this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> hill: good evening, scott will join us from afghanistan in just a moment. but we begin with campaign 2012 and a big shift in the republican presidential race. a cbs news poll out tonight shows mitt romney and herman cain are tied for the lead favored by 17% of republican primary voters. rick perry, as you can see, has slipped to third place. and it's beginning to look like the g.o.p. field may be set-- especially after new jersey governor chris christie's announcement today that he is not running. here's political correspondent jan crawford. >> new jersey, whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me. i with his signature straight talk, new jersey governor chris christie crushing the hopes of some republicans said today he will focus on his state, not a presidential campaign. >> now is not my time. i have a commitment to new jersey that i simply will not abandon. >> reporter: for months, christie's answer had been the same. >> i'm not going to be the republican candidate for president or vice president in 2012. >> you know, there's no chance. >> no chance, no way, no how. the door is closed. >> reporter: but with some in the republican establishment unhappy with the g.o.p. field, big-time donors urged christie to reconsider and he did. it became an all out media frenzy after his speech last week at the reagan library. >> we need you. your country needs you. (cheers and applause). >> reporter: christie said today he was thinking about running when he gave the speech. he'd already heard from so many others. >> it's been unbelievably humbling and inspiring. >> reporter: but with only three months left before primary voting begins, time was running out for christie to launch a campaign. even if the establishment was behind him, today a cbs news poll showed 63% of republican voters either hadn't heard enough about him or were undecided. in his trademark style during a 50-minute press conference, christie took on skeptics who were raising questions about his record and experience. >> that's when i knew that i could actually win. (laughter) when they started when... when all these people started shooting at me before i got in the race. >> reporter: and he had this to say to comedians who made fun of his weight. it's not a news flash to me that i'm overweight. >> reporter: even as he said he was obligated to finish his term as governor, he left open the door for 2016. >> i have interest in being employed in the future and i'm not going to preclude any employment in the future. >> reporter: now, christie's announcement means that current republican field is pretty well set. there's really only one other candidate who could jump in this late, erica, and that's former alaska governor sarah palin. >> hill: when you look at that field, though, what are folks saying? who could most benefit from christie's decision not to run? >> reporter: oh, it's clear: mitt romney really benefits from this. he and christie would have been going head to head for the same mainstream republican voters and some of the same donors. in fact, erica, cbs news confirmed that the big-time money man who'd been pushing christie to run-- he's the cofounder of home depot-- this afternoon he's decided to throw his support and his dollars to romney. >> hill: jan crawford for us tonight. jan, thanks. new warning today from america's top banker. the economic recovery is in jeopardy. the assessment rattled wall street and for a time today the s&p 500 was down 20% from its most recent high in april. a loss which is the definition of a bear market. senior business correspondent anthony mason is on the floor of the new york stock exchange tonight. anthony? >> reporter: erica, it took a last-minerally to pull the market out of bear territory as the dow staged a near 400-point turnaround on another nervous day. as the markets were whipsawed again, fed chairman ben bernanke offered a shaky prognosis on the economy. >> the recovery is close to faltering. we need to make sure the recovery continues and doesn't drop back and that the unemployment rate continues to fall downward. >> reporter: bernanke said the fed was ready to step in to support the recovery, but one leading economist says it's already too late. you believe a recession is inevitable? >> yes, i believe a recession is inevitable. >> reporter: lakshman achuthan heads the economic cycle research institute. >> about a dozen leading indexes for the u.s. economy have all turned down in a way that we only see in front of a recession. >> reporter: achuthan's forecast is notable because his firm correctly called the last three recessions. are we going to end up with double-digit unemployment again? >> i wouldn't be surprised at all if we go back into double-digit unemployment. >> reporter: the fed and many other economists see slow growth ahead, not a recession. but bernanke says congress must confront the soaring debt now. >> the nation faces difficult and fundamental fiscal choices which cannot be safely or responsibly postponed. >> reporter: now, the market staged its rebound after news broke that europe may be moving to shore up its banking system, but it's still very fragile down here on wall street. one silver lining? concerns about a global recession sent oil prices plunging to $75 a barrel. we haven't seen that level in a year. erica? >> hill: we'll take any silver lining we can get. anthony, thanks. let's go now to scott pelley in afghanistan. >> pelley: good evening. from forward operating base pasab in southern afghanistan, we're reporting from here because this week marks the 10th anniversary of the war. in a cbs news poll, we asked americans if the war has made the u.s. safer from terrorism. 47% said yes. 40% said it had no impact. 