I'm Katie Couric.
Tonight it was the first front in the war on terror and in Afghanistan now the Taliban
are back with a vengeance.
Lara Logan has an unprecedented encounter with Al-Qaeda's best friends.
A gusher in the Gulf, the biggest US oil find in years, but does that mean you'll find cheaper
prices at the pump?
Free speech, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion and we're giving folks a chance
to express them right here.
Nobody wants to hear what we have to say because we don't foam at the mouth, call your mama
names or say anything that's going to juice the ratings.
And in something we're calling snapshots, Vanity Fair has the baby picture everyone
has been waiting for and tonight so do we.
This is the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.
Hi everyone, I'm very happy to be with you tonight.
For many Americans today it was back to work and back to school, but in the war on terror
you have to wonder is it back to the drawing board?
It's easy to forget Afghanistan is where that war began and that 21,000 US servicemen and
women are still there.
Now nearly five years after US forces defeated the Taliban and scattered the Al-Qaeda terrorists
they were protecting, the Taliban and their terror tactics are back.
This year roadside bombings are up 30 percent, suicide bombings up 100 percent.
More than 100 US and NATO troops have been killed.
In response the allies have launched a counteroffensive against the Taliban, killing as many as 60
today alone.
Our chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan had unprecedented access to some Taliban
fighters in one of their new strongholds in Ghazni province.
Here's her exclusive report.
Our 10th journey into Taliban territory followed six months of negotiations with their commanders.
Their nervous liaison insisted I cover everything but my eyes.
As we got closer these two armed Taliban fighters arrived to escort us along the dirt roads
through several villages.
We were in Ghazni just two hours south of the Afghan capital.
We couldn't film openly yet and for the last part of the journey we're ordered to walk.
Finally arriving to this, more than 100 Taliban fighters, America's enemy, brazenly flaunting
their weapons in broad daylight.
Their senior commander defiantly declared them stronger and more popular than they were
before the US invasion.
That's a far cry from what I found last time I came to Ghazni.
This is how many American soldiers.
The US military brought me here more than two years ago to show off how they'd driven
the Taliban out.
Now the Taliban were showing off their success in taking back some of that ground.
Before this war American forces were our friends.
This Taliban commander told us but now after this occupation and their barbaric cruelty
we're no longer with them.
To get out of Taliban controlled areas you have to travel on roads they have mined.
So we were given an escort to navigate around the deadly bombs.
Here he's marking one with his foot while our driver inches past.
The top US general in Afghanistan admits Ghazni is one of the worst spots in the Taliban
resurgence.
You guys ready?
That's made the past year the bloodiest ever for US forces here.
You do have areas of Afghanistan right now in particular provinces in the south and in
certain districts where Taliban strength is greater than it was last year.
Does that surprise you to see that, to know that that is happening?
It's a hard enemy that we're up against, it's an enemy that doesn't know borders.
American officials point to other areas where security is much improved and play down the
fight raging daily in the south.
But when NATO took over the southern region from US forces in August they lost nine soldiers
in their first week.
Their commanding general says the situation is much worse than expected.
There's no doubt people are frustrated and the Taliban are exploiting that sense of frustration.
Is this a turning point do you think for Afghanistan?
I think the next three to six months are critical.
As long as the Taliban are able to wage war inside Afghanistan, American success will
not be assured and today they're more confident than ever.
On our visit in a scene unimaginable just two years ago, armed Taliban fighters gathered
openly for prayer, weapons at the ready.
Less than 10 miles from a US base.
Lara Logan, CBS News, Ghazni, Afghanistan.
The war on terror began of course with the September 11th attacks on the United States.
Today President Bush warned Americans not to get complacent about the continuing terror
threat.
Here's our chief White House correspondent Jim Axelrod.
President Bush is casting the war on terror in new terms yet again, charting a course
for the future while looking at evils of the past.
Bin Laden and his terrorist allies have made their intentions as clear as Lenin and Hitler
before them.
The question is will we listen?
Will we pay attention to what these evil men say?
Nine weeks before the midterm elections, Mr. Bush used terrorists in their own words to
make his point.
First, Osama Bin Laden.
Death is better than living on this earth with the unbelievers among us.
Bin Laden's right-hand man, Zawahiri.
The whole world is an open field for us.
