Serena Williams wins U.S. Open battle with sister Venus

QUEENS, N.Y. -- Serena William defeated sister Venus in three sets to move within two victories of completing the first Grand Slam since 1988.

The younger Williams won 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 in the U.S. Open quarterfinals Tuesday night in front of a celebrity-filled crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was her 11th three-set victory at a major this year.

Serena improved to 9-5 against her sister in Grand Slam matches.

Giant Russian transport aircraft in Syria raise concerns

Three giant Russian Condor transport aircraft have flown into the Assad International Airport near Latakia, Syria, over the past few days. They have unloaded large containers but it's not known yet what's in the containers, reports CBS News correspondent David Martin.

At the same time a passenger flight has arrived, presumably bringing people who will move into the modular housing which has been erected at the airfield and can now hold in excess of 1,000 people. A U.S. official says every indication is that Russia is setting up a forward operating base, but for what reason remains unclear.

It could be preparations for military intervention or it could be a ramping up of military deliveries to the Assad regime.

Russia may insert combat aircraft into Syria creating uneasy air space

The U.S. position is that "any effort to bolster the Assad regime would potentially be destabilizing." According to government spokesmen in both Greece and Bulgaria, Washington has asked them to deny Russia overflight rights, something that has made the Russians angry and led a harsh rebuke of Bulgaria from Moscow.

Hillary Clinton "trying to be as transparent as I possibly can" about emails

Hillary Clinton, asked again about her use of a private server for her email while she was secretary of state, told ABC News' David Muir, "That was a mistake. I'm sorry about that. I take responsibility, and I'm trying to be as transparent as I possibly can."

Last week, Clinton did not apologize for her decision to use the server when asked by NBC News whether she was sorry. On Monday, the Associated Press asked her in another interview why she wouldn't apologize, and she responded, "What I did was allowed. It was allowed by the State Department. The State Department has confirmed that.

Clintons paid State Department staffer to manage private email server

"I did not send or receive any information marked classified," Clinton said. "I take the responsibilities of handling classified materials very seriously and did so."

She told AP that the email issue is "a distraction, certainly," but maintained that it hadn't affected her campaign plan.

In December, Clinton provided the State Department with copies of 30,000 emails - 55,000 pages of documents, in response to a recordkeeping request. And over the summer, Clinton turned over her server to the Justice Department, which is investigating the security of her server and what classified information may have been in the email cache Clinton provided.

Uniformed men accost refugees, leave them adrift at sea

ISTANBUL -- Just off the Turkish coast Tuesday morning, 40 Syrians were crammed on a rubber dinghy, desperate to reach Europe.

On board was Tanya Ibrahim, a high school art teacher from Aleppo, her 3-year-old son, Mohammed Jan, and her husband Abdeqaden, who filmed their dangerous journey. We first met them in Turkey before they set out.

They fled Syria two years ago, after their home was bombed, but they told us there's no regular work for Syrians in Turkey,so they borrowed $2,000 to pay a smuggler.

Mohammed Jan, 3, hangs on to his mother aboard a crowded boat of Syrian refugees headed for Greece

 CBS NEWS

Plane catches fire on Las Vegas runway

LAS VEGAS -- A passenger plane caught fire on the runway at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas Tuesday afternoon.

According to the airport, British Airways Flight 2276 was preparing to depart for London's Gatwick Airport with 159 passengers and 13 crew members on board when the fire occurred.

Billowing black smoke and orange flames could be seen pouring from under the plane's wings, sending passengers fleeing quickly from the aircraft and across the tarmac before about 50 firefighters doused the aircraft in minutes.

The airport said all passengers and crew used emergency slides to evacuate from the Boeing B777-200.

Fire officials said 14 people were taken to Sunrise Hospital by early Tuesday evening for minor injuries, most a result of sliding down the inflatable chutes to escape.

British Airways passenger describes plane fire

Reggie Bügmüncher, of Philadelphia, said she was charging her phone and waiting at a gate for her flight when she heard people saying, "Oh, my God." She looked out the window and could see "bursts of flames coming out of the middle of the plane."

Hillary Clinton, fighting for votes, promises to defend unions

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign stop at the Quad City Federation of Labor's Salute to Labor Chicken Fry in Hampton, Illinois September 7, 2015.

 

 REUTERS/BRIAN C. FRANK

Mississippi boy and dog rescued after falling into well

BROOKHAVEN, Miss. -- A four-year-old boy was rescued after being stuck in a well for several hours with his dog, CBS News affiliate WJTV reported.

Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing said the unidentified boy remained alert and spoke to emergency workers as rescuers hoisted the boy up with a rope.

Clifford Galey, civil defense director for Lincoln County, tells The Daily Leader newspaper that the boy had been trapped in a well nearly 25 feet deep. The hole, about 70 miles south of Jackson,was only about a foot and a half wide.

Lawyers seek federal injunction to free embattled Kentucky clerk

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Attorneys for the Kentucky clerk who was jailed last weekbecause of her refusal to issue marriage licenses to gay couples said Monday they have filed an emergency motion with a federal court that they hope will result in Kim Davis' freedom.

The filing seeks to have Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear accommodate Davis' "religious conviction," and not compel her to grant licenses to gay couples, Liberty Counsel said in a statement.

Kim Davis appeals jailing for denying marriage licenses

"The motion requests an injunction pending appeal for an exemption from the Governor's mandate that all county clerks issue marriage licenses," the statement said.

Davis' lawyer Harry Mihet told CBS News correspondent Jericka Duncan that there is a "win-win" solution that would make everyone happy. "That solution is for the court or the State of Kentucky to remove Kim Davis' name off of the marriage licenses and to allow someone other than her to sign these licenses that do not bear her name," he said.

Independent report dismisses Mexico account on missing students

Mexico's Attorney General Arely Gomez addresses the media in Mexico City, September 6, 2015. Mexico will seek a new investigation into whether the 43 students who disappeared after being abducted by corrupt cops in southwest Mexico last year were burned in a dump, after an independent report dismissed the official account. 

 REUTERS

MEXICO CITY -- An independent report presented Sunday dismantles the Mexican government's investigation into last year's disappearance of 43 teachers' college students, saying the prosecutor's contention that they were incinerated in a giant pyre never happened and fueling the anger of parents who have gone nearly a year not knowing what happened to their sons.

John Kasich to Kim Davis: Comply with the law

Despite her religious beliefs, Kim Davis -- the defiant Kentucky clerk who was jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples -- should follow the law, Republican presidential candidate John Kasich said Sunday.

"I respect the fact that this lady doesn't agree, but she's also a government employee," Kasich, who opposes same-sex marriage, said on ABC News' "This Week." "She's not running a church. I wouldn't force this on a church, but in terms of her responsibility I think she has to comply."

Kentucky clerk remains in jail; marriage licenses issued

"I think, you know, the court has spoken, the court has ruled as everyone knows," Kasich added. "Most people know, I believe in traditional marriage -- but the court has ruled."

The Rowan County clerk was jailed Thursday after she refused a federal judge's order to start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Despite her confinement, Davis' attorney said "she has a clean conscience."