>> reporter: that's right, katie. election day is just eight weeks away and the battle for control of congress is red hot. to take back the house, the republicans would need a net gain of 39 seats and the good news for republicans is that 52 seats currently held by democrats are considered to be at high risk of turnover. now it would be a lot harder for republicans to take over the senate. they need a net gain of ten seats, that means they'd have to take nearly all the 13 democratic seats now considered at risk plus hold on to the five g.o.p. seats now at risk. either way, democrats are running scared in both houses. katie? >> couric: all right, chip reid at the white house, chip, thank you very much. meanwhile, the president's chief of staff rahm emanuel has said he'd like to run for mayor of chicago someday. well, that day may be coming because today mayor richard m. daley announced he will not run for a seventh term. dean reynolds now on the end of an era in chicago politics. the daley era. >> today i'm announcing

katie. >> couric: nancy cordes, nancy, thanks very much. john dickerson is the cbs news political analyst. john, some people believe the contract with america helped get republicans elected back in '94. will resurrecting this kind of platform do you think help or hurt them this time? because i know they're debating that, even within the party. >> reporter: that's right, katie. the challenge is to be specific enough to answer that question, "what are you going to do, republicans, if you take control on the key question of jobs and the economy?" but not be too specific that you open yourself to attacks from democrats. democrats think republicans have given them all they need when democratic officials said now we have a chance to compare two visions, and what republicans believe is now all down on paper. >> couric: all right, john dickerson, john, thank you. with their pledge to america, the republicans contend that extending all the bush tax cuts would put more spending money in people's pockets and help jump start the economy. so what's wron

>> well, that could make it a different case, katie. the supreme court has ruled that the government can ban speech that directly incites people to commit violence. but even cross burning-- which is considered by many people to really be the most hateful type of speech-- doesn't necessarily rise to that level. the court in 2003 struck down part of a virginia law that banned cross burning. the justices said it was illegal only if it's done specifically to intimidate someone. katie? >> couric: all right. jan crawford in washington. jan, thanks very much. now to the war in afghanistan. general petraeus has said the u.s. cannot succeed without winning the hearts and minds of afghan civilians, but tonight will's a disturbing development and a story david martin first reported back in may, u.s. troops accused of killing civilians in cold blood. david tells us 12 soldiers are now facing military charges. >> reporter: if the charges are proven, this was the platoon from hell. five american soldiers accused of murdering afghan civilians just bec

katie. >> couric: jan crawford, jan, thank you. if you or someone you know has been bullied, cbsnews.com has a list of resources where you can get help. now turning to the economy. it's ironic that just as mortgage rate have fallen to the lowest level on record, more and more americans are losing their homes. foreclosures jumped nearly 5% from april to june this year. chase has become the second bank to announce a temporary moratorium on repossessing homes. and today bill whitaker tells us people from all over the country were trying to refinance at those lower rates. bill, they're hoping to save their homes. >> reporter: that's right, katie. thousands of people are here, some from as far away as new york and florida, seeking free help to modify their loans at lower rates, hoping to avoid foreclosure. >> good morning. >> reporter: some stood in line up to sick hours for the chance to get help to hold on to their homes. >> i have never missed a payment in six years, and i think they know that, but every year, my house payment has we

. >> reporter: sadly that's true, katie. the first fatalities from this storm that has been pounding east coast from here to maine. the victim's car ran off rain-slicked highway 64 over two hours east of raleigh where it plowed into a watery ditch, killing four members of a georgia family. the first fatalities from this enormous storm that roared up the eastern seaboard, surng roads into canals, ponds into lakeses, and front porches into docks. >> just keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't come in because when it decide to come in, there's not much you can do. >> reporter: the storm has tropical depression a third of the total annual rainfall in carolina beach in just five days, exceeding even the infamous hurricane floyd in 19 1999. robert stuart lives here along the aptly named canal drive where the water sits right outside his door. he's been emptying his pump all week. >> probably a fifth or sixth time. >> reporter: today? >> uh-huh. >> reporter: town manager tim owens said it's tough to keep up with all the rain. >>

