a friend says the american convicted. killing a fellow student can barely sleep or eat this "early" monday morning, september 26th, 2011. captioning funded by cbs good monday morning. nice to have you with us. >> i'm erica hill. >> i'm jim axelrod. chris wragge has the morning off. >> great to have with us here. >> thank you. a startling claim from new york city's police chief. in a interview, ray kelly tells scott pelley the nypd has the fire power to shoot down a plane. >> those revelations getting a lot of attention this morning. we begin this morning with president obama who is ramping up the rhetoric. last night he started a west coast trip with a blast of republicans telling big money supporters at a fund-raiser that the gop's idea of government would, quote, fundamentally cripple america. cbs senior white house correspondent bill plante has more on the president's efforts to rally the democratic base. bill, good morning. >> good morning to you, erica. >> reporter: it's no more mr. nice guise but the president is responded to liberals who think he is not willing to compromise. he offered tough love also to the black caucus. >> take off your bedroom slippers and put on your marching shoes and shake it off. stop complaining and stop grumbling and stop crying. we are going to press on. we have work to do. >> reporter: a program to shore up support and turnout among targeted minorities and age groups. a recent poll shows his recent approval rating in the african-american has plummeted in the last five months. in an interview airing tonight on b.e.t. the president says he hasn't forgotten who put him in the oval office. >> i am spending all of my time in this office trying to make sure that if there is some kid in the south side of chicago that doesn't have a shot right now, isn't going to a good school, parent doesn't have a job, that i'm fighting for him. >> reporter: the president's eroding support has given republicans new ammunition. gop chairman reince priebus on "face the nation." >> it sounds like the new slogan is no longer hope and change. it's, hey, it could have been worse. >> reporter: the president may have gotten campaign advice from former president bill clinton. after the congress went republican in 1994, clinton looked to the center and embraced from both parties and reelected in 1996. on this west coast trip, the president will attend seven fund-raisers. two in seattle and two in the san francisco area, one in san diego, and two more in los angeles. he is expected to net about $4 million for his campaign and party. they have a goal of raising $55 million for the quarter. however, raising campaign cash is much harder than it used to be. the thousands of small contributions which the president got last time from independents and young voters are not coming in as quickly this time. erica. >> bill plante at the white house, thanks. joining us now is congresswoman maxine waters of california and former chair of the congressional black caulk he's and was at the event on saturday when the president told the audience to stop complaining and put your marching shoes on. good to have you with us. what was your reaction when he said, stop complaining and stop rumbling and stop crying. >> i'm not sure who the president was talking to. you know the congressional black caucus has been out in five cities where we held job meetings and jobs fairs addressing the 16.7 unemployment that is real and translates some some areas to 20%, 30% unemployment and black youth, 50% unemployment. so i'm not sure who the president was addressing. i found that language a bit curious because the president spoke to the hispanic caucus and certainly they are pushing him on immigration and despite the fact that he is appointed soto mier to supreme court. he has excellent education in the white house and he certainly didn't tell them to stop complaining and he never would say that to the gay and lesbian community who really pushed him on don't ask don't tell or even in a speech to apec. he would never say to the jewish community stop complaining about israel. so i don't know who he was talking to because we are certainly not complaining. we are working. we support him and we are protecting that base because we want people to be enthusiastic about him when that election rolls around. >> in terms of enthusiasm it sounds if i'm reading between the lines you think he may not have chosen the best language to get people enthusiastic. i want to take you back to a moment you had last month speaking in detroit and said to the folks i'm looking to err permission to, quote, unleash, have a conversation with the president. it would sound like he hasn't heard what has gone on with the some of events you held. what is the conversation you want to to have and have you had it? >> well, as you know if you listen to that particular part of the town hall meeting, there were a lot of complaints, a lot of shouting. from the audience about