we begin from drought stricken texas where people have died as a result the wildfires. a 20-year-old woman and her 18-month-old daughter were killed when flames took their mobile home. one is now threatening 1,000 homes. central texas dealing with the worst fire season ever. a record 3 1/2 million acres have burned. tropical depression lee has gotten weaker, but it is unloading lots of rain as it marches north from the gulf. louisiana and mississippi have seen flooding and power outages already. there was a lot of concern about new orleans. but the mayor says the city is okay. even though we've got nearly a foot of rain. some people in south alabama believe the storm sent them a tornado. >> i didn't hear it. all i heard ws wind. if it was wind, it was a held of a wind. >> the lights went out, they came back on and then everything opened up. it was like a machine gun going off. >> lee's leftovers could dump more rain on upstate new york, new jersey and vermont. the last places that need more rain, right? because of irene. let's check on lee's track with rob marciano. not more rain. >> the people that are getting the rain are the one that is don't need it. lee not exactly helping things in texas. not only not giving rain but adding to the wind. this very strong front for for this time of year will interact and cause issues. here's the radar. rain and radar indicated tornadoes in some spots across the florida panhandle. southern mississippi and southern alabama as well. we're starting to get drier air wrapped into this. that will limit the amount of convection. mississippi seeing a decent amount of rainfall at the moment. here it is on the satellite picture. there you see the bone dry texas air wrapping its way into what is left of tropical storm lee. now a tropical depression. there's the movement expected to move to the north and east as it interacts with this cold front. as it does so, it will continue to be windy across the east side of the state. rains will increase across the tennessee valley from chattanooga to knoxville. it does stretch up into the northeast going through time. could see a couple of inches in the next two days and then maybe a little bit more after that. hurricane katia, northwesterly moving at 11 miles per hour. 100 miles per hour wind now. finally getting organized the way we thought it would be. maybe a major hurricane. there's your forecast track, carol. much, feeling much better about katia this morning than i did this time on friday. that's good news. looks like it will turn away from the u.s. we'll watch the remnants of lee moving towards the east coast. >> that's celebratory news. thank you very much, rob marciano. we'll talk about lee and katia. let's talk about irene. it's gone. but of course, it's left deep scars. president obama offering government help to the people whose homes or businesses were flooded out. he visited northern new jersey for a firsthand at what people were dealing with there. this is where the passaic river spilled out of its banks and caused very much damage. >> the entire country is behind you. we are going to make sure that we provide all the resources that are necessary in order to help these communities rebuild. >> flood warnings were still in effect for parts of passaic and compton rivers. now some news not about weather. check out these pictures. mitt romney is speaking to the tea party. he hasn't spent much time courting the tea party but last night he spoke at a rally in concord, new hampshire. he said yes, he can fix the economy. >> we have zero confidence, zero faith in a president who created zero jobs. it's time for someone who knows how to create jobs and get our economy going and that's something i know. that's in my wheelhouse. i'll get america working again. >> another tea party group protested romney's appearance. they said it was a photo-op. romney will be in south carolina today. senator jim demint is hosting a forum. demint is the champion on capitol hill. he told us that the movement is misunderstood. >> there's no the tea party. i mean, a lot of obama and a lot of the democrats, folks in the media kr have tried to speak of the tea party in derogatory terms and suggest that it's a small right wing group. but over 70% of americans think we need to balance our budget and stop adding to the debt. that's pretty much what the tea party is. >> in libya right now, rebel forces are surrounding one of moammar gadhafi's last strongholds. the rebels extended the deadline for gadhafi's forces to surrender until saturday. but they could storm this city at any time now because negotiations for a cease-fire fell apart. they may use small planes to -- they don't have specific information about clocks. but they have state and local law enforcement to be aware and vigilant given the ten-year anniversary of 9/11 is next sunday. the department of homeland security and the fbi sent out the bulletin on friday. we told you about an apple employee losing an iphone prototype. at a san francisco bar. we're learning new information as police and the tech giant team up to track that phone down. but first, it's time for our quote of the day. "polls? no. they're for strippers and cross-country skiers. we'll tell you who said that. it's six minutes past the hour. . it's pro-cool technology releases armies of snowmen masseuse, who cuddle up with your soreness and give out polar bear hugs. technology. [ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists. go to bengay.com for a 5-dollar coupon. 