the latest news and weather -- >> hot weather. >> -- always on cbs5.com. see you in a half hour. >> smith: tonight, police in maryland shoot a gunman who had taken hostages at the discovery channel as hundreds flee. i'm harry smith. also tonight, the latest on hurricane earl. as the storm moves closer to the east coast, residents start packing up and moving inland. pressure builds to pull a popular weight loss drug after a new study says it can raise the risk of heart attack. and iraqis new to democracy get some lessons from a country with more than two centuries of experience. captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news world headquarters in new york, this is the "cbs evening news" with katie couric. >> smith: good evening, katie is off tonight. we're beginning with a real-life drama at the discovery channel.

a man who reportedly had a history of issues with the cable network's programming entered its headquarters in suburban washington today waving a gun and taking hostages. hundreds of others fled the building as police negotiated with the gunman, but after several hours of talks, police shot and killed him because, they say, the lives of the hostages were in jeopardy. it all played out in silver spring, maryland. cbs news correspondent wyatt andrews is there. wyatt, good evening. >> reporter: harry, good evening. it was tense out here for a few hours, but it's pretty much over now. the man who took those hostages for several hours was shot and killed by police. all of the hostages are safe. but because some kind of explosive device went off during the police rescue, police are still searching discovery headquarters for any possible remaining explosives. for discovery's employees, the first alert came by mass e-mail.

"there may be an armed gunman," it warned. "proceed to a locked office immediately." >> it just said there was a bad situation going on, just stay in your office and lock it. >> reporter: when police then ordered a mass evacuation, almost all of discovery's 1,900 workers and all of the children in the building's day care center streamed on to the streets. >> did everybody get out? all the kids? >> all the kids did, yes. >> reporter: all of the children were there, but the assailant was holding three workers at gunpoint. >> we have an ongoing hostage situation. >> reporter: the gunman was identified as 43-year-old james lee, a man with a long and quirky history of protests against the discovery network. in an anti-corporate protest two years ago, lee was arrested while throwing cash outside of discovery's offices. he said in court he had been moved to save the planet, partly by al gore's documentary "an inconvenient truth." but lee's web site,

savetheplanet.com, has become a hodgepodge of anti-immigration, anti-war and anti-population rants where he rails against giving birth to more "filthy human children." he seemed especially upset by discovery health's broadcast called "baby stories" which celebrates the joys of pregnancy and childbirth. for several hours, lee held his hostages while police tried to learn in telephone negotiations what he wanted. but police also had trained a camera on lee, and when he drew a handgun, they moved in. >> our tactical units moved in. they shot the suspect. the suspect is deceased. >> reporter: lee first started this when he walked into discovery headquarters wearing two backpacks and some containers, canisters that witnesses told us look like pipe bombs. so police are still in there searching, trying to learn if those packs and canisters are, indeed, explosive before they can sound the all-clear. harry? >> smith: wyatt andrews outside discovery headquarters tonight. thanks. our other big story is hurricane

earl. the governors of north carolina, virginia, and maryland have declared states of emergency as the storm moves closer and grows stronger. it is a category four again with 135 mile an hour winds and it cuts an imposing image in the latest photo from space. at last report, earl was about 600 miles south-southeast of cape hatteras, north carolina. it could reach there late tomorrow or early friday, then roll up the east coast. hurricane watches and warnings are up as far north as cape cod. kelly cobiella is in kill devil hills, north carolina, tonight and has the latest. kelly, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, harry. despite a picture-perfect beach day here, some tourists and locals alike on the most remote of the islands spent it packing up because hurricane earl's winds and rain could be close to this coast in 24 hours. if there was any doubt about hurricane earl's power, these

postcards from the caribbean should erase it. the storm caused at least $150 million in damage from the virgin islands to puerto rico, cut power to almost 200,000 homes and left 60,000 without clean water. >> the hurricane will impact the coastal and offshore area within the next 72 to 96 hours. >> reporter: the coast guard is warning ships to get out of the way, with earl now over open water picking up speed and strength and heading for a new target: the u.s. coast. >> we've got a few more things to do, and then we're bugging out. >> reporter: not since hurricane bob in 1991 has the storm threatened so much of the eastern seaboard. that storm left 18 people dead and $1.5 billion in destruction. from new york to north carolina, relief supplies are being stocked, and some areas are under evacuation orders, like the small island of ocracoke, north carolina, population 800. the only way off is by boat. today, tourists and locals packed ferries for the mainland. the vitagliano family is not