what they wanted us to do, what they wanted the president to do, and, basically, i said, are you ready for this conversation? and if you are, unleash us. and, of course, they yelled, you are unleashed, because the conversation must be about, first of all, i recognize that there is pain and desperation in the african-american community. the unemployment rates are just unacceptable. people want jobs. they want to work. when we had these jobs fairs, they stood in line by the thousands of circling the blocks to get a chance to talk to employers. in los angeles, 10,000 people showed up so they want to know that re recognize and the president recognizes the pain that is in the african-american community. >> congresswoman, only about 30 seconds. >> yes. >> real quickly, do you think the president heard that to go back to it based on his comments that you heard saturday night and if not do you think he is taking african-americans for granted especially as we move to campaign season? >> he certainly heard us. that speech that he did to the congressional black caucus included the words black and african-american for the first time. and, yes, he is energized. we helped him to get energized so he can deal with the concerns of the black community. i think he heard us. i think some of his comments surprised me a little bit and i was curious about him but he certainly heard us. >> congresswoman maxine waters, thank you for your time. this morning, american hikers are back in the united states. on sunday they spoke about being held in an iranian prison for more than two years. seth doane attended their press conferences. >> they thank the government's, celebrities and ordinary people who helped to get them free. they said two years, they lived in a world of lies and false hope. called their trial a sham. and gave us a glimpse of their lives in captivity. with friends and family by their side, americans josh fattal and shane bauer described their two-year ordeal in an iranian prison. >> many times, too many times, we heard the screams of other prisoners being beaten and there was nothing we could do to help them. >> reporter: next to them stood sar sar sar sarah shourd. when they were arrested and sent to espionage and sent to prison. >> sarah, josh and i have tasted the iranian brutality and held from almost title isolation. >> reporter: they were kept in a jail cell about the size of a storage area in a mid-range u-haul truck 8x13 feet. >> in all of the time we spent in detention, we had a total of 15 minutes of telephone calls with our families and one short visit from our mothers. we had to go on hunger strike repeatedly just to receive letters from our loved ones. >> reporter: the duo called themselves hostages and political prisoners. pawns in an international diplomatic dispute. >> this was never about crossing the unmarked border between iran and iraq. we were held because of our nationality. no evidence was ever presented against us. >> reporter: the 29-year-olds maintain that they do not know if they even crossed into iran two years ago. after the press conference, we met with family members. josh's mother told us the boys looked thin, but seemed physically strong. >> every day, every hour in the four days they have been home, every hour, it's a flower blossoming. it is so fabulous to watch it. >> reporter: why? what is happening? you just see they are freer to speak. >> reporter: the pair were freed on a million dollar bail last wednesday. when they landed at their first stop in the persian gulf country of oman, bauer fell into shourd's arms. the two got engaged in prison. describe the last few days of the renoon. >> it's been incredible. the moment we saw shane and josh running down the stairs of that plane, a huge burden was lifted off of all of our chests and i feel more free than i've ever felt before in my life. >> you can see in those pictures such elation. the last four or five days have been this sort of outpouring of emotion. do you have a sense going forward in terms of processing the trauma they have been going through what is coming ahead for them? >> i asked the mothers about that. they said we are worried about our sons. they spent two years in jail and they are seeing great improvements every day. one of the thing both mothers gave us a better glimpse. what their lives were like. they had a very organized life. they used water bottles as weights. they tested each other on gre questions and trying to keep each other mentally and physically fit. >> you've heard from other people in confinement, it is key to keep your mind active enough. the latest on the trial of amanda knox. as closing arguments attended a friend who has visited her in jail says knox is so anxious about the verdict she can't sleep or eat. cbs news correspondent charlie d'agata has more from london. >> reporter: amanda knox has plenty of reasons to be anxious. make or break week for her. if things go her way and her defense