And quoting Hezbollah's leader, Nasrallah, fresh off his war with Israel.
Death to America will remain our reverberating and powerful slogan.
Clearly, the president hopes his strong suit, the war on terror, will absorb his weakness,
the war in Iraq.
And that requires making the struggle larger than any single terrorist.
This is the great ideological struggle of the 21st century.
And it is the calling of our generation.
The president warned that danger remains and sacrifices required, but that he's confident
in the ultimate outcome.
Essentially, Katie, this, this was a stick with me speech.
Alright, Jim Axelrod at the White House.
Jim, thank you so much.
Few people have written about the war on terror as extensively as New York Times columnist
Tom Friedman.
I spoke to him a short time ago and asked him about the president's latest efforts to
shore up support for the war.
What is the president saying, Katie?
He's saying, we're in the fight of our life.
The World War III of our generation, but let's have a tax cut and shrink the size of our
armed forces.
We're in the fight of our life, Katie, but let's only send enough troops in Iraq to depose
Saddam Hussein, but not enough to control the borders and really create a secure environment
for democracy to flourish there.
We've been summoned to D-Day, but not really given the moral, strategic, economic, and
political strategy to win D-Day at all.
Meanwhile, we saw the Taliban is back in a big way and is once again a big threat.
Things seem to be going well in Afghanistan.
What happened?
Why is it unraveling now?
Well, you know, Katie, it's really a smaller version of the Iraq story, which is it's security,
security, security.
What Laura Logan's piece really shows, where American forces are present in numbers, where
they create a secure environment, good things flower.
Where they're not present, bad things happen.
Everyone, needless to say, is looking toward the fifth anniversary of September 11th.
And everyone is asking this question.
Are we safer now than we were?
What do you think?
Well, you know, in some ways yes, in some ways no.
Obviously, we've done a lot more in this country to take seriously the threat at our borders
through immigration and whatnot.
But at the same time, you know, one really weeps for that moment of solidarity in this
country after 9-11.
You know, we as a country have always historically been in the business of exporting hope and
not fear.
And in the last few years, we've really reversed that.
We're a country that is seen widely around the world as exporting fear and not hope.
Is there any way to change that?
We've got to get back to that.
But how do you do that?
Well, you know, part of it, it really starts at the top.
It really starts with the president and there's no, there's nothing wrong with highlighting
the threats we face.
But we've got to get back to that America, you know, that people look to as that kind
of naïve optimistic place as well.
And I'll have an exclusive interview with President Bush tomorrow night right here on
the CBS Evening News.
As many of you know, next Monday is the fifth anniversary of the worst terror attack on
U.S. soil, and it's still taking a toll.
A study out today says nearly seven out of ten recovery workers at Ground Zero have experienced
lung problems.
A big shakeup at the struggling Ford Motor Company.
Bill Ford is stepping down as CEO of the company his great-grandfather founded.
He's being replaced by Alan Mulally, who turned Boeing around.
People are still talking about the terrible death of crocodile hunter Steve Irwin.
There was an outpouring of emotion all over Australia today as his body was returned to
his hometown.
For more about the life and death of Steve Irwin and other news, go to our website at
CBSNews.com.
Still ahead on the CBS Evening News, it may be a record discovery of black gold in the
Gulf of Mexico, but does it mean you'll be yelling Eureka at the gas pump?
Eye on your money is next.
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The folks at Chevron today felt like they won the lottery when they announced that they
struck oil in the Gulf of Mexico they say it may be the biggest find in a generation
but what impact will it have on the price you pay at the pump.
Here's Anthony Mason with eye on your money.
This ship drilled the record breaking well analysts say the field 175 miles offshore
could become our biggest homegrown source of oil.
Chevron had the first strike but Shell is looking there too.
So if the technology can keep up with it there's more reserves to be had there.
Last week Shell flew us to the Ram Powell a 46 story structure floating 80 miles out
in the Gulf.
This is the newest well they're drilling on Ram Powell.
This platform can handle 70,000 barrels of crude a day.
Now to give you an idea of just how much that is you could drive your car for 55 million
miles on that.
From these wells to your wheels here's what goes into the price of a gallon of gas.
Because getting the crude out of the ground makes up more than half the cost but then
refining distribution and taxes all add to the price of the pump.