katie. >> couric: nancy cordes, nancy, thanks very much. john dickerson is the cbs news political analyst. john, some people believe the contact with america helped get republicans elect back in '94. will resurrecting this kind of platform do you think help or hurt them this time because i know they're debating that, even within the party. >> reporter: that's right, katie. the challenge is to be specific enough to answer that question, "what are you going to do, republicans, if you take control on the key question of jobs and the economy?" but not be too specific that you open yourself to attacks from democrats. democrats think republicans have given them all they need when democratic officials said now we have a chance to compare two visions, and what republicans believe is now all down on paper. >> couric: all right, john dickerson, john, thank you. with their pledge to america, the republicans contend that extending all the bush tax cuts would put more spending money in people's pockets and help jump start the economy. so what's wrong wi

katie? >> couric: dean, that sounds like democrats may actually want to see more of her out on the stump. >> reporter: that's true. i agree with that, because her fame apparently cuts both ways. whereas she's going to help some republican candidates, the democrats here in iowa say their chief fund-raiser and organizer is sarah palin. katie? >> couric: dean reynolds in des moines tonight. dean, thanks so much. now to the tea party's newest star, christine o'donnell, who scored an upset to take the nomination in delaware today. she took the spotlight today at a conservative summit in washington, but there may be trouble ahead for her. a watchdog group intends to call monday for a criminal investigation of what it says is her chronic abuse of campaign funds. here's congressional correspondent nancy cordes. >> reporter: christine o'donnell, initially shunned by the republican establishment, was embraced by it today, granted a plum speaking role at the annual values voters summit in washington, d

katie? >> couric: dean, that sounds like democrats may actually want to see more of her out on the stump. >> reporter: that's truement i agree with that, because her fame apparently cuts both ways. whereas she's going to help some republican candidates, the democrats here in iowa say their chief fund-raiser and organize is sarah palin. katie? >> couric: dean reynolds in des moines tonight. dean, thanks so much. now to the tea party's newest star, christine o'donnell who scored and up set to take the nomination in delaware today. she took the spotlight today at a conservative summit in washington but there may be trouble ahead for her. a watchdog group intends to call monday for a criminal investigation of what it says is her chronic abuse of campaign funds. here's congressional correspondent nancy cordes. >> reporter: christine o'donnell, initially shunned by the republican establishment, was embraced by it today, granted a plum speaking role at the annual values voters summit in washington,

katie? >> couric: anthony mason, thank you, anthony. and jobs are the big issue in the midterm elections. election day, by the way, is five weeks away, but early voting is already under way in seven states. with control of congress at stake, president obama hit the campaign trail today. chip reid is in wisconsin tonight and, chip, young people were critical to the president's victory in 2008. can he get them to vote in november? >> reporter: well, katie, he's certainly giving it the old college try. but it's not going to be easy because many of those students behind me simply not focused on election day. the president is planning a campus blitz for the final weeks of the campaign hoping to recreate some of the energy and excitement of 2008 when adoring throngs of college students helped propel him to victory. but talk to college students today and they'll tell you this time something is missing how is it different now compared to two years ago? >> less excitement. >> reporter: the reasons are many. >> he had a lot of empty promises. >>

katie? >> couric: anthony mason, thank you, anthony. and jobs are the big issue in the midterm elections. election day, by the way, is five weeks away, but early voting is already under way in seven states. with control of congress at stake, president obama hit the campaign trail today. chip reid is in wisconsin tonight and, chip, young people were critical to the president's victory in 2008. can he get them to vote in november? >> reporter: well, katie, he's certainly giving it the old college try. but it's not going to be easy because many of those students behind me, are simply not focused on election day. >> i don't know about you, but i'm fired up. >> reporter: the president is planning a campus blitz for the final weeks of the campaign hoping to recreate some of the energy and excitement of 2008. when adoring throngs of college students helped propel him to victory. but talk to college students today and they'll tell you this time something is missing how is it different now compared to two years ago? >> less excitement. >> report