lawyers are confident they will, she could be set free as early as a week from today. amanda knox says she is feeling the strain as she looked a at she arrived in court this morning. they showed a letter where she said i'm very tired maybe because it's hot in here or worried about the end of my case and constantly thinking what she can do with loved ones when she is back in silts. >> she is very hopeful. this trial has been different from the first. >> reporter: the hopes are pinned on a from you forensic report that casts serious doubt on crucial dna evidence from the first trial. she and former boyfriend sollecito were found guilty of murdering their roommate meredith kercher in 2007. today, the appeals court is hearing from lawyers for patrick mamooba the bar owner from the congo who knox originally accused of committing the murder. knox's lawyers begin their closing arguments later this week. >> it's always difficult when your innocent daughter is being, you know, prosecutor asking for her life in prison, but, you know, i still have great hopes as it relates to the whole appeals trial. >> reporter: meredith kercher's family said this week, the focus of this murder trial has shifted to amanda knox instead of meredith. they say the world has lost about a victim her mother called a very loving child and a very sweet girl. >> charlie d'agata, in london, thanks. betty nguyen is at the news desk with a check of other headlines. in afghanistan overnight an american was killed in a shooting on an anext of the u.s. embassy. the gunman was an afghan employee. he was killed and motive still not known. a second american was slightly wounded. two weeks after the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we are learning more about the extraordinary counterterrorism steps taken here in new york. in an interview "60 minutes" last night, ray kelly told scott pelley about the radiation detectors and plans to deal with threats from the sky. >> it's something that is on our radar screen. meaning, the extreme situation, you would have some means to take down a plane. >> reporter: do you mean to say that the nypd has the means to take down an aircraft? >> yes. i'd prefer not to get into the details but, obviously, this would be in a very extreme situation. >> reporter: you have the equipment and the training? >> yes. >> the nypd anti-terrorism command center housed in a secret location monitors more than 2,000 surveillance cameras around the city. you can see more of kelly's interview by going to cbsnews.com and clicking on "60 minutes." the democratic-controlled senate is expected to vote on a bill today after rejecting a house measure on friday. the issue? the funding bill includes money for disaster relief. republicans want to offset that money with spending cuts elsewhere. after last week's big slump, wall street hopes to follow friday's modest gains with a stronger showing today. but investors have plenty to worry about. alexis christoforous of cbs "moneywatch" at the new york stock exchange this morning for us. >> reporter: stock futures are pointing to a higher open on wall street and that is welcome news to weary investors after a brutal week for the stock market, its worse since october of 2008. it may be a new week, but the same old problems persist. the threat of a greek default hangs heavy over world markets and over the weekend, greek workers took to the streets once again to protest austerity measures there. here in the u.s. the investors are looking for more clues to see if the u.s. economy is nearing or already in a recession. we will get more clues this week, with the latest on home sales, consumer spending, and economic growth. the threat of a recession has pushed crude oil back below $80 a barrel. gas is now averaging $3.51 a gallon nationwide. that is compared to $4 in may. with all of this uncertainty in the air, one thing is for certainty. volatility rmts the woe itity r the day on wall street. swimmer dinah nyad stopped her swim. last night, her face and lips were swollen from jellyfish stains. the 62-year-old said the pain was just unbearable and that forced her to quit yesterday after swimming 67 of the 103 miles. >> i pictured it. i really pictured it! and i knew i could do it. and everybody helped me but i just couldn't get there! i wanted that feeling to be on the beach so badly but it's just not going to happen. >> she was so close. it was nyad second attempt in as many months and she says she will not try still ahead this morning, rick perry loses two weekend straw polls as voters think twice about his role as republican front-runner. >> we will look at the gop race with indiana governor mitch daniels who decided to stay out himself. this is "the early show" on cbs. was helping, but some symptoms were still in his way. so the doctor kept eric on his current medicine and added nonstimulant intuniv to his treatment plan. [ male announcer ] for some children like eric, adding