line. and preview shadow of sword, a story of one marine's journey of war. you can get the latest news, weather and traffic by going to wusa9.com. >> ground and air assaults continue against wildfires raging in southern california as thousands are evacuated. we'll go live to the scene of the fires. breaking news. a new suddendy suts autism is far more widespread han we thought. we'll it take you inside the numbers and tell you what it means for parents. is it new revelations morning about the women david letterman was reportedly involved with. >> there we go. >> but was letterman harboring a grudge is this we'll speak to the attorney for the man an accused of extorting the late night star. and how is dave price doing in his mission to return home? >> i have to get to new york and i have no money. i have $50 to my name. >> we'll see how dave is weathering the journey early this monday morning, october weathering the journey early this monday morning, october 5th, 2009. captioning funded by cbs good morning. i'm harry smith along with making fwi rodriguez. >> happy monday. dave price is somewhere, we sent him off friday with just 50 bucks, dropped him off in southern california, told him he had a week to get back home. dave? did you survive the end? >> oh, it was a great weekend. i would like to sleep indoors, actually, one night this week. that would be a kick. i'm having a great time. i can't tell you where i am, i can only tell you that i'm full of hot air and i have gas. actually, propane. sdwr so nothing has changed. >> we'll tell you more in just a little while. and we're having a great time. dehydration is something everyone ought to try just once in their life. >> all right, dave, we will reveal your location and, i don't know, try to get you some money. but first we begin with our top story. a state of emergency this morning in southern california, is an ber nasan bernardino coun wildfire has burned 11 square miles. thousands of people have been told to evacuate their home. hattie kauffman is on the scene in wrightwood, california. good morning. >> reporter: if seems like on the scene all by myself because the sbooir town has been evacuated. the fire is about half a mile from here, 7500 acres burned, only 20% contained. and they the flames laid down overnight because of high humidity and cold temperatures, firefighters warn this battle is far from over. devilish flames rippeded through thousands of acres of the san gabriel mountains before walls of fire 50 feet high driven by winds gusting 40 miles an hour. >> the fire hit hard and fast and it was very explosive. >> reporter: tinder dry brush fueled the flames in the resort town of wrightwood forcing the vak agencies of more than 4,000 residents. 1,000 firefighters battled the blaze on the ground and in the air. >> that was good shot. >> reporter: the fire broke out saturday in a remote area north of los angeles. but the winds were so fierce it doubled in size overnight. linda patterson loaded up her horses and waited. >> you keep your witnesses about you, you know when you need to get out. >> reporter: residents of wrightwood hope that they can come back to their homes today and firefighters are optimistic. however, they say if the winds whip up, then all bets are off. harry? >> hattie kauffman, thanks. now to the story that will be making headlines all week in washington, the war in afghanistan. president obama will sit down with his top advisers to discuss u.s. policy there. ten u.s. troops have been killed in afghanistan in the last three days, eight of them in a single violent attack near the border with pakistan. cbs news correspondent mandy clark is live in kabul with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. now, u.s. military sources tell cbs news that the well planned weekend attack was carried out by local insurgents. around 300 militants act on came from a village and a mosque to attack an american outpost in eastern afghanistan. the battle lasted all day in this remote and mountainous area, outnumbered three to one, american soldiers were finally able to repel the in-sur gentss with the help of air support. the attack highlights the vulnerability of deploying u.s. troops in isolated areas. a strategy that may change. president obama's war cabinet meets again, twice this week on afghanistan. options include scaling back, staying put, and sending in more troops. his top commander, general stanley mcchrystal, wants to continue the counter-insurgency strategy. american forces would realign to the bigger city centers to protect the afghans, but it requires up to 40,000 more troops. a group led by vice president joe biden is backing a pair down counterterrorism fight, few are troops and focus less on afghan security, but any increase in troops is already facing opposition on capitol hill. >> i would not commit to more combat troops at this time. whand with need a surge of is afghan troops. >> reporter: one side says sending more troops would be committing america into a quagmire, but a top mcchrystal adviser tells cbs news not sending them would risk another attack on u.s. soil. harry? >> mandy clark in kabul. thank you. tonight the "cbs evening news" with indicatity couric begins an in-depth series "afghanistan, the road ahead." and katie is with us live in the studio this morning. good morning. >> hi, harry. >> this series now so important. what are you trying to understand take here? >> i think it's clear as you you well know that afghanistan is at a cross roads and u.s. policy is, as well. the president is meeting with his advisers to figure out the road ahead. and that's what we're going to be looking at. but we want to give the american public a real understanding. it's been eight years. what kind of progress has been made? what are the challenges we face some people are really confused in terms of the relationship between the taliban and al qaeda, what is the role pakistan has, how can we support a government that many in the country see as very corrupt and not protecting their interests. so it's really afghanistan from a to z while the president contemplates his strategy and u.s. policy so people can understand it and make their own decision. >> so what kind of resources are coming