construction project that's ever been undertaken, or at least it's certainly up there. captioning funded by cbs this is the this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, september 11th, 2013. good morning, good to be with you, i'm anne-marie green. well, in a 16-minute speech president obama told a mostly skeptical nation that one way or another syria's chemicmical weas threat must be removed. he says the dip employee man it plan holds promise but if that fails, the u.s. has a moral obligation to use military force. >> to my friends on the right, i ask you to reconcile your mite with a when a commitment to america's miltary with mite with a failure to act when a cause is so plainly just. to my friends on the left, i ask you to reconcile your belief in freedom of dignity for all people, with those images of children writhing in pain and going still on a cold hospital floor. for sometimes resolutions and statements of condemnation are simply not enough. >> well, tomorrow, secretary of state john kerry heads to geneva to meet with the russian foreign minister. syria has agreed to a russian plan to put its chemical weapons under international control, but this morning diplomatic maneuvering to end the crisis has already hit a snag. susan mcginnis is in washington with more. susan, good morning. >> good morning, anne-marie. here's the snag that nearly derailed this deal yesterday. the u.s. wants the agreement to include the use of threat of force if syria doesn't comply and surrender its chemical weapons for destruction. russia wants the threat of u.s. military force completely off the table. so after much back and forth yesterday, u.s. and russia agreed that john kerry and his russian counterpart need to talk about this face to face tomorrow, and the president did his best to explain the plan last night to the american people. >> my fellow americans -- >> president obama told the american people the u.s. has a unique obligation to prevent another chemical weapons attack like the one in august that he says killed more than 1,400 men, women, and children. >> when dictators commit atrocities, they depend upon the world to look the other way until those horrifying pictures fade from memory. >> the president tried to address the fears of many americans that u.s. intervention would escalate, leading to another war in the middle east. >> my answer is simple. i will not put american boots on the ground in syria. >> and he talked about the latest development, russia's plan for syria to surrender all of its chemical weapons to avoid a u.s. attack. it's too early to tell whether this offer will succeed, and any agreement must verify that the assad regime keeps its commitments. >> congress has now delayed a vote authorizing a strike on syria. that could give the diplomatic solution a chance. >> i think everybody is looking for ways to take them up on what they said they would do. if the russians said that they think that syria ought to get rid of the weapons, i think most of us strongly agree. >> senator carl levin is among a group of bipartisan senators working on a resolution that would still give the president authority to act if diplomatic a actions were to fail. senator john kerry says it won't be easy. snoop it has to be real, tangible, and it will be exceedingly difficult, i want everybody to know, to fulfill those conditions. >> the president says he's willing to let the diplomatic efforts play out but warns he won't wait long. and attention is turning to how chemical weapons arsenal could be secured and destroyed and experts are saying it could take year, it could be extremely costly, and it could be dangerous happening in the midst of a civil war. >> indeed. susan mcginnis in washington. thank you, susan. any plan will be difficult to carry out. on sunday president bashar al assad wouldn't confirm to charlie rose that syria even possessed chemical weapons. france claims it has the third largest cache of chemical weapons in the world behind u.s. and russia, and it's taken years to dispose of them. elizabeth palmer has more from damascus. >> reporter: the syrian foreign minister who was instrument tall in reaching agreement with the russians went on television here to say syria is going to cease to make chemical weapons, it will not possess them any longer, and it's also going to hand existing stockpiles into ryu sh's hands or the handing of other countries and the u.n. the implication is that they will then move on to destroy them. but any kind of timetable for doing that is very hard to imagine under the circumstances. syria is in a widening civil war and there are great sways of this country that are inaccessible in this country unless they go in with a syrian assault force. how international observers or experts are going to get in and begin to do the job that syria says it wants to do at this point is unimaginable. at the very least, it's a multi-year project. elizabeth palmer, cbs news, damascus. during last night's speech the president acknowledged that the thought of military action is not popular and now as you heard thanks to the russians there may be a diplomatic solution to a difficult situation. here's cbs chief washington correspondent, bob schieffer. >> by