>> couric: good evening, everyone. this is a special edition with fewer commercials and more news. it was said that everything changed on 9/11. one thing that certainly did was the attitude of many americans towards islam and muslims. and the country has been struggling with this ever since. the debate over whether an islamic cultural center should be built near the site of the world trade center, a pastor in florida threatening to burn copies of the koran on the anniversary of 9/11, and now an uproar over controversial remarks about muslims by a commentator for the fox news channel, juan williams. williams also worked as a news analyst for national public radio before being let go last night for comments he made on fox. >> but when i get on a plane, i gotta tell you, if i see people who are in muslim guard, and i think they're identifying themselves first and foremost as muslims, i get worried. i get nervous. >> reporter: and for saying that, juan williams got one more thing-- fired. >> i mean, look, bill, i'm not a bigot. >> reporter: even though williams was quick to point out not all muslims are extremists. >> there are good muslims. >> reporter: but in firing him just two days later, npr said it had repeatedly warned williams he too often crosses the line between analysis and opinion. >> if you want to be a political activist, you may not also be a reporter or news analyst for npr. >> reporter: many muslims call williams' comment religious profiling. >> when you stereotype an entire religious minority and seem to legitimize singling them out as a security threat that becomes a problem. >> reporter: americans continue to trouble with separating radical islam that led to 9/11 from the mainstream religion. in 2005, 41% of americans had a favorable opinion of islam. now it's just 30%. 38% view it unfavorably. >> muslims killed us on 9/11. >> no! oh, my god! >> reporter: and the bitter divide was on display last week on "the view," when bill o'reilly said muslims attacked america on 9/11, two of the hosts walked off the set. >> this is a highly toxic political environment in which every comment that anybody makes is instantly a football for some person's cause or another. that's not the way a country can discuss really complicated issues. >> reporter: today, juan williams was back on fox but not taking back what he said. >> you cannot ignore what happened on 9/11, and you cannot ignore the connection to islamic radicalism. >> reporter: you also can't ignore how raw emotions still are nine years after the attacks. ben tracy, cbs news, los angel angeles. >> couric: and late today, fox news announced it has re-signed williams to a multi-year deal at a reported $2 million. meanwhile, some of you posted comment about this story on our facebook page. now turning to campaign 2010, the midterm elections are just 12 days away, and president obama is on a campaign swing that's taking him to five states in four days. today, seattle, washington. our chief white house correspondent chip reid is traveling with the president. and, chip, can the west be won by the democrats? >> reporter: well, katie, the president sure hopes he can win enough votes in the west to keep the senate in democratic hands, a mission that begins here in washington state. many democrats run away from president obama. not patty murray. >> please join me... ( cheers ) in welcoming the president of the united states, president barack obama. >> reporter: the senator from washington state is embracing him and just about everything he stands for, and he returns the favor. >> let's get this done. let's get patty murray back into the united states senate. >> reporter: she boasts of her role in passing everything from the stimulus to health care reform. >> not only did i read it, but i helped to write it. >> reporter: two years ago, mr. obama won washington state by 17 points, but now his approval rating is below 50%, and murray's republican opponent, dino rossi, is seizing on her uncompromising support of the president's agenda. >> an 18-year record of taxing, spending, and growing government. that's indefensible. >> reporter: rossi says murray, who arrived in washington as a self-described mom in tennis shoes ready to take on the entrenched powers has become one herself, earning the nickname "pork patty." >> there's no fiscal responsibility here, folks. because senator murray has already requested $1.4 billion in earmarks for next year. >> reporter: murray has no apologies. >> i'm going to make sure that your tax dollars go to build military airplanes here in everett. >> reporter: most polls show murray cling to a small lead but independent voters have moved decisively towards rossi. the white house is so worried, they're sending in all the star power they can find. >> biden, clinton, obama, mrs. obama-- so many big guns means they know they have to win this seat. >> reporter: from here, the president heads to california and nevada to try to build a western firewall to protect democratic control of the senate. katie. >> couric: and, chip, i know the president had one of his backyard chats today with a group made up mostly of women. is that a sign that the white house is worried about losing the support of female voters? >> reporter: absolutely, katie. the white house is dopily concerned about