This is one of the larger platforms in the Gulf in all there are 4,000 oil structures
in these waters that provide a quarter of the country's energy which is why every time
a hurricane heads this way your gas prices spike higher.
Last year Katrina made a direct hit on Shell's Mars platform.
We knew it was the best that could be built but we didn't know what we would find the
next day.
They found that Mars 1,000 ton drilling rig had snapped off and slammed into the platform.
It used to look just like the towering rig on Ram Powell.
And this is what fell over in Katrina.
This is what fell over.
Greg Gidrey heads Shell's Eastern Gulf operations.
So these bolts is that what broke?
That's correct.
A mammoth crane had to be brought in to hoist Mars toppled rig.
What was the cost to Shell of Katrina and Rita?
Well it was in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Even with that repair bill Shell still made a 25 billion dollar profit last year as Katrina
drove gas prices to record highs.
When Hurricane Ernesto threatened last week some Ram Powell workers were briefly evacuated
but in Shell's New Orleans operation center.
We're already looking at the next one over here coming off Africa.
That storm's called Florence and the price of our gas could literally depend on which
way her winds blow.
Anthony Mason, CBS News in the Gulf.
Coming up something new for the evening news besides me.
We call it free speech.
Liberal, conservative, red state, blue state, right, wrong, us, them, tastes great, less
filling you name it.
Boy I don't buy it.
We deal in deception.
I got an informer in my outfit.
I can get the rat.
Situations like this kill everybody.
I'm not the rat.
The Departed, a Martin Scorsese picture rated R starts October 6th.
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He said you have a growing problem.
It's not your bladder.
Your prostate is growing.
See I had an enlarging prostate.
My doctor prescribed Avidart.
Most medicines only treat symptoms.
Avidart with time actually shrinks the prostate and improves urinary symptoms.
So I can go more easily when I need to go and go less often.
Only your doctor can tell if your symptoms are from an enlarged prostate and not a more
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Avidart is for men only.
Women should not take or handle Avidart due to the risk of a specific birth defect.
Tell your doctor if you have liver disease.
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We're trying a few new things here on the evening news.
One is something we're calling free speech.
Expressing your opinion is very American.
One of the many privileges of living in this country.
We want to encourage more civil discourse.
So we're giving people a forum to express themselves unfiltered and uninterrupted.
And the lack of civil discourse is precisely what our first free speech is all about.
Morgan Spurlock is the author of Supersize Me and tonight he's got a beef about going
to extremes.
It seems like every time I turn on the TV, some reputable news source is telling me how
we're a nation divided.
Liberal, conservative, red state, blue state, right, wrong, us, them, tastes great, less
filling, you name it.
Well I don't buy it.
You see, today's news has become just like professional wrestling.
And Hulk Hogan puts his face right up to the camera and tells Randy Savage that my 22 inch
pythons mean the end to you, brother.
He's a mirror image of the politicians, the pundits, the spin doctors, the pitch men and
the PR flunkies that put their faces right up to hundreds of cameras every day and tell
us how they're right and how the other guys are out of their minds.
Well let me tell you something, brother.
I've traveled to every state in this great nation.
Well every state except Maine, but that's only because they don't take off their long
johns until May.
And what I've discovered in my travels is that we're not a nation divided at all.
We're just a country that's buying into the smack down hype.
Truth is, most of us don't live on the extreme ends they like to portray.
The majority of us are camped out here in the middle.
But nobody wants to hear what we have to say because we don't foam at the mouth, call your
mama names or say anything that's going to juice the ratings.
And that's what it's all about.
It's all about the grandstanding, the name calling and the yelling into the camera.
Well don't believe the hype.
Change in this country doesn't come from the person with the greatest decibels.
Freedom of speech has a purpose.
To make this the best nation we can dream of.
If we can say anything, if we can have a real civil discourse, then and only then will we
find the best solutions to our problems.
Without that, it's just showbiz.
You're going to hear a lot of different opinions.
Some of the people you'll recognize, Rush Limbaugh for instance, this Thursday.
Some you won't and we're sure you won't always agree.
But we'd love to hear your reaction.
And if you have something you'd like to get off your chest, exercise your right to free
speech by going on our website at cbsnews.com.
Here's another new feature.
It's called snapshots.