jumping to conclusions just yet. while people all around them are leaving, they're planning to watch the storm from their vacation home on hatteras island. >> this is our 14th year here, and i'm not ready to go up to new york and get into my routine so, yeah. >> reporter: so you're waiting it out? >> we're waiting it out. we'll see. people watching this may be like "wow, famous last foolish words." but i don't know. we'll be smart. we'll leave if we have to. >> reporter: like many people, they'll be watching the forecast closely because a slight move to the east or west could make a big difference. harry? >> smith: kelly cobiella on the north carolina coast tonight. thank you. david bernard is chief meteorologist at cbs 4 news in miami and our cbs news hurricane consultant. david, it's so interesting. yesterday, when we talked, it was a four, went down to a three. it's back up to a four again. just how strong is earl? >> it's a powerful hurricane and this means business. the winds this afternoon with

this hurricane, 135 miles per hour, generating all kinds of bad waves out there. in fact, we had a buoy earlier today recording a wave height of 50 feet. right now they're running anywhere from 15 to 30 or 35 feet around what is a very large hurricane in the southwest atlantic. >> smith: so what are your best ideas in terms of where this storm is going to go? >> one thing we can look at, harry, is we can actually look at the computer models. when we look at those models tonight, most are continuing to hug the coast or move to the northeast just to the east of cape hatteras, maybe just to the east of cape cod. but, again, look how close they all are to the coastline. just a couple of them are off to the east. the main story line here is, it's just still too close to call where this hurricane is going to go. >> reporter: so knowing what we know, how is earl, then, going to affect the east coast? >> what we can look at right now harry, is the probability of tropical storm force winds. if you see a number higher than 30%, there's a very good likelihood that your location will at least see winds that

strong, and right now tonight anywhere from cape hatteras to bar harbor in maine has a good chance of tropical storm conditions. some places might even be a little bit worse. >> smith: wow. david bernard. thank you. traffic was down this past month at new car show rooms with americans worried about the economy and dealers offering fewer incentives. g.m. sales fell 25% from last august... august of last year. ford's were down 11%. ford says it will cut production by 4,000 vehicles in the fall. but chrysler, sales were up 7%. on wall street, news that manufacturing is picking up helped to send stock prices sharply higher. the dow soared 254 points. that's the biggest gain in nearly two months. wall street is watching two things very closely: the calendar and congress. the question is, will congress allow the bush tax cuts to expire for high-income earners at the end of this year?

here's business correspondent anthony mason. >> reporter: the recession hit dave campbell's lumber yard in darien connecticut hard. lets the bush tax cuts expire, he says, would cut even deeper. >> it takes more cash out of our business and it's less people we can hire. it's a big deal. >> reporter: many economists agree it's a hit the economy can't take right now. >> i think if the tax cuts expire for everybody, then we'll be back in recession, no doubt. it would be a huge policy mistake. >> while we extend middle-class tax cuts... >> reporter: president obama has proposed extending the cuts for individuals making less than $200,000 and couples making less than $250,000. but under his plan, the top two income tax rates, now 33% and 35%, would revert to levels before the bush administration of 36% and nearly 40%. what kind of impact would that have? >> i mean, it would actually have, i think, a pretty detrimental impact. >> reporter: the reason says david zervos with jeffries and

company: the top 3% of households account for a quarter of all person spending. >> the easiest path is probably some sort of just "kick the can down the road" strategy. >> i would extend the tax cuts for everyone at least in 2011. i wouldn't raise anyone's taxes next year when the recovery is fragile. >> reporter: but extending tax cuts for the wealthy would cost $700 billion over the next decade, according to the congressional budget office. former fed chairman alan greenspan, who originally supported the bush plan, says we can no longer afford it. >> i'm very much in favor of tax cuts, but not with borrowed money. >> reporter: but dave campbell, whose taxes as a small business owner would jump, says he needs the money to invest and hire. >> just leave us alone and let us do our business and don't worry about raising taxes at this point. >> reporter: a recent survey of economists found that 54% support extending the tax cuts. so do republicans. democrats hope to bring up a vote on the issue before the

november election. harry? >> smith: anthony mason, thanks. a report out today says the bad economy is a big reason the number of illegal immigrants in this country has dropped for the first time in two decades. beefed-up security at the mexican boarder is another one. last year there were about 11 million immigrants living in the u.s. illegally. that's a million fewer than in 2007, an 8% drop. few issues have dominated the world's attention as much as the middle east peace process. every american president since harry truman has tried in vain to work out a lasting peace between israel and the palestinians. today, president obama opened a new round of talks, but as senior white house correspondent bill plante reports, hope once again collided with reality. >> reporter: president obama's entry into the treacherous thicket of middle east peacemaking was marked by bloodshed. four israeli settlers gunned down yesterday in the west bank by hamas, a palestinian faction which opposes peace talks.

