactiv. strong bones. strong convictions. caltrate soft chews. because women move the world. you think i have allergies? you're sneezing. i'm allergic to you. doubtful, you love me. hey, you can't take allegra with fruit juice. what? yeah, it's on the label. really? here, there's nothing about juice on the zyrtec® label. what? labels are meant to be read. i'd be lost without you. i knew you weren't allergic to me. [ sneezes ] you know, you can't take allegra with orange juice. both: really? fyi. [ male announcer ] get zyrtec®'s proven allergy relief and love the air®. >> smith: the record flooding in the midwest just keeps getting worse. >> smith: the record flooding in the midwest just keeps getting worse. in memphis today, residents of about a thousand homes were urged to evacuate. the mississippi is 12 feet above

flood stage there, and will not crest until next wednesday. it's a similar story upriver in the town of finley, and mark strassmann is there tonight. mark, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, harry. this is crestview drive. it's underwater and evacuated because of three nearby cresting rivers. and it actually goes from bad to worse. the worry is that more water's coming. one dump truck at a time, crews raised this entire levee-- 18 inches higher could make the difference, just like these inmates filling sandbags-- all to help hold back the bloated mississippi. cody rodriguez knows the stakes. he helped build this five-foot levee around his grandmother's house. floodwaters swallowed it. >> we pretty much lived here 24 hours a day to save it there's only so much you can do. >> reporter: for this house and so many others, it's too late. the mississippi-- a mile that way and 11 feet above flood stage and rising-- keeps pushing

all this water where no one wants it to go. compare nasa satellite images. the region's rivers at normal levels last year and now. water seeping from banks and levees all over. river levels higher than the great floods of 1927 and 1937. >> it's not a hundred-year flood. this is 500-year flood. >> reporter: but next wednesday, memphis could be a mess. the mississippi could crest at 48 feet, an all-time record. pearl and leon baize knew they'd find heartache but boated back to their home they left on tuesday. now three feet of water outside and rising inside. >> i kept hoping it would level off before it got in there. >> look, it's... >> reporter: this is the reality inside the house they built in 1972. >> it's hard to see everything you worked for all your life go down the drain. >> reporter: if it's a total

loss, they're in trouble. like so many people here, they never imagined all this water and they have no flood insurance. harry? >> smith: mark strassmann, thanks. coming up next, the team that took down bin laden. l that over. that must cost a fortune. it sure does. well, if it doesn't have to get there overnight, you can save a lot with priority mail flat rate envelopes. one flat rate to any state, just $4.95. that's cool and all... but it ain't my money. i seriously do not care... so, you don't care what anyone says, you want to save this company money! that's exactly what i was saying. hmmm... priority mail flat rate envelopes, just $4.95 only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship.

[ female announcer ] wake up to sweetness with honey nut cheerios cereal. kissed with real honey. and the 100% natural whole grain oats can help lower your cholesterol. you are so sweet to me. bee happy. bee healthy.

you are so sweet to me. >> smith: wh >> smith: when the decision was made to raid osama bin laden's hideout, there was really no doubt about who was best suited for the mission. david martin now on the unit that many call the best of the best.

>> reporter: navy seals are known as superfit, supertough with a little rambo thrown in. but the seals who killed bin laden operate on a whole different level-- literally. they are what is known inside the pentagon as a tier-one force, reserved for only the highest priority targets, like bin laden or a loose nuclear weapon. >> they are the force to be called away first. >> reporter: richard marcinko now a bestselling author, was the first commander of what came to be called seal team six, a counterterrorist force founded in the wake of the 1980 failure to rescue americans held hostage in tehran. >> it's been 30 years that they've been practicing and doing counterterrorism missions so you really have a well-oiled machine that you're fielding when you send them out. >> reporter: howard wasden was a member of seal team six in somalia in 1993-- shot three times in the infamous blackhawk down fire fight. by then he'd been through the notoriously tough seal boot