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"polls? no they're for strippers and kos country skiers. that was sarah palin talking to a group of poll. this is her actual quote. >> polls? no, they're for strippers and cross-country skiers. [ applause ] but polls in those parts actually show that some people there believe that the economy has actually improved. see, there may not be a recession in georgetown, but there is in the rest of america. >> sarah palin taking a dig at political polls while talking about the economy. by the way,she's not said whether she's running in 2012. but she's put in third place behind perry and romney as the republican choice for a nominee. time for an update on the so-called lost iphone and let's go to christy lou stout live in hong kong. christy lou, this iphone prototype 5 was lost at a bar somewhere, left behind, and apple is investigating? >> reporter: that's right. there's new wring am to the story. we have learned that san francisco police helped apple search a man's home. they were looking for that prototype. it's a next generation iphone. that employee left behind the bar in san francisco. four officers escorted apple investigate rs to a home in a neighborhood. the two apple employees, they searched the home while the police waited outside. we learned all this from a police news release that came with the name iphone 5.doc. san francisco police are not discussing what it is. apple is not commenting. but we all kind of know. >> i can't believe -- so apple employees went into another apple employee's home and actually searched the home for this prototype? >> to another man. not an apple employee. while the police were waiting outside. the legal ramifications here, not clear on. but still an amazing story. >>. >> it is an amazing story. let's get to amazon, though. amazon is getting ready to make big changes. tell us what they are. >> reporter: that's right. they're testing a major redesign of its website. this according to the wall street journal. it's said to be more sleek, fewer buttons, more white space and bigger area for search. the site focuses more on digital goods, music and e-books rather than toys and clothing. these changes are expected to make them more user friendly on tablet computers. amazon is set to introduce its own tablet computer. as for the reveal of this home page, amazon not saying just yet. carol? >> kristi lu stout. thank you. the top republican candidate to his state for tough questions. if senator jim demint about to make a presidential king maker. more on demint in 90 seconds. it's 11 minutes past the hour. naturals from purina cat chow. delicious, real ingredients with no artificial flavors or preservatives. naturals from purina cat chow. share a better life. if something is simply the color of gold, is it really worth more? we don't think so. chase sapphire preferred is a card of a different color. unlike others, you get twice the points on travel, and twice the points on dining, and no foreign transaction fees. call now or apply at chasesapphire.com/preferred. any questions? no. you know... ♪ we're not magicians ♪ we can't read your mind ♪ ♪ read your mind ♪ we need your questions ♪ each and every kind ♪ every kind ♪ will this react with my other medicine? ♪ ♪ hey, what are all these tests even for? ♪ ♪ questions are the answer ♪ yeah ♪ oh minds this labor day. obama has taken some flack for moving his jobs speech to the same night as the nfl opener. here's comedian jay leno's take. >> president obama agreed to move his jobs speech from september 7th to the 8th. it's the same night as football season starts. the difference is obama's plan has more hail mary's. one thing approximate obama, he knows how to promote. look how they're promoting the speech before the game. >> are you ready for some talking? are you ready for some optimistic revelry? are you ready to be listening? i'm going to talk about jobs and stuff like this ♪ with the presidential speech -- >> yeah. >> actually, that might work. president obama should try that. time for your political ticker with pamela kirk land with morning briefing in washington. don't you think that would be a good way to set up the speech on thursday for the president? >> i think that might be a fantastic way. get the people excited about the speech. ramp them up. people will be paying more attention to the speech on jobs than the actual football game, i think. >> actually, it's sad because the american people would rather watch football than an important job speech from the president anyway. let's talk about the republicans now. the republicans, the presidential candidates are gathering in columbia, south carolina for that big forum held by senator jim demint. mitt romney was not going to do, but now he is? >> that's right. he was going to skip the event and there was speculation that because of governor rick perry's rise in the polls that the romney camp changed their mind. however, his spokesperson is saying that they were able to rearrange a few events and that's the reason he'll be able to participate today. he'll be in new hampshire early this morning for a breakfast event and then travel to columbia, south carolina, later today for the senator's presidential forum. >> basically, what this forum is, two republican lawmakers, jim demint and one other will be asking questions of the candidates. how much influence will this really have on the republican primary? >> we'll have to see. there's been a lot of comparison for this event to the 008 event with then senator barack obama, senator john mccain and reverend rick warren. this time, we're going to have a q and a with senator demint, congressman steve king of iowa and robert george, the founder of the american principles project. they'll get about 20 minutes with each candidate with a one-on-one. this isn't a typical debate format. it will be interesting to see the candidates getting grilled hard about conservative principals today. >> let's talk about the new york times columnist. she wrote in the new york times an editorial questioning whether president obama was one and done. this is the quote from her editorial. "maybe obama was not even the person he was waiting for." ouch. not owe overly complimentary of the president. but this was harsh. >> that last line of that piece is definitely the kicker. maureen dowd runs down a list of jokes at the president's expense. number two on david letterman's top ten. what is the president going to do on labor day. pretty much whatever republicans tell him he can do. depending which blog you look at, the consensus needs to be the president is in trouble if maureen dowd is writing the one is dancing on the emg of one term. >> maureen dowd has been critical of president obama in the past. but it seems many, many liberals are overly critical of president obama right now. which makes me wonder what he has to say thursday to bring anyone to his side. >> right. it sounds like the advisers for the president