elections with control of congress at stake. and in the battle for the house, a new cbs news poll finds that if the election were held today, 45% of likely voters would choose the republican candidate, 37% the democrat. as for president obama, only 44% of americans approve of the job he's doing overall. and only 38% like the way he's handling the economy. the lowest number since he took office. when he took office in january of last year, two out of three americans expected him to be a good or very good president. but that's turned around. two out of three think he's been only an average or poor president so far. that would no doubt include members of the tea party, but do most americans agree with the movement's agenda? here's national correspondent dean reynolds. >> reporter: there are no more passionate foes of the obama agenda than the tea 58ers. >> we have stronger principles and we have stronger values.

>> reporter: but while they style themselves as insurgents angry at both parties, the cbs news poll says 81% intend to vote republican next month, including poll participant mark evans. >> i think there's a lot of anger out there as to what's been going on the last couple of years. and i think that the tea party is representing a lot of that. >> reporter: tea partyers are overwhelmingly white, male, protestant and fired up steve steblick is an unemployed tea party advocate and a democrat's nightmare. >> they're runninguf deficits and spending money we don't have, spending our children's and their children's money, and people are reacting to that. >> reporter: where would we be today were it not for the stimulus or the bailouts of the banks and the auto industry? >> we might have been better o off. >> reporter: large majorityes of tea partyers agree that the bailouts were bad and they argue for a smaller government. but how many american agree with the tea party overall is a valid

question. the poll found that only 30% of the country believes the tea partyers reflect the views of most americans. 41% of the country does not. >> they represent a very small sliver of americans who are upset about paying taxes. there are always goings to be people who don't want to pay taxes. >> reporter: and while almost 1seven out of 10 tea partyers believe they are part of a long-term political movement, only 26 sister of all americans buy that. >> i think the tea party has no political place. no, no way, absolutely not. >> reporter: now, according to our poll, the tea party movement is not well understood in the country, and despite all the publicity it's generated, only 22% of americans view the movement favorably. katie. >> couric: all right, dean reynolds in chicago tonight. thank you, dean. in these remaining weeks before the election, we'll be talking to voters all across the country for a new series called "american voices." later in this broadcast, we'll hear from voters in ohio where

unemployment tops 10%. on the subject of the economy, this note about the foreclosure crisis. the white house said today the president will not sign a bill congress just sent him that would have made it easier for lenders to repossess homes. the bill would have allowed mortgage companies to notarize foreclosure paperwork electronically, and the fear is that could lead to more americans losing their homes based on flawed documents. overseas tonight, the massive toxic spill in hungry is spreading. it's now reached the danube river which could harr carry thd sludge into six other countries. dead fish have been spotted in waters that feed into the danube, and emergency crews have been pouring vinegar and plastic into the water to dilute the industrial waste. it may be work. tests show the water is much less toxic by the time it hit the danube. the disaster began monday when had a rez voar that held the sludge at an arheum numb plant

burst, killing four people. now to chile, where miners have been trap nade gold mine since august 5. for 64 days, crews have been trying to reach them, and tonight a rescue shaft is less than 300 feet from expleegz. seth doane is outside the mine. seth, i know it's been very tough for the miners and of course their families but their ordeal could soon be over. >> reporter: that's right, katie. i'm standing above an area dubbed "camp hope" which is where many of the family members of the miners have been waiting, some since they were discovered back in august, and hope has never been as high as it is right now. initially, they were told it cook until christmas, until those miners were rescued. now they know it could come as soon as next week. relatives cheer as these mobile hospital unit arrived this morning. rescue capsules, one of which will be used to bring the miners to the surface, are now on site.

and sunglasses were sent down to the miners to protect eyes that have not seen sunlight in more than eight weeks. the rescue itself will be attempted using the shaft known as plan b., one of three being drilled, and the closest to completion. the issue now is whether to line the shaft with pipe to both reinforce the hole and to reduce the possibility of the rescue capsule becoming jammed. but inserting the protective casing would delay the rescue another eight to 10 days. there's also the risk that if something goes wrong during the process, the rescue shaft could become blocked. maria just wants her brother back. she's barely left the mine since the accident and told us she's never lost faith. >> ( translated ): god does miraclemiracles and we're almosy to rescue them. >> reporter: now the rescue capsule is quite small. imagine the width, roughly of a bicycle tire. so the miners need to stay trim enough and are on an exercise

regimen so they can fit into that capsule. the capsule will also be outfittefittedfitted with oxygea communication device so they can be in touch on the journey up. >> couric: do the miners know they may be just a few days away from freedom? >> reporter: they do, katie. they've been in regular contact with workers here trying to rescue them, and they're professionals. they're miners. they can tell from the amount of rubble that's coming down toward them through a smaller hole that's already been drilled toward them. they can also hear the drill as it approaches. >> couric: and what else are the miners doing to keep them from going absolutely stir-crazy? >> reporter: right. they have shown incredible discipline, really from the very beginning, when they were rationing those small amounts of food. and the discipline continues. they've divided themselves into three separate groups. they're receiving three hot meals a day at a point in time, and they make sure they sit down together and eat as a group. katie. >> couric: don't reporting

