against iran in response to an alleged iranian plot to murder saudi arabia's ambassador to the united states. two men have now been charged including an iranian-american. one of the men still at large. attorney general eric holder spells out the charges against them. >> the united states is committed to holding iran accountable for its actions. they're charged with conspiracy to murder a foreign official, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, and conspiracy to commit an act of international terrorism, among other charges. >> u.s. officials say the plot never really got off the ground because the two suspects were dealing with u.s. government informant. more now on the events as they unfolded from our foreign affairs correspondent, jill dougherty. >> reporter: the united states and the obama administration are treating this as a very big deal. immediately, the treasury department came out and said that it was sanctioning five top people who they say allegedly were connected with this plat. four of them being senior officials, they say, in the qods force. that is a part of the revolutionary guard. and it is that group, the u.s. alleges, that actually was behind this terror plot. also, secretary of state hillary clinton talking with the allies, urging them to send a strong message to iran. here is what she said. >> it was a terrific achievement by our law enforcement and intelligence communities, and we will be consulting with our friends and partners around the world about how we can send a very strong message that this kind of action which violates international norms must be ended and other yashs where we can cooperate more closely in order to send a strong message to iran and further isolate it from the international community will also be considered. >> reporter: u.s. officials also allege that there was another subplot, not very well worked out, but it was discussed, they say, by the people who put this together in some detail. and that was not only to assassinate the saudi ambassador, but perhaps to attack in some way the israeli embassy in washington and also in buenos aires, argentina. so if you look at the number of countries involved, the united states, iran, saudi arabia, mechani mexico and israel, diplomatic eight, it was a serious deal. and we're told by u.s. officials that there could be more statements from the u.s. coming the next day, which would be wednesday. jill dougherty, cnn, the state department. >> the state department is also warning americans living and traveling abroad of possible anti-american action in response to those plot allegations. the travel alert expires in january. saudi arabia is calling the alleged plot despicable. and iran calls the allegations fabricated and baseless. cnn's mohamed jom june joins us now live from abu dhabi. mohamed, what more can you tell us about the reactions coming from both the saudis and iran? >> well, carol, reaction from the iranian officials was immediate. they were outraged by these allegations. you have the speaker of iran's parliament calling it a childish play by the americans and that the americans were attempting to divert attention from their own domestic problems. shortly after that, the ambassador to the u.n. for iran wrote to ban ki-moon and expressed outrage over the allegations, said he strongly rejects the baseless allegations. reactions from the saudis took a bit longer. most officials in saudi arabia around speaking about this. there was a short statement issued by the oil embassy of saudi arabia in d.c. in which they call the attempted plot a despicable allegation, that it's not in accord with the principles of humanity. what's yet to be seen is how this will play in the saudi press, with the saudi people. we've been trying to get reaction from saudi arabia today. most people still quiet about it, saying that the statement from the embassy really speaks for itself, and that's really what needs to be said right now. carol? >> of course, the big question hanging out there is why. what was the purpose of this alleged attempted assassination plot? what's the relations between the saudis and iran? >> carol, the relationship between saudi arabia and iran has been one of hostility and enmity for quite some time. if we just take it to recently, one of the recent flash points to showcase the tension between both countries has been bahrain. bahrain is 70% shiite but with sunni leadership. what happened when the arab spring really took root in bahrain, people started protesting. the iranians got nervous because saudi arabia and other sunni countries sent troops into bahrain. iran saw that as an aggressive move. they were upset about it. the saudis thought that the iranians were trying to foment unrest in bahrain with the shiite population. so that's just one example of how these two super powers in the region that are really at the ideological opposites of the spectrum from each other are trying to vie for dominance even if a tiny country like bahrain, and it really showcases how difficult and strained and tense the relationship is between these two countries. carol? >> mohamed jomjune reporting live from abu daub buy. here in the united states, obama faces a big political question today, what to do about his $447 billion jobs bill. the democratically controlled senate, his bill failed yesterday. it failed to get the 60 votes it needed to bring it to the floor for a debate. two democrats joined republicans in voting against the jobs bill. mr. obama who returned to washington last night after a day of campaigning says the vote is not the end of the battle. in a statement, he accused the republicans of obstructionism. and of going against what the american people want. the president says he will now work with democratic leaders in breaking the package up into pieces, into a series of smaller bills, that will be introduced individually. republican presidential candidate herman cain who's been surging in the polls of late is defending his plan to fix the economy despite much criticism. his 999 plan to scrap the federal tax code was the target of his republican rivals at their latest debate last night in new hampshire. if elected, cain says he would implement a flat 9% tax on corporations, income and sales. cain's opponents call the plan unrealistic and stands zero chance of passing on capitol hill. >> i thought it was the price of a pizza when i first heard it. >> we'll have more highlights from the debate in just about ten minutes. mitt romney was also a favorite target at that debate. but the front-runner held off several attacks, keeping the focus on jobs and the economy. the former massachusetts governor got a huge boost a few hours before the start of the debate in the form of an endorsement from new jersey governor chris christie. >> it's been really in the end an easy decision for me. i know that america needs a new course, and i want it to be with the person who i believe will be the best person to lead america on that course, and that's governor mitt romney. so i'm thrilled to be here today, mitt. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> you may remember that just last week christie announced that he would not run for the white house next year. the occupy wall street protesters plan more demonstrations in new york's final district today. they were out in force yesterday marching uptown to the neighborhoods of the super-rich. joining the protesters were several union groups. some of the homes they marched past including those of billionaire david koch and jamie dimon, the ceo of morgan chase. a prison is secure in oklahoma. fights broke out in several parts of the private north fork correctional facility in the western part of the state. several inmates were injured. our affiliate koco reports 16 were taken to area hospitalizeds. officials say they don't know what caused the riots. if you're one of the millions of iphone users, you'll soon have over 200 new features in the palm of your hand. but what is it about today's update that's creating such a buzz? we'll tell you. but first, our "quote of the day." quote, the 999 plan isn't a jobs plan, it's a tax plan. when you take the 999 plan and turn it upside down, i think the devil's in the details, end quote. can you guess who said this? we'll have the answer in 90 seconds. it's nine minutes past the hour. [ beep ] [ mom ] scooter? the progresso chicken noodle you made is so good. it's got tender white meat chicken. the way i always made it for you. one more thing.... those pj's you like, i bought you five new pairs. love you. did you see the hockey game last night? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. ♪ we're centurylink... a new kind of broadband company committed to providing honest, personal service from real people... 5-year price-lock guarantees... consistently fast speeds... and more ways to customize your technology. ♪ fore! no matter what small business you are in, managing expenses seems to... get in the way. not anymore. ink, the small business card from chase introduces jot an on-the-go expense app made exclusively for ink customers. custom categorize your expenses anywhere. save time and get back to what you love. the latest innovation. only for ink customers. learn more at chase.com/ink it's 11 minutes past the hour. this is your "a.m. wake-up call." today's "quote of the day," quote, the 999 plan isn't a jobs plan, it's a tax plan. when you take the plan and turn is upside down, i think the devil's in the details. who said that? that was gop presidential candidate michele bachmann. she said that during last night's bloomberg debate. almost all the candidates made a reference to herman cain's 999 plan to fix the economy. for the users of the 40 million iphones, a lot of people are excited to hear today's news. really excited. let's go to hong kong and kristi lu stout. she's got the news. tell us about this new update. >> it arrives today and marks a turning point for the company. for the very first time, ios devices will no longer be tied to computers running apple itunes. since the original iphone back in 2007, apple users had to blug their mobile devices into a computer to sync music and data, but no more. all of those features are built into the new mobile operating syst system. and if you have a computer, if you want to, you could still plug in your iphone and use iphones. but apple mobile devices can now be used standalone straight from the box. back to you, carol. >> also in the news this morning, there's another satellite about to come tumbling to earth. tell us about that. >> that's right. yeah. this is a new way of weather forecasting or sky watching. we have to figure out which satellite's going to fall next. just a few weeks after a falling u.s. satellite put the world on alert, now german space officials are saying that the x-ray telescope is to fall to earth between october the 20th and the 25th. and like the last time space officials won't be able to tell us exactly where the satellite will hit. the satellite is about the size of a bus. and more of its mass is expected to survive reentry. it is currently being tracked by the u.s. space surveillance network as well as a german radar facility, and they will continue to update their reentry predictions. carol? >> kristi lu stout reporting live from hong kong, many thanks. republican rivals going after herman cain for his 999 plan. >> i thought it was a price of a pizza when i first heard about it. >> even cain had to smile at that one, but he's also fighting back. highlights from last night's gop debate. that's just ahead. exclusive to the military. and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. from free checking to credit cards to loans, our commitment to the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. ♪ visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. usaa. we know what it means to serve. consumers er wanchai ferry orange chicken... over p.f. chang's home menu orange chicken women men and uh pandas... elbows mmm [ male announcer ] wanchai ferry, try it yourself. 