. >> couric: i'm katie couric. also tonight, land of lakes. flooding in the upper midwest forces hundreds out of their homes. a bizarre bank robbery in florida. thieves turn a teller into what appeared to be a human bomb. and colbert tries to develop a rapport with congress. >> i'm not a fan of the government doing anything, but i've got to ask, why isn't the government doing anything? captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone. the gathering of world leaders at the united nations here in new york this week has not done much to improve relations between the united states and iran. in fact, president mahmoud ahmadinejad strained them even further when he said most of the world believes the u.s. government orchestrated the 9/11 attacks to benefit israel. today, president obama responded. chief white house correspondent chip reid is here covering the united nations meeting. chip? >> reporter: well, katie, today president obama came o

i'm katie couric. also tonight, how angry are voters? our new poll finds a record number want to dump their representative in congress. in connecticut, on trial for a horrifying home invasion that led to a triple murder. >> we have a lady who is in our bank right now who says that her husband and children are being held at their house. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone, american voters are in one angry mood. it's evident at the polls and in the polls. look at this. a cbs news/"new york times" poll out tonight find a record 55% of american voters say it's time for their representative in congress to go. they don't like what the incumbents are doing. 58% disapprove of the democrats, 68% disapprove of the republicans. nearly three out of four registered voters say they're dissatisfied with or angry about what's going on in washington. and some of that feeling was reflected in yesterday's primaries with victories by can

katie? >> couric: chip, i know president is following the lead of other countries that do already have longer school years by about a month. how does he pro pose the do this? and how does he expect, or does he expect, to get blowback from parents and kids? >> reporter: absolutely, katie. it wouldn't be done by law. what they would do is encourage states and school districts to do it on their own. perhaps then they would get some of the blame. katie? >> couric: chip reid at the white house. chip, thanks very much. in other news, this country's airlines have decided bigger is better-- at least for them. southwest announced today it's buying airtran for about $1.5 billion, just the latest in a series of airline mergers. when this marriage of discount carriers is completed, southwest will serve more than 100 million customers a year at more than 100 airports. airtran gives southwest a foothold in atlanta, the busiest airport in the country, and allows it to expand its operations in new york, bos

katie? >> couric: david martin at the pentagon. david, thanks very much. 41 days now till the mid-material elections and we want to take a look at some of the critical contests in the battle for control of the senate, races in which the tea party movement could have a big impact. seven candidates backeded be by the tea party won the republican nominations and a cbs news election team analysis finds most of them have an even or better chance of winning in november. the nominees in alaska and utah are likely to keep the seats republican. rand paul has the edge in kentucky. it's a tossup in colorado, florida, and nevada. and right now, christine o'donnell is the underdog in a race that is still competitive in delaware. here in new york, the tea party helped political novice carl paladino win the republican nomination for governor and now it's put him within striking distance of democrat andrew cuomo. in a new poll out today, paladino trails cuomo among likely voters by just six points. and tea partiers pick paladino over cuomo 4-1. no

katie? >> katie: nancy cordes on capitol hill for us tonight. nancy, thank you. turning overseas now, two months after monsoon floods inundated pakistan, the situation there is only getting worse. nearly two million homes were damaged or destroyed and today unicef said 105,000 children under five years old could die from malnutrition. earlier today i spoke with pakistan's foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi about a number of things, including the crisis in his country. your country is still reeling from devastating floods. the acumen fund, which is a nonprofit organization here in the u.s., recently visited is the area and came back with some very moving, tragic images. can you describe the level of human suffering there. >> it's huge. you've never had a natural disaster of this nag any tuesday before. the area the size of the united kingdom is underwater. 20 million people in pakistan have been affected by these floods. shelterless. billions of dollars worth of standing crops have been lost. livestock. so it's a very serious situation we're dealing with. >> co

katie couric, anchor and managing editor of cbs evening news with katie couric. and diane sawyer, the anchor of abc world news with diane sawyer. and in atlanta, dr. sanjay gupta, cnn's chief medical correspondent. the three broadcast networks are joining together, the anchors are as well, they're joining forces to host the stand up to cancer fund-raising special on friday, september 10th. the program can be seen on every major network, cable stations, and online in more than 195 countries around the world. to donate, you can do to www.standuptocancer.org or call 1-888-90-stand. phone lines are open already. let's take a look at some of the sobering statistics about why it's important to stand up to cancer, and then we'll talk with our guests. watch. >> odds of catching a ball at major league game, 1 in 563. odds of an injury from shaving, 1 in 6,385. odds of tripping while texting, 1 in 10. odds of getting cancer in your lifetime, 1 in two men, one in three women. >> it's up to us -- >> to change the odds -- >> for our generation -- >> for the ones we love -- >>