from chile tonight. seth, thank you so much. there was a security scare today at the airport in philadelphia. a bermuda-bound us airways flight was held at the dwaet after someone dressed as a bag annual handler was spotted standing by the plane. when he was challenged, he disappeared. he was never located but authorities determined there was no threat and the airbus 319 with 107 people on board was sent on its way. medevac helicopters are meant to save lives by getting the ill or injured to hospitals as quickly as possible, but all too often, flights are ending in deadly crashes. since 1992, 126 people have died in medevac chopper crashes, including 19 so far this year. so today mark strassmann reports the f.a.a. took action. >> reporter: chopper down, two months ago, this medevac night flight crashed in scott land, arkansas, killing all through crew members including paramedic gayla gregory. >> any time you fly, there's a

danger that, you know, you're going to crash. it had crossed her mind that it could happen any time. >> reporter: to save lives, medevac pilots routinely take risks, flying at night, in bad weather, and over unfamiliar terrain. just this summer, there have been four deadly air ambulance crashes nationwide. >> we're sending these pilots out on these dangerous missions without the necessary safety equipment to accomplish what we want them to do. >> reporter: so the f.a.a. is proposing mandatory safety upgrades, including stricter weather limitations for flying. a mandatory preflight evaluation-- are the risks too great? periodic safety retraining, and installation of an onboard system that tracks the terrain below. >> warning, terrain. >> reporter: like this system. it warns pilots they're in danger of flying into the ground. but right now, it's installed in only about 40% of america's medevacs. there are 400,000 of these

medevac flights every year, and the vast majority end safely. still, even some operators say these new proposed safety regulations don't go far enough. in the dallas-fort worth area, care flight transported 38,000 patients last year. its c.e.o. wants the f.a.a. to demand medevac pilot be flight instrument certified, like professional airline pilots. >> the industry overall has not been as safe as we believe it should have been. >> reporter: the goal of these new safety regulations, a life-saving flight for the patient and everyone aboard. mark strassmann, cbs news, dallas. >> couric: and still ahead here on the cbs evening news, strawberry fields now and forever-- john lennon's fans mark his 70th birthday. up next, american voices. what unemployed voters in the belle wherestate of ohio are saying about the economy, the president, and the direction of

the country.

>> couric: this is the year of the dissatisfied voter, unhappy with the way incumbents are doing their jobs and not crazy about the candidates running to replace them. in fact, in our cbs news poll, more than half of likely voters told us they wished there were other choices on the ballot. so why are voters so

dissatisfied, even angry this year? we went to ohio, a say the that often reflects the mood of the nation, to ask them and listen for our new series "american voices." ♪ this land is your land this land is my land ♪ . >> couric: two days before his election, barack obama delivered a message of hope to the working families of cleveland. >> we are two days away from bringing change to america. >> couric: today, the streets tell the story. the signs are all around-- hope is fading, frustration is growing. everyone is saying these upcoming midterm elections are about anger. are you angry? >> i don't know if angry is the write word, but concerned. a lot of promises by both sides, democrats, republicans, even the independents, are promising stuff that realistically,

they're not going to be able to come through with. >> couric: what. you, paul? >> i'm not so angry at the situation because these things happen. what i'm angry at, or upset about is that there's not an ability for people to cooperate and address the problems. >> couric: and the number one problem in ohio is jobs. nearly 600,000 of them have been lost here since 2000, and more than half of of those in the past two years. why do you think it's been so hard for you all to find a job? latisha, what is it? >> i remember getting a phone interview with one company, and they had they had hundred of applicants and they weeded down the hundreds to maybe the top 20. >> couric: it's a number's game, really, in a way. >> yeah. >> couric: are you nervous that you're just not going to be able to find something giwould say more than a little bit, yes, yes. i wish i prepared for retirement in a better way than i did.

but stuff happens, and you've got to move on. >> how many calls? >> couric: linda trausch had to move on after she was downsized out of her advertising agency. now she volunteers at a republican call center until she finds a job. what would you like to see the obama administration do, and can it do anything? >> i rail would rather have them not try and create jobs. i'd rather have them make a business-friendly environment. >> couric: we met at sliman's, a diner known for its corned beef and working class customers. so, freddie, how is business? >> business has been down since the whole economy, kind of, like, took a turn for the worse. >> couric: ohio has lost more than 100,000 manufacturing jobs since 2008. tim myers says thousands of those jobs witness overseas where labor is cheaper. >> there's no way you can compete with with that. i don't see a manufacturing

