. >> couric: tonight, sarah palin. >> couric: tonight, sarah palin. can she see the white house from iowa? >> you betcha! >> couric: meanwhile, there are calls for a criminal investigation of another rising g.o.p. star. i'm katie couric. also tonight, ambush in afghanistan. american soldiers under fire. one is shot in the helmet and survives. a tree falls in brooklyn and more in queens, but was it a tornado that swept through new york city? and we'll end the week by spinning a few records and watching them go down. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone. we don't know if sarah palin intends to enter the presidential race. the only failed vice presidential candidate in modern times who ever went on to win the white house was franklin roosevelt. but the former governor of alaska is at the traditional starting line tonight-- iowa. and our latest cbs news/"new york times" poll, only 20% of americans overall have a favorable opinion of pal

i'm katie couric. also tonight, a life insurance giant profiting from the death benefits of fallen heroes. now it turns out the v.a. not only knew about it but agreed to it. the other oil spill. michigan homeowners say the owner of a ruptured pipeline deceived them into signing away their rights. and a photographer who won the trust of civil rights leaders is exposed as a paid f.b.i. informant. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone. for three american families there was joy mixed with heart break today. iran finally released sarah shourd, a native of los angeles, who had been held for more than a year on spy charges. she was freed for medical reasons after $500,000 in bail money was deposited in an iranian bank. it's not clear who paid. but iran continues to hold two of her friends, including her fiance. in a moment we'll hear from a family member. but first, elizabeth palmer on the l

. >> couric: i'm katie couric. also tonight, christine o'donnell has the g.o.p. establishment bothered and bewildered. >> i dabbleed into witchcraft... >> couric: but don't count her out. history shows tea party candidates can survive controversial statements. and the man upstairs sends steve hartman to south america to prove everybody in the world has a story. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone. this may come as a surprise to you, but the recession is officially over-- at least according to a panel of economists who make the call. they say the recession, this which began in december of 2007, ended last year in june. it lasted 18 months, making it the longest recession since the 1930s. but if it's over, a lot of americans aren't feeling it and, at a town meeting in pennsylvania today, a woman named velma hart let president obama know it. >> i'm one of your middle-class americans and, quite frankly, i'm exhausted. i'm exhausted of defending yo

. >> couric: good evening, everyone. six months after president obama signed health care reform into law, some of its key provisions kicked in today, changes that affect the 194 million americans who have private insurance and anyone planning to buy it. insurers can no longer deny children coverage for a preexisting condition. young adults can stay on their parents' policy until they turn 26. insurance companies can't cancel your policy if you get sick, no more lifetime caps on how much insurers will pay, and preventive care, such as cancer screenings, will be covered completely at no cost to you. wyatt andrews reports on the first phase of the most sweeping changes this country's health care system has ever seen. >> i can't stand up for any length of time. >> reporter: last year, as patricia reilling battled cancer in both of her breasts, her insurance company, anthem, canceled the health care policy she had held for 20 years. >> i had no notice. >> reporter: the cancellation ruined her financially and when her insuranc

. >> couric: running and gaining ground. >> linda! nice to meet you! >> couric: closing what was a 25-point gap in the polls last may to just a six-point spread today. >> we've always said that the polls would tighten and that it would be a tough, tight, competitive race. but we're going to be talking about my standing up for people, and doing it here and in washington. and i think that is what people will hear and ultimately carry the day. >> couric: and we will see in 47 days. weenlt. >> couric: a cartoonist from celtics has gone into hiding after getting death threats from islamic militants. it's all because of this, molly norris' idea for "everybody draw mohammed day." the satire was meant to support free speech. we blurred the drawing because some muslims have found it offensive. at the f.b.i.'s urging, norris has quit her job at a seattle newspaper and changed her name. it wasn't a drawing but a doctored photo that caught up with egypt's president. two weeks ago, hosni mubarak was at the middle east peace talks at the white house. later, egypt's

