president obama is doing. that is, though, a four-point improvement over last month. on the top issue this election year, there has been a sharp increase in the number of americans who think the economy is getting worse. that number, 34%, up eight points from last month. and with control of congress at stake, we begin tonight with our congressional correspondent, nancy cordes. >> reporter: pessimism about the economy is deepening. more than eight in 10 americans now say it's bad. >> it's a mess. it's going to get better. it has to get better. >> reporter: like her, 59% of americans think its economy will bounce back. >> i think it will get better because it always does. >> reporter: but a whopping 37% believe it is in permanent decline. >> oh, no, oh, no. we've got a long way to go, a long way to go. >> i don't see it recovering any time soon. >> reporter: this virginia woman says three people on her block are unemployed, including her husband. , a former american airlines pilot. >> he actually went back to get a realtor's license but that isn't exactly the best market to be yet, either. >> reporter: the poll shows the nation is nearly split over president obama's handling of the economy. so were the shoppers at this chicago farmers market today. >> gotta give him a chance to do what he can do. >> i think he's being too much of a figurehead and he's not rolling his sleeves up and getting his hands dirty enough in the whole process. >> reporter: only 5% think mr. obama's policies are to blame for high unemployment. >> congress allowed what happened to happen. i am so angry about it, i just can't tell you. >> reporter: and with the federal debt soaring, 56% say the bush tax cuts for the highest income americans should be allowed to expire. the cbs poll also asked about iraq, now that the war is winding down. a stunning six in 10 think the u.s. did the wrong thing going into iraq, a sharp contrast to the nearly 70% who backed the war in the spring of 2003. when they were told saddam hussein had weapons of mass destruction. >> we pulled out noand that's a good thing. >> reporter: pretty% oppose the war in afghanistan, upon up from 39% a year ago. >> go home! >> reporter: and on the hot-button issue of immigration, the poll found nearly half the country thinks the law granting automatic citizenship to children born in america should be changed. >> i think that if a parent is not a u.s. citizen, the child is not a u.s. citizen. >> reporter: changing that law would require altering the 14th amendment, a conservative cause on capitol hill that could become a campaign issue in the fall. erika. >> nancy, thanks. one more note about the economy and another reason so many americanamericansamericans are t it-- one in 10 american households with a mortgage is in danger of foreclosure. a report oit today says in the second quarter of this year, those households had missed at least one mortgage payment. continues worries about the economy sent stock prices lower today. the dow closed below 10,000 for the first time in seven weeks. toyota announcing another big recall today, this one including its popular corolla exact. the recall involves more than one million vehiclees, all of them model years 2005-2008. they are corollas and matrix hatchbacks soamed in the u.s. and canada. the reason-- a computer detect that can cause the engine to stall. the flaw is blamed for three accidents and one minor injury. some big developments tonight in the nationwide egg recall. the f.d.a. says the number of salmonella cases possibly linked to eggs has grown to nearly 1500, making it the worst outbreak in four decades. now, as dean reynolds reports, investigators are getting closer to finding the source. >> reporter: as two more egg brands were added to the lengthening list of those to avoid, federal regulators today tied the salmonella outbreak directly to the two farms in iowa at the center of the controversy. >> reporter: the f.d.a. and the centers for disease control said salmonella bacteria was detected in the chicken feed used and produced at wright county egg and provided to hillandale farms two hours away. in a statement tonight, wright county egg pointed a finger at a third. party supplier. government officials acknowledge wright and hillandale are still producing eggs that are being sent to pasteurizing plant where the f.d.a. says they will be made for consumption, in products such as mayonnaise, ice cream, and cookie dough. a new f.d.a. rule requires large producers to practice better health safety, but critics say the agency lacks the resources to make it happen. >> the agency acts more like a fire department, waitining for e problems to emerge and then going out and inspecting the facilities. it's really a backwards system. >> reporter: wright county eggs owner jack decosta has a long history of problems at his facilities. at one in maine, undercover video showed chickens having their necks wrung by workers who then kicked them into piles on the floor. and back in the 80s, a decosta operation in maryland was implicated in several salmonella outbreaks, including one at a new york city hospital in which 11 people die die, prompting local officials to bar it from selling eggs in the state. while decosta has avoided reporters so far, he has been invited to testify before congress next month to explain what happened. dean reynolds, cbs news, chicago. >> here in new york city, a muslim cab driver knived of by a passenger this week in an alleged hate crime. he spoke about it publicly tod today. >> from my back, he attacked me. this still is a very sad and it shock me. >> the driver ahmed shariff met at city hall with mayor michael bloomberg. reporters asked the mayor if the attack was related to the controversy over plans for an islamic center near ground zero. the passenger who allegedly infected shariff, 21-year-old college student michael enwright had once volunteered with an interfaith group. he was recently embedded with u.s. forces in afghanistan. police say he was drunk when they arrested him. he is now being held without bail. overseas the flooding in pakistan continues to get worse. a levee burst today forcing more evacuations, including three major towns with a combined population of 700,000. flooded roads are delaying relief shipments from the u.s. and