thousands. and delta destruction. flooding ravages communities along the mississippi, forcing thousands to evacuate. and threatening to destroy entire towns. we're live as the forecast calls for more rain "early" this thursday morning, may 12th, 2011. captioning funded by cbs good morning. sun just coming up there. i'm erica hill in washington. >> good morning to you, erica. good morning to you at home. i'm chris wragge in our new york studio. we have a lot to get to including details from osama bin laden's public diaries. we are going to start things there. let's go back to you. >> chris, we have. you can imagine, the diaries, a hot topic of conversation here in the nation's capital. we on the set of "face the nation." one day after our town hall meeting here in washington talking all about the economy with president obama. we are going to bring you that in our next hour. a fascinating day. the president answering important questions from the audience and people at home and i would imagine that many of you can relate to these concerns. before we get to that, though, this morning, u.s. officials are pouring through a diary they say is written by osama bin laden. it was found if his pakistan compound. this he say it shows how the al qaeda leader was directly involved in planning future terror attacks. cbs news correspondent, mark phillips, is in london with more. good morning. >> good morning, erica. according to the material, osama was looking to launch another 9/11 style mass casualty attack. as to whether he was directly able to plan those attacks or command just strategy, that seems to be the question. the conventional wisdom is that he was marginalized, hiding and occasionally just a symbol rather than a director of these attacks. now, after going through these diaries, officials are saying something different. they indicate that he was directing strategy and had input that he was dealing with al qaeda's number two, a man zawahiri and number three, tia, there was no indication as to where those people were or are. curriers carried the flash drives back and forth. osama counseled that smaller city, not necessarily new york, could be targeted but that those targets had to have massive casualties as only that would shift u.s. policy. he said as you said that trains as well as planes could be attacked but that those attacks ought to happen on specific significant dates, july 4th, for example, or the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. the material was contained on computers and about at least 100 portable flash drives, also hand written diaries. he counseled that the focus had to continue to be in terms of attacks on the u.s. and the west and that al qaeda should find people other than muslims to carry out the attacks. all and all, it seems that osama had become a man that was not in direct control of individual planning but that he was still a man very much in command of the overall targeting of al qaeda. >> joining us here in washington, yuan zarate. >> as we look at this, mark made an interesting point at the end. these diaries seemed to show he wasn't necessarily in direct control but that osama bin laden was still somewhat in command. >> i think what we have is a revelation that bin laden was serving still as al qaeda's ceo. he wasn't necessarily placing operatives in person cities or directing the attack plotting per se but he was still part of the strategic overlay of al qaeda directing it toward the west assuring the cohuesion of the movement. >> they are actually calculations apparently in these diaries about those mass casualties. did the map on some of them as to the impact. >> i think what he wanted to do was clearly replicate the impact of 9/11 not just in terms of body count but in terms of strategic impact. he was the strategic thinker for a al qaeda. he wanted strategic strikes. he didn't want pinpricks but things that would affect american policy. >> with all that focus on the u.s. specifically, not just western world, did it actually take away from some of the other theoretical, at least goals of al qaeda, within the muslim world. >> great question. there is tension from within the al qaeda group and their local goals versus this global western focus goal that bin laden had been pushing. this was bin laden's innovation in the '90s to focal the global jihad on the united states. that has caused tension among the groups in the network. >> it that make him at this point or leading up to his death more of a liability or an asset? >> well, i think bin laden was clearly still an asset. he was the strategic thinker for the group, the glue for the global movement, the symbol in many ways. he was still driving it. there was tension and friction within the movement. that's why losing bin laden will lead to greater division and friction within al qaeda. >> erika, thank you. to the latest on the great flood of 2011. forecasters predict rain and thunderstorms for the lower mississippi. that is the last thing people need in that flood ravaged area. cbs news correspondent, mark strassmann, is in greenville, mississippi. we join him now. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, chris. the great mississippi flooding has a new target, the mississippi delta, a region that's mostly rural and low income, people least able to recover from a crisis. >> it's up in hair. >> reporter: in greenville, steve lots' house is gone. his neighborhood is a soup of filthy floodwater. >> we knew it was going to be bad but seeing it is different. you kind of see your whole life floating there. >> reporter: north of greenville. >> we love everyone from there. >> reporter: melanie is homeless. this photo shows why. her house ruined like all three homes in tunica, 20 feet of floodwater. with new building codes, rebuilding is unaffordable. tunica cutoff could be gone for good. >> we want to keep our address. >> it's my home. >> reporter: in mississippi alone, floodwaters have destroyed at least 800 homes. most people will rebuild. almost no one in tunica cutoff had flood insurance. they will str to start over somewhere else. >> it is hard to face it, you know what i mean. if you hadn't been there, you just don't know. >> reporter: within mississippi spill zone, the state is sounding the alarm. governor haley barbour is urging anyone who has a threat of flooding to get out bhil they can. chris? >> mark, with the mississippi now bearing down on louisiana, some worst case estimates have some low-lying districts in new orleans inundated with up to 25 feet of water down there have the that's the worse the inundation than katrina. could anything be done to avoid this? >> reporter: remember, the mississippi, if it is allowed to run full through louisiana all wait to new orleans. the power of the river could eat away at the levees and potentially expose as many as 1 million people to flooding. there is one option. the morganza spillway outside baton rouge, sort of a pressure valve. if you open it up, you could divert about one-third of the river and its power into an all together different area. here is the issue. it would flood an entire river basin of farmers and fishermen and a truly devastating event for all those folks. it is a very, very painful choice. the u.s. army corps of engineers may have to make that decision. >> thank you, mark. back to washington. you can expect sparks to fly as top executives face members of the senate finance committee asking about soaring gas prices and tax breaks. nancy cordes is on capitol hill. good morning to you. what exactly are senators expecting to hear this morning from the oil executives? >> reporter: well, erica, democrats want to know whether they really need those $2 billion worth of tax breaks that they get every year. they are proposing legislation that would strip away those subsidies and put that money towards the deficit. here is the rational. >> we are here to say enough already to big oil. you are doing just fine on your own. you don't need the taxpayer giving you an extra handout to help. >> reporter: now, the oil company's ceos are likely to say, look, we are not the ones who are driving up the price of gasoline. it is investors who are looking for somewhere that they can get a return on their money. so they are putting it in oil. don't punish us, especially when all of industry gets this money in tax breaks for research and development, erica. >> looking at all of this, nancy, what are the chances the democrats really could pass legislation that would strip away these subsidies? >> reporter: well, right now, erica, you have republicans in senate saying look this amounts to a tax hike. we are not interested in hiking taxes on anyone right now. besides, it wouldn't do anything to bring down the price of gasoline. you have got some democrats from oil-producing states who agree with them. so i think pushing legislation like this that targets just one industry and isn't part of a larger tax reform package is doable but it is difficult. >> difficult indeed. nancy cordes on capitol hill, thanks. >> sure thing. we want to get a closer look at some of the other headlines on this thursday morning. jeff glor is standing by at the news desk. jeff, good morning. >> good morning, erica. good morning to everyone at home. two men are under arrest tied to an alleged terror plot. jay do yw has more on that. >> reporter: good morning. fbi officials confirm the bureau is not handling this case. it will be prosecuted by the manhattan district attorney's office under new york state's anti-terrorism law. sources tell us one of the two suspects is of north african descent. the arrests come at a time of heightened awareness in new york city as law enforcement tries to ward off any kind of retaliation from al qaeda. the fact that the manhattan d.a.'s office is handling this case seems to support law enforcement's position