. >> couric: good evening, everyone. the world watched stunned as terrorists trained in pakistan attacked mumbai, india, nearly two years ago. they killed more than 170 people and wounded 300. now officials say terrorists tied to al qaeda have been planning new attacks just like it in europe, and some of the recent c.i.a. drone attacks in pakistan may have been launched to disrupt the plot. justice correspondent bob orr is following this still-developing story. bob, the details of the european plot are absolutely chilling. >> reporter: well, katie, yes, they are. u.s. and european officials say the plot called for a spectacular multipronged attack on numerous cities in great britain, france, denmark, and germany. teams of terrorists, trained by an al qaeda-linked group along the pakistan-afghan border, plan to carry out commando-style shooting sprees. patterned on the mumbai attacks of 2008. sources describe the plot as credible, but say it was discovered at an early stage and had not gone operational. still, terror expe

. >> couric: good evening, everyone. as rainstorms go, this one is huge, and it's heading up the east coast tonight. flood warnings and watches are posted from the carolinas to the canadian border, and the rainfall is setting records. while most places will see between two and six inches, some will get close to a foot. dean reynolds is in carolina beech, north carolina, tonight. dean, this storm is making it dangerous on the roads, and i know there's been one deadly crash already. >> reporter: sadly that's true, katie. the first fatalities from this storm that has been pounding east coast from here to maine. the victim's car ran off rain-slicked highway 64 over two hours east of raleigh where it plowed into a watery ditch, killing four members of a georgia family. the first fatalities from this enormous storm that roared up the eastern seaboard, surng roads into canals, ponds into lakeses, and front porches into docks. >> just keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't come in because when it decide to come in, there's no

. >> couric: good evening, everyone. devastating news about the economy tonight. a new report just out from the census bureau shows one out of seven people in this country is living in poverty. that's more than 43 million, an increase of nearly four million in just one year. and a record number of americans have just lost their homes to foreclosure, more than 95,000 homes were repossessed last month. but before you feel completely deflated by this latest news, anthony mason tells us there are at least some signs of a turnaround, at least on the home front. >> reporter: in los angeles, so many of the 27,000 foreclosed houses have fallen into disrepair. >> we felt we needed to do something about it. >> reporter: today the city raised fines on banks that don't keep up their properties. >> it's $1,000 per day, per violation. and they can take up to $100,000 per property. >> reporter: with more than five million people behind on their mortgage payments, bank repossessions have hit record levels. >> we're on a pace right now t

. >> couric: good evening, everyone. that gas explosion in san bruno, california, has drawn new attention to what some see as a hidden danger in this country-- underground pipelines. there are nearly 306,000 miles of them in the united states, bringing gas to 58 million homes. when one of those pipelines ruptured last thursday, 37 homes were wiped out and at least four people were killed. four others are still missing. tonight, investigators are trying to zero in on a cause while those who lost everything are trying to put their lives back together. from san bruno, here's john blackstone. >> reporter: a gas station surveillance video obtained by cbs news captures the moment of the explosion in san bruno. the fire erupting from the earth turned the suburban neighborhood into an inferno as residents ran for their lives. jacques chiramberro and his daughter anne marie escaped by climbing their back fence. >> while we were up on that fence the heat from the flames, the fence was hot, we got a little burned. but overall we're

. >> couric: good evening, everyone. we don't know if sarah palin intends to enter the presidential race. the only failed vice presidential candidate in modern times who ever went on to win the white house was franklin roosevelt. but the former governor of alaska is at the traditional starting line tonight-- iowa. and our latest cbs news/"new york times" poll only 20% of americans overall have a favorable opinion of palin. but 50% of republicans do. and those are the votes she would need for the nomination. dean reynolds is in des moines tonight. dean, the caucuses are 17 months away but iowa is already getting plenty of attention. >> reporter: very true, katie. there are some 50 news organizations and a thousand dinner guests here tonight in des moines, all of them drawn to this room by one person-- sarah palin. >> we can take it back! we can take back our country and we're gonna turn things around! >> reporter: for weeks, the former alaska governor has been promoting her political favorites and keeping herself at cente

