as victims are remembered, investigators ask if anything could have prevented it. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. the military retirement system has long been considered untouchable, alongside social security and medicare. but in these days of soaring deficits, it seems everything is a potential target for budget cutters and tonight a pentagon-sponsored study says military pensions are no longer untouchable, they're unaffordable. sharyl attkisson has details of a plan to dramatically overhaul a long-cherished veterans benefit. >> reporter: cbs news has learned high-level closely held meetings are taking place at the pentagon regarding a radical proposal to overhaul retirement for the nation's 1.4 million service members, a bedrock guarantee of military service. the proposal comes from a panel of military advisors called the defense business board. their plan, laid out in a 24-page presentation, modernizing the military retirement system, would eliminate the familiar system under which anyone who serves 20 years is eligible for retirement at half their salary. instead they'd gate 401(k)-style plan with government contributions. they'd have to wait until normal retirement age to collect. it would save $250 billion over 20 years. douglas holts-eakin is former director of the congressional budget office. how important is it the military attack this retirement issue? >> it's very important. it's hundreds of billions of dollars in the next 20 years and if you want to maintain the core mission, which is to defend the nation and have the strategic capabilities we need, you can't have all their money tied up in retirement programs. >> reporter: advocates say the new system would not only save money but would also be fairer. it would give benefits to those who serve less than 20 years. right now they walk away with nothing. and it would give more money to those in combat or high-risk situations. the proposal leaves a lot of blanks to be filled in, including whether to exempt current service members so their plans won't change. we spoke to some active duty troops who agreed costs must be cut but worry the number of experienced soldiers will dwind with no incentive to stay enlisted 230r years. the proposal is in its early stages and would require congressional approval but it's clear military retirement is no longer untouchable. a pentagon spokesman said the military retirement system is "a fair subject of review" but no that no changes will be made without careful consideration. scott? >> pelley: sharyl, what's congress likely to make of this >> we put out a few phone calls today and learned separate this this effort, senators graham and mccain are coming up with their own ideas to revamp the retirement system and make sure taxpayers get the most bang for their buck. so looks like one way or another change is coming. >> pelley: thank you, sharyl. the numbers the president might have been carefully considering today are his job approval ratings. in the gallup daily poll, on august 12 his approval was 42%, but the next day it slipped to 39%-- important because it was his lowest ever. then it recovered slightly the next day. it is early yet, but those are tough numbers to run on. chief white house correspondent norah o'donnell is with the president campaigning in the midwest. >> reporter: scott, the president said he wanted to spend time in america's hardland to listen to people's frustrations about the economy. but the president's advisors admit he's not going to offer any new ideas which makes this bus tour look more like an effort to boost the president's political standing. the president sounded more like he was at a campaign rally before a sympathetic crowd of 500 in cannon falls, minnesota. >> you've got to send a message to washington that it's time for the games to stop. it's time to put country first. >> reporter: mr. obama slammed his republican opponents in congress for months of partisan gridlock. >> some in congress would rather see their opponents lose than america win. >> reporter: in a new line of attack, he ridiculed the republican presidential candidates for this moment in last thursday's debate when they all raised their hand in opposition to any tax increases aimed at deficit reduction. >> i mean, that's just not common sense. >> reporter: and he directly singled out the presumed front-runner mitt romney who has criticized president obama's landmark health care reform legislation. >> you've got a governor who's running for president right now who instituted the exact same thing in massachusetts. >> reporter: but while the president has come to the midwest asking for support... >> we are fighting for the future of our country. >> reporter: ...at ruby's diner in decorah, iowa, voters like joan o'conner whose small business is strug willing take some convincing. >> i did vote for him in '08 because i thought we needed a change. as of right now i can't say if he were to run again if i would vote for him or not. >> reporter: now, the first two states on the president's visit today have unemployment numbers well below the national average. in ay tay jobless rate is 6%, in minnesota it's 6.7%. so the president was asked why he came to states that were not hard hit by the economy. his spokesman said they wanted to highlight areas that are working. scott? >> thank you, knorr. a we were wondering in the newsroom about the bus the president is using on his trip. it turns out it's one of two that have just been purchased by the secret service for $1.1 million each. the service says that the buses will be used not only by the president but by other office holders and political candidates as well. that could one day include one of the republicans battling for