katie? >> katie: nancy cordes on capitol hill for us tonight. nancy, thank you. turning overseas now, two months after monsoon floods inundated pakistan, the situation there is only getting worse. nearly two million homes were damaged or destroyed and today unicef said 105,000 children under five years old could die from malnutrition. earlier today i spoke with pakistan's foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi about a number of things, including the crisis in his country. your country is still reeling from devastating floods. the acumen fund, which is a nonprofit organization here in the u.s., recently visited is the area and came back with some very moving, tragic images. can you describe the level of human suffering there. >> it's huge. you've never had a natural disaster of this magnitude before. the area the size of the united kingdom is underwater. 20 million people in pakistan have been affected by these floods. shelterless. billions of dollars worth of standing crops have been lost. livestock. so it's a very serious situation we're dealing with. >> couric:

sesame street pull the plug on katy perry's guest appearance. now katy perry is tweeting about it. was her duet with elmo really crossing the line? you be the judge. oh, new phillips' colon health probiotic plus fiber. how's it work? ok, she's gas. he's constipation... why am i constipation? ...he's diarrhea. and our special fiber helps our probiotics so that you can show those symptoms who's in charge. this isn't even my floor. [ elevator bell dings ] [ female announcer ] kids who don't eat breakfast may not be getting the nutrition they need to keep their bodies strong. ♪ a nutritious start to the day is essential. that's w carnation instant breakfast essentials supplies the nutrients of a balanced breakfast. so kids get the protein and calcium they need to help build strong muscles and healthy bones. carnation instant breakfast essentials. good nutrition from the start. >>> welcome back. a lot of you tweeted us responding to the professor in chicago complaining that making over $250,000 was not enough. mike says if you make $400,000 and can't get by, you don't deserve the mone

i'm katie couric. also tonight, new safety questions about regional jets. after landing gear failures on a number of canadian-built planes. >> stay down! stay down! >> couric: and a new treatment for the most common cancer in babies and children produces exciting results. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone. the world watched stunned as terrorists trained in pakistan attacked mumbai, india, nearly two years ago. they killed more than 170 people and wounded 300. now officials say terrorists tied to al qaeda have been planning new attacks just like it in europe, and some of the recent c.i.a. drone attacks in pakistan may have been launched to disrupt the plot. justice correspondent bob orr is following this still-developing story. bob, the details of the european plot are absolutely chilling. >> reporter: well, katie, yes, they are. u.s. and european officials say the plot called for a spectacular multipronged attack on numerous cities in

i'm katie couric. also tonight, the battle over tax cuts. the house republican leader suggests a deal with democrats is possible but his senate counterpart says no way. the tea party is looking to score another primary upset in the battle for vice president biden's old senate seat. >> i'm dying and i'm having fun! >> couric: and the professor's last lecture inspired millions. now his widow is on a mission of her own. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone. that gas explosion in san bruno, california, has drawn new attention to what some see as a hidden danger in this country-- underground pipelines. there are nearly 306,000 miles of them in the united states, bringing gas to 58 million homes. when one of those pipelines ruptured last thursday, 37 homes were wiped out and at least four people were killed. four others are still missing. tonight, investigators are trying to zero in on a cause while those who lost everything are

katie? >> couric: david martin at the pentagon. david, thanks very much. 41 days now till the mid- term elections and we want to take a look at some of the critical contests in the battle for control of the senate, races in which the tea party movement could have a big impact. seven candidates backed by the tea party won the republican nominations and a cbs news election team analysis finds most of them have an even or better chance of winning in november. the nominees in alaska and utah are likely to keep the seats republican. rand paul has the edge in kentucky. it's a tossup in colorado, florida, and nevada. and right now, christine o'donnell is the underdog in a race that is still competitive in delaware. here in new york, the tea party helped political novice carl paladino win the republican nomination for governor and now it's put him within striking distance of democrat andrew cuomo. in a new poll out today, paladino trails cuomo among likely voters by just six points. and tea partiers pick paladino over cuomo 4-1. now, keep