that. two years ago, the president overwhelmingly won the women vote. this year polls show that they are only slightly favoring democrats, so, clearly, this was part of an ongoing effort to try to bring women back to the democratic party. katie. >> couric: all right, chip reid in celtics tonight. chip, thanks very much. in other news, toyota has hit another bump in the road announcing yet another recall today. this one involves more than 1.5 million aflan, highlander and lexus models worldwide. in some of those cars the brake fluid can leak out. in others, the fuel pump can malfunction. in the past year toyota has had to recall more than 10 million investigation for safety problems, including one involving gas pedals that got stuck. drivers are, of course, more important than cars when it comes to safety and there's some good news today about the youngest people behind the wheel. a study found a 36% drop in fatal crashes involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers from about 2200 in 2004 to 1400 in 2008. national correspondent jim axelrod now on what's driving the improvement in safety. >> reporter: the stories are horrifying-- in brooklyn last weekend, a 16-year-old with just a learner's permit, crashed a minivan killing a 13-year-old passenger. but scenes like this are actually now less common across the country. one reason for the 36% decline in fatal crashes involving 16- or 17-year-old drivers are g.d.l. laws, graduated driver licensing policies, which limit those with new licenses from driving under high-risk conditions like at night or with other teens in the car. >> states have looked at it and have determined that's a way to really improve driver safety. >> reporter: the laws vary from state to state, and, therefore, so do the rates of fatal accidents. 9.7 per 100,000 teen drivers in new york and new jersey to 59.be 6 per 100,000 in wyoming. those involved involved in deadly crashing, 65% of teen drivers are male, 35% female. in new york today, where 16-year-olds need 50 hours with a certified instructor before they can get a license, tyrese burrows said it's a good idea. >> the laws for kids my age, it helps us be less distracted or even be safer drivers and avoid crashes. >> reporter: 17-year-old michelle silled ba got her license today near san francisco. >> i just want to drive to school, my house, to show everybody that i got my license. >> reporter: she then proceeded to demonstrate why limits on young drivers seem so necessary. another fact explaining the decrease in teen accidents-- the weak economy means reduced discretionary driving which is really what a lot teenaged driving is, katie. >> couric: all right, jim axelrod in new york city, jim, thank you. in health news, a simple way to help protect yourself from colon cancer, a study out today says a daily dose of baby aspirin can lower your risk of getting the disease by 24%. and it can cut the chances of dying from colon cancer by 35%. aspirin should not replace screening tests like colon oscpees and because it has serious side effects like bleeding, people should talk to their doctors before taking even a low dose of aspirin on a regular base. an update on don't ask, don't tell. it is the law once again after a federal appeals court put a temporary hold on a judge's order that struck it down. so for now, gays are again barred from serving openly in the military. but today, defense secretary robert gates put out new guidelines that will make it tougher to discharge gays who violate don't ask, don't tell. anding up next here on the cbs evening news, it's the make-or-break battle in afghanistan. and the taliban's on the run. and later, young voters helped elect president obama, but will they sit this election out? we'll listen to their american voices. >> couric: it has been called the most important battle in the nine-year-old war in afghanistan. for weeks, american-led forces have been powning the taliban and their stronghold of kandahar providence. u.s. commanders say they're fleeing in droves. but those weapons also put civilians in grave danger. mandy clark reports tonight from the front lines. >> reporter: throughout the war, u.s. commanders have emphasized the need to protect civilians at all costs. >> ining! >> reporter: but in the long and bitter battle for kandahar province, any threat to u.s. forces is now being met with overwhelming and sometimes indiscriminate firepower. >> fire for effect. >> get them! >> reporter: as this platoon from the 110st airborne division was on its way to a village known as a taliban stronghold, two of its armored vehicles drove into a canal. the taliban quickly opened fire. american helicopters flying low overhead tried to spot the insurgents. they report a truck full of armed men is carrying the body of a fighter out of the bombed out village. the platoon leader orders his men to kill them. they miss the target but the truck stops. there are no armed insurgents. the body in the back is the mother of this little girl. her family says she was killed in the nato bombardment of the village. >> tell him i'm deeply sorry. i'm sorry that she died in this conflict, in this fighting, people continue to die when we're just trying to make the taliban go away. >> reporter: troops fighting in kandahar are allowed to shoot