nato. smiez are being dropped from the air to some of the 11 million people in need. also today, the taliban in pakistan hinting at possible attacks against foreign aid workers. in chile, rescuers are working around the clock to reach those 33 trapped miners. they survived a cave-in three weeks ago at a mine north of santiago. today, they were told they would be stuck underground until at least christmas. seth done tellss you the challenge now is to help those men keep it together until they're rescued. >> reporter: from the time this water, medicine, and food is lowered into long, metal canisters called dove doves and lowered to the men below, it takes 30 minutes. they're threaded through oneef three small shafts and lowered bay half a mile straight down. the miners are now receiving some solid food, each getting about 1,000 calories per day, and they're able to leave their small refuge chamber below the collapsed part the mine, there's about 330 feet, roughly the size two of olympic swimming pools, in which it's relatively safe to move around. >> you're not going to want them exploring the mine because you don't know the structure of the mine and whether it can hold up or not. >> reporter: keeping them healthy is another challenge for rescuers. >> it's a very alienating environment. you're very isolated. there's a sense of not belonging to the earth anymore. >> reporter: the miners now know their rescue may be months away. still, they're reportedly showing incredible discipline, even following the command structure of the their regular work shifts. and the chilean government has contacted submarine experts, as well as nasa, seeking advice on living in challenging and confined spaces. above ground, a plan is being made for an exercise routine which could include aerobics and dancing and distractions, like occurred games and dominoes. exercise is a key issue. once a rescue hole is drilled, the miners' waist size can be no bigger than 35 inches as they'll need to squeeze into a space that is roughly the size of a bicycle tire. the miners may not be the only ones in trouble. the company that owns the mine could now go bankrupt. >> the f.a.a. announced today it plans to fine american airlines a record $24 million. it says american continued to fly nearly 300 of its md-80 aircraft without conducting required inspections of their wiring. american says it maintains its aircraft to the highest standard, insisting there was never a flight safety issue. it is appealing the fine. now to a bold and controversial experiment. to improve schools in this country's second-largest school district. los angeles now wants to grade its teachers, much as it grade its students. barry peterson has that story. >> reporter: los angeles parents shopping for supplies may soon be shopping for teachers, using data from a system that claims to tell exactly how good a teacher may be. >> that sounds like a great idea for some parents who want to know more about their teachers' background. >> reporter: it's called "value added analysis" rating teachers based on student test scores. for instance, if a student who ranked in the 60th percentile ranked higher at the end of the year, the teacher get a better rating, if it falls, the teacher's rating falls. at least 23 states have tools in place to implement the value-added approach, and it was used in the firings of 241 teachers in the district of columbia. >> i've never seen the level of fear in the classroom among teachers as i saw this year. >> reporter: and now it's coming to l.a., after the "los angeles times" used it to assess 6,000 elementary school teachers in math and english. and in an unprecedented move, the "times" will release the names and analysis of each teacher for every parent to see. >> so that teachers in the school district can see the value of this information, something that they've avoid doing for years. >> reporter: the "los angeles times" analysis had some surprising results. that there can be dramatic differences in how well teachers improve test scores even in the same school. that a teacher's level of education is not a measure of how good a teacher is. and that good teachers can succeed just as well in poor neighborhoods as rich ones. but the l.a. teachers union calls it a too-simple answer to public education woes. >> it's because teachers don't have textbooks. we have 40 children nay classroom. art and music programs have been eliminated. >> reporter: still some l.a. teachers like rudy padilla, working on a system based mainly on seniority, thinks assessing performance is fine. >> you need to make sure the teachers you do keep are the best. >> reporter: proponents say teaches should face public scrutiny. others argue there is no test for the best measure of a teacher, one who can inspire a child to learn. barry peterson, cbs news, los angeles. >> still ahead on the cbs evening news, hurricane katrina destroyed more than 300 million trees. what this woman is now doing to help bring them back. up next, katie couric on what could be america's greatest challenge in afghanistan-- training the afghans to handle their own security. >> in afghanistan today, president hamid karzai said presidenpresident obama's plan n withdrawing u.s. troops next summer has boosted the morale of the taliban. about a dozen insurgents stormed a police checkpoint in northern afghanistan today, killing eight police officers. those u.s. troop withdrawal plans depend on training afghan police and soldiers to take responsibility for their own security as soon as possible. katie couric got a firsthand look at how that is going so f far. >> so now you guys can take what we taught you and you keep teaching others. >> couric: this is how you pld an army-- one soldier at a time. >> in six months, we've recruited, trained, and aexpiend grown this army and police by about 60,000 people. >> couric: nine years after the fall of the taliban, the afghan security forces are still a work in progress. but they're working hard, and there has been progress. the army is now 134,000 strong. the police just under 110,000. the target is a force of 305,000 in two more years, something general william caldwell says is within striking distance. >> you know, it's really only in the last two years that we have really gotten the strategy right here. we've