if katie was present. and the warden said yes, she is. and she said, i want kathy to know that i love you and i'm very sorry. >> reporter: the kathy she's referring to is the daughter of the victim. and the only surviving member of the family. clifton said she would be present at the execution, that it would close a painful chapter in her life. >> once the execution is followed out and she is no longer on this earth, she will have paid her debt to society. >>> held captive for 18 years, her abductor fathered her two children. the accused kidnapper of jaycee dugard appears in court. to the dismay of defense attorneys, a grand jury hands out an indictment against phillip and nancy garrido in the kidnapping of jait jaycee dugard. this means a preliminary hearing won't be necessary. that in turn means jaycee and her two daughters may not have to testify in open court next month. grand jury charges supersede the 29 counts of kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. attorneys say the couple is upet is -- upset

>> el me loves katy perry. >> i think that's a yes. >> do you like katy perry's outfits. >> i love everything about katy perry. >> barely contain him. >> first dave has a check of the weather. young dave, how are you doing? >> good. thank you very much. nice to see you. >> yep, you know, what if you have it, work it, that's what i say, work it, wally, wally, the weather dog right here. and we have got a great bunch of folks who are taking part in strut your mutt this weekend to benefit 19 local shelters again. we say it all the time, if you can adopt a pet, if you have a home, do it, wally from is shelter and so are these dogs and so is chance. let's see what is happening across the country, shall we, everybody? warm weather rolling in -- if you cannot stop barking, i'll have to ask you to leave -- all right warm weather rolling in watching still rain rolling through the northern great lakes. nothing like the severe flooding we've seen already rolling through minnesota and wisconsin. but, those flooding dangers certainly not over. west coast looks good but again record heat in the northeast,

i'm katie couric in new york. thank you for watching this week. see you again monday. until then, have a great weekend and for the latest news online, go to cbsnews.com. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org old gibbs canning company. today these factories are full of dot com businesses. and now my job is helping maryland create new economy jobs. training new math and science teachers investing in our institutions of excellence pioneering new cyber security jobs and giving an old gm plant a jump start building electric motors. i'm barbara mikulski. i approve this message so you'll know i'm fighting for you. now, "entertainment tonight," the most watched entertainment news magazine in the world. >> sarah palin, the new interview. >> welcome to wasilla, "e.t." >> sarah on daughter bristol's dancing debut. >> that was cool when she whipped it off. she was like i'm going to dance. >> back home with the palins in alaska. the rally, the ride along. >> we're going to our only dance studio in wasilla. >> will sarah be i

katie will be along later in the broadcast. we begin with a stunning development in the story that has ignited a firestorm of controversy all over the world. late today, the florida minister who promised to burn copies of the koran on the anniversary of 9/11 said he was canceling the event. pastor terry jones said it's part of an agreement to move a planned islamic cultural center away from ground zero. though the center's imam tonight insisted there is no such deal and he says he's never even spoken to jones. the pastor's decision followed an appeal from president obama and a personal phone call from defense secretary robert gates. all of this as the state department has issued a warning to americans traveling overseas of possible revenge attacks, and even as there were more protests today in muslim nations. there is a lot to report tonight. kelly cobiella begins our coverage in gainesville, florida, kelly. >> reporter: good evening, harry. pastor terry jones has spent the entire day inside his church, then late in the day, ca

i'm katie couric in los angeles. also tonight, it just keeps getting stranger. that pastor threatening to burn korans makes an ultimatum and now his daughter says she fears he's gone mad. changing the way cancer cells behave. a revolution in the fight against this deadly disease. and you can make a difference in the battle. join us tonight as we stand up to cancer. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric reporting tonight from los angeles. >> couric: good evening, everyone. we're here at the sony studios for tonight's special stand up to cancer program. we'll have more about that later. but first, our top story. a deadly disaster that wiped out an entire neighborhood here in california. it was just before 6:30 last evening people in the city of san bruno were just sitting down to dinner. then suddenly, without warning, a tremendous explosion. a natural gas pipeline ruptured, setting off a fire that burned 15 acres and destroyed 38 homes. 24 hours later, firefighters were still trying to contain the flames, rescue teams were s