katie. >> couric: jan crawford, jan, thank you. if you or someone you know has been bullied, cbsnews.com has a list of resources where you can get help. now turning to the economy. it's ironic that just as mortgage rate have fallen to the lowest level on record, more and more americans are losing their homes. foreclosures jumped nearly 5% from april to june this year. chase has become the second bank to announce a temporary moratorium on repossessing homes. and today bill whitaker tells us people from all over the country were trying to refinance at those lower rates. bill, they're hoping to save their homes. >> reporter: that's right, katie. thousands of people are here, some from as far away as new york and florida, seeking free help to modify their loans at lower rates, hoping to avoid foreclosure. >> good morning. >> reporter: some stood in line up to sick hours for the chance to get help to hold on to their homes. >> i have never missed a payment in six years, and i think they know that, but every year, my house payment has we

jim axelrod, cbs news, new york. >> couric: and that is the "cbs evening news." i'm katie couric. thank you for watching. >> now, "entertainment tonight," the most watched entertainment news magazine in the world. >> single sandra, with two nearly naked men. the exclusive new shot. sandra bullock partying with male go-go dancers. the story behind her wild night out. >> will sarah palin upstage daughter palin at dancing. the new pictures out at bristol at a club. will her mom see her dance to this classic hit? >> in tonight's celebrity

>> couric: tonight, two for tea. two party candidates score big upset victories in two key primary contests as they ride a wave of voter anger across america. i'm katie couric. also tonight, how angry are voters? our new poll finds a record number want to dump their representative in congress. in connecticut, on trial for a horrifying home invasion that led to a triple murder. >> we have a lady who is in our bank right now who says that her husband and children are being held at their house. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone, american voters are in one angry mood. it's evident at the polls and in the polls. look at this. a cbs news/"new york times" poll out tonight find a record 55% of american voters say it's time for their representative in congress to go. they don't like what the incumbents are doing. 58% disapprove of the democrats, 68% disapprove of the republicans. nearly three out of four

. >> couric: good evening, everyone. this is a special broadcast tonight with fewer commercials and more news. and we begin with an issue that has divided this country for years: should gays be allowed to serve openly in the military? since 1993, "don't ask, don't tell" has been the law, but activists have argued it's not good enough. and congressional democrats saw an opportunity to repeal it and provide full rights to gay and lesbian service members. but today, supporters of that repeal fell four votes short of stopping a republican filibuster so as david martin reports, "don't ask, don't tell" lives on. >> reporter: it was an arcane procedural vote. >> the motion is not agreed to. >> reporter: but its significance was crystal clear to david hall, who was kicked out of air force r.o.t.c. for homosexuality. >> i was very disappointed in the results of the vote that happened in the senate today. >> reporter: hall watched from the gallery as president obama's effort to repeal the law which prevents gays from serving openl

. >> couric: i'm katie couric. also tonight, land of lakes. flooding in the upper midwest forces hundreds out of their homes. a bizarre bank robbery in florida. thieves turn a teller into what appeared to be a human bomb. and colbert tries to develop a rapport with congress. >> i'm not a fan of the government doing anything, but i've got to ask, why isn't the government doing anything? captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone. the gathering of world leaders at the united nations here in new york this week has not done much to improve relations between the united states and iran. in fact, president mahmoud ahmadinejad strained them even further when he said most of the world believes the u.s. government orchestrated the 9/11 attacks to benefit israel. today, president obama responded. chief white house correspondent chip reid is here covering the united nations meeting. chip? >> reporter: well, katie, today president obama came o

>> couric: good evening, everyone. for three american families there was joy mixed with heart break today. iran finally released sarah shourd, a native of los angeles, who had been held for more than a year on spy charges. she was freed for medical reasons after $500,000 in bail money was deposited in an iranian bank. it's not clear who paid. but iran continues to hold two of her friends, including her fiance. in a moment we'll hear from a family member. but first, elizabeth palmer on the latest turn in this long-running drama. >> reporter: free at last. after 410 days of imprisonment, sarah shourd arrived in the gulf state of oman, safely back in the arms of her mother. in iran just hours before, shourd had left prison with a police escort to face one last hurdle before her flight out. staying on message with the local media. >> i especially and particularly want to address president ahmadinejad and all of the iranian officials, the religious leaders and thank them for this humanitarian gesture. >> reporter: then a bi