the right to challenge the president to reelection and three candidates after this weekend lead the g.o.p. field. following her weekend victory in iowa's straw poll, minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann took a break today. but the latest entry into the race, texas governor rick perry, seemed to be coming up fast. determined to shake every hand at the iowa state fair and trying to stake his claim as the tea party candidate. >> i have heard people say now, wait a minute, you know, you tea party types, y'all are angry. we're not angry. we're indignant. >> reporter: former massachusetts governor mitt romney, who skipped the voting in iowa, was looking ahead to new hampshire and he was greeting workers there today. >> i think understanding how the economy works by having worked in the real economy is finally essential in the white house and i hope people recognize that. >> pelley: john dickerson is in iowa, he is our cbs news political analyst. john, i wonder, can rick perry do the kind of retail politics necessary to go forward? >> reporter: he seemed to be engaged in a marathon effort to prove just that today. slapping backs and reaching out to any voter who even looked at him in a state that loves retail politics, this was a major show. and the texas security detail that surrounds whim the ear pieces and the walkie-talkies make him look like he's already the nominee. this entourage is very good at working a room. if they saw a senior citizen or a veteran they would radio back to the governor and he would be directed to that voter so he could meet the voter but also so he could be seen meeting the voter by the media mob that's been following him. he was charming iowa voters today. in the coming weeks, he'll try to charm people into giving him money to build a national fund-raising organization. he's expected to be very good at doing that. >> pelley: john, how is he challenging bachmann and romney at this point? >> michele bachmann said she wants to be the champion of the tea party as president in washington and as we just heard from governor perry, he is fighting on the same turf. he's saying he wants to be the defender and the advocate for the tea party. when it comes to mitt romney, the question is which man has the better experience creating jobs? romney said he's working in the real economy, talking today. perry said "i thought texas was in the real economy, too." he said if voters want to judge the two of them they should look at perry's jobs record of governor in texas and compare it to romney's record as governor of massachusetts. no surprise, perry think that's a comparison that favors him. >> pelley: thank you, john. two of america's top corporate executives today demanded that washington put the economy back on track. in an opinion piece in the "new york times," billionaire investor warren buffett told congress it must increase taxes on people earning more than a million dollars. "my friends and i have been coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendly congress. it's time for our government to get serious about shared sacrifice." the chairman of starbucks took his concerns a step further. he called for a boycott on campaign donations to incumbents in washington until the president and the congress find agreement on the deficit. in an e-mail to c.e.o.s, howard schultz wrote "the government needs discipline; the people need jobs and leaders need to lead. our country is better than this." schultz grew sar bucks into the world's largest coffee house with 11,000 stores and 135,000 employees in america alone. i asked him today how he came up with the idea of boycotting campaign contributions. >> as a result of what we all witnessed with the debt ceiling crisis and the uncertain any the markets, i just feel like watching what took place in washington, the lens in which the leaders in washington, d.c. were making decisions was not based on what was good for america but in my view it was based on their own partisan perspective and that was how does this affect my reelection? and when i started thinking about reelection, the lifeblood of the reelections of every one of our congressional leaders in washington is about fund-raising. and i want to cut that off until we see civility, until we have a long-term debt ceiling deal that we are proud of and restores confidence in america, and i just feel very strongly that this is a time when we no longer should accept the status quo and the mediocrity that we are getting. we are better than this and our leaders in washington can go back to work. >> pelley: you know, sthibs idea of yours came out over the weekend there's been criticism of it and part of that criticism says this is a little like nuclear weapons. just because you disarm, that doesn't mean your opponents will. doesn't it leave an opening for others to wield their influence while you're taking your noun the sidelines? >> well, first off, i understand that, scott. but we want to suspend the donations to encourage the incumbents-- including the president-- to go back to work and to reach a deal. we have sent these people to washington to represent america not represent singular ideology. >> pelley: this is the first day of this. i wonder, have any other corporate c.e.o.s pledged to join you? >> well, yes, they have. and i think the most gratifying thing that has taken place in that is that this morning i was notified that the new york stock exchange and nasdaq has embraced my initiative and now is sending out that letter, my letter, to every listed company's c.e.o. in america. and i think this is a major signal to me and to others that this is a significant idea that is going to have traction, it's not some novelty that we're going to walk away from and we're going to send a powerful signal. >> pelley: howard schultz, founder and chief executive officer of starbucks, thank you very much. >> thank you, scott, very much. thank you. >> pelley: if a child has autism, what are the chances that a sibling will develop it, too? we'll have a new study. the search for an american abducted in pakistan. and the deadly stage collapse in indianapolis. what it preventable? when the "cbs evening news" continues. 