katie? >> couric: elaine quijano. elaine, thank you. in other news, long-time nbc news correspondent edwin newman has died. in more than 30 years at the network as a reporter, anchor, and moderator of "meet the press," newman covered every major story of his era, including the assassination of president kennedy. >> the president was shot and wounded in the left side of his chest. >> reporter: newman was a stickler for good writing. he hated cliches and misuse of the english language. don't dare use hopefully as an adverb. a sign in his office read "abandon hopefully all ye who enter here." edwin newman was 91. ferent -- it's calcium citrate, so it can be absorbed with or without food. citracal. fortunately, there's new crest pro-health clinical gum protection toothpaste. it helps remove plaque at the gumline, helping prevent gingivitis. and it's even been clinically proven to help reverse it in just four weeks. new crest pro-health clinical toothpaste. how new is the new edge with myford touch? well you could never do this before. or th

katy perry singing well mow. sesame street is not going to air this on television because apparently parents complained about her outfit. wait until you comes up. and then she said there was too much cleavage and preschoolers shouldn't be watching all of the books. we've been talking about this story on-line. what do they expect? this is katy perry. this is her style. jells see harman writes this, is ridiculous, i'm 19 years old and the first thing i noticed was the thing on her head, not her cleavage. anyway, did a lot of kids not breastfeed? and k is for katy, that's good enough for me. if you would like to reach out to me, you can do so on twitter. my e-mail address is contessa@msnbc.com. >>> they handed me, katy perry has tweeted about this. wow, looks like my prayplay date well mow has been cut short. if you want to see it at www.katyperry.com, tag, you're it, elmo. i kissed elmo and i liked it. talk about a major makeover. joaquin phoenix was back on david letterman's show last night with a different look.

katy perry !!!! --- katy perry (ya le dije) vetada por el mismisimo elmo de plaza sesamo !!!---y shakira, con ojos presidenciales viendola !!!--- jessica carrillo tiene ... lo mas chismoso de la farandula !!!! ya comienzan a juntarse los artistas para ayudar a los damnificados del huracan karl en mexico... aqui les tengo acceso total... en este caso se trata de marc anthony y chayane, quienes le echan la mano a los veracruzanos... el sabado daran un concierto en guadalajara a beneficio de los damnificados por el huracan... el concierto sera gratuito, pero los asistentes deberan llevar agua, alimentos enlatados y todo lo que pueda ayudar a la gente afectada... se espera asistan 80 mil personas... mientras unos hacen buenas obras, a otras las persigue el escandalo... la cantante katty perry grabo un segmento con el famoso personaje elmo de plaza sesamo, pero ahora los representantes del show infantil lo clausuro y no lo incluiran en el programa... el motivo es porque no creen apropiado para los pequeÑos el escote que luce la cantante... eso si, el video se puede ver en interne

elmo, katy seemed sad that your playdate got cut short? >> elmo loves miss katy. we had a good time. we're going to have another playdate. >> you are going to have another playdate? >> yes. come, come, come, come. >> how do you like my outfit? >> i love it. >> not too revealing, is it? >> not in the least. i love everything you wear, grover. >> this is my getup for super-grover, 2.0. >> tell us about it. >> well, besides the new outfit, i am out using new superpowers, powers of observation. yes. yes. and investigation. and helping people everywhere. >> you are really into science this year, too, right? >> yes. what those two powers that i mentioned, are part of the scientific process. is that not correct? >> very good. >> who else did you have come by and visit this sum center. >> we had a lot of wonderful people. like jude law. and colin farrell. and jennifer garner. and jason bateman. elmo loves to name-drop. >> clearly. >> he does. >> they were all dressed appropriately? >> always. it was wonderful. we had a great time with our celebrity friends. isn't that rig