And we begin with some vintage ones from one of the early CBS News broadcasts.
The anchor was Douglas Edwards and the photos are of 19-week-old Prince Charles back in
1949.
This perhaps is my favorite of Bonnie King Charlie to be of the United Kingdom.
So in keeping with tradition, we have some very special baby pictures tonight.
An exclusive first look at Vanity Fair's newest cover girl.
She's Suri Cruz, daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.
After much speculation about why she's been undercover so long, this is proof positive
that yes, Suri, she does exist.
The Annie Leibovitz photoshoot incidentally was top secret and the article was completed
in an undisclosed location under heavy security.
The magazine hits newsstands tomorrow.
Coming up next, giving children who have so little precious images they and you will never
forget.
If I can raise the net level of compassion in the world by that much, I'll be happy.
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Ask your doctor if Cadowet is right for you.
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And Lunesta can help you get a full night's sleep at last.
Lunesta works quickly so take it right before bed.
Of course, do not use sleep medicines for extended periods without first talking to
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Tomorrow's superstar Jessica Simpson.
I belong to you.
With a one-of-a-kind concert tomorrow on The Early Show.
In your eyes.
That's Peter Gabriel's hit song, In Your Eyes, and we think it's the perfect song for a picture-perfect idea.
Here's Steve Hartman.
At the base of that volcano, in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, there's an orphanage.
And although third-world orphanages aren't normally festive places,
on this day, at this one, there was reason to celebrate.
The arrival of a young man named Ben Schumacher.
He comes from a faraway place called Wisconsin, and he comes bearing gifts.
Ideally, these would be something that the kids could hold onto for their whole lives.
What's in the suitcase is 62 pounds of portraits.
Portraits of the kids.
Portraits for just about each and every one of them.
They share everything, so they don't have much that they can call their very own.
Jaden Kern is a director at the orphanage.
I think that it will touch them profoundly once they get down and get a private moment to sit and look at that picture.
Remember, these kids didn't have parents snapping baby pictures.
Most don't even have a single photo, let alone a precious painting.
Oh, that's nice.
It is nice.
Ben calls this the memory project.
He started it in college and still runs it out of a bedroom at his parents' house in Madison.
Honduras, Haiti.
So far, he's given out more than 4,000 portraits to orphans around the world.
And finally, Lebanon right there.
Of course, Ben doesn't paint them all.
Instead, he gets someone to take pictures of the kids,
then sends the pictures to high school art teachers across America who assign the portraits to their students.
And this is where Ben's idea goes from good to genius.
See, the American kids who paint these portraits have to spend hours staring into the faces of their orphan subjects.
And Ben says after working on them for so long, after painting the eyes especially, there's often a real connection.
The artist said she liked painting your eyes because they are so expressive.
You know, every day they come into the art classroom and bam, there it is, looking right into the eyes.
And they've got to wonder about that kid.
Definitely. To be totally honest, that's the main reason why I do this work.
Ben says for every portrait he gives out, there's a student back home who's now a little more aware of our needy world.
That's the student right there who made it.
That's why eventually he'd like to make his memory project part of every high school art class in the country.
And if it can raise the net level of compassion in the world by that much, I'll be happy.
Compassion to Ben, that's a word worth a thousand pictures.
Steve Hartman, CBS News, Nicaragua.
And another wonderful thing about this story, some of the art students have now become friends and pen pals of the children whose portraits they painted.
Now before we go tonight, all summer long people have been asking me, how will you sign off at the end of your broadcast?
I've racked my brain and so far nothing has felt right.
But here's a look at how some well-known anchors have signed off through the years.
Good night and good luck.
Good night, Chet.
Good night, David.
And that's the way it is, Thursday, August 30th, 1962.
This is Walter Cronkite. Good night.
Thank you for joining us. Courage.
Saying good night and good news.
I'm Ron Burgundy. You stay classy, San Diego.
All clear.
I'm not sure any of those will work for me, but if you have a bright idea for a great sign off, log on to our website at CBSNews.com and tell me.
I know we'll have a lot of fun reading them and who knows, maybe one will actually stick.
But for now, all I have to say is, I'm Katie Couric.
Thank you so much for watching and I hope to see you tomorrow night.
For news 24 hours a day, click on CBSNews.com, sponsored in part by Walmart.
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