that this plot at this point was more of an aspiration more than fully operational. sources also tell us that new york city mayor michael bloomberg and other city officials will hold a news conference this afternoon to announce details of the arrest. jeff? >> jay, thank you very much. in libya, overnight, nato launched new air strikes in support of rebel troops and moammar gadhafi appeared on television. mandy clark is in the rebel headquarters city of benghazi. good morning to you. let's talk about the significance of the gadhafi appearance. was the regime trying to send a message here at this time? >> reporter: well, what's interesting is that we haven't seen him since april 30th. that was before a native strike killed one of his sons and three of his grandchildren. now, libyan government set up the time that gadhafi was there but escaped unharmed. as the days past, on television, people were beginning to wonder what had happened to him. so, yesterday, we saw footage of him. what was really interesting was the camera seemed to focus on the television that had yesterday's date. in a way, it seemed like a hostage video where the captive is made to show a newspaper to prove that he is alive. what's also interesting is the location. the libyan government made a point to say that the meeting with so-called tribal elders happened at tripoli hotel. there is one speculation that this is the same hotel where the foreign journal. is are kept. that i, of course, a location that nato would never strike. >> mandy clark in benghazi this morning, thank you very much. two flight recorders from the air france jet that skrashd in the atlantic ocean almost two years ago arrived in france today. investigators say it will take at least three days now to get any information from these recorders. they do say the recorders appear to be in very good shape. flight 447 was on route from rio de janeiro to perry killing all 228 people on board. a court in germany convicted former u.s. citizen and accused nazi death camp guard john demjanjuk. he was charged with more than 28,000 counts of accessory to murder, all for deaths that took place during world war ii. the german court sentenced him to five years in prison. former house speaker, newt gingrich is officially a candidate for president again. he made it official on the internet. >> i believe we can return america to hope and opportunity, to full employment, to real security, to an american energy program, to a balanced budget. >> of the major republicans, only gingrich has officially announced. romney, pawlenty and santorum have formed campaign exploratory committees. billy graham is said to be resting comfortable in asheville, north carolina. he checked himself in yesterday and is being treated for pneumonia we are told. a spokesman says it is not an acute situation. >> and it appears that facebook has banned mark zuckerberg, no, no the that mark zuckerberg, a man named mark zuckerberg, a bankruptcy lawyer from indianapolis says he had >> thanks so much. that's your latest weather. now over to erica and chris. >> marysol, thank you very much. still ahead here this morning on "the early show," tougher trading rules for pilots after an horrific plane crash in western new york. are the new regulations enough to keep you safe? we're going to look at the proposed changes that have just been released. erica? >> and chris, americans still so concerned about the economy. we wanted to give you a chance to talk to the president. just ahead, the cbs news town hall on the economy, when you're asking the questions. this is "the early show" on cbs. [ school bell rings ] you have a child with adhd. you're getting calls from his teacher he's impulsive in class. and his inattention makes focusing on homework tough. i know how it is because my son has adhd too. i didn't know all i could do to help manage his adhd. our doctor suggested a treatment plan with non-stimulant intuniv. [ male announcer ] once daily non-stimulant intuniv has been shown to reduce adhd symptoms. don't take if allergic to intuniv or are taking guanfacine. intuniv may cause serious side effects, such as low blood pressure, low heart rate, fainting, and sleepiness. intuniv may affect the ability to drive or use machinery. other side effects include nausea, tiredness, trouble sleeping, stomach pain and dizziness. tell the doctor about your child's medicines and medical conditions, including heart, liver or kidney problems. i'm a mom first and a teacher second. so i did my homework and got informed. [ male announcer ] ask the doctor about once daily non-stimulant intuniv. bay! kin! cheese! [ alarm ] spinach-spinach- spinach-spinach-spinach- spinach-spinach-spinach. to...mae to... tur...key... jal...a...penos. banana peppers... black forest ham... [ dj ] served on toasty flatbread by request. ♪ with sweet onion sauce, drizzled across... ♪ [ male announcer ] wake up to the fresh taste of subway breakfast