we begin with bad news for u.s. political leaders. the bruising battle over the budget and economy that refuses to recover is taking a huge toll on their popularity. the job approval rating for congress is at an all-time low. a cbs news/"the new york times" poll out this morning shows just 12% of americans approve of the job congress is doing. 72% of those polled disapprove of the job republicans in congress are doing, while 63% disapprove of the democrats. now to the latest round in the budget and deficit battle. in about-face, the white house says social security should be left alone. susan mcginnis is in washington with more on this. good morning, susan. >> reporter: good morning, betty. the president was ready to support cuts in social security in those debt negotiations over the summer. his latest plan does not include those cuts. in fact, he wants congress to strengthen the program. president obama is taking social security cuts off the table. >> social security, we have never seen as a driving factor in terms of our near term deficit problems. >> reporter: thursday, the white house said the president won't touch retirement benefits when he unveils a new deficit reduction plan on monday. he did consider tweaking the program during debt negotiations with republicans, but that angered many liberals. >> suddenly, out of nowhere, president obama tells us that social security cuts have got to be placed on the table! >> reporter: the president is still finalizing his ideas which he'll send to the new congressional super committee charged with finding more cuts. but they are expected to include changes to medicare and medicaid. the top republican in congress is calling on the panel to keep social security cuts as an option and to consider a sweeping overhaul of the tax code. >> if we're going to tackle tax reform, frankly, we ought to tackle all of it. >> reporter: house speaker john boehner thursday proposed eliminating hundreds of deductions and loopholes in exchange for lower tax rates for individuals and businesses. he also slammed the president's new jobs plan, claiming it would do little to reduce the deficit or create employment. >> the president's proposals are a poor substitute for the pro growth policies that are needed to remove barriers to job creation in america. >> reporter: the white house is standing by the bill, saying it will put americans back to work and money back into their pockets. now, the financial markets and the credit ratings agencies are anxiously awaiting the final deficit reduction plan coming out of washington to see just how credible it turns out to be. betty? >> all right. susan mcginnis in washington for us this morning, thank you, susan. the senate has approved temporary funding for the faa's airport and highway improvement projects. the bill extends the agency's operating authority through january. it was due to expire at midnight tonight. the stopgap averts thousands vi of layoffs and avoids airlines to keep collecting taxes on ticket sales. the supreme court has blocked the execution of a convicted murderer in texas and will review his case. duane buck was convicted of a double murder 16 years ago. he was due to be executed by injection last night until the court stepped in. buck's lawyers say he was unfairly sentenced because an unfair question about race was asked during the trial. three crew members return to earth this this morning but not without some drama. the russian soyuz capsule landed in kazikstan. just before the capsule re-entered the atmosphere, communications failed. repeated calls from ground control went unanswered until the capsule neared the landing site. u.s. officials say another top al qaeda leader was killed earlier this week in pakistan and described as the chief operations in pakistan. at least three other al qaeda leaders have been killed since osama bin laden was killed back in may. >> the ranks of al qaeda and pakistan have been very seriously thin, so i think they could still pull off an attack, but i think it's much less likely they could pull off a catastrophic attack like 9/11. >> reporter: but al qaeda's network across the gulf region and in africa pose a growing threat. u.s. officials are concerned about al qaeda in the arabian peninsula which is based in yemen. the weather service is trying to determine whether a funnel cloud spotted near ocean city, maryland, was a tornado or a water spout. check it out. yesterday's storm caused some damage but the twister apparently did not touch down. off the coast in atlantic city, new jersey, lightning struck a casino under construction and it killed one worker and injured two others. in southern arizona, record flash flooding filled the streets of tucson. almost 3 inches of rain fell, the most ever in the city in a single day. rescue crews have called off their search for a man who was swept away into flooded waters. six people are recovering this morning after a bee attack in santa ana, california. a hive was bumped and a swarm of bees attacked a man in a wheelchair who was stung 64 times. the man's father and brother were stung 50 to 100 times, as they worked to save him. four of the victims remain hospitalized. the hunt is still on this morning for missing utah woman susan powell, one day after it appeared her remains might have been found. researchers at a spot where dogs indicated there were human remains say they haven't found any so far. powell disappeared in december 2009. her husband is the only person of interest in the case, but he has never been arrested or charged. now to a planet far, far away. astronomers say they have found a planet that or bits two suns. yes, two suns like the one luke skywalker grew up on in "star wars." it is 200 light years from earth and nasa scientists named it tatooine, just like young skywalker's home. ahead on the morning news, a recall of some popular birth control pills on the market. plus how a soldier who lost his home to foreclosure while at war got it back. but first, scott pelley with a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." >> one community's plan to create jobs. train the workers first and the business will follow. we will show you the unique training program that saved one town's economy tonight on the there may be a break in the "cbs evening news" the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. get back to the things that matter most. good job girls. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. good job girls. there may be a break in the cold case mystery of a new mexico boy who disappeared 11 years ago. a teenager claims he is the boy. robbie romero vanished when he was 7 years old. now a young man arrested for being under the influence says he is romero. police have taken dna samples. >> we have a gentleman that is about the age of our missing child. >> reporter: robbie romero's mother said the man visited her last week, and she says he has the same mannerisms and looks like her missing son. it will take about a week to get the dna results. in florida, casey anthony is being ordered to pay the cost of the investigation into her daughter's death. anthony was acquitted of the girl's murder in july, but she was found guilty of lying to police. the judge ruled that anthony must pay almost $100,000 for the manpower wasted because she lied. anthony is appealing the convictions. this morning, a recall of some birth control bills. qualitest parm pharmaceuticals say a packaging error on six brands of oral contraceptives could lead to incorrect dosing. that might lead to unintended pregnancies. so doctors, pharmacists and patients seeking more information can contact qaulitest at 1-877-300-6153. on the cbs "moneywatch," stocks were up on trading in asian markets today. ashley morrison is here in new york with that and more. good morning. >> good morning, betty. >> reporter: a decision by european central banks to support the financial system sent most asian markets higher. tokyo's nikkei gained 2 1/4% and hang seng up 1 1/2%. on thursday, stocks finished higher for the fourth day in a row. the dow shot up 186 points, while the nasdaq tacked on 34. as stocks go, precious metals are going down. gold has dropped to its lowest level in almost three weeks. but investors should still be happy. gold is up 25% this year and remains in the 11th year of a bull market. many see the commodity as a safe haven when stocks are shaky. 62,000 grocery workers in southern california are getting ready to go on strike. their union issued a 72-hour notice last night, setting the stage for a mass job action. negotiations for a new contract have dragged on for eight months. the main sticking point is health care benefits. red lobster, olive garden, and four other chain restaurants are pledging to serve healthier food at 1,900 locations. the company that owns them says it will reduce calories and sodium by 20% over ten years. a fruit or vegetable side dish and low fat milk will be standard with kids' meals. first lady michelle obama says it's a, quote, breakthrough moment for the restaurant industry. netflix is feeling the pain after consumer backlash following its price hike. their stock has dropped almost 20% since the company raised prices earlier this month for their movie at home service. netflix has reduced their forecast by a million customers for the third quarter. only the second quarter the the they have dropped for the customer. one way to lose prices right now is raise those prices. >> absolutely. ashley, thank you for that. usually when we tell you about a foreclosure, the news is anything but good but this story is a little different. jose cardova jr. saved up to $30,000 while serving in the army in iraq and afghanistan and was able to purchase the house he grew up in. the house in phoenix had been lost to foreclosure in 2004 when cordova's father lost his job. >> it means a lot because he did put a lot of work. he rebuilt the whole thing pretty much and i remember i used to see him doing it and i helped him a few times with whatever i could do. >> the 22-year-old cordova said he just wanted to make his parents's life a little easier. congratulations to them. straight ahead, your friday morning weather. and in sports, two of the top ranked college football teams go head-to-head. 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[ male announcer ] nicorette mini goes wherever you go, to help make quitting suck less. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. time now for a check on the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows a large band of clouds over the midwest bringing scattered showers to the region. the east coast is clearing, while a weak storm is moving through the northwest. later today, there will be a chance of rain from the desert southwest into the central plains, especially in west texas and eastern oklahoma. a few storms will pop up in the southeast. it will be mostly sunny in the northeast with cool temperatures extending from there to the northern plains. in sports, a battle of two top 25 college football teams. number three, louisiana state quarterback jarrett lee passed for 213 yards, including a fourth quarter touchdown pass. lsu beat number 25 mississippi state 19-6. in baseball, tampa bay moves up the wild card race. the rays blasted three home runs as they pounded red sox pitching for a 9-2 win. tampa bay now trails boston only by three games for a spot in the playoffs. in the tenth inning in philadelphia, ryan howard doubled off the wall to drive in the winning run. 2-1 walkoff victory over florida. philadelphia also won the first game of the double-header 3-1. in the 11th inning in cincinnati, the reds jay bruce smacked a two-run home run down the right-field line against the cubs. his 31st homer of the season. it gave cincy an 8-6 walkoff victory. and the nfl is stepping up security starting this week. the league has asked the 32 nfl teams to do pat-down searches. all spectators will be searched from the ankles up before they get to their seats. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. you have seen this dramatic rescue of a motorcyclist trapped under a burning car. well, now hear what he has to say about it. [ male announcer ] this is the network. 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. presenting woolite complete. it cleans your jeans and won't torture your tanks. woolite. long live your wardrobe. on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. much cooler temperatures will be felt along the eastern seaboard. storms are pushing into the southern plains from the rockies. the west coast will have a mix of sun and clouds with mostly pleasant temperatures all around. here is another look at this morning's top stories. there were some tense moments this morning as three crew members from the international space station returned to earth. communications with their soyuz capsule was lost until they neared the landing site. they are all just fine. the latest cbs news/"the new york times" poll finds the job approval rating for congress is now just 12%. that matches the lowest ever recorded by this poll. in southern california, it was a close call for customers and workers inside a bicycle store. check this out. surveillance video shows a car barreling through the store earlier this week. three people were hurt, none seriously, though. the elderly driver says she mistakenly hit the gas instead of the brakes. and now to that motorcyclist who cheated death in utah earlier this week. he is expected to remain in the hospital, recovering from his ordeal for at least six weeks. but he is very grateful to the people who rescued him. kendis gibson has his story. >> reporter: it's incredible video to watch, especially for motorcyclist brandon wright. >> i see my body and, actually, i look dead. it's unreal to see yourself like that. >> reporter: the 21-year-old college student remembers quite a bit from monday's accident on a highway in logan, utah. >> i remember swerving to try and avoid the car and then at the last second, i laid the bike down. >> reporter: next thing wright knew, he was under the car, screaming and throwing up blood, unaware of the amazing rescue coming together on the street above him. a small army of bystanders rushed in, lifting the car that could have exploded at any time. >> i just -- i just wanted to thank all of the heroes that put their lives on the line to save mine. >> reporter: it was a race against time that paid off for wright who only suffered some broken bones, burns, and what he calls a pretty gnarly road rash, despite not wearing a helmet. >> i think if he had stayed there any significant length of time longer, his injuries would have been much more severe and perhaps even lethal. >> reporter: for wright, the experience has been life-changing. >> i should have died when i hit the pavement. i should have died when i hit the car. i should have died when the car burst into flames, but i didn't for some reason and, i mean, it just makes life that much more precious to me. >> good luck. >> thanks a lot. >> reporter: he says he plans to live every day like it's his last because he knows now, it very well could be. kendis gibson, cbs news. >> that really is remarkable story. listen to this one. a 1-month-old puppy in texas is one lucky dog. the puppy fell into a deep crack left in the ground by the drought. as rescuers dug to reach it, the dry dirt caved in, so they wet the ground with garden hose just enough to firm the soil and managed to pull the little guy to safety! and he was very, very grateful. how cute is that? the puppy is expected to be just fine. looks like he has a new best friend. this morning, on "the early show," rising concern about bullying in schools. we have a preview and an important "48 hours" report. schools. we have an important "48 hours" report. we're taking silk soy milk and silk pure almond to your cereal bowl. i like it! most people prefer the taste of silk vanilla in their cereal over dairy milk and love that it has fifty percent more calcium than milk. i think it's great. taste for yourself switch silk for milk in your cereal. hey, i got a leak! yoo hoo! your husband left the seat up again! oh, wait a minute! come on, now. come back! um, miss? up here! right. so those are hard water stains, and that cleaner's not gonna cut it. truth is, 85% of us have hard water. you need lime-a-way, the hard water expert. unlike the leading all-purpose cleaner, lime-a-way is specially formulated to conquer hard water stains. for lime calcium and rust, lime-a-way is a must. . honestly is refreshing. beautiful sunset last night. skies are clear. look at the day part. it's 48 on tv hill. 65 at lunch. high of 67. ive 62 this evening. demoll id. demolished. re alignment is officially complete. reason to fly, southwest will double frequent flier points for in and out of thurgood marshal. breaking news from prince georges county, a student was stabbed inside her college dormitory, who police arrested in her death. investigation in ocean city, was that a tornado we saw touching down yesterday? 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