coming back, unless some things change. >> timothy a. my irdz. >> couric: so what changed is tim. he went back to school and recently graduated with a degree in nursing. 00 latisha already has a master's degree in journalism, but the only news she's getting is one rejection after another. >> i want a job, more jobs being created would be nice. i just think it takes time. >> couric: do you think this country is headed in the wrong direction, tim giwouldn't say the wrong direction. it's not headed in the right correction. it doesn't matter who has the majority or who has the minority, if the only answer that comes out of a democrat's or republicans mouth is no to everything, get rid of them. send them back home. >> couric: what about you, linda? >> i think it's the wrong direction right now. i mean, our jobless rate is high. our deficit and our debt is too high. i just don't think these policies are working. >> couric: many ohio ans

degree. just 32% believe president obama has made progress fixing the economy, and only 37% think he has a clear plan for creating jobs. at this table, not everyone agrees on how to make ohio better, but they do agree it will be. are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future? >> i think i'm optimistic. each of us has a responsibility to go out there and do the best we can do get a job, and i think it's our responsibility to make sure that the politicians do their job. >> definitely optimistic. more now than ever. i think our citizens are engaged. >> on balance, i'm optimistic. i think we've got a good country and ad any structure of government, and i think eventually, it will sort out. >> it's the optimism that keeps me going, that makes me want to get up and send out one more resume. at the end of the day, i will have to say they am optimistic ♪ this land's still made for yu

and me ♪ >> couric: if you'd like your voice to be heard this election season, you can go to cbsed news.com, and click on "american voices." still ahead, weighing the impact your weight can have on your wages.

>> couric: ladies, if you would like to see your pay scale go up, you may want to look down at your bathroom scale. a study out today says women who weigh 25 pounds less than

average earn about $15,000 a year more. those 25 pounds above average earn nearly 14,000 less. now, for men, salaries increase along with their waist size until they're obese. so much for the scales of justice. for years, tv and radio host lou dobbs has spoken out against illegal immigrants. it was reported that undocumented immigrants worked at his home and dobbs called the story a political assault and the reporter who wrote it admit that a contractor had hired the illegal workers not dobbs. in sweden seven men were convicted in connection with a daring bank heist. the robbers landed a helicopter on the roof, then used chainsaws and explosives to break into the bank. for a half hour, they methodically looted the vault, taking more than $5 million. they loaded it on to the

helicopter which you see on the upper right and then they took off. only a fraction of the money was recovered. coming up next, he challenged the world to give peace a chan chance. now his own family has found peace at last.

♪ imagine all the people ♪. >> couric: it's hard to imagine john lennon as a senior citizen, but had he lived, he would be turning 70 on saturday. would he still be relevant? consider this-- today, he has more than 600,000 fans on facebook. and as anthony mason reports, his music and his words live on. >> i don't think john will ever be gone. >> reporter: 30 years after john lennon's death... >> i think he is a really icon, an icon for peace. >> reporter: fans still flock to his memorial in central park. to mark lennon's 70th birthday, all of his solo albums have been remastered and rereleased. a new pbs documentary chronicles his years in new york. and a new film, "nowhere boy"

brings to life the young john lennon, paul mccartney, and the birth of the beatles. >> if we're going to do this we should write our own stuff. >> i write stuff. >> john and i, you have to say he was very special. >> reporter: as mccartney himself put it last year... >> we did have some kind of magic, but it's not really for me to say, but i just said it. >> reporter: but the most remarkable lennon event may have occurred last month. >> mom ams to come in and say hello. >> reporter: when his first wife, cynthia, and the woman he left her for, yoko ono, and their sons sean and julian made a rare appearance together in new york. at 47, julian is already seven years older than his father was when he died. >> i'm actually looking at my age and his age, going, geez, what happened? >> reporter: julian lennon lost his father, first when he left, and again when he died, much the way john lennon lost his mother as he says in the film "imagine." >> i lost her twice.

once as a five-year-old, and once again when i was reestablishing the relationship with her. >> reporter: she died when he was just 17. lennon left julian when he was just five. >> he died when you were 17. >> yup, scary that one. something i didn't want to repeat. that's why it was a conscious decision of mine not to have a family so early. i mean, believe me, that-- that was the reasoning behind it. >> reporter: so for john lennon, who only in his last years became a devoted family man... >> both of them are very talented sons. >> reporter: ...this may be the greatest tribute of all. >> who would have thought, eh? ♪ i love them all ♪. >> reporter: anthony mason, cbs news, new york. >> couric: and that is the cbs evening news for tonight. i'm katie couric. thank you for watching. good night.

i'm frank kratovil and i approve this message. the real andy harris. his past attacks have been called deceptive, his new attack, false.

harris voted for deregulation increasing our electric bills by 72% it's not surprising, harris always sides with the big guys. he opposes cracking down on wall street and supports tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. harris even opposed making big insurance cover cancer screenings. andy harris' extreme ideas will cost us. >> now, "entertainment tonight," the most watched intentertainme news magazine in the world. >> hulk hogan's son in tears. >> it's so hard for me to think about. i'm sorry. >> nick's first interview after leaving his best friend paralyzed. >> i don't know how to deal with it. >> what happened in solitary confinement. >> plus, a nasty divorce, a near suicide, the fall of the hogan