accident or design the administration may have found their way out of a syrian conundrum. the idea that the russians first came up with to let the u.n. take over syria's chemical weapons may not be perfect, may not be realistic, may not even be doable, but it is worth exploring because it is preferable to having congress turn down the president's request to authorize the use of force, and that is almost certainly what would have happened. when america promises to do something as president obama did, the rest of the world pays attention. when we don't do what we promise, friends and foes can only question our resolve, and that leaves the country in a more dangerous place. in a season of bad choices, embracing this proposal is probably the least worst. "today" is the 12th anniversary of 9/11, the deadliest terrorist attack on u.s. soil. late yesterday the fbi arrested a former tsa employee in connection with alleged threats against los angeles international airport. the suspect allegedly left a suspicious package at the airport's tsa headquarters and then made threatening phone calls. a note found at his home mentioned the 9/11 anniversary. meanwhile the white house security says measures have been taken to prevent any trouble today. nearly 3,000 people were killed when terrorists hijacked four jetliners 12 years ago. one year ago four americans were killed during an attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya. two colorado state legislators who supported tougher gun control measures have been voted out of office. as joe salinger reports, the special debate and special recall elections drew national attention. >> reporter: the message from colorado voters was clear. vote for stricter gun control laws, and you will lose your job. more than 50% of the voters recalled state senators john morse and angela giron. >> do not judge by how you got knocked down but rather by how you got back up. >> reporter: the outcome sparked celebrations at the headquarters of recall organizers. the push for new restrictions on firearms came after the mass shooting at a theater in aurora, colorado, and the school massacre in newtown, connecticut. in march the legislature expanded background checks for all gun sales and banned ammunition clips that hold more than 15 rounds. because no colorado legislator has ever faced a recall before, this is being called a historic vote. the gun issue has brought national attention and millions of dollars in outside money. more than $300,000 came from new york mayor michael bloomberg who started "mayors against illegal guns. " the national rifle association put in the same amount behind the senators' pub can opponents. >> the recall side is sending a national message to legislatures that you have to lab to your constituents and not mayors of far-off cities who send you zbik checks. >> reporter: they say it's a victory for gun rights in colorado and across the country. rick salinger for cbs news, denver. well, coming up on the "morning news," two disgraced new york politicians hoping for a comeback finally hear from the voters. this is the "cbs morning news." a comeback finally hear from the voters. this is the "cbs morning news." . ♪ i can't believe i still have acne at my age. i feel like it's my acne they see...not me. 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[ female announcer ] ask about a free sample size of aczone gel. aczone gel. see a dermatologist and see for yourself. you work. and you want to get an mba. but going back to school is hard... because you work. now, capella university offers a revolutionary new way to get your degree. it's called flexpath and it's the most direct path, leveraging what you've learned on the job and focusing on what you need to know so you can get a degree at your pace. and graduate at the speed of you. flexpath from capella university learn more at capella.edu there's no doubt about it. we had the best ideas. sadly i was an imperfect messenger. >> anthony weiner could not overcome the sexting scandals. voters kicked his efforts to become mayor to the curb. he finished fifth. dill de blasio came out on top, but he could get a runoff if he gets less than 40% of the vote. on the republican side joe lhota easily won the nomination. and the other hotly contested race was for city controller. scott stringer beat out eliot spitzer. spitzer spent millions financing his own campaign, but ultimately he paid the political price for the prostitution scandal that forced him to resign as new york governor in 2008. on the "cbs moneywatch" now get ready for faster cheaper iphones and changes on wall street. marlie hall is here in new york with that and more. good morning, marlie. >> good morning, anne-marie. asian markets before flat despite japan's strong second quarter growth. tokyo's nikkei was unchanged. horng congress's hang seng lost a fraction. on wall street an optimistic day as the risk of an attack on syria appears to be fading. the dow rose 127 points and the nasdaq gained 22 points to finish at its highest level since september 2000. a big shakeup at the dow. three companies are in and three are out. alcoa, bank of america, and hewlett-packard will be dropped from the index of america's top companies because of low stock prices. taking their place, goldman sachs, nike, and visa. it's the biggest change in a decade and will take effect september 23rd. and it turns out that rumors about apple's new iphones were right. the tech giant unveiled the new iphone yesterday. it's faster, has a better camera, and a fingerprint scanner for security. it also introduced the cheaper iphone 5c. it has a new plastic shell and comes in five different colors. both run on the new ios 7 software which will be a free download starting september 18th. >> an many re? >> marlie hall in new york, thank you, marlie. why a museum dedicated to the 9/11 deadly attacks is still in the works. 