90,000 american troops are now fighting in afghanistan. this base is the home to the third infantry brigade combat team, part of the 10th mountain division which is based at fort drum, new york. the 3rd brigade is occupying ground that no american soldier has occupied before. the brigade is taking america's counterinsurgency strategy through the taliban heart land village by village, often striking at night to surprise the enemy. this is an american helicopter loaded with troops of the 44 cavalry. they're headed to a town that they've tried to take before but the last time they tried to reach it on land they lost a man. major johnny casiano leads his team into town at daybreak. the mission was to clear the enemy and make the first contact with the village eders. first, casiano's men set up a defensive position in a home and courtyard. it turned out to be the best decision of the day. (bleep) cbs news producer randall joyce... >> incoming! >> pelley: ... reported what happened next. the enemy started lobbing grenades into the courtyard. two soldiers were wounded immediately. in the moment that those rounds exploded in the courtyard, what are you trying to sort out? >> first and foremost where it's coming from. and immediately following that, is everybody okay. >> reporter: that's johnny casiano organizing the return fire. >> you can't do anything without security so you have to initiate overwhelming fire security or maintain security. that's the only way you're going to be able to treat the casualties, get the casualties out there, and allow for that medevac helicopter to come in. >> that guy's hit! >> reporter: one afghan soldier was hit and so was specialist craig pruden. pruden had already been recommended for a silver star for valor in a previous fight. the soldiers were medevaced out. the afghan had a severe injury but pruden is expected to return to his unit in just a matter of days. for major casiano, the fight was just the beginning of the day. a very short time later, you're sitting down with the village elder. >> it's a switch that you have to be able to flip. it's a fine balance between showing the appropriate amount of compassion for those who deserve it as well as the appropriate amount of aggression for those also who deserve it. >> pelley: casiano tried to convince the villagers to come to a meeting of afghans and americans a few days from now. the strategy is to clear the village, hold it, and build it. what the army calls coin, short for counterinsurgency. >> they had some land differences, concerns about who owned what pieces of land. they were not getting the water they needed, both for their livestock as well as their cro crops. >> pelley: you had to shoot your way in to find out what their needs were? >> we did. we did. and that's coin. >> pelley: after nearly 48 hours in the village, casiano led his men out the way they came in: under cover of darkness. he used a beacon only that can be seen with night vision equipment to show the helicopters where to land. we'll have more from afghanistan later in the broadcast, but first, let's go back to erica hill in new york with more of the day's news. >> hill: scott, thanks. here in new york city, a massive rescue effort this afternoon when a helicopter crashed moments after takeoff. it went down in the east river just south of the united nations. one person was killed, four others were pulled to safety. michelle miller has the story. >> reporter: it was 3:22 this afternoon when the dramatic scene unfolded on new york's east river. two passengers were seen clutching the landing gear of the up ended chopper as it rapidly sank into the murky water. here you can see the pilot in his suit swimming towards shore. >> look at how intense that rescue is. >> reporter: within minutes, nearby boats moved if for rescue and new york police department divers were in the water. >> i didn't see any sign of the helicopter at all. it completely was in the water, no sign, no tail sticking up. >> reporter: authorities say after the bell 206 chopper took off it had some type of trouble and was apparently trying to turn around and land at a heliport just off the river at 34th street in midtown manhattan. police tell us five people were on board-- a pilot and four tourists. the pilot and three passengers were brought to shore as divers searched for a fifth passenger, a woman. about an hour later, she was found dead. >> me and my partner detective feign went down, removed the one female victim from inside the helicopter and brought her to the surface in about 40 feet of water. >> reporter: the chopper is registered to paul dudley a pie lo who in 2006 landed a cessna plane in a brooklyn park near new york harbor. all four survivor are in local hospitals, two are in critical condition, the other two are in serious condition. doctors say they should all survive. >> hill: michelle miller tonight. michelle, thanks. this is homecoming night for amanda knox after nearly four years in an italian prison. the battle for life in afghanistan starts in the maternity ward. and a new airport express line lets some travelers breeze through security. when the cbs news continues. 