are kind of tamping down expectations for the jobs speech on thursday. we'll have to wait and see exactly what the president has got up his sleeve and just listen closely to what he says on thursday during that speech on jobs. >> pamela kirk land, many thanks. morning briefing on sirius podis radio. rebels in libya surrounded the last city loyal to moammar gadhafi. could be they're preparing for a final battle. we'll explain just ahead. first, it is labor day. dedicated to the social and economic achievement of the american worker. the first labor day was celebrated september 5, 1882, with a march. but there are lots of ways to mark the day, whether it's a parade, a barbecue or the time-honored tradition of the eating contest. sonya thomas scar fd down 13 wings in 12 minutes to win the chicken wing eating championship in buffalo. hope she brought pepto with her. it's 18 minutes past the hour. ♪ i've been waiting ♪ for a snack like you ♪ to come into my life [ female announcer ] lean cuisine has snacks! like creamy cheesy spinach artichoke dip with warm pita. new from lean cuisine®. while i took refuge from the pollen that made me sneeze. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. so lily and i are back on the road again. with zyrtec® i can love the air®. 20 minutes past the hour. this is your a.m. wakeup call. here are three things to put on your radar this week. this thursday, the president delivers his plan to create jobs and strengthen the economy in front of a joint session of congress. we'll get a preview of his speech when he delivers his labor day address in detroit. a city hard hit by unemployment. today at 3:00 eastern and live here on cnn, gop presidential candidates take part in the palmetto freedom forum. south carolina senator jim demint is hosting it. former international monetary fund chief dominique strauss-kahn is back in france and sexual assault charges were dismissed against him in new york. his spokesperson says at some point strauss-kahn will comment on the accusations made against him. with tripoli in rebel control x libyan fighters set their sight on new targets. they've surrounded gadhafi's hometown of sirte and other towns loyal to the ousted leader. the demand is surrender by saturday or they will take the cities by force. they always seem to move the deadlines. >> they do keep moving them. one of the things is that they probably want to avoid a bloodbath and say okay, guys, surrender, you're surrounded there is no way out. now, the attention today is focusing on a place, carol, called bonnie walid. that's one of the last bastions of support. the rebels are saying you got to surrender or they're going in. there are indications, carol, that suggest the rebels may go in sooner than the saturday date. we'll see. egypt, the former president hosni mubarak. is he still being brought in on a stretcher in. >> he was wheeled in on a stretcher. the trial is happening. what happened a few moments ago, there were major clashes outside the courtroom between families of victims of the uprising back in february and they were throwing stones and they were trying to basically storm the police academy where this trial is being held and then they were pushed back by police with batons. it's a scene outside. you can see there that this is what it looks like right now. but hosni mubarak is facing the death penalty and charged with ordering killings of protesters during the uprising. >> let's talk about the american amman do knox. her appeal in italy resumes today. what do you expect to happen? >> everyone is kind of on their edge of their seats because what happened the last time this was in the headlines and she was in court is that there were two pieces of evidence that were seen as really, really crucial to the prosecution which was basically a dna material that they said was hers that was found on a knife and also dna material found on the victim's bra strap. what happened was they brought in forensic experts, they were independent and they essentially said for the genetic material on the knife, it was too small to even be permissible as evidence in the courtroom. so we don't really know which way this could go. amanda knox lucked out the last time. in a much stronger position than when she had gone in of the we'll be watching. thanks zain verjee. many thanks to you. apple is one of the top companies. why is a major union leader calling them unpatriotic. we'll tell you after this break. it's 24 minutes past the hour. soy complex fn and natural minerals. give you sheer coverage instantly, then go on to even skin tone in four weeks. aveeno tinted moisturizers. [clucking] [clucking] [ding] [clucking] announcer: separate raw meats from other foods by using different cutting boards. 3,000 americans will die from food poisoning this year. keep your family safer. check your steps at foodsafety.gov. good morning to you. it is monday, labor day, september 5th. happy labor day to you. i hope you're not laboring. this is your a.m. wakeup call. i'm carol costello live from new york this morning. it's 27 minutes past the hour. president obama will spend his labor day in michigan a state hard hit by employment. in his annual address, the president is expected to preview his jobs plan to union workers and their families in detroit. he'll unveil his entire plan in a speech on thursday night. the administration says it will lay out a series of steps that congress could act upon, including transportation and infrastructure initiatives. initiatives to help homeowners and tax breaks to support new hires. >> if you are not hiring, you're unpatriotic according to the international brotherhood of teamers james hoffa. on the state of the union, hoffa called apple, general electric and pfizer unpatriotic for opening factories and stores overseas instead of investing in employment right here in the united states. he said, big companies have a responsibility to get americans back to work and if they aren't doing that, president obama should call them out. >> i think the president should challenge the patriotism of these american corporations that are sitting on the sidelines saying why do we have high unemployment but i'm not going to hire anybody? they have an obl gax jus