this to lay here in. >> we have a lot of correspondents and producers. we is have some fabulous pieces by david martin, laura logan, and terry mccarthy who is new it cbs news really covering every aspect. >> one of the things everybody's been talking about, the 40,000 troop, 40,000 troops, 40,000 troop, and it's not as simple as that. >> that's in addition to the 68,000 that are already in the theater. and of course this is a counter-insurgency strategy that worked so well in iraq where u.s. forces really integrated with villages and cities and then, of course, you have the anbar ak wake thing where you had a huge group of sunnis joining forces with u.s. troops. >> paid by american, right. >> and we don't really have that kind of ally in afghanistan. it is a huge country just expansive, the terrain is really difficult and problematic. so the whole counter-insurgency may not be as applicable to afghanistan as it was in iraq. you also have to build infrastructure so that people in the villages have an alternative to life with the taliban, so we're talking about schools and employment and wells and roads. it is a massive undertaking. >> and if that weren't complicated enough, whether or not the united states should join forces with karzai who is corrupt at minimum and probably tried to steal this last election. >> yeah, is it the devil you you know. i hate to call president karzai a devil, but obviously there are a lot of people who as i just mentioned don't have confidence in him, they don't feel as if the afghan go. is really strong enough or powerful enough to protect their interests. and is he the right ally. he really is the only ally we have, though. and of course you know a u.n. investigation is understand way about the entire election. >> katie, thank you so much. do appreciate it. don't forget to watch katie tonight as they begin a three day in-depth series, "afghanistan, the road ahead" on the "cbs evening news." now let's go over to the news desk and jeff glor. good morning. there is a new report this morning on autism in america. two new government studies report it that 1% of all children in this country have it. much more than previously thought. our own dr. jennifer ashton is here with details. good morning. >> good morning. big news. a study published by the american academy of pediatrics askses parents whether they had ever been diagnosed with autism. previously it was believed that one out of every 150 children were affected by the disorder, so these new numbers are a bit of a surprise. >> when it sort of came around 12 monthses and he wasn't pointing and he wasn't clapping and he wasn't saying mama or dada, my friends' childrens were. >> reporter: from an early age, they knew he was different. by age 2, therapists suggest he may have sad, autism spectrum disorder. ethan is hardly alone. the latest government study estimates that 673,000 children in the u.s. have autism. that's 113,000 more than previously thought. in fact, parents reported about 1 in 91 children ages 3 to 17 had autism, including mild forms such as as per ger's syndrome. some say the term autism is overused, but view the increased awareness as a positive. >> maybe the label is correct, maybe it's not. however, if we identify that there's a need that means that we're do intervention. >> reporter: the walmark family jumped in to action early and ethan now 4 is making progress. >> we love our son and we have a great time with him, but it's a struggle for him. and so it's a struggle for us and we just want him to have as easy a life as possible. >> reporter: autism can be difficult to diagnose and health kay providers define it by different standard. also this survey was based on reporting by parents. but the c it dc had release a s that is expected to show numbers similar to these. >> jen, thank you. american scientists have been awarded the nobel prize for medicine today. they made the announcement in stockholm this morning. the winners are elizabeth blackburn, carol grader, and jack shostack. they won for discovering an enzyme which helps chromosomes in cells stay eternally young which may help on aging and cancer. speaking of staying eternally young, ira joe fisher is in this morning for mr. dave price. >> i thought you were going go with the aging. >> absolutely not. good morning. >> good to see you. we're talking about some really, really wet weather in every place except california. which really could use in some wet weather. the winds are dying down, temperatures cool, 60s and 70s, but in california, it continues to be dry. and heavy rain fell yesterday over san antonio. over five inches of rain, a quarter of what they get usually during an entire year. yes, they're in a drought, but they could certainly use this rain spread over a longer period of time that's your hatest weather. now back over to maggie. coming up next, the latest on david letterman. we'll speak with the attorney for the man accused of trying to extort $2 million from the late show host. and till ahead, this grandmother's bedroom drama with a live bear. she'll tell us with the pillow fight of a life time. depression is a serious medical condition that can take so much out of you. i feel like i have to wind myself up just to get out of bed. then...well... i have to keep winding myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the trouble concentrating, the lack of energy. if depression is taking so much out of you, ask your doctor about pristiq®. 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[sluuurrrrpppp!] irresistible. light & fit. great taste, fewer calories. you know other airlines charge up to 20 bucks for the first bag. and 30 for the second. roundtrip, that's almost 100 dollars. that's crazy talk. well, how about if i just send my bags on vacation, and i stay home? why do you charge for bags? for any bag out there watching this commercial right now... fly, be free. ♪ ( ding ) ♪ a health insurance ceo lives here. this year he'll make $57,000 an hour. another family used to live here before they filed for bankruptcy. 