. >> couric: good evening, everyone. before this week, most people had never heard of pastor terry jones. he runs a small evangelical christian church in gainesville, florida, with just 50 members. but jones has single-handedly caused an international uproar with his plan to mark the ninth anniversary of the september 11 attacks this saturday by burning copies of the koran, the muslim holy book. today the white house denounced his plan, as did the veterans of foreign wars and an interfaith group. and it touched off an angry anti-american protest in kabul, the afghan capital. general david petraeus, who commands u.s. forces in afghanistan, told the "wall street journal" burning the koran could endanger troops and the overall effort. kelly cobiella is in gainesville tonight. kelly, so far the pastor is refusing to change his plans. >> reporter: he's absolutely sticking with this right now, katie. kerry jones says he's not doing this as a publicity stunt. he says he feels a real religious calling and he refuses to back down

>> couric: elaine quijano. elaine, thank you. in other news, long-time nbc news correspondent edwin newman has died. in more than 30 years at the network as a reporter, anchor, and moderator of "meet the press," newman covered every major story of his era, including the assassination of president kennedy. >> the president was shot and wounded in the left side of his chest. >> reporter: newman was a stickler for good writing. he hated cliches and misuse of the english language. don't dare use hopefully as an adverb. a sign in his office read "abandon hopefully all ye who enter here." edwin newman was 91. ferent -- it's calcium citrate, so it can be absorbed with or without food. citracal. fortunately, there's new crest pro-health clinical gum protection toothpaste. it helps remove plaque at the gumline, helping prevent gingivitis. and it's even been clinically proven to help reverse it in just four weeks. new crest pro-health clinical toothpaste. how new is the new edge with myford touch? well you could never do this before. or th

rector >> couric: >> couric: tonight, despite condemnation from the vatican and a personal plea from muslims, that christian minister in florida is going ahead with plans to burn copies of the koran. i'm katie couric. also tonight, its oil spread through the gulf. now b.p. is spreading the blame in a report on what caused the disaster. the grizzlies of yellowstone. they may be cute, but they're also hungry and dangerous. ♪ goes to show you never can tell... ♪ >> couric: what are women looking for in a dance partner? what arthur murray never told us. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone. he's heard the complaints, the outrage in church groups, the military, even world leaders. but today florida pastor terry jones insisted he will go ahead with plans to burn copies of the koran on saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. in response, the state department ordered u.s. around the world to assess their security and brace for possible protests. gen

. >> couric: what is your most profound hope? >> my hope is a cure katie reports a cure could soon be within reach thanks to stan up 2 cancer and its dream team of researchers. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> smith: good evening. katie will be along later in the broadcast. we begin with a stunning development in the story that has ignited a firestorm of controversy all over the world. late today, the florida minister who promised to burn copies of the koran on the anniversary of 9/11 said he was canceling the event. pastor terry jones said it's part of an agreement to move a planned islamic cultural center away from ground zero. though the center's imam tonight insisted there is no such deal and he says he's never even spoken to jones. the pastor's decision followed an appeal from president obama and a personal phone call from defense secretary robert gates. all of this as the state department has issued a warning to americans traveling

campbell's.® it's amazing >> couric: the f.b.i. says a lebanese man living in chicago was ready to blow up a strip of nightclubs near wrigley field last night and went so far as to place a rigged backpack in a a trash can. what he didn't know was that the bomb was a fake and the people who supplied it undercover agents. 22-year-old sam sami sam mir han was charged with attempted use of a weapons of mass destruction. police believe he acted alone. traffic deaths have fall on the their lowest level since 1950 but distracted driving means a huge safety risk. today the government said more than 5,400 people died last year in distracted driving accidents. half a million others were injured. nearly a thousand of the fatal crashes involved cell phones and about four in ten involved drivers under the age of 30. in southern brazil, a sunday car race turned into a disaster for spectators, hundreds of fans had jammed the stands when they suddenly gave way. more than 100 people were injured, 22 of them critically. brazilian authorities believe

>> couric: bill whitaker. bill, thanks very much. turning to campaign 2010, it's seven weeks until those midterm elections with control of congress at stake. and in the days and weeks ahead, we'll be keeping tabs on the critical contest that will decide it all. in the house, the republicans need a net gain of 39 to take back control and an analysis by our cbs news election team concludes they have an even or better chance of taking 66 of the seats now held by democrats. it's a lot more difficult but still possible for republicans to take back the senate. the g.o.p. needs a net pickup of ten and 13 now held by democrats are, in fact, in play. the republicans are likely to take at least one of them and have an even chance or better at nine others. it's doable but it's a long shot. for our cbs news race-by-race analysis of who's ahead in the critical contest, you can go to cbsnews.com. now to the money of politics. one of the tea party organizations, the tea party patriots, said today it just got one million dollars from an anonymous do

. >> couric: bob orr reporting from washington. bob, thank you. the man who tried unsuccessfully to set off a car bomb in times square back in may also received his training in pakistan. faisel shahzad will be sentenced here in new york next week. meantime, prosecutors today released a tape of a simulation they say shows that if the bomb had gone off, the results would have been devastating. here's national correspondent jeff glor. >> reporter: the just-released material include the government's most damaging information against faisel shahzad, including this detonation video. that's what investigators say would have happened if shahzad's bomb went off in new york city this past may. he says he wanted to kill at least 40 people, and he confessed to investigators he was planning a second bombing in the city only two weeks later. he never got there. arrested only three days after his crude car bomb fizzled in times square. >> it is probably more than this to life. >> reporter: also included in evidence this chilling video of a calm, determined shahz

. >> couric: tonight, losing ground. the dramatic impact of the recession, americans making less than a decade ago, living in homes that have fallen in value. i'm katie couric. also tonight, can president obama recapture the magic? in 2008 he inspired the young to vote in droves. can he get them back to the polls in november? and faith and knowledge in this one nation under god, many americans know surprisingly little about religion. >> we're a nation of religious illiterates. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone. the recession may be officially over, but it has left the confidence of americans badly shaken. and numbers just out from the government today show why. since the recession began, household incomes have fallen nearly 3% to just over $50,000. adjusting for inflation, americans are making $4,000 less than they were a decade ago. and their biggest investment, their home, has lost nearly 6% of it

. >> couric: good evening, everyone. the recession may be officially over, but it has left the confidence of americans badly shaken. and numbers just out from the government today show why. since the recession began, household incomes have fallen nearly 3% to just over $50,000. adjusting to inflation, americans are making $4,000 less than they were a decade ago. and their biggest investment, their home, has lost nearly 6% of its value. the recession has not only affected our wallets but our hearts. young people are putting off marriage. over a three-year period, the number of americans under 35 who were married fell 3%. but behind all these numbers are real people with real stories. here's our senior business correspondent anthony mason. >> you know, unless it was an air bubble.... >> reporter: in south salem, new york, 53-year-old chuck tater has been working overtime at the garage he owns but still earning less money. >> between shop work, answering the phone and, you know, answering tech questions on the internet, i p

>> couric: mark strassmann in atlanta. mark, thanks so much. sure air travelers may have plenty to gripe about, but passengers aboard a delta flight over the weekend had only praise for the crew after an emergency landing here in new york city. national correspondent jim axelrod has their stories and their incredible video. >> heads down! stay down! >> reporter: other a steady drum beat of a attendant's warning, delta connection flight 4951 came in for a crash landing. >> brace for impact. >> reporter: the plane took off from atlanta with 60 passengers and four crew members headed for white plains, new york. when the right landing gear wouldn't deploy, the plane was diverted to a longer runway at j.f.k. >> reporter: this man captured his video on his phone from his seat, 18b. >> there's an eerie silence, there's people praying around you. we were just bracing for the worst. >> stay down! >> reporter: the pilot, 55-year-old jack conroyd dipped the right wing down, shooting off sparks for 20 petrifying seconds. everyone was safe. today as mother