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[ female announcer ] something unexpected to the world of multigrain... taste. ♪ delicious pringles multigrain. with a variety of flavors, multigrain pops with pringles. >> hill: amanda knox is flying home to seattle tonight. she boarded a flight in rome with her family this morning, changes planes in london. knox spent nearly four years behind bars in italy for the brutal murder of her roommate. that conviction was overturned late yesterday and she was released. by now you probably know the drill at airports when it comes to security: shoes and belts off, pockets empty. those three-ounce liquids in a separate bag. not to mention the wait time. the routine, though, is changing for some travelers, anyway. today the t.s.a. began testing a new program allowing prescreened passengers to speed through security at four airports: atlanta, miami, detroit, and dallas/fort worth. mark strassmann checked it out. >> reporter: at mid-morning, atlanta's airport-- the nation's busiest-- was a security bottleneck. >> you get the good line today. >> reporter: but one line breezed through in seconds. you. >> you'll notice that today he's not having to take out his computer. he's able to leave his shoes on. >> reporter: chris mclaughlin heads security for the t.s.a. and precheck, its new test program. delta and american airlines have invited selected frequent flyers to share personal information such as home address and contact info. in return, the t.s.a. let them walk through security without removing anything. as people in neighboring lines struggled to untie their laces. >> we truly are moving away from a one size fits all approach to security to a risk-based intelligence driven approach. >> reporter: which means the the east say is moving away from screening everyone the same way. it's putting more scrutiny on high-risk travelers, those showing suspicious behavior or with a criminal history. that should speed things along for low-risk frequent flyers like john pait. >> i'm in shock. >> reporter: what's the part you hated the most? >> i think taking the coat off, shoes off, laptop out is just five or six steps, you know? and this is like that. >> reporter: in two months, the t.s.a. could expand the program nationwide as more airlines invite their frequent flyers to join the sprint through security. but even for fliers in this program, there's no guarantee of expedited security. in a post-9/11 world, keeping it unpredictable is the lifeblood of airport security. mark strassmann, cbs news, atlanta. >> hill: a government study tonight says drunk driving fell 30% from 2006 to 2010 to the lowest level in two decades. certainly good news there. there is, though, this sobering statistic as well. the centers for disease control estimates americans got behind the wheel while drunk at least 112 million times last year. a new phone that listens, responds, and even dispenses advice when we return. and 800 iu of vitamin d plus minerals. women need caltrate. caltrate helps women keep moving because women move the world. the best in nutrition... just got better. high in vitamins d, e, and b12. plus omega 3's. there's one important ingredient that hasn't changed: better taste. better taste. yum! 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(laughter). >> reporter: but could it understand my questions? >> can you help me with italian restaurants? >> i found 13 italian restaurants. 11 of them are fairly close to you. >> reporter: lunch was no problem, but a plane reservation what's the next flight from san francisco to new york? (. >> i can't help you with flights. sorry. >> reporter: then there's the really big question. have you figured out the meaning of life? >> try and be nice to people. avoid eating fat. read a good book every now and then. >> reporter: of course, the big question for apple apple: wl this be enough to help the iphone in the heated competition with smart phones running google's android system? android phones... now, no single android phone comes close to outselling the iphone, but in total android phones have more than 40% of the smart phone market, the iphone has about 27%. >> hill: john blackstone for us. john, thanks. officials at washington, d.c.'s national cathedral said today it will cost $15 million to repair the damage from last month's earthquake. the quake knocked loose dozens odozensof stones and toppled dee pieces from the structure. cathedral officials say it will not reopen until mid-november and repairs could take a decade to complete. that's it from new york tonight. i'm erica hill. in just a moment, scott will be back from afghanistan where the struggle for survival begins at birth. campbell's microwavable soups, right where you work. in three minutes, the deliciousness that brings a smile to any monday. and soup has what you need at work, to work. make any place, your happy place. ♪ campbell's -- it's amazing what soup can do. confidence, with depend in color. now available in gray. looks and fits like underwear. same great protection. depend. good morning. great day. if you have painful, swollen joints, i've been in your shoes. one day i'm on p of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. 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"my sister-in-law died in childbirth, there was no doctor" says fatima. "that's why i want to help people in my community." but it's theap often arrives too late. this young girl went into labor with twins but didn't get to the hospital until n time. it's her second pregnancy to end this way. "i lost my babies" she says. "but if i didn't come here i would have lost my life as well. " here, though, even successful outcome are tenuous. remember the birth we witnessed? afterward, the infant was wrapped in the only clothes available-- soiled and dirty-- putting her at great risk of infection. her future is as uncertain as her country's. mandy clark, cbs news, badahkshan, afghanistan. >> pelley: and that's the "cbs evening news" for tonight. we'd like to thank the 3rd infantry brigade combat team for their hospitality and for our team in afghanistan and all of us at cbs news all around the world, good night. captioning sponsored by cbs this is 9news now. metro is working on a disturbing mystery tonight. why was a mentally disabled man taken on what appears to have been a four hour ride to nowhere by a cab driver working for metro access? the man's family feared their son was being kid napped or abused. he contacted 9news now with his story and scott broom spent all day investigating what happened. >> rory doyle's family never would have known what happened to him if it wasn't for gps tracking system. bernie dial has it all on his lapt