good morning, everyone on this labor day, good to see you. i'm terrell brown in for betty nguyen. this morning the big rainmaker named tropical storm lee is slowly making its way across the northern mississippi, after swamping the gulf coast. the tropical storm was downgraded to a tropical depression late last night. lee is headed east northeast, it has 35-mile-per-hour sustained winds, but hurricane consultant david bernard said it's the threat of flash floods that's the real problem. >> it's going to merge with this cold front and move to the northeast, that means a tremendous flood threat in the appalachians and also potentially the mid-atlantic and northeast. that yellow area is two to five inches of rain, the orange area could mean as much as five to eight inches of rain, so i'm real concerned about flooding in these areas. >> louisiana took the brunt of the flooding when lee came ashore. drew levenson has more. >> reporter: lee dropped more than a foot of rain along the gulf coast. low-lying communities are taking the brunt of the storm. lafitte, louisiana, is under several feet of water because of overflowing bayous. sandbags in some places are failing to hold back the floodwaters. >> a couple days ago this wasn't a named storm. i'd hate to see if a hurricane really came up. >> reporter: parts of crown point are under nearly two feet of water. people who live here are gathering their belongings and looking for dry land. >> i don't know if i can survive another starting all over again, just to rebuild and take all of our stuff and put stuff in, it's hard. >> reporter: in plaquemine parish water is topping levees, trapping a herd of cattle and flooding roadways. >> it's come up a lot more than we expected. if this goes underwater the only way on top of south plaquemine will be on top of the mississippi levee. >> reporter: in alabama people are cleaning up from possible tornadoes spun off from lee, trees uprooted, homes crushed. >> sounded like a runaway freight train going right through. >> reporter: the storm is expected to move out of the gulf coast monday and head north. forecasters say the biggest concern is flash flooding and more tornadoes. drew levenson, cbs news. texas desperately needs some of that rain but they're not getting it. wildfires are scorching large swathes of the state especially in central and east texas. a woman and their 18-month-old daughter were killed when their trailer home burned. dozens of blazes are burned, some being whipped along by winds from tropical depression lee. fire fighting resources are being stretched to the limit. hurricane katia is gaining strength in the atlantic, it is now a category 2 storm with sustained winds of 100 miles per hour. it could become a major category 3 storm today. too early to tell if it will impact the east coast. no injuries are reported after a tornado touched down in eastern new york state. >> oh, my god. oh, my god. >> the twister hit northwest of albany in an area devastated by flooding from hurricane irene last week. there are reports that some buildings were damaged. one week after the fact more than 16,000 homes remain without power in seven states. connecticut remains hardest hit. in new jersey president obama visited flood ravaged residents yesterday. he promised federal assistance to help towns recover. >> the entire country is behind you, and we are going to make sure that we provide all the resources that are necessary in order to help these communities rebuild. >> but paying for it all may be an issue. the federal emergency management agency has less than $800 million in its disaster relief fund. jobs is shaping up to be the number one issue for the race to the white house. several republican candidates are on the road and president obama defends his record in detroit. tara mergener is in washington with more with. good morning to you. >> good morning to you, terrell. now that labor day is finally here the gop hopefuls are picks up the pace and so is president obama. president obama will spend his labor day talking about how to get americans back to work. this morning he'll head to detroit, michigan, where the unemployment rate is a staggering 14.1%, 5% above the national average. >> we need to put our differences aside and do the right thing for our economy. >> reporter: the trip comes on the heels of the weakest job report in almost a year and just as the election season kicks into full swing. >> we have zero confidence, zero faith in a president -- >> reporter: in new hampshire last night, former massachusetts governor mitt romney tried to convince a tea party crowd he can fix the economy. >> we have last month zero job creation. look, a shutout is okay in baseball, it's not good when you're talking about jobs. >> reporter: romney will unveil his jobs proposal in nevada on tuesday but he's not the only one with a plan. president obama will unveil his on thursday while other gop hopefuls are also working on their ideas. >> the principals that i adopt are permanent fixes rather than temporary gimmicks like we've seen from the president. >> reporter: minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann is proposing reducing the corporate tax rate to 20%. former utah governor jon huntsman is calling for sweeping tax reform. >> clearing out the cobwebs, clearing out the deductions, the corporate welfare, the subsidies. >> reporter: most gop contenders including front-runner rick perry will take their messages to south carolina today, participating in a forum in the battleground state. now senator jim demint is tea party favorite and south carolina's most powerful republican will be hosting a gop forum today. he is not making an endorsement just yet but reminded the candidates they will have to appeal to the tea party movement. terrell busy day on the campaign trail. >> absolutely, tara mergener in washington for us this morning, have a great labor day, talk to you soon, tara, thank you. overseas in libya, rebel forces are on the verge of the launch of the final assault. the attack is on one of the last remaining towns still loyal to moammar gadhafi. many of gadhafi senior officials and group of heavily armed loyalists are believed to be held up in bani walid. negotiations for the town's surrender collapsed yesterday. gadhafi remains on the run. in iran the first nuclear power plant has been connected to the power grant. iranian officials say it's a test run. the plant began to generate0 60 megawatts of electricity last night. iran built the plant with russian help and says it will be used for peaceful purposes only. take a quick break. coming up on "the morning news" the final phase of amanda knox's appeal gets under way in italy. plus happy feet doesn't seem to be too happy to be headed back home. this is the "cbs morning news." i kept feeling this radiating ache everywhere. the pain was so frustrating. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the 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[ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision, or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. i found answers about fibromyalgia. then i found lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. vo: a breakfast worth waking up for. then i found lyrica. enjoy the sausage, egg and cheese croissan'wich today. only at burger king. e the appeals trial of amanda knox gets under way today in italy. prosecutors will question experts who say dna evidence used to convict knox of killing her roommate in 2007 was contaminated. the hearings continue all this week with a possible verdict by the end of the month. former imf head dominique strauss-kahn is back in france this time for the first time in four months. he was indicted in may for allegedly sexually assaulting a new york hotel maid. the charges were dropped because of concern over the accuser's credibility. on the "cbs moneywatch" asian markets took a beating today in their first chance to react to friday's u.s. friday job report. japanese nikkei lost almost 2%, hong kong's hang seng almost 3%. wall street closed today in observance of the labor day holiday. friday stocks fell on new worries we could be slipping back into recession. the dow lost 253 points, the nasdaq gave back 66. the number of drivers this labor day weekend is down 2%. over last year, because gas prices are so high, many are not traveling far from their homes. >> reporter: only 2 years old, jake howard can help his dad pump the gas, but the how wards can't afford to fill their tank. >> i usually put 20 bucks in there, hoping the gas prices will go down. >> reporter: orson ward is also running on half empty. >> $75, and that's not full. >> reporter: on the last holiday weekend of summer, the national average of $3.66 for a gallon of regular is almost $1 more than labor day last year. prices range from $3.39 in south carolina to $3.93 in california. gas tops $4 in hawaii and alaska, and among cities, chicago averages $4.06. with gas prices so high and the economy in the tank many americans are enjoying the three-day weekend at home, taking a staycation. chicago and mark's walks to his. >> i don't have gas, come to the beach close to my house. >> if history is any indication, gas prizes ease in mid-september when the summer driving season is over. cynthia bowers, cbs news, chicago. speaking of driving here is a video you have to see to believe, a little girl in china, driving in traffic on a busy four-lane highway, her parents in the back seat shouting encouragement. eventually her father tells her to stop so he can take over. looks like she's doing pretty well. everyone's favorite penguin headed home this morning. the lost emperor penguin known as happy feet was released sunday in the waters in ant arc ta. it took some prodding from scientists, though, back in june he turned up on a new zealand beach and was taken care of by the wellington zoo before his release. coming up your monday morning, we'll have your weather forecast. and coming up in sports, not the agony of defeat, but pain as rafael nadal collapses at the u.s. open. pain as rafael nadal collapses. well-being. we're all striving for it. purina cat chow helps you nurture it in your cat with a full family of excellent nutrition and helpful resources. purina cat chow. share a better life. a network of possibilities... ♪ in here, pets never get lost. ♪ in here, every continent fits in one room. it was fun, we played football outside. why are you sitting in the dark? ♪ [ male announcer ] in here, you're never away from home. it's the at&t network. and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. with the best decongestant. my choice is clear. claritin-d. nothing works stronger, faster or longer for allergy congestion relief without drowsiness. get claritin-d at the pharmacy counter. live claritin clear. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. thunderstorms and 79 and new york. 90 degrees with thunderstorms in miami, 67 and partly cloudy in chicago, 85 and sunny in dallas, and sunny and 88 in los angeles. time now for a check of the national forecast. latest satellite pictures shows heavy rains from tropical depression lee fanning thunderstorms from the southeast. and scattered storms are lingering over the desert southwest. later today rain and wind will move to the southeast and gulf states. there's a chance of a few tornadoes from tropical depression lee. the northeast could see a few strong thunderstorms this afternoon. scattered storms will form in arizona, new mexico and the great lakes region. it will be brisk and full, temperatures in the 50s and 60s. in sports this morning, it was a hot and muggy day in the u.s. open and took its toll on defending champ rafael nadal. he and david nalbandian had great sets. a tough set, 7-6, 6-1 hc6-1, 6-. he won. you can see him grimacing and sliding under the desk in pain. turns out his legs had cramps. he was treated and is ready to play in the next round. in baseball the yankees are on a roll. derek jeter drives five runs against the blue jays. tying a career high. cc sabathia strikes out ten for his 19th win, the yankees sweep toronto, 9-2, now a game and a half lead in the a.l. east. in detroit tigers wrack up 24 hits against the white sox, 18-2, the second biggest blowout in the majors this season. a big oops in miami, forgot to put out the bases to start the marlins/phillies game. got to have them. in the sixth, hunter pence hits it deep, goes up high to get it, but the fans get in the way. the umps review it, and pence is out. marlins win, 5-4 over the phillies. college football, severe storm stops the opener between west virginia and marshall. check out the lightning strikes. with 14:30 left in the fourth, the game is called. west virginia over marshall, final 34-13. as the world track and field championship and south carolina don't blink. in the last leg by the 4 x 100 relay, trips, lands on his face, the u.s. is out of the race, usain bolt for the win and the record for the jamaican team. when we come back, the top stories. and remembering 9/11, a new video uncovered taken moments after flight 93 crashes in pennsylvania. 93 crashes in pennsylvania. but his nose was raw and sore. achoo! 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[ male announcer ] that's why they're recommended most for people who sleep in their lenses. visit airoptix.com for a free one-month trial offer. one man is dead. and this morning, one suspect is in custody. how a fed-up oakland community is banding together to fight the violence. water is not the only problem. now fire is ravaging the gulf coast. the damage and the danger from tropical storm lee. and honda recalls more than a million vehicles. the cars affected. and the potential dangers. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. se,,,, on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. tropical depression lee bringing heavy rains to the southeast, rain also headed east to the ohio river valley. large thunderstorms will develop in the northeast later in the day and great lakes cool with tempb temps in the 50s and 60s. here's another look at this morning's top stories. lee is now a tropical depression, after slamming into the gulf coast. the storm dumped more than a foot of rain in new orleans but the city's levees held. flash flooding is feared in the parts of the south as lee moves up the east coast this week. and president obama is headed to detroit this labor day to talk about how to create jobs and strengthen the economy. republican presidential hopefuls are also on the road hoping to win votes. the president unveils his new jobs plan this thursday. scary landing for passengers aboard a united jet in canada. the plane skidded off a wet runway at ottawa international airport. the flight originated in chicago. the plane had damage to a wing. but leaking fuel did not catch on fire, thankfully no injuries. a week before the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks a new terror alert. the fbi and homeland security issued a bulletin about the possibility of terrorists using small planes with explosives for attacks. with that said, even this morning there is no credible evidence of a specific threat. new video surfaced from the 9/11 attacks, shot just minutes after the crash of united airlines flight 93 from pennsylvania, shows a cloud rising from