>> good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. after 16 years on the run, notorious boss and mobster james "whitey" bulger is behind bars this morning. bulger was captured last night in california and will appear in court today. the fbi updated its most wanted list earlier this morning and cbs's terrell brown has details on all of this. terrell? >> betty, good morning to you. for 16 years he was one of the fbi's most wanted but not anymore. 81-year-old james bulger was captured wednesday outside this residence in santa monica, california. he carried the infamous nickname whitey for his shocking white hair. people who knew him called him ferocious with a vicious streak. he was wanted for his alleged role in 19 murders and was the feared leader of boston's winter hill league. but for decades bulger was also an informant of the fbi. in 1995 he was tipped by a former boston agent that he was about to be indicted, that put him on the run. he was thought to have been seen time and time again. the last true sighting back in 2002 in london. bulger was arrested with his long time girlfriend, 60-year-old catherine greig. greig was the focus of a recently publicity capping campaign. the viewers saw that and called in a tip. bulger has been the subject of several books, but is perhaps known best for this. >> when i tell you to dump a body in the marsh, you dump him in the marsh. >> he was the inspiration for jack nicholson's character in the 2006 best picture "the departed." bulger was once believed to have been seen coming out of a san diego picture showing the film. over the years he became a huge embarrassment for the fbi. a congressional committee once called it "one of the greatest failures in the history of federal law enforcement." no word on whether the person who tipped off the fbi will receive that $2 million reward, betty. >> interesting, terrell brown joining us live in new york. thank you so much. in other news the tide of war is receding. those were president obama's words last night as he announced plans for withdrawing u.s. troops from afghanistan. the drawdown is faster than what was recommended by military commanders but not fast enough for the war's critics. a total of 10,000 troops will leave the war zone by the end of this year and another 20,000 out by the summer of 2012. >> we're starting this drawdown from the position of spring. al qaeda is under more pressure than at any time since 9/11. together with the pakistanis, we've taken out more than half of al qaeda's leadership. thanks to our intelligence professionals and special forces we killed osama bin laden, the only leader that al qaeda had ever known. this was a victory for all who have served since 9/11. >> joel brown is in washington with more on this. good morning, joel. >> betty, good morning to you. as expected, reaction to the president's withdrawal plan was mixed here on capitol hill. some call it dangerously fast, others call it irresponsibly slow. the white house thinks it's the right mix as to not undo the fragile gains of this long war. hundreds of troops returned home to ft. carson, colorado, on wednesday greeted by loved ones they haven't seen in over a year. >> i'm happy. i got the things i treasure the most with me right now so i'm good. >> reporter: by next summer, 33,000 other troops in afghanistan will be reunited with their families. >> good evening. >> reporter: president obama said major strides made against al qaeda including the killing of osama bin laden is allowing the u.s. to draw down its military force. the remaining 70,000 troops will be brought home at a steady pace and the president plans to hand over security to the afghan people in 2014. >> over the last decade we have spent $1 trillion on war. now we must invest in america's greatest resource, our people. >> military leaders are supporting the president's decision but lawmakers on capitol hill are split over the pace of the drawdown. after the president's speech, republican senator lindsey graham posted a tweet saying "we've undercut a strategy that was working." but house minority leader nancy pelosi says the president's plan doesn't remove troops fast enough and many democrats believe the money being spent on the war should be spent here. >> the country and the world that needs nation building the most is the united states of america. >> reporter: president obama says huge challenges remain in afghanistan and this is the beginning but not the end of america's effort to wind down the war. we will also be keeping a close eye today on general david petraeus' confirmation hearings on capitol hill. the top u.s. commander in afghanistan is in line to be the next cia chief. expect him to be grilled by lawmakers about whether or not he is truly on board with the president's plans for withdrawal. betty? >> in light of those plans, joel, what kind of reaction are we hearing from afghanistan? >> militarily there is cautious optimism in afghanistan on whether or not security forces there are truly ready to take over or will be ready to take over in 2014. many afghans are fearful that the international community will simply forget about them as that year comes. economically there is a lot of concern. the speech points to the reality the billions and billions of american dollars and international dollars are going to be drying up in afghanistan soon and there's real doubt that the afghan private fledgling sector is going to be able to fill the gap. >> joel brown in washington thank you for that report. now to the battle for libya and the debate in congress over u.s. involvement in the nato air campaign. the house is expected to vote tomorrow on two measures, one would give president obama limited