once-daily nonstimulant intuniv to their stimulant has been shown to provide additional adhd symptom improvement. don't take if allergic to intuniv, its ingredients, or taking other medicines with guanfacine, like tenex. intuniv may cause serious side effects, such as low blood pressure, low heart rate, fainting, and sleepiness. intuniv may affect the ability to drive or use machinery. other side effects include nausea, tiredness, trouble sleeping, stomach pain, and dizziness. tell the doctor about your child's medicines and medical conditions, including heart, liver, or kidney problems. [ woman ] adding intuniv helped eric. [ male announcer ] ask the doctor about once-daily nonstimulant intuniv. lugging around a hot water extraction unit can be a rush! that's why i'm carpet for life. but if things get out of hand, there's no shame in calling us. ♪call 1-800-steemer. listen to this. three out of four americans don't get enough vegetables. so here's five bucks to help you buy v8 juice. five bucks. that's a lot of green. go to v8juice.com for coupons. you can count on us. five bucks. that's a lot of green. challenge that thinking with olay. ♪ there's more than a jar of olay moisturizers in every bottle of olay bodywash to leave your skin feeling soft and smooth. with olay. achoo! [ male announcer ] and common tissue can make it burn even more. puffs plus lotion is more soothing than common tissue, and it delivers our most soothing lotion for every nose issue. had your kraft macaroni and cheese stolen. now there is a policy that covers you in the event of macaroni and cheese loss: macsurance. an insurance policy for mac and cheese? talk to me. i have a policy with kraft that covers me in case a grown-up eats my share. with kraft macsurance you have piece of mind in an unsafe world. coverage feels good! [ male announcer ] gooey, creamy, delicious kraft macaroni & cheese. you know you love it. michael jackson's doctor, conrad murray, goes on trial this week for manslaughter. we will have the latest. >> announcer: this portion of "the early show" is sponsored by citibank. big movie. i thought we'd be on location for 3 days, it's been 3 weeks. so, i used my citi simplicity card to pick up a few things. and i don't have to worry about a late fee. which is good... no! bigger! bigger! [ monica ] ...because i don't think we're going anywhere for a while. [ male announcer ] write your story with the new citi simplicity card. no late fees. no penalty rate. no worries. get started at citisimplicity.com. things like fresh fruit, fruit juices, have acids that can soften our enamel. once you've lost your enamel it's gone for good. pronamel iso-active is different, it's new, it's a toothpaste in a can. it starts off as a gel, transforms into a foam and actually surrounds your teeth and gets into all those nooks and crannies. dentists recommend pronamel. pronamel iso-active rehardens enamel and helps protect against the effects of acid erosion. i want healthy skin for life. [ female announcer ] don't just moisturize, improve the health of your skin with aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula goes beyond 24-hour moisture. it's clinically proven to improve your skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks. for healthy, beautiful skin that lasts. i found a moisturizer for life. [ female announcer ] aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. and for healthy, beautiful hair, try nourish plus haircare. only from aveeno. these are our ocean spray sparkling juice drinks in cranberry and pomegranate blueberry. they have bubbles and come in these really cool cans. it's real fruit juice, crisp sparkling water, and no added sugar. comes in diet, too. it's refreshing, tasty -- the whole family will love it. you want one? i'll wait a bit. all right. mmm. refreshing. real juice. real bubbly. find it in the juice aisle. city was for/against obama care but what about mitt romney? i mean, mitt romney care. was it was before he was before? was it was he was before? more control. >> and he's asleep. back to "the early show." i'm erica hill along with jim actle rod axle rod. >> some are thinking he will not be playing rick perry a year from now. >> his status hit a wall over the weekend. mitt romney won the michigan straw poll on sunday. on saturday, herman cain surprised everybody with winning the straw poll on saturday. jan, goorm. wh good morning. when we take a look at rick perry with glns ablazing. there is a lot of criticism since the debate on thursday night. why not take a quick bit of what he said lately. >> there may be slicker candidates and there may be smoother debaters, but i know what i believe in and i'm going to stand on that belief every day. >> so there he is making his case. what has the impact, though, of the last few days been on his campaign, jan? >> reporter: he took off like a rocket when he got into this race last month. so this is bringing him back down to earth. the fact