5 Things To Know This Morning

Sept. 11, 2012 — -- Your look at the five biggest and most buzz-worthy stories of the morning.

1. Chicago Teachers Strike Enters Day 2
The Chicago teachers' strike enters its second day today after the president of the Chicago School Board said Monday night that contract talks with the union had not yet been solved. Teachers in the third largest school district in the country are rallying over job security and evaluations partly based on standardized test scores. The strike has left 350,000 students out of school.

2. Hospitals Fail in Safety Measures Securing Radiological Material
The Washington Post obtained a new report out today from the Government Accountability Office that found that nearly four of five hospitals in the U.S. have failed to implement safety measures securing radiological material that could be used in a dirty bomb.

3. Tax Hike Leads to Drop in Smoking
A federal tobacco tax hike signed by President Obama in 2009 has resulted in an historic drop in cigarette smokers, according to new analysis by USA Today. About 3 million less people smoked last year than in 2009, largely due to the overnight 22 percent price increase in cigarettes in April of that year.

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4. 9/11 Commemoration to be Scaled Back
There will be a scaled back commemoration at the World Trade Center honoring the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. For the first time, only those who lost loved ones will speak at the ceremony at Ground Zero. The names of the 2,977 people who were killed in the attacks will be read by family and friends. Vice President Joe Biden will give the keynote speech at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa. at 10:03 a.m. – the time the plane crashed.

5. Britain's Murray Takes U.S. Open Title
Britain's Andy Murray defeated Novak Djokovic to win his first U.S. Open men's singles title on Monday night. The match tied for the longest men's single final at 4 hours and 54 minutes.