authority to continue the u.s. role. the other would cut off funds for the military operation. that drew a blunt reaction from secretary of state hillary clinton while she was traveling overseas, addressing lawmakers, critical of u.s. involvement in libya, she said, "whose side are you on?" overnight storms spawned at least one possible tornado in kentucky. the violent weather is moving east, after hitting the louisville area. the churchill downs racetrack was struck by the twister. barns were damaged, horses sent running but no harm to animals or residents. thousands of south dakota residents are bracing for a flood disaster. more than 10,000 people in minot were ordered to evacuate as record floods approached the tops of river levees. [ siren ] the evacuation sirens sounded as the deadline to leave was moved up. nearly 500 north dakota national guard soldiers are in minot making sure people are out of their homes. >> we knew it was going to happen. we were just waiting. i wasn't leaving until they blew the siren. i'm the only one left on this block. i'm the only one left around here. >> that's how devastating it is and how sad. people have to stand by and watch everything they own get ruined. >> the mouse river may rise more than 13 feet over flood stage by monday. on the "cbs moneywatch," stocks took some losses in asia. tokyo's nikkei edged down a fraction and hong kong's hang fell seng lost more than 0.5% and oil to around $94 a barrel. here at home the federal reserve admits the economy is growing more slowly than expected. back in april the fed predicted the economy would grow as much as 3.3% this year. now it says it could be as little as 2.7%. the fed wrapped up a two-day meeting yesterday, keeping interest rates near record lows. fed chief ben bernanke called the recovery frustratingly slow but said they're not planning any new programs to boost the economy and that he expects unemployment to edge down in the coming months. that did not go over well on wall street. the dow dropped 80 points, the nasdaq lost 18. just ahead on the "morning news" new rules to protect small children in airport security checks. plus way up high, not over a rainbow but actually inside one. this is the "cbs morning news." ne. this is the "cbs morning news." 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[ both ] ♪ emma, emma bo-bemma ♪ banana-fana-fo-femma ♪ fee-fi-fo-femma ♪ em-ma very good sweety, how do you feel? good. yeah? you did a really good job, okay? let's go back to drawing. erika: ... my computer is the same as a new computer.ajob, new pc because... vo: so to show her what she's missing, we built a pc store in her house. erika: (gasp) employee: come on in. make yourself at home! erika: this is my home! employee: let's take a look! erika: (lifting laptop) it's really light. honey, help me shop! employee: you can get up to seven hours on this battery. jesse: the color really pops out. employee: everything's wireless. wireless keyboard. jesse: that's impressive. i like this one better. erika: and i like this one... vo: new pc. what's it gonna be? erika: i'm a pc, and i got what i wanted. jesse: as usual. to stay healthy. but did you know fiber choice can help support your overall well-being? every tasty tablet has prebiotic fiber from fruits and veggies... that lets your good bacteria thrive and helps support your immune system. fiber choice. an easy way to defend your health everyday. learn more about prebiotics and get a free sample at fiberchoice.com. here's a loo here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york thunderstorms 81. miami partly cloudy 90. chicago cloudy 69. dallas is going to be sunny there, 94 degrees and l.a., partly cloudy, with 73 degrees. time for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows heavy thunderstorms rolling through the southeast and southern plains and there are scattered showers in the northeast. later today, the threat of severe weather will cover several states from arkansas to connecticut. the gulf coast will see scattered thunderstorms and the midwest gets a chance to dry out. in sports, the astros against the rangers and the lone star interleague series in texas. at arlington with the score tied in the ninth inning, houston's pink-hitter matt downes blasted a go-ahead two-run home run, and the astros beat the rangers 5-3. in the tenth inning in miami, a ground ball bounced over the short stop head for a single to left. the runner from second base beat the throw at home plate and los angeles beat the marlins 6-5. here in new york with the score tied, bases loaded bottom of the 13th inning, the mets' justin turner was grazed by a pitch, forced the winning run in a 3-2 mets victory over oakland. when we return another look at the morning's top stories and some u.s. forces will leave afghanistan soon but are afghan troops ready to take over? 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[ bell rings ] it's time for recess... and more pills. afternoon art starts and so does her knee pain, that's two more pills. almost done, but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve because it can relieve pain all day with just two pills. this is lisa... who switched to aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. how the mob boss.. that inspired a hollywood film, was finally nabbed in california. barry bond's steroids saga isn t over yet. the hearing today, that could decide whether the slugger gets another trial. how do your potholes, compare to your neighbor's? the best, and worst roads in the bay area. plus.. it's worse than soda, and candy. the one food that causes americans to gain the most weight. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. he's one of the f-b-i ,,,, on the "cbs morning news" here's a look at today's weather. the northeast will get strong to severe thunderstorms this afternoon. the southeast will see pop-up storms and much needed rain is heading into portions of eastern texas, the northern plains, and the great lakes. here's another look at this morning's top stories. after 16 years on the run, boston mob boss james "whitey" bulger is under arrest, now 81 years old, he was picked up with his girlfriend last night in southern california. bulger is wanted in connection with 19 murders. and president obama announced he is withdrawing 33,000 u.s. troops from afghanistan by next summer. the first 10,000 will come home by the end of this year. during his address last night, the president said the withdrawal will continue through 2014. >> after this initial reduction, our troops will continue coming home at a steady pace. as afghan security forces move into the lead. our mission will change from combat to support. by 2014, this process of transition will be complete and the afghan people will be responsible for their own security. >> in afghanistan cbs news correspondent mandy clarke spoke with some afghan students worried about their country's ability to handle its own security. >> reporter: these students are the ones who will inherit the country that the coalition troops leave behind. 24-year-old nasiriyah and 27-year-old habib graduated last year. both of them fled afghanistan during the 1990s as the brutal civil war took hold. now nasiriyah worries that the u.s. troops are withdrawing too soon. >> i would call it a mistake but it may not be the right word. >> reporter: by 2011 coalition troops will have spent $40 billion to recruit, train and equip the afghan forces. the trouble is many afghans don't believe their own security forces are up for the job. a recent report from nato came to the same conclusion. after ten years of working with coalition troops afghan forces have poor training, lack of professionalism and corruption. with afghan troops not ready and american support dwindling, there's also fear the taliban milgt might come back. >> what it would mean to me is that the blood we shed over the past ten years was just nothing. over the past ten years was just nothing. >> re[ male announcer ]ke, cbs this...is the network -- a network of possibilities. in here, the planned combination of at&t and t-mobile would deliver our next generation mobile broadband experience to 55 million more americans, many in small towns and rural communities, giving them a new choice. we'll deliver better service, with thousands of new cell sites... for greater access to all the things you want, whenever you want them. it's the at&t network... and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. when a woman is having a heart attack? chest pain, like there's a ton of weight on your chest. severe shortness of breath. unexplained nausea. cold sweats. there's an unusual tiredness and fatigue. there's unfamiliar dizziness or light-headedness. unusual pain in your back, neck, jaw, one or both arms, even your upper stomach, are signs you're having a heart attack. don't make excuses. make the call to 9-1-1 immediately. learn more at womenshealth.gov/heartattack. ♪ [ speaking in spanish ] don't adjust your tv set. that really is tom hanks dancing on a spanish tv news broadcast during the weather report. hanks was promoting his new movie "larry crown." later he tweeted "gotta love unavision. que bueno." mue buene. lindsay lohan is due back in court. at issue whether she violated probation again failing a test for alcohol. lohan has been under house arrest for violating probation on a drunk driving case dating back to 2007. first lady michelle obama is continuing her week-long visit to south africa today but bad weather will keep her from visiting ramen island where nelson mandela was held prisoner for 18 years under the former apartheid regime. she will be meeting with archbishop desmond tutu. >> yes, we can. what do you say? >> yes, we can. >> reporter: it's a side of the first lady we rarely see. >> you can be the generation -- >> reporter: the rousing michelle obama challenging a group in south africa to lead all of africa forward, starting with the treatment of women. >> you can be the generation to ensure that women are no longer second class citizens. >> reporter: but it wasn't just what she said, it was where she said it. she was speaking in soweta where the anti-apartheid movement was gone. pa years ago to the week an estimated 10 tnc,000 protesters erupted from the slums and police fired into the crowd, killing 23 people. soweto changed south africa, just like the civil rights movement changed america. >> the story of young people 20 years ago, 50 years ago, who risked and sacrificed everything they had for the freedom they deserved, it is because of them that i stand before you as first lady of the united states of america. >> nelson mandela's wife, rossa michelle, even called the first lady the "queen of our world" meaning in the eyes of young black women, especially in africa, barack obama is important, but michelle obama is the world as it should be. >> thank you all so much. god bless you. >> reporter: wyatt andrews, cbs news, london. coming up a little bit later on "the early show," reaction to the president's plan for bringing u.s. forces home from afghanistan. senator john kerry joins us. then what's a town to do when it loses its only hospital? it's happening more and more. and actor forest whitaker on his latest film project in africa. that's the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. thanks for watching, everyone. i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com