>> our goal is a two-state solution that ends the conflict and ensures the rights and security of both israelis and palestinians. >> reporter: opening peace talks which he hopes will bring results within a year, the president met first with israeli prime minister netanyahu. then palestinian president mahmoud abbas who condemned the west bank killings and ordered the arrest of 150 members of hamas. the president also met separately with egyptian president hosni mubarak and jordan's ruler, king abdullah. the four main issues separating israel and the palestinians have been the same for decades: the borders of a palestinian state, the israeli security, jerusalem where palestinians, too, can claim it as their capital and refugees, whether palestinians have a right to return to lands from which they were forced or fled. now there is hope. cooperation between israel and the palestinian authority has been improving. for nine months there has been a halt to israeli settlement construction.

but that moratorium expires on september 26. and unless there is a compromise to extend it, the talks could fail before they really begin. >> the bar is set high and my fear in the middle east, if it's all or nothing, it's nothing. but getting nothing really plays into the hands of the radicals. >> reporter: and now more than ever, america, israel, and the palestinians have a common interest in peace, because the radical palestinians of hamas are funded by their common enemy, iran. >> smith: bill plante at the white house tonight. thanks. now to iraq. u.s. troops there have a new mission, and today they got a new commander. general ray odierno was succeeded by lloyd austin who now leads a force of 50,000 americans whose primary task is to train iraqi soldiers. earlier, defense secretary robert gates visited troops in ramadi, once an insurgent stronghold. gates told reporters history will judge whether the iraq war was worth fighting.

>> even if the outcome is a good one, from the standpoint of the united states, it will always be clouded by how it began. >> smith: gates was referring, of course, to the weapons of mass destruction that saddam hussein was believed to have stockpiled but were never found. still ahead on the "cbs evening news," they could be iraq's best hope: a generation that grew up with war now determined to make the future much brighter. but up next, judging meridia. do the benefits of this diet pill outweigh the risks? for strong bones, i take calcium.

but my doctor told me that most calcium supplements... aren't absorbed properly unless taken with food. he recommended citracal. it's different -- it's calcium citrate, so it can be absorbed with or without food. citracal.

>> smith: this month the f.d.a. will decide the fate of the controversial diet pill meridia, america's second-most popular prescription diet drug. today the "new england journal of medicine" weighed in with a editorial calling it to be pulled from the market after a new study showed an increased risk in heart attacks in some patients. dr. jon lapook takes a closer look. >> reporter: the unusually critical editorial came as a result of the largest long-term study of meridia. almost 10,000 overweight or obese people with cardiovascular disease or diabetes were followed for three and a half years. the group taking meridia lost on average about nine pounds but had a 16% higher risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. the drug company abbott told cbs news there's already a label warning the drug should not be used in patients with known cardiovascular disease. but the editors of the new

england journal wrote that since meridia has a worrisome cardiovascular risk profile, it's difficult to discern a credible rationale for keeping this medication on the market. dr. louis erone is a weight loss expert who advised abbott. >> meridia has a small but significant role. we use it when other types of treatment don't work. >> reporter: an f.d.a. committee will meet in two weeks to decide meridia's fate, harry? >> smith: the company says there's already a warning label. isn't that enough? >> reporter: harry, the problem is while it's true there's a warning label and in this study only patients with known underlying cardiovascular disease were at increased risk for heart attack and stroke. in the real world it's hard to know exactly who those patients are. who is at increased risk for cardiovascular disease? about half of all patients who die suddenly in heart attack have no known history of heart disease. >> smith: jon lapook, thank you so much. for more information, all you need to do is go to our partner in health news webmd.com and search "weight loss drugs." there was a medical scare at the u.s. open here in new york

today. 21-year-old victoria azarenka collapsed during the first set of her match with gisela dulko. she left in a wheelchair and was later diagnosed with a mild concussion. azarenka says she hit her head while working out before the match. the scorching heat probably didn't help much, either. the court side temperature was nearly 100 degrees. we'll be right back. l be right back. well-being. we're all striving for it. purina cat chow helps you nurture it in your cat with a full family of excellent nutrition and helpful resources. purina cat chow. share a better life. i'm friend, secret-keeper and playmate. do you think i'd let osteoporosis slow me down?