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[ male announcer ] advair diskus fluticasone propionate and salmeterol inhalation powder. get your first prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. here's today forecast in some cities around the country. new york, lots of rain, thunderstorms. thunderstorms in miami and chicago and afternoon thunderstorms in dallas. los angeles, sunshine. a high of 79. well, hundreds gathered in pennsylvania to commemorate the anniversary of the september 11th attacks. united flight 93 crashed near the town of shanksville. the memorial -- at the memorial friends and family brought candles to remember the 40 passengers and crew who fought the hijackers. and here in new york city, two beams of light pierced the night sky monday. they were testing the light for wednesday's 9/11 ceremony. the beams are in the footprints of where the twin towers once stood. the museum at the world trade center was supposed to be open in time for today's 9/11 remembrance ceremonies. terrell brown looks at what's taking so long. >> reporter: seven stories under the 9/11 memorial is the 9/11 museum you still can't visit. >> i think that this is probably the most complicated construction project that's ever been undertaken or at least it's certainly up there. >> reporter: joe daniels is president of the 9/11 memorial and museum foundation. after years of delays he promises the museum will be ready next spring. the project wasn't supposed to take this long. there were financial disputes with the agency that owns the land and is overseeing construction which had to be coordinated on a site with new towers, a new train station, and a memorial with millions of visitors. when construction stalled last year, some 9/11 families spoke out. >> the vast majority of us that i have spoken to that i have spoken to or heard from are disgusted. >> reporter: now renderings are becoming a reality. giant still tridents that held up the twin towers, a staircase that hundreds of survivors used to escape the attack, the last steel column removed after a nine-month cleanup. >> this was put in place in the late '60s when the original trade center was built. >> reporter: this is the base of the south tower visible at bedrock. >> i put us in the 75% there stage, although the last 25% is some of the most difficult work, which is the installation of the exhibitory itself. >> reporter: tom hennes is the lead exhibit designer, putting the emphasis on interactive. >> it's a piece people will see at the end of the exhibit experience. >> reporter: people can express their experience at the end of the tour. if i'm standing in the museum looking at this, what am i actually seeing there? >> this is a projection. you're actually seeing in real time what people are writing. >> reporter: they'll be able to see faces for all the names on the memorial and of the terrorists. will they be able to see osama bin laden? >> certainly in this space no one will leave here without knowing who did this, including bin laden, the head of al qaeda. >> reporter: the museum and memorial cost nearly $700 million to build. we he says the plan will always remain free, they plan to charge admission to the museum. terrell brown, cbs news, new york. when we return, new video of george zimmerman. the man acquitted of murdering trayvon martin is seen being handcuffed by police. murdering trayvon martin is seen being handcuffed by police. o> no matter how busy your morning you can always do something better for yourself. and better is so easy with benefiber. fiber that's taste-free, grit-free and dissolves completely. so you can feel free to add it to anything. and feel better about doing it. better it with benefiber. but an unthinkable crime has as they work to save lives d property. president obama makes his ce for taking action in syria. despite syria's move to warf a u-s attack. and, on the 12th anniversar the september 11th terrorist attack....the nation pauseso remember the fallen. join us for kpix 5 news this morning... beginning at 4:3 good morning. it's wednesday, here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. washington d.c., afternoon thunderstorms. mostly sunny in atlanta. and partly sunny in st. louis but thunderstorms in denver today. seattle, sunny, with a high of 92. authorities in florida have released video of their encounter monday with george zimmerman. >> turn around. walk back to me. >> zimmerman was handcuffed and taken into custody after his wife called 911 and said he was threatening her and her father with a