committed the resources that are required. >> couric: resources like more trainers and higher salaries. soldiers and police are now paid $140 a month, the same salary the taliban pays its fighters. the afghans are also recruiting more aggressively. but in this case, basic training first requires some basics. most of them can't read or write. >> no, that's right. >> their own language. >> that's correct, at all. any instruction you do literally has to be show-and-tell. the first day, we have to teach them how to open the door. i mean, they've never driven a vehicle in their entire lives. >> couric: and even after training, most afghan soldiers are hardly battle-ready. they lack experience and leadership skills and are often dependent on nato for everything from supplies to logistics to aerial support. >> real good, very good. >> couric: almost 3500 are now enlisted in the afghan air force. >> i wanted to serve my country. that's why i joined the air force. >> couric: general general boera trains afghan pilots. >> my challenge is to bring the afghans into the global community of airmen. that's an english-speaking community. so imagine, if you will, if you had to learn dhari or pashtu and pilot training and a new aircraft and, oh, by the way, go fly in combat. >> couric: for hands-on training the pilots go to the u.s. general boera says they'll be battle-ready by 20 taken 16, five years after the first american troops are expected to pull out. and if the army and air force are showing promise, the police the most troubled security force with a reputation for corruption, incompetence, and insubordination, they lack the most important weapon of all-- the trust of the people. the u.s. has spent more than $6 billion training the afghan police, $26 billion building up the afghan army. a massive investment for the future, one that u.s. officials hope will allow the afghans to stand and deliver when coalition forces stand down. katie couric, cbs news, kabul. >> after a difficult few days following his divorce, tiger wooz is back on familiar turf, not just on the golf course but at the top of the leader board. woods shot a 65 today, six under par, in the first round of the barclays. his best round came with new devotion to the game. woods woke up before 4:00 to make an early tee time. in por, with 60 police officers inside a department store for a charity event, thieves thought it would be a good time for shoplifting. unfortunately for the suspects, guards were monitoring security cameras. the men were busted and there was no shortage of handcuffs. scientist just back from exploring waters off indonesia say they found dozens of new species. pictures taken by a robot submarine a mile or more beneath the surface revealed creatures unlike any seen before, including brightly colored deep sea corals, plant and animals with spikes and tentacles, even a four-legged fish-- there you see it walking on the sea floor. coming up next, five years after katrina, the trees are returning in new orleans, and you'll meet the woman who is making it happen. >> five years ago tonight, hurricane katrina was taking aim at new orleans. three days later, it hit. today's cbs news poll asked americans if they think new orleans has recovered. more than half said no. but 63% of them said it will eventually. across the gulf region, 320 million trees were lost to katrina. now five years later, bit of green in new orleans are proof that recovery is growing. here's michelle miller. >> reporter: monique pelee is used to making special deliveries. but these days, the former new orleans mail courier is handling much bigger packages. her history with trees began when hurricane katrina changed new orleans' landscape for ever. >> complete and utter devastation. >> reporter: like so many others, monique felt despair in the face of so much destruction. >> thought this is what armageddon looks like. hardly anything was standing. trees were just everywhere. >> reporter: she began sewing the seeds of her life's mission. she quit her job and sold her home to help. >> i don't have any carpentry skills but i know how to applicant a tree. >> reporter: she combined her desire tow help with her lifelong dream to walk the appalachian trail and hike for katrina was born. for every mile traveled on the nearly 2200-mile path, monique pledged to plant a tree. her nonprofit raised the 99, and so far the group has planted 6500 trees. these trees really get around, and so do the people planting them. take cone, for instance. >> we're flagging... >> reporter: along with being one of monique's dedicated volunteers, connie uto is also director of a local recovery center. helping people like tim parsons rebuild their homes with volunteer labor. >> there's just nothing like putting a shattered life back together. >> reporter: and a sweet bay magnolia from monique is the perfect accent for his front lawn. >> katrina, although it definitely destroyed the city, it really built the community. >> guess what? we're done! >> reporter: a community rooted in a common belief. >> you don't plant trees where there's no hope for a better future. >> reporter: with thousands of trees now in the ground, hope is flourishing. >> trees! >> reporter: michelle miller, cbs news, new orleans. >> that is the cbs evening news. for katie couric, i'm erika hill. i'll see you in the morning on the "early show." good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org only local news at 7:00. restoring honest. this weekend's rally plan at the lincoln memorial is bringing up people on both sides of the aisle. end of the road, a local coach accused of molesting five boys in virginia is caught only after a year on the run. but first, face of an attacker. police released the sketch of the man they believed sexually assaulted two women. where montgomery county police today, released a new sketch of the man they believed raped two women in german town, although that it looks different from a picture released earlier. police believe that this is the same man. now, they are looking for him nationwide. >> our first composite is computer generated. there is not quite as much flexibility in this features that are created through a composite. there's a little more flexibility with a sketch artist. >> reporter: the similar larrys are in the the eyes and