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the course on fire is usually a good thing. not this time. they weren't yelling "fore" but "fire" last saturday in irvine, california. a golfer reportedly set off a 12-acre fire with one swing. his club snagged a rock, causing a spark that sent the bone-dry grass up in flames. tony blair's long-awaited memoir is out tonight and it includes the former british prime minister's take on some of the famous and powerful. president bush: intelligent, knew exactly what he wanted. blair's successor gordon grown: a strange guy. princess diana boyfriend dodi fayed: a problem. blair who says he has no regrets about going to war with iraq is donating the profits to a charity for wounded soldiers. here in new york city, an amazing end to a suicide attempt. a 22-year-old man jumped from an apartment building yesterday, plunged 39 floors and survived. that's because of where he

landed-- in the backseat of a dodge charger. he smashed through back windshield and broke two legs. tonight he's in the hospital in stable condition. a second chance at life. an interesting new study is out about older people and their tastes in news. it finds that, given a choice, people over age 50 prefer to read negative news about young adults rather than positive. the authors of the study speculate that in this youth- oriented culture, the negative news helps boost the self-esteem of the older folks. the researchers also found out that young adults don't like reading about older people at all. we'll be right back. look at all this stuff for coffee. oh there's tons. french presses, expresso tampers, filters. it can get really complicated. not nearly as complicated as shipping it, though. i mean shipping is a hassle.

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you may be eligible to pay $10 a month with the onglyza value card program. until the combination of three good probiotics in phillips' colon health defended against the bad gas, diarrhea and constipation. ...and? it helped balance her colon. oh, now that's the best part. i love your work. [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. may be one more victim out there. next the muni "maybe"... that could >> smith: finally tonight, with the end of u.s. combat operations in iraq, it's time to look ahead to the country's future. seth doane met some of iraq's next generation of leaders, determined to chart a different course for their homeland. >> reporter: growing up in iraq, hasan talib's teenage years were scarred by war. now he wants to help his country heal and rebuild.

it's a mission that's brought him all the way to the u.s. capitol to witness democracy in action. >> diversity will make us stronger. i think diversity is a good thing for every country. >> reporter: the challenge for you to say how do we make that work to our advantage in iraq. >> and we will make that work. >> reporter: hasan is one of about 50 iraqi university students invited to the u.s. for a summer exchange program. it's funded by the u.s. state department. >> because an effective team... >> reporter: through team building workshops, leadership training and community service projects, a diverse group of iraqi christians and muslims, arabs and kurds are brought together to glimpse the patchwork of american life. this medical student was one of 500 to apply. she says even the simplest values she's observed here-- like being on time-- could help her country function more smoothly. can 50 students coming here and

going back to iraq really make a difference? >> yeah, we can make a difference, because when you tell your friends and your friend is going to tell his friend or her friend, it's just like the circle is going to get bigger and bigger. >> reporter: of course, the idea of an exchange is that learning goes both ways. when you say "i'm an iraqi," what's the reaction? >> when they ask me, like, do you go by camel to your university, i'm like, i'm going to be a dentist, i have my own car. >> reporter: this next generation of iraqi leaders say they'll stay united back at home. after all, in the u.s. they've seen a country made up of many which can work together as one. seth doane, cbs news, washington. >> smith: that's the "cbs evening news." for katie couric, i'm harry smith. i'll see you in the morning on the "early show." good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. caption colorado, l.l.c. five dead, crime scenes littered across the bay area. and one gruesome discovery after another. how investigators are trying to untapping a twisted kill spree. >> an afternoon grassfire burning dangerously close to a line of homes. >> the latest show of support for a wounded police officer. good evening, i'm allen martin. >> i'm dana king. we begin with breaking news on the bizarre crime spree that continues to evolve awe speak. you're looking at a live picture from chopper 5 over hercules where search-and- rescue teams have been covering an area around a business park. they are looking for a man missing since last weekend. he vanished on the same day his father was found murdered. this whole thing ties