. >> couric: good evening, each. the future of the country will soon be in their hands but america's school children are not keeping up with the competition from overseas. today president obama said one answer is more school. he wants to extend the school year by as much as a month. the president also said he knows firsthand the challenges many schools are facing, including right in the nation's capital. here's our chief white house correspondent chip reid. >> reporter: president obama's daughters, seventh grader malia, and fourth grader sasha go to an elite private school where tuition is more than $30,000 a year. today, the president, a strong proponent of public schools, was asked if he thought his daughters would get the same high quality education in a d.c. public school. >> i'll be blunt with you. the answer is no right now. the d.c. public school systems are struggling. >> reporter: the president said it's not just the d.c. schools. across the nation public schools are falling behind. he called for more money

as you'll see it's he's not the least bit shy about telling katie couric all about it. >> couric: he's back in all his glory. >> why don't you start calling me gordon. >> reporter: gordon gekko and the man who helped create him. has gordon gekko gone all soft on us? >> soft, no. but he's got a heart. he's not soft. he's a tough guy. >> reporter: is there a little oliver stone in gordon gekko? >> sure there is, of course. >> reporter: a walk back down wall street with oliver stone later on sunday morning. >> osgood: don't try this at home is more than just a warning. when you attend the sort of event our bill geist just survived. >> reporter: now you might think saturday night in omaha sounds a little dull. but when they start lighting the roler derby girls on fire, you'll think again. one reason saturday night was an absolute blast. you'll see for yourselves later on sunday morning. >> osgood: we'll also remember simon and gar garfunkel's big concert in the park. hear from the man who reorganized the auto industry, consider what's in a name with the fast draw and more. but first here a

. >> couric: i'm katie couric. who is in charge of food safety in this country? when it comes to pizza, can you believe it? it depends on the topic. just as health care reform is about to kick in, insurers find a huge loophole that could affect hundreds of thousands of children. and the battle inside the white house over the war in afghanistan. revelations from a new book. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone. the average american eats 250 eggs a year and there are a few things we look for when we buy them. we check the date on 2 car t carton and open it up to see if any of the eggs are cracked. but the real problem is what we can't see. a problem main painfully clear when two iowa farms recalled half a billion eggs last month after they were linked to a salmonella outbreak that made about 1,600 people sick. today the owners of those farms were called to capitol hill to explain some frankly disgusting safety violations. here's congressional cor

katie. >> couric: nancy cordes, nancy, thanks very much. john dickerson is the cbs news political analyst. john, some people believe the contact with america helped get republicans elect back in '94. will resurrecting this kind of platform do you think help or hurt them this time because i know they're debating that, even within the party. >> reporter: that's right, katie. the challenge is to be specific enough to answer that question, "what are you going to do, republicans, if you take control on the key question of jobs and the economy?" but not be too specific that you open yourself to attacks from democrats. democrats think republicans have given them all they need when democratic officials said now we have a chance to compare two visions, and what republicans believe is now all down on paper. >> couric: all right, john dickerson, john, thank you. with their pledge to america, the republicans contend that extending all the bush tax cuts would put more spending money in people's pockets and help jump start the economy. so what's wrong wi

. >> couric: tonight, scenes from a nightmare. an entire neighborhood near san francisco explodes in flames after a natural gas pipeline breaks. now rescue teams search the rubble for victims. i'm katie couric in los angeles. also tonight, it just keeps getting stranger. that pastor threatening to burn korans makes an ultimatum and now his daughter says she fears he's gone mad. changing the way cancer cells behave. a revolution in the fight against this deadly disease. and you can make a difference in the battle. join us tonight as we stand up to cancer. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric reporting tonight from los angeles. >> couric: good evening, everyone. we're here at the sony studios for tonight's special stand up to cancer program. we'll have more about that later. but first, our top story. a deadly disaster that wiped out an entire neighborhood here in california. it was just before 6:30 last evening people in the city of san bruno were just sitting down to dinner. then suddenly, wi