62% of personal bankruptcies are caused by medical debt. this man is living his dream while this family lives a nightmare. if the insurance companies win, you lose. we need good health care we can afford with the choice of a public health insurance option. we have an update now on david letterman's bombshell admission that he had affairs with women on his staff and that he was allegedly being blackmailed over those affairs boy a cbs producer. bianca solorzano is here with the latest. >> good morning. david letterman's on-air admission gave the "late show" a 38% ratings boost over the same night a week ago. but whether he'll suffer any long term damage especially from fee hail viewers remains to be seen. mean while new details about the affairs have emerged. >> reporter: from out of the shadows and into the headlines, the identities of two women who alleged hi had affairs with the late show host. >> there we go. >> reporter: 34-year-old late show staffer receive a annie bir ket is a former assistant to david letterman. the relationship is said to have ended before letter mann was ended. until last month, she was also the live-in girl friend of joe halderman, the 48 hours mystery producer accused of blackmailing letter man over the affairs. a second alleged romance was with holly hester, a former "late show" sfwrern in the 1990s. she told the website tmz.com i was madly in love with him at the time and would have married him. he was hilarious. halderman is now free on $200,000 bail and he was suspended from cbs news. his co-workers are in shock. >> i was stunned 37. >> reporter: including former colleague dr. bob arnot. >> joe has been one of my best friend, he's been one of the most upright, honest, straightforward, honorable human beings that i've ever known. >> reporter: sunday's new york "post" reported that letterman's office, off-limits except to a select few, had bedroom with a pullout couch. >> thank you. gerald shargel is joe halderm halderman's attorney and he joins us this morning. between morning. i know your client has immediated not guilty. how do you explain the supposed proof, the recorded conversations, the phony $2 million check he alledgedly tried to cash? >> well, first of all, this is so obviously out of character. minute who knows joe halderman knows that this is completely out of character. to the point of not making any sense. if you think about it. here's a guy who is ap-emmy award winning journalist who has dealt with cops and wiretaps and undercover investigations. and the claim is that he intended to extort david letterman in the way that is claimed? look at the fact that there was a $2 million check. in the history of extortion, i don't think there's been a single case where the alleged extortionist took a check in payment. it just doesn't make any sense. >> are you saying he did not at that time check? >> no but the question is what was his intent. one of the things that the prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, one of the elements of the offense, is that joe halderman had specific criminal intent. and i say to you and to the public that we shouldn't rush to judgment because i think at the end of the day when the case is tried and after the cross-examination of david letterman and the full story comes out, i'm confident that a jury will not find that specific criminal intent. >> what was his intent? >> here's the point. i'm in day four of the case. >> what has he told you then in. >> well, you don't really expect me to discuss -- >> i want you to give us an idea to counter what we've been hearing in the press. >> you'll i'm saying is don't rush to judgment, look at the character of joe halderman, hook at the fact that so many -- this network who has worked with him over the years, who have known him literally for decades have said that this is completely out of character with anything that they know about joe halderman. he is a decent, competent individual who has never displayed any propensity or indication of wrongdoing and he's entitled to the presumption of innocence and that's all i'm asking for at this point. it would be impossible for any responsible lawyer to appear here and discuss the details either of what his client told him or what the defense is. but i just want to say to the public don't rush to judgment. >> all right, thanks for coming in. coming up next here for us, a grandmother who doesn't go no n. to the bear's house, they went into herself. it's not a fairy tale. she's here to tell us about it live on "the early show" on cbs. canopy egyptian cotton sheets are designed to get softer every time you wash them. and canopy comforters don't have to be dry-cleaned, which makes your bed easier to sleep in and that much harder to leave. canopy home furnishings. available at walmart. save money. live better. walmart. the best way to tell how great you look... is in your jeans. drop a jean size in two weeks... with the special k challenge™. with more delicious options than ever. jeans don't lie. go to... the new specialk.com to design your plan. well, it's time for the big reveal. >> where is dave price? mr. price? don't look so sad. >> look at that. what, are you at like some kind of crazy -- >> good morning, guys. no, i'm having a great time. i am 805 miles from home, i'm dehydrated, so bear with me, i'm 805 miles from santa monica, california where we started. i'm in albuquerque, new mexico this morning and we are at the 38th international balloon fiesta, 850,000 people pay to get in and i'm here for free and we've got 500 balloonists and my neck, i think, has all the hair burning off right now. and we started friday in santa monica right up here, wept to -- >> we saw the map and we had get back welcome back to "the early show" on this monday. coming up in this half hour, we have an update for you on the erin andrews case. the man accused of stouk stalking the sports caster with a hidden camera and secretly videotaping her while she was inside her hotel room is expected in court today. we'll bring you the latest. also ahead, we've been talking for months about the h1n1 flu vaccine. it is finally available and our dr. jennifer ashton has been checking out the safety issues and she'll have an update. but first, picture this, it's lats at night, you're getting forward bed and all of a sudden a bear walks in to your bedroom. this is no goldilocks story. it really happened to salary rebe