gun. she later said she didn't see a gun. police are trying to recover video from shellie zimmerman's ipad to see what happened. george zimmerman was acquitted in july of murdering trayvon martin. two storms are swirling in the atlantic. gabrielle is passing bermuda with sustained winds at 60 miles an hour. forecasters say it could drop up to 6 inches of rain. it's expected to head north. and way out in the atlantic, tropical storm humberto is nearing hurricane threat but poses no threat to land. and in sports the united states will play in the 2014 world cup. team usa defeated mexico 2-0 in a qualifying match and by virtue of a tie between hunters in panama, united states clinched a berth in next year's tournament in brazil. well, coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning" nascar's dale earnhardt jr. joins us in the studio. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." earnhardt junior joins us in studio. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." the acidic levels in some foods... orange juice...tomato sauce... can cause acid erosion. the enamel starts to wear down. and you can't grow your enamel back. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel. because it helps to strengthen the enamel that you have. and i believe it's doing a good job. th this could be the ultimate way to get an eyeful of sin city. workers in las vegas are putting the finishing touches on the world's largest fehr is wheel called the high roller. it's 550 feet high and will have 28 glass capsules that can carry up to 40 passengers. a round trip will taken 30 minutes though. it's expected to start spinning early next year. an illinois woman is marking her own milestone. judy griffin received a robotic prosthetic hand after she lost her fingers in an industrial accident at work 16 years ago. she said months after the accident she was afraid to go outside until she got some inspiration from a superhero. >> superman movie comes on with christopher reeve and i thought, hey, this man was in an accident. all that works on him is his head. you lost your hand. get out of that bed and start doing things and he was my inspiration. >> griffin's fingers move by muscles in her hand. eventually she'd like to crochet and sew again. griffin plans to go to her granddaughter's school to show and tell and demonstrate her fingers. she'll going to be a hit, i'm sure. the pope met with refugees in rome on tuesday. it's part of the commitment to helps families flee war. alphonso van marsh reports. >> reporter: pope francis loves reaching out to the masses, taking cell photos with young followers, tweeting and following followers on the phone. he says, hi, this is pope francis. 42-year-old said he wrote a letter to the pope from his wheelchair in a moment of rage. the in a skype he told him the pope called him at his home in italy last month for a ten-minute chat. to what degree did you really believe it was the pope calling you? he said, i never imagined that the pope would call me on my cell phone. i thought i would get a form letter perhaps but never a phone call. he's not the only one. the pope is being nicknamed cold call pope. he recently called a divorced woman in italy offering to baptize her baby. her married boyfriend pressured her to have an abortion and then there was news articles about a pope responding to a rape survivor's letter. pope francis told her to have faith in the justice system. the vatican worries that pranksters could do it but followers are hoping they even next. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," we'll get reaction to president obama's address on syria last night. and john dickerson will have analysis. plus, a closer look at the two new iphones unveiled by apple and the future of fingerprint scanners. and jan crawford sits down with republican florida senator marco rubio. that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com and i'm frank mallicoat tims 5-- >> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald. good morning, everyone. it's wednesday, september 11th. i'm michelle griego. >> better known as "hump day"! . >> hi, everyone. i'm frank mallicoat. it is nearly 4:30 on your wednesday. we kick it off with a little bit of weather. >> "hump day," guys. loving it. we have some low clouds and fog outside around the bay area. the temperatures fairly mild right now. today may be one of the coolest days of the week. we'll talk about it coming up. >> it is busy already up and down the nimitz freeway. we have a lot of overnight roadwork. san leandro a crash, there's lanes blocked with a big rig. we'll have more coming up. >> only 4:30. >> all up and down the freeway from oakland through san leandro. firefighters watched for hot spots on mount diablo overnight. here's the latest. the morgan fire is now 60% contained. it's burned about 3200 acres. all evacuations have been lifted meaning everyone is allowed to go home and all roads have reopened. three firefighters have been treated for minor injuries since the fire began sunday afternoon. but while firefighters are out day and night risking their lives in the firefight, kpix 5's joe vazquez shows us a thief has been busy. reporter: the firefighters of station 7 were exhausted