15 minutes past the hour. welcome back. comedians certainly took notice of last night's gop debate, but it wasn't what the candidates said that had the funny men talking. here's your punch line. >> at tonight's republican debate, former godfather's pizza ceo herman cain was given the center seat. you could tell cain was in the center because he was wearing one of those little plastic tables that protects the cheese from the top of the box. >> the location of the candidates behind the podium is determined by their ranking in the polls. and they will say, all right, here's a composite of the polls, here's our leader, and that's how they arrange the people on the stage for the debate. it's fascinating. take a look at this. >> participants in tonight's republican debate at dartmouth will be seated according to their poll numbers. so based on his recent momentum, herman cain will be seated at the center of the table with mitt romney. second-tier candidates like newt gingrich and ron paul will be placed to the side of the table. and rick santorum will debate from the parking lot. >> a little bit of an exaggeration, but time for your "political ticker" with tim farley live from washington. good morning, tim. >> good morning, carol. >> well, let's talk about last night's gop debate and the surging herman cain. republican rivals were going after him, specifically on his 999 plan. let's listen. >> i think it's a catchy phrase. in fact, i thought it was a price of a pizza when i first heard about it. >> the price of a pizza. >> 999 will pass, and it is not the price of a pizza because it has been well studied and well dwo developed. >> when you take the 999 plan and you turn it upside down, i think the devil's in the details. >> now, most economists say that herman cain's 999 plan would hurt the poor because it would actually raise their taxes. and a lot of people say, okay, you're going to come up with this 999 plan as president, but it will never get through congress. is it an overly simplistic plan, though? is it catchy because it's simple to listen to? i mean, 999? sounds simple. could it work? >> well, of course it's catchy. it's simple. as mitt romney said, when herman cain asked him to respond with his 59-point plan and mercifully mitt romney did not run through every point, but mitt romney said that simple phrases like that are usually useful, but they're not very -- they're not consequential most of the time because you can't rely on simplicity. let's step back for a minute from this event last night. herman cain, a lot of people are talking about him. a lot of research. what happened to rick perry? that was one of the questions last night. i think what we saw here was yes, a simple plan, but it is one that has caught on. and the fact that herman cain was able to stand toe to toe, or sit in this case because he was around a roundtable like the knights, he was able to be there and be one of the gang, if you will, and he's not a polished politician. so as a result of that, his stature has gone up among the candidates. and that means that people are going to have to treat him a little bit more seriously. i think the key, though, is he doesn't have a ground game, really. he does not have that kind of retail politicking experience that mitt romney has built up. that also rick perry has. and you have to be very careful to discount rick perry from competing in the upcoming races. i think that's an important consideration, carol. >> i know because there are a lot of debates to go. make ri maybe rick perry's sitting back and learning at the moment. presumably he got enough sleep, but i certainly didn't aggressively insert himself into the debate last night. he sort of just sat back and listened. and you're right, he has a lot more money in his campaign coffers than cain does. mitt romney went after president obama. he's acting like the front-runner -- i should say he's continuing to act like the front-runner. >> you mentioned money and that's key. the endorsement from the top of the show from chris christie, people who love christie around going to necessarily flock to romney just because somebody tells you that this james bond is better than that james bond does not mean you're going to go watch him just because you like the old one. the difference is chris christie is adding to that air of inevitably which is what some people have observed. in addition, he can raise money. he was raising money for bobby jindal last week, he was out in california. despite the fact that he's now a declared noncandidate, that might cut down somewhat on his draw. he can still bring in the money, he can still entertain a crowd. mitt romney is going to need that money because rick perry has $17 million. that can make him very competitive in iowa. new hampshire, in a state where he doesn't do well, and you wouldn't expect him to do well. so i don't know if it's a matter of sitting back. it's just a matter of whether or not debates are going to make that much of a difference when it comes to voting. who's going to vote in the iowa caucuses and new hampshire debates who was really focused on last night's debate or even the ones before that, that's the question we have to wait and see. and i think that's one that's going to be a fascinating development when finally voters get to speak out on who they're going to choose. >> there will be so many debates. and i think at some point voters lose interest. just because there are so many. it's strange. and there are so many candidates, too, right? >> yeah. in other words, the next debate may be the first time that somebody sees it. >> right. and i think as the field narrows and there are less candidates participating in the debate, the debates will be much more interesting to watch because then the candidates can get really into what they think about, you know, the solutions are for the economy and also the international world and something they haven't been able to do because so many people are jumping in to say something. but we'll see. >> no, exactly. it was all about the economy last night, so it was a little bit one-dimensional, but i think it was a little deeper than previous ones. we'll just have to wait and see how it develops. >> tim farley of sirius radio. it's been leaking oil for days. now a ship that ran aground may be on the verge of breaking apart. more just ahead. first, it is national frustration scream day. so go ahead, let it out for your country. it's 21 minutes past the hour. [ wind howling ] [ technician ] are you busy? management just sent over these new technical manuals. they need you to translate them into portuguese. by tomorrow. [ male announcer ] ducati knows it's better for xerox to manage their global publications. so they can focus on building amazing bikes. with xerox, you're ready for real business. and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. [ woman ] lower cholesterol. [ man 2 ] yummy. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste and whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. 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 $3 coupon. you have options. you can attend our online program or if you prefer a classroom experience... look no further than your own neighborhood. we have over 200 campuses and learning centers around the country. where you can attend classes, career fairs and meet with students and faculty. today, you can go to school online, on-campus, or both. explor