the man alleged in the dream, elmo. >> elmo you like katy perry. >> elmo loves katy appearry! >> i think that's a yes. >> elmo knows everything about miss katy perry. >> first, though it dave with a check of the weather. young dave how you doing? >> good. thank you very much. nice to see you. >> we've got a love >>> we've got a love connection going on down here. wow. they're both going to be watching "sesame street" in a little while. happy birthday henry, 60 years old today. that's quick look at your weather picture. harry? >> thanks a lot, deignave. >>> holiday travel getting pricey. an average price for a domestic ticket on an airplane will cost as much as $170 more during peak days of thanksgiving week, for instance. the good news there are alternatives and cbs news travel editor peter greenberg is here to find the deals and discounts. good morning sir. >> good morning. >> why are airline fees higher this year? >> because they can. fewer planes fewer seats, fewer flights, more demand. it's worse than that number you just gave, harry, because the average airfare is up 10%

elmo, katy seemed sad that your playdate got cut short? >> elmo loves miss katy. we had a good time. we're going to have another playdate. >> you are going to have another playdate? >> yes. come, come, come, come. >> how do you like my outfit? >> i love it. >> not too revealing, is it? >> not in the least. i love everything you wear, grover. >> this is my getup for super-grover, 2.0. >> tell us about it. >> well, besides the new outfit, i am out using new superpowers, powers of observation. yes. yes. and investigation. and helping people everywhere. >> you are really into science this year, too, right? >> yes. what those two powers that i mentioned, are part of the scientific process. >> very good.orrect? >> who else did you have come by and visit this sum center. >> we had a lot of wonderful people. like jude law. and colin farrell. and jennifer garner. and jason bateman. elmo loves to name-drop. >> clearly. >> he does. >> they were all dressed appropriately? >> always. it was wonderful. we had a great time with our celebrity friends. isn't that right? >> that's

still making headlines, weaver talked about the katy perry incident. katy perry singing with elmo or not anymore because some parents were upset about what shall was wearing. they said no. this morning we have very special guests in the studio. >> ughhh. wow! >> there he is, the man, the legend, the dream elmo. >> elmo, do you like katy perry? >> el me loves katy perry. >> i think that's a yes. >> do you >>> well, we have a fog advisory in effect until 11:00. we'll show you the clouds and that's where we see the advisory, we'll warm it up and see the sunshine returning. temperatures into the 70s and we're warping into the 90s. and it will be a hot one and the cold front comes through tomorrow. we'll have a chance of showers sunday and a better chance of rain monday and tueses >> we've got a love connection going on down here. wow. both will be watching "sesame street" in a while. hey, happy birthday henry swain, 6 years old today. that's a quick look at your weather picture. harry? >> thanks a lot, dave. holiday travel getting pricey according to "usa

. >> reporter: well, katie, yes, they are. u.s. and european officials say the plot called for a spectacular multipronged attack on numerous cities in great britain, france, denmark, and germany. teams of terrorists, trained by an al qaeda-linked group along the pakistan-afghan border, plan to carry out commando-style shooting sprees. patterned on the mumbai attacks of 2008. sources describe the plot as credible, but say it was discovered at an early stage and had not gone operational. still, terror experts say there is much they don't know. >> the only thing i think that is fairly, fairly concrete is that it would have taken place in germany and other european countries. >> reporter: intelligence officials are concerned that squads of trained terrorists are still on the loose, so plot has not been completely wrapped up. >> they know that al qaeda intends to send operatives into western capitals with mumbai-style attacks against soft targets in cities. but they don't know who they are. they don't necessarily know where they are. 7.

there you see katie there. we don't want to make our ipad jealous because i know you're obsessed with yourself. i'm obsessed with me but there are alternatives. are. we get to those alternatives, can we get to the survey talking on phones in restaurants. i give peek the meanest looks like, i look back and like, i don't want to hear your conversation. that is seriously the most annoying thing ever but for me, living in new york, it's these people on their phones and not paying attention to anything else that's going on. they're just walking and texting. nothing else in the universe is happening right there except their conversation. drives me crazy. crazy. >> nothing else in the universe is happening right now except for katie and i with our ipads. what's up with that? >> i can't believe you just dropped that. >> no, no, no. it's the thing where you can set it up and watch video on it or whatever. i take it in and out of the case properly, i need a new case. poor baby. >> wow. >> go on, katie. >> all right, let'