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[ male announcer ] ask your doctor if cialis for daily use is right for you. for a 30-tablet free trial offer, go to cialis.com. >> pelley: in egypt, hosni mubarak was back in court today. the ailing former president who's charged with ordering the killing of unarmed protestors was wheeled in on a gurney. a judge has now banned cameras from the courtroom because lawyers have been jockeying to get on t.v. in pakistan, the search is on for an american abducted saturday? the city of lahore. it's not known the kidnappers were terrorists. seth doane is following the story from afghanistan. >> reporter: today the state department said the f.b.i. is working with pakistani and u.s. embassy officials investigating warren weinstein's kidnapping. weinstein, a 70-year-old business development consultant, worked in pakistan for the virginia-based firm j.e. austin associates. he had been scheduled to return home to america today. a clearer picture of the brazen raid is now emerging. law enforcement sources tell cbs news that three hostage takers came to the american's front gate offering food to weinstein's three guards and driver. after the guards opened the gate five other hostage takers who'd climbed over an unguarded rear entrance showed up carrying a.k.-47s and pistols, outguning the guards. the eight then tied and gag it had guards and used weinstein's driver to trick the american into opening the door to his top-floor residence. jere van dyke, cbs news consultant, was held hostage in pakistan for six weeks in 2008. >> all of a sudden my sense of masculinity, my sense of power, my sense of being in control disappeared. >> reporter: the fear with weinstein that he could have been moved to one of the lawless tribal regions in pakistan, making him very difficult to find. seth doane, cbs news, kabul, afghanistan:. >> pelley: most of us take our homes for granted, but this is the first home that he's had in a quarter of a century. that story is next. just don't feel like they used to. are you one of them? remember when you had more energy for 18 holes with your buddies. more passion for the one ya love. more fun with your family and friends. it could be a treatable condition called low testosterone or low t. come on, stop living in the shadows. you've got a life to live. 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no, i lived on venice. on the sand, on the parking lots on the streets. >> reporter: until early one morning when people like this entered and changed his life. they are volunteers with 100,000 homes campaign, a nationwide nonprofit with the goal of putting 100,000 homeless americans in permanent housing the. the most sick and vulnerable first. on this morning, they were fanning out at 4:00 a.m. to survey the homeless of pasadena. >> where do you mostly sleep? >> right here. >> reporter: people like 55-year-old william anderson. how long have you been out here? >> i've been out here seven months. just here in pasadena. >> reporter: he used to haul goods from the port of l.a. in his own riggle in two and a half years ago when business went bad. he lost his truck, lost his rig and ended up here. >> a few bad decisions and a few bad choices and you can end up right here. >> reporter: they find people living in vans, in doorways, in parks. >> the average life span of someone who's homeless is 55 years. it shaves about 25 years off someone's life. >> reporter: becky kanis is director of 100,000 homes. she says housing the homeless by tapping existing federal funds and v.a. vouchers saves communities money. when they're shelterd from the cold and rain, the homeless don't use emergency rooms as often or spend nights in jail for loitering. >> they got hospitalized and that's $2,000 a night in many cases. so that's just one time of doing that costs more than rent. jail is $75 a night. most housing is maybe $35 a night. >> reporter: it's 125 dollars-and-cents argument that has persuaded 88 communities from seattle, to phoenix, to bangor, maine, to participate in the program. >> the people who are on the streets are eligible for subsidized housing but don't have often with with all, the know how, to navigate these complex bureaucracies. >> reporter: they helped bruce marzett his place. a third of his income from social security and v.a. pension goes go to his $820 a month rent. federal aid programs pay the rest. >> i got a t.v., i got a dog, i got an air conditioner, a kitchen, a bathroom, a bed. >> reporter: and he has hope. in the last year, the campaign has found homes for almost 11,000 people. bill whitaker, cbs news, hollywood. >> pelley: that's the "cbs evening news" for tonight. for all of us at cbs news all around the world, good night. captioning sponsored by this is 9news now. >> good evening tonight in your only local news at 7:00, we are in the district where police are investigating the murder of a 91-year-old woman in germantown. a passenger dies in a crash and there are new developments in the case of a missing maryland woman down in aruba. >> i'm scott broom where there are new developments tonight in the case of a gaithersburg man being held in aruba for the disappearance of robin gaardener. >> an aruban judge ordered him to be held for 16 days in