with the sunrise subway melt on tasty flatbread. make it your own with all your favorite ingredients, like fresh spinach, yummy tomatoes, or one of our zest-erific sauces. build your better breakfast, only at subway. the place they've been searching for. staples. the one place that makes it easy to buy a new laptop. ♪ or get one fixed. ♪ with highly trained tech experts, staples makes trouble-shooting and repairing technology just the way you want it -- easy. easy to buy. easy to fix. easy to save. staples. that was easy. ♪ >> >> coming up from washington, average americans talking to president obama, asking questions about unemployment, rising gas prices, and so much more. a one-hour cbs news town hall on the economy coming up right here on "the early show." >> also coming up here on the broadcast, erica, an inexperienced pilot is blamed for a series of mistakes leading to a dead ply plane crash in buffalo. two years later the faa has a plan to overhaul airline pilot training to try and prevent future disasters just like that one. coming up here on the program we'll ask an aviation safety expert what the changes could mean for pilots and paechxers alike when we come back here on "the early show" here on cbs. stay with us. >> this portion of "the early show" sponsored by preen. preen stops weeds before they start. visit preen.com. ♪ ♪ express yourself ♪ ♪ express yourself ♪ ♪ oh, do it ♪ oh, do it [ female announcer ] coffee is like life. it's better when you add your flavor. like rich caramel macchiato, part of coffee-mate's new café collection. from nestle. but also a caring touch. you learn to get a feel for the trouble spots. to know its wants... its needs...its dreams. ♪call 1-800-steemer. finally, there's a choice for my patients with an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation, or afib, that's not caused by a heart valve problem. today we have pradaxa to reduce the risk of a stroke caused by a clot. in a clinical trial, pradaxa 150 mg reduced stroke risk 35% more than warfarin. and with pradaxa, there's no need for those regular blood tests. pradaxa is progress. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding, and seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk if you're 75 or older, have kidney problems or a bleeding condition, like stomach ulcers. or if you take aspirin products, nsaids, or blood thinners. tell your doctor about all medicines you take, any planned medical or dental procedures, and don't stop taking pradaxa without your doctor's approval, as stopping may increase your stroke risk. other side effects include indigestion, stomach pain, upset, or burning. if you have afib not caused by a heart valve problem, ask your doctor if pradaxa can reduce your risk of a stroke. [ water running ] [ indistinct talking on television ] hola padre. hola. [ male announcer ] you do everything so they're at their best. so start their big days with the incredible protein. eggs. well mainly in traffic. i'm serious. we've been together, what, a super long time. true. and at first it was all business, you know, i'd take him here, i'd take him there. everywhere. and over the years, we've really bonded. sure. why else would you always buy me chevron with techron? 'cause we need gas. i think it's more than that. i think that you care about me. you're a good friend. best friends? um, uh, yes, best friends. yeah. [ male announcer ] your car takes care of you. care for it. chevron with techron. care for your car. ow. elizabeth wenger... later this morning, we expect to learn the names of the three people involved in tuesday's san jose it's 7:25. time for news headlines. i'm winning. later this morning we expect to learn the names of the three people involved in tuesday's murder-suicide at san jose state. we're told they have ties to the university but officials are not saying whether they were students. cbs 5 has learned that a former top drug cop of contra costa county is accused of new crimes. norman wielsch is charged with stealing and selling drugs taken in raids. now his co-defendant says wielsch also ran a brothel in an office park in pleasant hill. he has not been charged in connection with that. san francisco police are investigating another video that appears to show officers abusing their authority. undercover officers are seen searching a drug suspect's room in a residential hotel. the suspect says he never gave permission for police to enter his room or to take a duffel bag that has vanished. traffic and weather around the bay area in just a moment. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,,, [ sea gull squawking ] [ waves crashing ] [ gasps ] brrrr! [ giggles ] [ sea gull squawking ] coming up northbound 101 we have an accident blocking a lane approaching shoreline. so watch out for that. speeds are slow past 237. wow, lots of sunshine at the bay bridge toll plaza. so you will need sunglasses if you are heading towards the