katie? >> couric: bill whitaker. bill, thanks very much. turning to campaign 2010, it's seven weeks until those midterm elections with control of congress at stake. and in the days and weeks ahead, we'll be keeping tabs on the critical contest that will decide it all. in the house, the republicans need a net gain of 39 to take back control and an analysis by our cbs news election team concludes they have an even or better chance of taking 66 of the seats now held by democrats. it's a lot more difficult but still possible for republicans to take back the senate. the g.o.p. needs a net pickup of ten and 13 now held by democrats are, in fact, in play. the republicans are likely to take at least one of them and have an even chance or better at nine others. it's doable but it's a long shot. for our cbs news race-by-race analysis of who's ahead in the critical contest, you can go to cbsnews.com. now to the money of politics. one of the tea party organizations, the tea party patriots, said today it just got one million dollars from an anonymous do

i'm katie couric. also tonight, the party crashers. big primary victories by fringe candidates open a rift in the g.o.p. a knockdown, drag-out fight for senate in connecticut. linda mcmahon, formerly of the w.w.e., tries to take down attorney general richard blumenthal. and it's fashion week, and plus-size women have arrived. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone. devastating news about the economy tonight. a new report just out from the census bureau shows one out of seven people in this country is living in poverty. that's more than 43 million, an increase of nearly four million in just one year. and a record number of americans have just lost their homes to foreclosure, more than 95,000 homes were repossessed last month. but before you feel completely deflated by this latest news, anthony mason tells us there are at least some signs of a turnaround, at least on the home front. >> reporter: in los angeles, so many o

>> what is your take on katy perry? >> my take is, a, i am annoyed that's what passes for cleavage on television. and b, i think the reason elmo was running away is he was embarassed of being aroused. it was only a matter of time before viewers said, what is that furry worm puppet popping up at the bottom of the screen. >> he popped a fluffy. >> my grandkids watch things -- lady gaga -- this poor girl first of all she is attractive. i didn't think it was overdone. i thought the legs were also fantastic. >> he's a leg man. >> i thought the whole thing -- and i have never seen her do this before. i thought, this is amazing. what are they objecting to? they could have had the wonderful mexican reporter ms. inez could have been on. >> i think in a weird way you are proving their point. i think what they are objecting to is that he likes it so much. >> they have this unintentional male audience watching "sesame street." >> dad says, no i will watch with him. >> my grand grandkids would never know what is wrong with them. thi

katie? >> couric: bill whitaker. bill, thanks very much. turning to campaign 2010, it's seven weeks until those midterm elections with control of congress at stake. and in the days and weeks ahead, we'll be keeping tabs on the critical contest that will decide it all. in the house, the republicans need a net gain of 39 to take back control, and an analysis by our cbs news election team concludes they have an even or better chance of taking 66 of the seats now held by democrats. it's a lot more difficult but still possible for republicans to take back the senate. the g.o.p. needs a net pickup of ten and 13 now held by democrats are, in fact, in play. the republicans are likely to take at least one of them and take at least one of them and have an even chance or better at nine others. it's doable but it's a long shot. for our cbs news race-by-race analysis of who's ahead in the critical contest, you can go to cbsnews.com. now to the money of politics. one of the tea party organizations, the tea party patriots, said today it just got one milli

i'm katie couric. also tonight, the party crashers. big primary victories by fringe candidates open a rift in the g.o.p. a knockdown, drag-out fight for senate in connecticut. linda mcmahon, formerly of the w.w.e., tries to take down attorney general richard blumenthal. and it's fashion week, and plus- size women have arrived. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone. devastating news about the economy tonight. a new report just out from the census bureau shows one out of seven people in this country is living in poverty. that's more than 43 million, an increase of nearly four million in just one year. and a record number of americans have just lost their homes to foreclosure, more than 95,000 homes were repossessed last month. but before you feel completely deflated by this latest news, anthony mason tells us there are at least some signs of a turnaround, at least on the home front. >> reporter: in los angeles, so many