camp, which is about much more than just extreme fitness. >> those classes routinely start with about 130 people and graduate 25. those 25 that graduated have one thing: mental toughness above the other guys who didn't make it. >> reporter: that was good enough to make a regular seal team. after several years of experience there, he volunteered for team six. >> 16 of us applied and two were accepted. >> reporter: it was snipers from seal team six who picked off the somali pirates holding an american ship captain hostage aboard a lifeboat. but seal team six is not invincible. british aid worker linda norgrove was accidentally killed by them in a rescue mission gone wrong in afghanistan. every mission balances on a razor's edge between success and failure, but seal team six goes into every one of them the same. >> stone professionalism. controlling your emotions. the difference from being afraid and being a warrior is controlling that fear and using it as a tool and accomplishing

the mission. >> reporter: so, harry, the 40 minutes those seals spent on the ground at bin laden's compound were 30 years in the making. >> smith: david martin at the pentagon. thanks. when we come back, america's other military heroes. they keep the families together while dad or mom go to war.

and you've done what? nothing. [ male announcer ] if you have high cholesterol and coronary artery disease, and diet and exercise are not enough, niaspan, along with diet and a bile acid-binding resin, is fda-approved not only to slow down plaque buildup but to actually help clear some of it away. dad, you have always taught me to push myself.

now it's time for me to push you. [ male announcer ] niaspan is not for everyone, like people with stomach ulcers, liver, or serious bleeding problems. severe liver damage can occur when switching to niaspan from immediate-release niacin. blood tests are needed to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you have muscle pain or weakness; this could be a sign of serious side effects. this risk can increase with statin use. tell your doctor about alcohol use, if you ever had gout, or are diabetic and experience increases in blood sugar. flushing, a common side effect, is warmth, redness, itching, or tingling of the skin. [ knock on door ] oops...i gotta go. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about adding niaspan. fight back. fight plaque. love you, daddy. fight back. fight plaque. you can turn ordinary chicken into luscious, delicious, and scrumptious. with recipes from campbellskitchen.com, and campbell's cream of chicken soup. campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™

by accident next on cbs 5 >> smith: when a member of the u.s. military goes off to war, the whole family sacrifices. today first lady michelle obama welcomed wives, mothers and grandmothers to the white house to mark military spouse appreciation day and thank them for their service to the country. as john blackstone reports, the observance was made all the more poignant by the events of this week. >> reporter: it is part of osama bin laden's terrible legacy-- almost a decade of american military funerals. >> part of what it takes to live

in a great nation. >> reporter: ron ross' 22-year- old son justin was killed in afghanistan. so, too, was james malachowski, a 25-year-old marine. >> i have never felt this much pain in my entire life. my son is gone. >> reporter: while the greatest sacrifice leaves the greatest pain, tens of thousands of military families have paid in other ways. do you worry that he's going to have to go away again? >> yeah. >> reporter: raychelle frescas' father ray, a naval reservist, spent almost all of last year on duty in the persian gulf, leaving seven-year-old raychelle and his wife gerri alone for almost two years. >> i cried every day. i cried every day. >> reporter: but gerri says she did what military wives must do: find a way to carry on. >> you suffer for a while and then you figure out what you need to do to survive. >> reporter: briona moss was six when her mother, staff sergeant june moss, was deployed to iraq

in 2003. >> i just knew that there were some scary people over there trying to kill my mommy. >> reporter: june returned home but could not leave the war behind. >> you still relive those things every night. you still-- sometimes even you have daymares. >> reporter: her nightmares were so terrible, briona would sleep beside her. you were kind of taking care of your mother in a way. >> uh-huh. i just felt like i should since she was, like, crying. >> reporter: moss is now recovering with treatment at the v.a. for post-traumatic stress disorder. she says her family is thriving. and raychelle frescas has her father back home-- for now. but thousands of other military families have been changed forever by ten years of war. john blackstone, cbs news, san jose, california. >> smith: that's the "cbs evening news" for tonight. for katie couric, i'm harry smith in new york. thanks for joining us. have a good weekend and a happy mother's day. good night.

captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org no - it's not an episode of "hoarders." so pay the feds make a startling admission. >> it is embarrassing, insulting. >> the n word on northern california to to to to . good evening, i'm dana king. >> i'm allen martin.