the crash site. >> i just saw the smoke come up and the explosion shook the house clear over here, and they ran one into the pentagon and into the world trade center, and we were watching it on tv, and this one happened. >> all the people aboard flight 93 died that day. passengers became heroes by deciding to fight the terrorists who took over the plane and by doing so it never reached its intended target in washington. joel brown has this. >> it was a horrible day. >> reporter: that horrible day began when alice hoagland got a phone call from her son, mark. >> he said "i just want to tell you i love you. i'm on a flight from newark to san francisco and there are three guys on board who have taken over the plane." >> reporter: 34-year-old mark bingham a smooth talking rugby executive, was one of the passengers on board flight 93, hijacked on september 11th. by then two planes had struck the world trade center, another had hit the pentagon. alice tried to warn her son but this time she couldn't get through. >> mark, this is your mom, the news is that it's been hijacked by terrorists. i would say go ahead and do everything you can to overpower them. >> reporter: but bingham, who ran with the bulls in pom employee in a, was already planning a run on the cockpit. he and several other passengers, including jeremy glick of new jersey, launched a counterattack on the terrorists. >> he had a baby and wife and he adored. >> reporter: no one survived but passengers including bingham and glick, saved countless other lives. it's believed the hijackers intended to fly the plane into the capitol or the white house. >> it was the plane that fought back and it was what gave hope to the country. >> reporter: the glicks created a charity for children called jeremy's heroeses. hoagland now advocate for tighter airport security. >> if we don't learn the lessons we are doomed to repeat them. >> reporter: she says lessons are still being learned from that dark day ten years ago. joel brown, cbs news, los gatos, california. on "the early show" the latest on the pounding of the heavy rains from lee. i'm terrell brown, this is the "cbs morning news." what is that? it's you! it's me? alright emma, i know it's not your favorite but it's time for your medicine, okay? you ready? one, two, three. [ 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. welcome everybody to the 2011 mda telethon. >> the 46th an actual muscular dystrophy telethon opened and closed sunday in las vegas. this year's telethon was cut to six hours from 21.5 last year, but still raised $61.5 million, more than last year. the biggest difference this year is who was not there. after a 45-year run the mda announced jerry lewis retired and not by choice. hattie kauffmann has more. >> reporter: they became jerry's kids. >> i think you're so adorable. >> reporter: over the last half century no one raised more money than comic genius jerry lewis. >> when i was born i was so ugly the doctor slapped my mother. >> reporter: tonight's telethon ushers a new younger host. the 85-year-old who has inspired a generation of comedians is being pushed aside has the country's funnymen angry. >> after all these years you're telling me jerry lewis has no presence? >> i wish i could explain this to you but it's kind of disconcerting. >> if this is the way we're going culturally, go all the way and tell grandpa we don't need him for thanksgiving. >> reporter: here at the famed laugh factory, comedians upset at jerry's ousting are paying their own labor day fund-raiser as a tribute. >> in my 42 years, i've seen a great deal of injustice, this ranks up to the top. >> reporter: jerry lewis was dean martin's straight man. going solo he made a string of movies like "the nutty professor" but the role of a lifetime was the telethon. every labor day since 1966, lewis both performed and pleaded for donations during marathon 21-hour telecasts. >> i know what we're doing is a good thing. >> reporter: the mda says lewis brought in about $2.5 billion. >> he basically just put his entire personality on display. to be told thanks, good-bye, is the ultimate humiliation. >> reporter: comedian harry scherrer says he would have crafted a different ending to this script. >> a home run laugh where everybody in show business who have been a part of the show and said a thanks and farewell and jerry could have basked in that one more time. >> reporter: when asked to comment, jerry lewis declined so we're left with last year's signature wrong. ♪ you'll never alone >> reporter: hattie kauffmann, cbs news, hollywood. coming up later on "the early show" the latest on the heavy rain and flash flood threat along the gulf coast. plus with zero jobs created last month, labor secretary little da solace will talk about the what obama administration is doing to keep it going. and where is jerry? more on why the mda ended its partnership with the vettian comedian. that and more on "the early show." that will do it for the "cbs evening news" on this monday morning. i'm terrell brown. take care, everybody. have a good week. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com