>> couric: david martin at the pentagon. david, thanks very much. 41 days now till the mid-material elections and we want to take a look at some of the critical contests in the battle for control of the senate, races in which the tea party movement could have a big impact. seven candidates backeded be by the tea party won the republican nominations and a cbs news election team analysis finds most of them have an even or better chance of winning in november. the nominees in alaska and utah are likely to keep the seats republican. rand paul has the edge in kentucky. it's a tossup in colorado, florida, and nevada. and right now, christine o'donnell is the underdog in a race that is still competitive in delaware. here in new york, the tea party helped political novice carl paladino win the republican nomination for governor and now it's put him within striking distance of democrat andrew cuomo. in a new poll out today, paladino trails cuomo among likely voters by just six points. and tea partiers pick paladino over cuomo 4-1. no

indeed. >> couric: jeff greenfield, as always, thanks so much. in other news, a chilling flashback at the university of texas near the scene of one of this country's worst shooting rampages. a 19-year-old sophomore opened fire today with an a.k.-47 in front of the u.t. tower. at least six shots were fired but no one was hit. the gunman then ran into a library and took his own life. the police would not speculate on a possible motive. in 1966, a u.t. student fired shot after shot from the top of that tower. 16 people were killed and three dozen others wounded before police killed the shooter. now turning to the war in afghanistan. u.s. forces have dramatically escalated their attacks just over the board interpakistan which has been a safe haven for al qaeda and the taliban. today a c.i.a. missile reportedly killed four militants in south waziristan, that makes at least the 21 drone attacks this month a record. for american troops, the threat from pakistan is a constant one. chief foreign affairs correspondent lara logan on assignment for "60 minut

>> couric: chip reid, chip, thanks very much. a very strange story in south florida today. a bank robbery morphed into a hostage drama involving what may have been a human bomb. as it all played out near the university of miami, highways were shut down, schools locked down and kelly cobiella reports even now the police are not completely sure what happened. >> reporter: for four hours, swat teams had the coral gables bank of america surrounded. inside, reports of a bank teller with a bomb strapped to his chest. police believed he was the loan hostage in a bizarre robbery. >> this is very upsetting to me. this just doesn't happen in our neighborhood. >> reporter: yet there was no shootout or explosion. the standoff ended with a supposed hostage being led out of the bank in handcuffs. 25-year-old bank teller diego uscamayta. >> we were able to secure the bank, secure the safety of the individual, and be able to deactivate the device. >> reporter: the bank teller claims the robbery plot actually began here at his apartment the night before. he claims three armed men wearing ma

. >> couric: good evening, everyone. devastating news about the economy tonight. a new report just out from the census bureau shows one out of seven people in this country is living in poverty.

i'm exhausted of defending you. >> couric: i'm katie couric. also tonight, christine o'donnell has the g.o.p. establishment bothered and bewildered. >> i dabbleed into witchcraft... >> couric: but don't count her out. history shows tea party candidates can survive controversial statements. and the man upstairs sends steve hartman to south america to prove everybody in the world has a story. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone. this may come as a surprise to you, but the recession is officially over-- at least according to a panel of economists who make the call. they say the recession, this which began in december of 2007, ended last year in june. it lasted 18 months, making it the longest recession since the

. >> couric: good evening, each. the future of the country will soon be in their hands but america's school children are not keeping up with the competition from overseas. today president obama said one answer is more school. he wants to extend the school

. >> couric: good evening, everyone. the world watched stunned as terrorists trained in pakistan attacked mumbai, india, nearly two years ago. they killed more than 170 people and wounded 300.

katie couric. also tonight, land of lakes. flooding in the upper midwest forces hundreds out of their homes. a bizarre bank robbery in florida. thieves turn a teller into what appeared to be a human bomb. and colbert tries to develop a rapport with congress. >> i'm not a fan of the government doing anything, but i've got to ask, why isn't the government doing anything? captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> couric: good evening, everyone. the gathering of world leaders at the united nations here in new york this week has not done much to improve relations between the united states and iran. in fact,

. >> couric: good evening, everyone. as rainstorms go, this one is huge, and it's heading up the east coast tonight. flood warnings and watches are posted from the carolinas to the canadian border, and the rainfall is setting records. while most places will see