suspected enemy spotters, even if they don't have a weapon. the military is using heavy artillery often and ordering more airstrikes that makes civilian casualties inevitable. but there's little time for the troops to reflect on the rules. early the next morning, they head back out to the vimmage to find and kill the taliban fighters. again, they come under fire. and once again, the military sends in the heavy weapons. an a-10 attack jet lays down fire dangerously close to american and afghan troops. >> red one, red two. we're good here. might need to change my pants but everything is good. >> incoming! >> reporter: but the insurgents are still moving inside the village and artillery shells come crashing in. as we were coming down here, we came under some small-arms fire. the american reaction was overwhelming-- they hit them with everything they got. 2,000-pound bombs, missiles, artillery, and now we're going to see what's left. the village is abandoned, butlet soldiers find a body, one of three insurgents killed in the heavy bombing. someone threw a sheet over it. >> i hope they didn't rig this ( bleep ) body. >> reporter: this time there's no doubt. they've found the enemy. >> i didn't say a prayer but i just thought an enemy of mine is dead, and as far as the carbage part of it, i'm really not bothered by it. >> reporter: nearby, the team finds a room full of bomb-making material. >> i think this is ammonium. yup, ammonium nitrate. got it. >> reporter: they place a small explosive charge in the room and destroy it. the taliban fighters will probably sneak back into the village overnight, but for this platoon, it's mission accomplished, at least for now. mandy clark, cbs news, combat outpost j.f.m., afghanistan. >> couric: now to a major discovery on the moon, water, and lots of it. last year, nasa crashed a spacecraft into the moon's south pole. scientists said today the dust that kicked up contained 41 exwalons of ice, and they believe there could be a billion gallons of frozeeb water in that one crater, water that could be used in future space missions. still ahead, young voters-- they turned out two years ago. are they tuning out now? >> couric: turnout is usually a key factor in elections, and everyone is wondering this year what young voters will do. two years ago, they helped get barack obama elected president as more than half the eligible voters under 30 went to the polls. the third highest percentang since 18-year-olds got the vote, about 22 million people. but according to a harvard poll, only 27% of the under 30s say they'll definitely vote in this year's midterms. so what are they thinking? we listened to their american voices. >> obama! obama! >> couric: they are passionate and they are vocal and for many candidates, this year, rediscovering that fountain of youthful voters will be critical to victory. what are you most worried about when it comes to issues? >> college accessibility and making college more affordable for everyone because i think that at this point in time, an education is not something that we aspire to. it's something that's needed in so many fields for so many different position right now. >> couric: these days, higher education doesn't guarantee a job. the class of 2010 faced the worst job market in more than 25 years. >> as a nursing student, i worked really hard for four years. i walked out and got a job, but that's not happening for most of these people, and that kind of applies across the board with most college students. >> i'm nervous. i'm a senior. i know that i'm about to graduate from college and i don't know if there's going to be a job out there gluft and just as the country is divide on the role government should play in our lives, so are these students. >> we need the government to get out of health care. that's why it's inefficient. and we need the market to fix it. private charities can account for a lot of other things we say we need-- we need a backstop. >> the reason exactly why government needs to be in it is because these insurance companies are just out to make a buck and that's the reason they deny people with preexisting conditions and put livetime cams. if government wasn't there to regulate that, there are going to be so many americans who would go without health insurance, and would really be left to die. >> couric: the overwhelming majority of college students vote forward barack obama back in 2008, but polls show they're much less enthusiastic about the midterm elections. democrats see that as a major challenge while republicans view it as a huge opportunity. of those between the ages of 18 and 29 who voted for president obama in 2008, 85% approve of the job he's doing. but only 44% say they definitely plan to vote in the midterm elections. >> i feel like our government is paralyzed. it doesn't matter who is elected as a president. >> couric: adam clay said he's still waiting for the hope and change he was promised two years ago. when he looks ahead to 2012, he may be looking for change again. >> trying something new is totally within the scope of what i think is reasonable. >> couric: meanwhile, amanda boren says the president represents change she never wanted. >> he's passed balm-care. he's supported a lot of economic regulation that i think is really going to hurt our i can countrylock term. our foreign policy situation isn't great. i think a lot of people are comfortable with it, but i'm uncomfortable with it. >> couric: but president obama's staunchest supporters are standing by their man. >> if you supported president obama in 2008 it's really important you stay involved in this election season because i think we stand so much to lose, especially as students, if the republicans take over. >> this administration, in my opinion, has done a lot for student. the fact they can stay on my parents' health care until i'm 26. the fact that credit card companies are no longer able to be predatory towards students, and loan forgiveness is a little bit easier. >> couric: lately, president obama has been trying to reengage with young voters. he's made several visits to college campuses, including a trip to ohio state last second. >> one thing i know about buckeyes is, y'all don't quit! ( cheers ). >> couric: and he's showing up at places like mtv, and on the cover of "rolling stone." but this year, republicans are showing that they, too, can rock the vote. even though conservative is often not synonymous with cool on campus. >> we just had our club fair, and i was surprised at how many people came up to me and said, "well, this is a closed list, right? if i join the republican club, no one will know." >> couric: taking a page from the obama campaign playbook, matt sternz spends his time tweeting... >> we're also active members o of--... >> couric: and making viral videos hoping to replace massachusetts governor deval patrick with republican charlie baker. >> often students say to me, "well, what party is he? is he a republican or democrat?" and i said republican and they run away but i follow them -- >> you stock them. >> i follow them to the next table. i tell them about what his policy positions are, and they get interested, and sometimes they take a flyer. >> couric: they are bright, informed, care about the issues, and even as young adults, already have deep-seated political convictions, which may be part of the larger problem, but they're optimistic their generation could also be part of the solution. do you think that you all could work together and achieve some middle ground hearing what you've all heard today? >> we might have to sit here for a while, but eventually we'll get hung expree want to cut for lunch, so we'll agree on some things. >> couric: if you'd like to add your american voice to the conversation, you can go to cb cbsnews.com. an enduring legacy from slavery to the smithsonian. >> couric: we end tonight with a story of devotion, one couple's devotion to finding and protecting beauty once scattered by history and now gathered in a single collection, a cultural inheritance for african americans. and tonight bill whitaker reports a gift for all americans to see. >> there are so many things that african americans did that nobody knows about. >> reporter: bernard kinsey is a collector, a storyteller. >> this brother was bad. >> reporter: get him started and he can't stop. >> the rotunda that was built on the capitol, a black man did that. >> reporter: his converted wine cellar filled with fine, vintage african americana, from the civil war. >> this is the first recruiting poster "come and join us brothers." >> reporter: the first book published by an african american, phyllis wheatley in 1773. slave ship manifests, a letter from malcolm x. to his biographer, alex halley. >> this stuff is not only valuable. it's very rare. >> reporter: it's a passion he shares with shirley. >> i'm a collector by nature. >> reporter: his wife of 43 years. >> i buy the dead artists and shes by the living artists. >> reporter: the retired xerox executives collected for four decades until their l.a. house was bursting. but they didn't truly know what they had until they let it go, first to the african american museum in l.a. >> it's a very special collection about who we are and where we come from. >> reporter: in the last three years, more than 200,000 people in five cities have seen their collection of works by celebrated artists like romare beardon, and jacob lawrence and artifacts like these slave shackles, an insurance policy on a north carolina planter's valued property-- slaves. >> it will bring tears to your eyes when you read it that this is a human being that they're talking about. about. >> reporter: not bad for a couple of kids from florida who met in college in 1963 in the heat of the civil rights movement. they built a good life and piece by piece, this rashable collection. >> this is really been quite a journey. i'm a grandmother's child. momma would not like this if i didn't share this with others. >> reporter: now they're sharing with the country. their collection just opened at the smithsonian museum of american history and culture in washington, d.c., the first private collection at the new african american gallery. >> that's a bad bust. that is really good. >> what we're trying to do simply is give our ancestors a voice, a personality, and a name. >> reporter: adding their stories to america's story. bill whitaker, cbs news, los angeles. >> couric: and that is the cbs evening news for tonight. i'm katie couric. thank you for watching. i'll see you tomorrow. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs