were probably able to thwart a potentially catastrophic event the likes of which the city of tampa has not seen and hopefully never will. so i want to thank them for their involvement as well, and i also want to praise the members of the tampa police department, again, who acted very urgently, took this information seriously, and were able to see it through to taking this individual into custody and taking all of the material that he intended to use in this event next week, to get that off of the streets as well. and now i will turn it over to major newman, and he will discuss the relationship that we have had, the police department, with jared kano in the past. and just if you aren't familiar with the charges or you haven't been advised of the charges, he was charged yesterday with

threatening to throw, project, place or discharge a destructive device, possession of bomb making materials, and also cultivation of marijuana in his room at his house, and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia as well. major newman? >> good morning. once we were able to identify mr. kano's whereabouts, where he lived and what his relationship was to the new tampa freedom high school area, i notified the supervisor sergeant pryor who works out there, very intimately with that neighborhood, particularly that school. and we verified through our ms system that kano had been on our juvenile check list at one point in '08 and '09. he had been arrested ently in a burglary in which a firearm was stolen and he had some other charges involving possession of marijuana. he was on some sanctions that

required us to do juvenile checks which most of you know is consider one of our best practices, constantly going out and checking on our juveniles that may or may not have a sanction. so we've been very, very familiar with him. besides looking at the data set we had available, talking to the street officers, particularly the sergeant that is assign up in new tampa, he was very familiar with mr. kano. he was actually there for several of the arrests, understood that he no longer had any dealings with freedom lie school. he was a former student. that kind of information, intima intimacy, knowing the folks that are in your area that may be causing problems was invaluable to us in this investigation. >> could you spell your name? >> n-e-w-m-a-n. >> do you have a first name? i sure do. john. district two. >> now we'll speak to the actions taken by the school

system. >> good morning. my name is louis prince, the assistant superintendent of administration. first i want to start off by saying i want to praise the relationship we have with the city of tampa police department and also the citizens for coming forward. because it's going to take an entire village to stop these kinds of situations from hp happening, and we just want to praise them for working with us in in the past and look forward to the continued working releaseship. it it's unfortunate that we have a situation like this, but it it's more fortunate that we stopped it. and we have to continue to work together to stop these events from happening. so what do we do now to recover? we sent out a link to all the parents at freedom letting them know about this incident, letting them know if they have questions or concerns about anything that's going to happen next tuesday when we -- >> we're listening to officials in tampa, school officials as

well as police authorities, talk about how what could have been a catastrophic event was thwarted in large part because of a citizen coming forward and now a 17-year-old former student of a high school, freedom high school there in tampa, florida, is now in custody. and also what was seized was the makings of what could have been that catastrophic event. david mattingly has been following this investigation for a long time, all morning long we've been hearing tiny details about what police authorities might be able to say. how does this kind of complete the picture for us? what might have happened there in tampa? >> what we're finding out was that this plot had a lot of potential for a lot of harm. we heard that straight from the police, saying that they thwarted a potentially catastrophic event, the likes of which this city had never seen. they also indicated that this young man, a 17-year-old former student of the hillsborough school district, had the desire to cause more casualties than columbine. and we were told earlier by the school system that this plot was

supposed to be carried out on the first day of school, which was next tuesday. so they apprehended this young man yesterday, they found bomb making materials inside the apartment that he was living in. they did not actually indicate in the presser that they had those bombs actually assembled ready to go, but they say he did have the materials for making these types of explosive devices that could have done a lot of harm. so everyone breathing a huge sigh of relief right now in tampa. >> among the items that were seized, or at least located, they said shrapnel, some tubing, and also apparently this young man, 17-year-old, had been arrested recently for possession of marijuana and then possible burglary as well. how have they been able to kind of locate this individual, just one scitizen? >> he was well-known to police, he had a juvenile record, a criminal record. they l a process to check up on

their juvenile offenders. they knew about him. apparently when the tip came in, they were already familiar with him, knew where he lived to investigate this. what they found was something that told them they had something very serious in the works that they cut off before it got any further. >> you mentioned the investigators say he was hoping to outdo columbine. everybody remembers that back in 1999, some 12 students killed along with a teacher and then of course the two shooters who killed themselves. certainly a big sigh of relief that something of this magnitude was indeed thwarted there in tampa. >> right. that single sentence alone enough to shake every single parent straight to their heart. so right now there is a lot of work to do with the parents to get them back on their feet, to let them know that they should have some confidence in the security of the school. in fact, the head of the school system there praising police and everyone involved for making sure this didn't happen. >> david mattingly, thanks so

much. appreciate that. meantime, we're watching other items as well. president barack obama working at a major jobs package to present to the american people right after labor day. a senior administration official says the new strategy is likely to focus on tax cuts, creative infrastructure ideas and help for the long-term unemployed. the president's three-state bus tour reaches the end of the road today with stops in atkinson and alpha, illinois. in iowa, the president told cnn's wolf blitzer that he didn't create the economic mess but he realizes it's his to fix. >> i'm going to be accountable. i think people understand that a lot of these problems were decades in the making. people understand that this financial crisis was the worst since the great fregs. but ultimately they say, look, he's the president, we think he has good intentions, but we're impatient and we want to see things move faster. and i understands that. i'm sympathetic to it. and we're zwrust going to keep

on putting forwarded ideas that will be good for the country. we're going to need a partner from congress. >> in the meantime, mitt romney fired off a quick jab at the new jobs initiative even though the white house hasn't spelled out the fine print. the presidential candidate on the trail in new hampshire today called any plan too little too late. >> we appreciate the fact that he's trying to devote some time to it, not just going to be on the bus tour, not just vacationing in martha's vineyard but giving some thought to the american people. that's what i would have thought he would have done from day one. if i'm the president of the united states, from day one of my term, i'll be working to get americans jobs again. 9/11 first responders say it is a galling betray yal. they haven't been invited to next month's memorial ceremony marking the tenth anniversary of the terror attack. new york's mayor's office says the event is for the victims' families. there's not enough room for police and firefighters they say.

and libyan rebels say they are waiting on the zero hour to make a move on tripoli. the fighters have essentially surrounded the capital and cut off key resupply routes. nato calls rebel gains the most significant in months. nato says the gadhafi regime no longer has effective operational capabilities. and police say they used surveillance and internet records to link paul douglas peters to a bomb extortion plot in australia. the aussie man is in custody in kentucky today, awaiting extraditi extradition. peters is accused of strapping a collar bomb around madeline pull ver's neck at her home in a sydney suburb and demanding money. the bomb was fake, but pulver didn't know for ten agonizing hours. >> maddy, how are you feeling? >> very relieved. >> are you sleeping better at night? >> i suppose, yeah. it's been -- it's good. i'm glad it's over. >> did you read the papers

today? >> i haven't actually. >> is it really confusing for you, maddy? it must be such a strange thing to happen. >> yeah. it's all very surreal. >> your mom said you're wondering why you. did you ask that question? >> yeah. i think we're all wondering. another incredibly frightening moment. a little girl is snatched off the street in an albuquerque neighborhood. and a bystander becomes her stanlt superhero. antonio diaz chacon saw a man wrestle the 6-year-old into a van. chacon jumped into his truck and took off after them. the chaotic chase ended when the van crashed and chacon rescued the little girl. >> she had injuries on her. she was bruised and banged up, her shirt was ripped. i think that should give it people a lot of hope he that there are people that are willing to do the right thing. >> kidnap p suspect phillip garcia is expected to go before a judge tomorrow. police say they found tape and

straps in garcia's van. next hour, i'll talk with antonio diaz chacon about his heroics. here's a rundown of some of the stories we're covering. first, more on president obama's new plan to grow the economy. and libya's rebels are gaining ground on gadhafi's forces. we have a live report from the front lines. then -- to refinance or not to refinance? we'll help you determine what's best for you as mortgage rates hover near record lows. also, it's a problem most men don't like to talk about. but it's a sign that they are likely to get heart disease. our dr. sanjay gupta reports. later, why the government is declaring thousands of americans dead every year when they're doing just fine. have i got a surprise for you! a mouthwatering combination of ingredients... i know you're gonna love. [ barks ] yes, it's new beneful healthy fiesta.

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it penetrates deep to block pain signals for hours of relief. capzasin-hp. take the pain out of arthritis. president obama is wrapping up a three-day bus tour of the midwest. he's in illinois today on his home turf, but back in washington everyone is talking about his new plan to create jobs. the president will unveil the details of the plan in a speech this september. our wolf blitzer actually caught up with the president to ask him all about it. >> we've got something much more ambitious in mind for september. there's been reports you want to create a new department of jobs, something along those lines. is that true? >> you know, that is not true. but what is true is that i think we missed an opportunity a month ago when we could have dealt with our debt and deficit in a serious, balanced way that would have avoided these huge

gyrations in the financial markets, given businesses a lot of confidence that washington had its fiscal house in order, and included in that, because of the savings we'd be getting over the next 10, 20 years, more efforts on the front end to spur job creation. and given that congress failed to act, the grand bargain i was trying to cut with john boehner didn't happen, we're going to take one more run at congress and geerg we're going to say, l here is a comprehensive approach that gets our debt and deficits under control and also accelerates job growth right now. >> our white house correspondent breanna breanianna keilar is on the roa with the president. the details are a little sketchy right now, but what else might you know about the plan so far? >> reporter: yeah, the details are pretty sketchy, but this is day three of the president's bus tour through the midwest and this is now the headline coming from the white house. a senior administration official saying the president will unveil

his jobs plan, he'll do it in a major speech shortly after labor day when congress comes back. we know it's a mix of things from the senior administration official, expect tax cuts, infrastructure, some way to address the long-term unemployment, which of course is a very big problem. the thing is, when you look at these different things propo s e been proposed, some of them republicans flat-out oppose or they oppose the way democrats and the white house so far have talked about executing the issues. in the meantime, we're about an hour or so out here in atkinson, illinois, from the president having his first of two town hall meetings of the day. we just saw a crowd of people go inside it this warehouse behind me, a warehouse for hybrid corn seeds. that's the backdrop for the town hall meetings. he'll be taking questions. a lot of folks who are saying they're not necessarily supporters of president obama, didn't vote for him, don't plan

to again. they're glad to have this opportunity in this town of population of about 1100 just to be able to ask the president some questions. so far we've afound the crowds have largely been friendly. if that continues, you'd expect that today. >> the guess is there are going to be a lot of questions about jobs, about the economy. the president may have to reveal a little bit more about his plan today with some of those questions than waiting until september. >> reporter: it it's possible he'll reveal. it's also possible he won't. so far he's stuck pretty closely to other proposals he's had in the past, extending unemployment insurance, extending the payroll tax cut. he's talked about infrastructure in broad terms before. what you hear people here -- you say them, what do you want to hear about? of course they say jobs, reassuran reassurances. this is an agricultural community. they're concerned about agricultural subsidies, certainly ethanol. when you think about really what

the industry is here, these are really things that touch them and those agricultural subsidies 0 could take a hit in some of the plans we've heard bantyed about for deficit reduction in washington. they have a lot of concerns here, fred. >> brianna keilar, thanks so much. here is your chance to "talk back" on one of the big stories of the day. the question today, is heckling good for our political discourse? carol? >> we've raised heckling to an art form, haven't we? the question is, is heckling good for our political discourse? let's face it 2012, liberal hecklers scored when they challenged republican mitt romney. >> corporations are people, my friend. we can raise taxes on -- of course they are. >> it it worked. the democratic national committee turned it into an ad. >> corporations are people, my friend. we can raise taxes -- of course

they are. everything corporations earn ultimately goes to people. where do you think it goes? >> in their pocket! >> whose pockets? people's pockets. >> not to be outdone, iowa tea party chairman ryan rhodes confronted president obama. >> when you're talking about civility, how is your vice president calling us terrorists? >> sir, sir, look -- >> i would like to understand that. >> okay. i will explain it right now. he did not call you guys terrorists. >> i don't think they came to a meeting of the minds, do you? it does make you wonder, as university of virginia politico larry told me, we're moving into a confrontational society. we don't want to listen to c-span. that's boring. instead, we make our decisions based on political flash mobs. maybe, he added, politicians are now judged on how well they respond to hecklers, not how well they explain their policies. he says, we could end up with baseball-style brawls at

campaign rallies. how would that end? a political dog pile? so the "talk back" question today -- is heckling good for our political discourse? facebook.com/carolcnn. i'll read your comments later this hour. >> you painted a real picture for us there. something tells me people will be on fire at their keyboards. >> i hope so. >> thanks so much, carol. appreciate that. what would you do if your social security checks stopped coming because the agency thought you were dead? well, that p happens apparently to thousands of americans every year. we'll find out more from our alison kosik in new york. into a. my goal was to take an idea and make it happen. i'm janet long and i formed my toffee company through legalzoom. i never really thought i would make money doing what i love. [ shapiro ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom.com today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side.

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here's a look at today's "choose the news" story.

text 22360 to vote for the one you want to see. first p up, danger in yosemite. the park is known for its beauty with spectacular water fuelfalls and wildlife. there are hidden dangers you need to be aware of. second, made in china. find out how america is profiting from products made in china. we'll let you in on a little-known secret that could change the way you buy. or, third, american tourists in cuba. visitors from the u.s. are heading to the island nation and getting a taste of culture in a once-forbidden place. vote by texting 22360, 1 for danger in yosemite, 2 for made in china, or 3 for american tourists in cuba. the winning story airs next hour. and up and down, week four wall street. let's check in with alison kosik with a look at where things stand right now. >> hi, fredricka. right now we are up, the dow up about 66 points. it looks like investors are

pretty much shrugging off an inflation report showing that wholesale inflation in july was a bit hotter than expected, not weighing on stocks much. instead, investors are focustion on the positive, on some positive earnings reports from retailers including b.j.'s wholesale, abercrombie and pitch, staples and target. it's good to show the earnings, it shows that regular old americans are getting out there and spending their money. >> alison, i also understand you have interesting numbers to tell us about concerning social security accidentally declaring some people dead. >> yeah. this is interesting. it turns out that the number of americans that the social security administration lists as dead is actually greatly exaggerated. if you look at the numbers, about 14,000 people a year, about 1 in every 200 names, put on this master death list at the social security administration are wrong, meaning these people are alive and well. and while some people may chuckle at this, there is a serious side to this because for

many of these people there are serious financial implications. they could stop receiving benefits and it takes the undead time to kind of unwind this and get resurrected and get benefits back. the social security administration says, you know why this is happening? because of human error. guess what that human error is, fredricka? >> what? >> misspellings of names. >> that's a big one. and that's surprising. >> yes. >> thanks so much, alison. appreciate it. libyan rebels begin to slowly tighten the noose around tripoli. is this the beginning of the end for leader moammar gadhafi? a live report and some analysis, straight ahead. get back on your feet.tiou three out of four doctors recommend the ensure brand for extra nutrition. ensure clinical strength has revigor and thirteen grams of protein to protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. and immune balance to help support your immune system. ensure clinical strength... helping you to bounce back.

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had here's a rundown of the stories we're working on next. the libyan rebels gain ground in their fight to beat down gadhafi's forces. we'll take you there, live. then mortgage rates hit historic lows. what does that mean? should you refinance your house? and later -- an embarrassing problem is also a sign men may have heart disease. dr. sanjay gupta sheds light on the issue. turning now to libya and what could be a dramatic shift

in the six-month-old war. rebels say despite some resistance from government troops, they may control most of the city of zawiyah and their next target is tripoli. leon panetta says it's only a matter of time until moammar gadhafi is pushed out of power. >> i think, you know, considering how difficult this situation has been, the fact is the combination of nato farce forces there, the combination of what the opposition is doing, the sanctions, the international pressure, the work of the arab league, all of that has been very helpful in moving this in the right direction. and i think the sense is that gadhafi's days are numbered. >> sarah side ner joins us live from western libya. sarah, what's the sense there? >> reporter: we're here in the mountains of western libya. we're about 80 kilometers away, so about 60 miles, from where intense fighting had been going on early this this morning.

we went down closer to that area, and what we are seeing is families fleeing the city of zawiy zawiyah. we heard from a colonel who had just come out of the area who told us basically what was happening is the rebels took control of much of the city but a lot of shelling is still coming into the city from the east where gadhafi troops were still in control and snipers were positioned in parts of the city. so quite a bit of time fooiting, obviously families very scared and trying to get out of there to safety. we should mention how important zawiyah is. the reason it's so important is it's an important supply line to tripoli. as you know, tripoli has very scarce amounts of fuel. they need more fuel, need to get more in. and this is one of the paths that they have to take to get the fuel into the city. the closest path. if the rebels are able to cut off this thoroughfare from gadhafi forces, there will certainly -- it will certainly

impact tripoli quite a bit because fuel obviously a real issue there in the city. >> sara sidener, appreciate that update. so let's get an update on the bigger picture. fran townsend joins us from new york, a member of both the cia and department of homeland security external advisory committee. fran, are these signs that moammar gadhafi is in trouble? and could possibly be losing his grip? >> oh, i think absolutely, fr fredric fredricka. but we have to be careful of declaring sort of gadhafi gone, right, too soon because we've seen internal strife among the rebels. this is, as we've reported now, a very strategic site, zawiyah, and so their ability to take control, hold it, and then build on that, leverage that strategic point, is going to be critical. the rebels are going to have to put their own internal discontent aside and really move now with the help of the arab

league and international community. but i think this is a very important point. the question remains, can the rebels leverage it to finally topple gadhafi. >> you mentioned that internal discontent. how serious is that? >> well, you know, it's not clear. i don't know we have very good visibility to that, other than what's been reported. but i will say this. i mean, the easiest way to put that internal wrangling aside is to have this opportunity. i mean, there's no question the rebels really want to move now to put a stranglehold around tripoli and force gadhafi from power. i don't think that's going to necessarily be easy, but i think they're better positioned today to do that than we've seen so far in this fight. so i think -- they've got nato behind them, the arab league. they have to now take advantage of this to make this final push toward tripoli. >> if the rebels gain a significant advantage, what does this ultimately mean for the united states? >> well, you know, look,

removing gadhafi removes what is a potential threat. i mean, gadhafi has, since this whole campaign began, threatened retaliation against the united states and against our western al allies. that's a good thing. the problem is, there's been so much strife over the years inside libya and gadhafi really made sure that power resided only with him and there were no civil institutions. so the western world, the united states along with western europe, is going to have to help build these western institutions and the rule of law inside libya, which has been missing for decades under gadhafi. so there will be some level of chaos, and the rebels are going to need some support in order to really assert power if they're able to topple gadhafi. >> fran townsend, thanks so much for your insight. thanks. >> thanks, fred. almost everyone eyeing the top job in the white house seems to be out on the road right now. and the political war of words is heating up. we've got the latest tough talk from the candidates in the cnn

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low interest rates have many homeowners looking to refinance their mortgages. alison kosik is here with today's top tips on whether it is a good idea for you to do that right now. alison? >> hey, fredericka. yeah, it seems like mortgage refinancing may be back in vogue. the mortgage bankers association says the number of applications rose 8% last week compared to the week before. greg mcbride from bankrate.com says with interest rates sitting between 3% and 4%, refinancing may make a lot of sense for a lot of homeowners. >> wow! so there are a few things to consider before you take the plunge, so to think, to refi. >> exactly. so to get the best terms and rates for a refinance, mcbride says if you've got a credit score of 700 or better and 20% of equity in your home, those things are ideal. if you have less than that, he says look into an fha loan or check your eligibility with the

government's home refordable refinance program known as h.a.r.p. there are calculators you can use, at cnnmoney.com and bankrate.com, figure out if it pays to refinance. if you do this, you want to identify your goals. if you're if your 30s, starting a family, you may get more money into your family and savings. if you're close to retirement, mcbride says consider refinancing into a shorter term loan so you have more money for the golden years and you're not still paying off the mortgage after you've stopped working. >> so we have more to talk about this refi, alison, thanks so much. we'll take a quick break right now. then we'll be back with alison. she'll tell us how to avoid ruining your chance of getting the best mortgage refinance. [ male announcer ] this is the network. a network of possibilities.

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p. we're back with more on whether it makes sense right now to refinance your mortgage. our alison kosik joins us again from new york with top tips. alison, there are ways you can actually ruin your chances of getting the best mortgage refi deal. >> exactly. so greg mcbride from bankrate.com says, you've got to be realistic about your home's value. the most common reason for being denied is that the appraisal comes in too low. also, if you're thinking about doing major renovations and you want to refinance, put down the hammer. mcbride says, if the appraiser sees your home in bits and pieces, they may lower the estimated value of your home. if you pass those tests, don't procrastinate. if you delay signing on the bottom line, you could end p up with a higher interest rate, which pretty much defeats the

purpose of refinancing. also, many rate locks have expiration dates so give yourself a cushion of a few days in case there's a glitch before closing. finally, don't go out and open a bunch of new credit cards or credit inquiries. that could undermine your credit score and make a potential lender you're out there xrounging for credits. a lot of don't s out there. but a lot of advice. >> appreciate that. punch line time, the best from last night's late-night comedians. right now everybody is taking swings at the newest republican candidate, rick perry. a lot saying he looks and acts like another target of late night targets, former president george w. bush. texas governor rick perry distanced himself from george w. bush by saying i went to texas a & m. he went to yale. that's what he said. in other words, rick perry's idea of instilling confidence is to say, don't worry, i'm not as smart as george w. bush.

anybody worried about that? >> and a reminder to vote for today's "choose the news" winner. text 22360 to vote for the story that you want to see. text 1 for danger in yosemite, the number of deaths in the park higher than usual. and text 2 for made in china. go to a store and the shelves are stacked with things made overseas. but there are benefits here in the u.s. if it is made in china. or text 3 for american tourists in cuba. the first tours have landed and people are getting a slice of life inside cuba. the winning story airs next hour. [ carrie ] you're studying how to be an effective leader. [ cherie ] you're dealing with professionals, teaching things that they were doing every day. [ kimberly ] i manage a network of over a thousand nurses. [ carrie ] i helped turn an at-risk school into an award-winning school. [ cherie ] i'm responsible for the largest urban renewal project in utah. [ kimberly ] and university of phoenix made it possible.

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more tough talk on the campaign trail today. joe johns, part of the best political team on television, joins us live from washington. joe, what's the latest from the republican front-runners? >> hey, fred. comparing something old and something new in the race for the republican nomination for president and what they have in common. mitt romney has been at this for a while, of course. he's presumed front-runner. the entrance of rick perry over the weekend tells us romney has what appears to be formidable competition. what's interesting about romney he's been running what can be described as a general election campaign, focusing on president obama and he's been able to avoid bashing other republicans in the field even though he's running against them. today romney said the president and his buddies don't understand what it takes to get the economy going again. this was in response to the president's statement that he's

going to propose new measures in september to create jobs, grow the economy. listen up. >> because he and his academic and political friends don't understand what it takes to get this economy going again. and it's a little too little too late, but we appreciate the fact this he's trying to devote some time to it, not just going be on the bus for, not just vacationing in martha's vineyard. i would have thought that's what he would have done from day one. if i'm the next president of the united states, from day one of my term i'll be working to get americans jobs again. >> day one. the question is, how long will romney actually be able to focus on president obama when he's got to get past a hard-charging campaigner like rick perry? we know how he is to get the republican nomination, fred. >> so rick perry also going after the president. he is attacking fed chair ben bernanke as well and apparently he's not backing down on those comments, right? >> that's absolutely right.

perry's bernanke comment suggesting that more stimulus for the economy would be treasonous, in his word, has gotten a lot of play. perry has not backed down, though he's back on message, if you will, right now, suggesting he, perry, knows how to create jobs better than president obama. the truth is, this stuff actually plays very well to the republican base, analysts will tell you. but at the end of the day, they may still have to ask voters to choose between them and make the case to republican voters on who's best to do the job and run against the president. so a long way to go until november. >> i was going to say, this is going to be a long horse race, but an interesting one. thanks so much, joe johns. for the latest political news, go to cnnpolitics.com. so you've been sounding off on our "talk back" question. carol costello joining us with your responses. carol, take it away. >> here it goes.

"talk back" question today, is heckling good for our political discourse? this from barbara -- people are tired of being nice and tired of the b.s. if you have to call someone out, do. this from tom -- heckling is the single most immature act one can partake in. no paint gets proven. the point trying to made falls mute. this from jason -- there is no good place for heckling. it makes others around the heckler feeling dumber. it puts the person on the spot. this this from michael -- heckling has become a product of rhetoric and scripted speeches. it is amazing the ignorant answers you get out of the candidates when they are heckled and leave their script. a 2k3w4ri78s of tglimpse of the and temperance of the candidates comes out. yes, it's rude but na's whatgoi, face book.com/facebocarol.

>> do you have a dog? >> no. >> but then you can't reunite. >> i used to have one. >> well, imagine what it's like for you as troops come home from war. jeanne moos shows us the love. >> reporter: you know the heart-warming two-legged reunions, the ones that end in -- >> i love you. >> reporter: well, this is the four-legged version. emet thunder paws is the great dane's name, and for him arriving back from afghanistan. >> it was the second best reunion since i have been back. >> his best being his wife. >> reporter: from huge dogs, to tiny ones like these ones, k-9

reunions are running rampant on youtube. crying over the return of her air force captain owner, the one things most of the doggy reunions have in common is that they could turn a macho soldier into a baby-talking softy. they talk to them like they're daults. >> look how smaller. >> you are going to make me cry. >> soldiers locked in a k-9 him brace. >> you want to have direct eye contact. >> and it could eclipse the human one, when she wanted to show him her welcome home

ensemble, the k-9 kept stealing the show. >> i am sorry, but i need to be the center of attention, so. >> dogs have a pretty short attention span, so after 45 seconds of intense petting and a little chasing around, for those of you who think that the joy pets bring is just hot air, it's the next best thing to a reunion, couldn't you just once be happy to see me, and happy, even when out numbered. at least a soldier can say things to his dog that he probably should not say to his wife. >> not your butt. >> as usual, the pets steal the show. we'll be right back. [ vending man ] hi there! that's not going to satisfy you. come on.

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tourists get to go where some don't. and at least 30 million men have it, but most don't talk about it. dr. john say gupta has the surprising answer. >> well, there's a surprising answer to this question, and let me preface it by saying, and in medicine you try to get clues, if there's a warning sign of a health problem that is imminent. in the case of heart disease, with respect to men, awreck tile dysfunction, it could be an early warning sign trouble is brewing in the heart. a lot of men tonight like to talk about this. if they go and see their doctor for erectile dysfunction. >> it's the canary in the coal

mine. it's a sign there is more widespread disease, and not just for the heart, but throughout all blood vessels in the body. >> there are blood vessels all over the body, and they could be affected by the choices we make in our lifestyle, and with@row sclerosis, which is a hardening in the arteries, you can see this develop in other parts of the body in the first. for men that develop erectile dysfunction, is that a warning sign, and also for doctors that will be more inquisitive and they can have their heart evaluated as well. this is important. as you get older, the correlation becomes less strong. but for men under the age of 50, it's an important point. if you see a doctor, you could be given a medication that you have heard a lot about, but there's a message in here for patients and doctors alike, that

should not be the best step. we developed this problem at a younger age, and should i have my heart examined as well, and is there something going on in my heart causing this. and there are a lot of medications for e.d., and there has been a correlation there for a long time. i should point out as well, we're in cuba, a place i have never been before, and i don't get to say that much any more. we're working on a documentary about one of the most inspiring woman i know, and her attempt to do something nobody else has done. we're looking at the cuban health system, what works and what doesn't. how do they have high life expectancy, and low infant

mortality. >> watch "the last heart attack" with dr. sanjay gupta. he talks to a former surgeon that has developed a radical diet that he says can make anybody heart attack proof in a month. top of the hour now. i am fredricka whitfield. developing in tampa, florida, this hour, police say they headed off a school plot that could have claimed more victims than the columbine attack. a student is in custody accused of planning freedom high school next tuesday, the first day of class. the police say they found explosive materials and a written minute by minute plan to kill about 30 students and two administrators. >> we will probably able to

thwart the catastrophic event. president obama's bus tour rolled into illinois this hour. a senior administration official says the president will unveil a new jobs initiative shortly after labor day. it's likely to include tax breaks, and innovative infrastructure projects and help for the long-term unemployed. and he talked with wolf blitzer during a stop in iowa. >> we made progress since the start of the recession in 2008, and it has not been fast enough and we have to accelerate it. there are two things that need to happen. number one, we have to make sure people have confidence, and we're living within our means, and eliminating programs that don't work, and there are immediate things we can do

around infrastructure that would make a difference in terms of people hiring right now. the newest republican presidential candidate is on the trail. he said he will make new jobs his top priority. >> my actions as governor is helping create jobs in the country, and the president's actions are killing jobs in this country. it's time to get america working again. 9/11 first responders say it's a betrayal. they have not been invited to the ceremony marking the anniversary, and they say there's not enough room. and sugarland is planning a

private memorial to honor victims of the tranlgic stage collapse. five people were killed when strong winds brought down the scaffolding. an announcement that bad weather was on the day turned up on youtube. >> as you can see to the west there are clouds and we're all hoping for the best that the weather will bypass us, but there's a chance it won't. once the storm passes and everything is safe we are going to try our best to resume the show which we have every belief that that is going to happen. and today is the first day of school in joplin, missouri, and the first day back since last may's deadly tornado. high school students are going to school in a old shopping building. students are grateful to have classrooms but admit it won't be the same. >> every time i drive by it,

it's really sad. all the memories and friends that i made in the hallways. >> sad knowing you will not be able to spend your last year of high school here. investigators want to know how a bag of firecrackers got on a plane on a southwest plane. a flight attendant found them, and everybody had to get off and be rescreened and nobody would claim the fire crackers. a bystander says he saw a 6-year-old being forced in a van. >> we heard a mangoing, hey, harks let her go, and so we turned around, and we were about

to leave. >> the suspect's van ran into a pole, and the suspect took off running and was captured by the police. and joining us is the hero himself. i understand you are going to do translation. ask your husband how he feels after saving the 6-year-old. >> he says, he feels happy, and content. just that. >> so marta, you take me back to this moment. at what point did he think or observe there's something wrong with this picture, something terrible is happening and i have to spring into action?

>> we heard the neighbor yelling, let her go, she's not yours, and we were outside, so we found out what was happening, that he took the little girl, and we just hopped into the truck and we just decided to follow him, and not lose him. >> so you were only feet away. how far away were you from the van when you were witnessing this? >> probably like 10, 15 feet. >> and then antonio got in the car. were you along with him when he got back in the car and started to chase the van? >> yes, we got into our truck, and then we decided just to chase them, and then that's what he dropped me off with the security people to call the police and stuff like that, and that's when he left by himself and chasing him. >> and ask antonio what happened after he dropped you off, was this speeding fast, going through a number of turns? what happened before that van

crashed? >>. [ speaking spanish ] [ speaking spanish ] >> he says that had he dropped me off, he just followed him for, like, 15 or 20 minutes, and they went through houses and different streets, and the guy was trying to lose him until he wrecked into a light pole, and he was able to catch up to him, and then after that, that's when he crashed into, i guess, the

dirt sandune or something. >> how frightened were you or were you worried that your husband may be getting too involved in all of this? >> yeah, well, i tried to go with the security people, but they said, you know, it's too dangerous, you have to stay here. just call the police and let them know what is going on. so by then, like five or ten minutes had gone by, and i don't know if they had crashed. my husband, he said i don't care what i am going to do, i am just going to block the way and stop them. so i said, i don't know what happened, where they went or if they stopped. i don't know. >> what was the moment like, marta, to see the 6-year-old girl was okay, and she essentially had been rescued by your husband? >> it was so so -- i don't know. i can't even explain it. because my daughter, i saw her and i hugged her and i told her,

you're okay now, you are with mom and dad. >> thank you so much. i know the family, of course, thanks you, too. job well done. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you for your time. appreciate it. >> in case you were curious about how often children are abducted, here are some of the numbers according to the justice department. there are 1,200 nonfamily abductions taking place a year, and 115 of them are total strangers kidnapping children to keep them permanently or kill them. far more children are abducted by family members, and they put that at 55,000 a year. and here is your chance to talk back on the big story of the day. is heckling good for the pl political discourse. carol costello joins us with steamy sentiments. >> it's early in the election

season, and there are hecklers already. organized heckling. the question is heckling good for the political discourse. 2012 is shaping up to be the year of the political flash mob. they scored when they challenged republican, mitt romney. >> corporations are people, my friend. we can raise taxes, and -- of course, they are. >> it worked, the committee turned that into an ad. >> corporations are people my friend, and everything corporations earn goes to people. where do you think it goes? >> not to be out done, iowa tea party chairman confronted president obama. >> when we are talking about civility, how is your -- >> sir, look. >> i would like to understand that. >> okay.

i will explain it right now. >> they were not coming to a meeting of minds over the issue of civility. it makes you wonder as the university of iowa said this. he added politicians are judged on how well they respond to hecklers and not how they respond their policies. so the "talk back" today is heckling good for the political discourse? facebo facebook.com/carolcnn. here's a run down of some of the stories we're covering the next hour. the rapper could face charges after somebody sent a tweet on his account.

we're talking to game life about the ins dent. we look at the implications of the social media, including the flash mob where kids are accused of robbing a store. and then three months after a tornado ripped apart joplin, missouri, a new school year is under way. and then why a score does not one of the stars of the show "jersey shore" wearing its close anymore. have i got a surprise for you! [ barks ]

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here is a look at today's choose the news stories. vote for the one that you want to see by texting. first, danger in yosmite. the park is known for its beauty with water falls and wildlife, but there are hidden dangers you need to be aware of. and second, made in china, how america is prophetiau profiting. and then visitors are getting a taste of culture in a once forbidden place. vote by texting 22360, "1" for endangering yosmite, or "2" for made in china, or "3" for american tourists in cuba. the artist nominated for a

grammy for "hate it or love it" is now getting a bad rap. ♪ >> on friday, the station was flooded with hundreds of calls causing a phone system to shut down. the investigators traced the call to a prank pn >> the people calling through with important calls would include two robberies, and a spousal assault, and a missing person, and a hit-and-run. >> so game joins us live from los angeles what is your side of the story? what happened? >> it was a simple mishap. i was doing a photo shoot. and it was downtown los angeles,

and one of my boys picked up my phone and started tweeting random numbers. the tweter about the internship was earlier in that day, and it got lost in the media with all that. he never sent out a tweet that said these numbers are for the internship. he tweeted a bunch of numbers jokingly. we always play pranks on each other, and it was a mishap. >> you are saying a friend tweeted this on your account, and were you at least responsible for any of the tweets prior to that about the music internship? >> yeah, but we had already contacted and had the interns come down to the photo shoot and start working. the tweets, you know, at hand were not tweeted out until later that evening. none of them stated call this number for an internship. >> reportedly there was a response from you earlier in the game which said that you were

hacked? >> right. it was hacked, but by my friend. my phone was laying around. whenever his phone is laying around and my phone is laying around, we tweet from each other's page. that's what happened. >> what is your response to the l.a. police saying legitimate calls about assaults and accident calls did not make it through because of the mishap? >> it's a real sensitive subject. i never want to be, you know, the source of anything happening wrong to anybody or anybody not being able to get through the help lines at the police station. but it was a 10-digit toll free number. when people are in trouble, they call 911, and that's not to take away the police and them doing a job or them saying there was a robbery, and i don't want anybody hurt, and i have kids at home and i'm not that guy. my sincerest apologies to the

sheriff's department, and it was a joke gone wrong. >> you are apologizing, and what if they say it's not enough? they are talking about obstruction of justice charges? >> if my apologize is not enough, i don't understand what else can be done. i apologized, like the man that i am, and if anybody wants to take it further than that, i guess they have to do what they have to do. like i said, again, i never intended for anybody to take it the wrong way, or for it to go this far, and just, you know, i think it's all nonsense. >> game, i know a lot of guys know you as jason terrell, or charles -- >> that's me. >> hopefully the next time you are hearing from l.a. authorities on this, you will hope they will say they are not going to pursue any criminal charges against you? >> we hope so but we'll see. >> game, thank you so much for your time. appreciate it.

>> i'm out. >> game has almost 6,000 twitter followers, and it's easy to see how people can respond to one posting, but what happens when rich people do tweet? we have seen the power of social media recently. police say a group of up to 40 people swarmed the city center and randomly stealing from stores and assaulting people, and the curfews had to be in place. and a girl went into hiding after she forgot to set her facebook invitation to private, and hundreds showed up. joining us from new york is the criminologist, casey jordon. casey, some might think it's nebulous and innocent, having fun tweeting, but it could lead

to serious cases like the ones i spelled out. >> yeah, and it's almost a runaway train how these things progressed in the last few years. you have to remember the framers of the constitution could not have foreseen the internet tweets. life today was unfathomable decades ago. and things are much different today, and the ability for social media to result in a dangerous or criminal event is truly being revealed just in the last few months. >> if something goes terribly wrong, is it enough to be able to say, just as game did, that you know, somebody else used my account and tweeted something, so there by i should not be held liable? >> yeah, get ready for that. is that going to be the go-to excuse, whenever somebody gets

caught. i'm sorry, is there a law that says i have to have a privacy setting on my phone? it was all a big mistake. police are anticipating that already. until the law gets carved out, this is really unchartered territory, the police are going to do things like we saw last week at the b.a.r.t. station in san francisco where they simply cut cell signals because they make a judgment in that balancing act between civil rights and personal responsibility, and remember, they are charged with the safety of everybody in the state, and they have to err on personal safety, and perhaps at the sacrifice of some personal freedoms. >> where do you see it going? it's a whole different ball of wax now when you are talking about social media and messages being conveyed whether it's intentional or not. >> the key word, fredricka, is

intent. the problem is everybody will argue it was a mistake or accident, and it was my best friend tweeting and my account was hacked, and was the intend of it, and were you trying to create a flash mob and was that for peaceful protests or violent acts. you can't create a public danger with your free speech. that balancing act is going to be tested by prosecution of cases. i appreciate game's apologies, but i wonder where the prosecution will rest. it's a new school year in joplin, missouri. but it's nothing like last year for hundreds of students last year. lives and schools were torn apart by may's deadly tornado. we will hear from some of them.

three months after a massive tornado ripped apart joplin, missouri, a new school year is underw underway. classes start today, but it's a beginning like any other for thousands of students. all ten schools in the city were damaged or destroyed. the tornado killed more than 150 people. joplin high school took a big hit from the tornado, and now some of the students are starting classes in middle schools and others are going to a shopping mall. shannon travis reports from joplin. >> every time i drive by it's really sad. all the memories and the friends that i made in the hallways.

>> it's sad knowing you will not be able to graduate from here. >> reporter: school buildings were damaged or destroyed, including joplin's only high school. >> we came to the realization that we had 54% of the kids that had no place to go. >> reporter: this new school year, high school students will split up and ninth and tenth graders will go to the existing middle school, and the upper classmen will attend school at this mall. officials say it was the only place big enough. rising seniors accompanied me to their new 21st century school. it has open spaces, and walls that move, and a fitness center and coffee shop run by the

students. every one of these kids will get laptops. but how will students focus on learning? the professor at the university of missouri, a child psychologist, he has been to over 80 disaster zones. he helps children learn even when death and disaster surround them. >> when that kid or person is saying i don't want to hear about it anymore, what is going on there? >> that would be avoidance. >> and we're training teachers as therapists. he says children learning any disaster zones, could suffer from declining grades and flashbacks and depression. >> i am having problems. >> reporter: the entire community wants the children to be children again. so this is it. this is the moment right here that a lot of the children have been waiting for. this is the freshman kickoff. a lot of these kids are here and you will hear them rallying right now, and they are excited.

>> i am excited about it, a little comfort, i guess, to go back to school. >> reporter: for education overtime, i am shannon travis. the newest white house hopeful, rick perry, is not shying away from taking a hard swing at the competition. we will tell you what the straight-talking texan has to say about president obama. [ male announcer ] they'll see you...before you see them. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. drive sober, or get pulled over.

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here is a rundownfor some of the stories we're working on next. president obama and rick perry both stumping in the midwest. we have a live report. as gay couples win the right to marry in some states, they have trouble with the tax man. and the record-breaking july heat is not causing us to sweat but causing arctic ice to melt. chad meyers shows us what is going on. the candidates are on the road hunting for votes, and that includes the commander in chief. today president barack obama wraps up a three-day bus tour

with a stop at his home turf in illinois. a lot of chatter today about the administration's new plan to create jobs to be revealed in full, i guess, in september. what more can we say about it? >> reporter: that's right, fredricka, we're learning from a administration official that we should expect it to include tax cuts, and infrastructure spending and something to address the long-term unemployed, which is a huge problem. the thing is, when you look at the general ideas and you should not expect to get the details here today in illinois when he addresses the crowd inside of the facility that i am standing in front of. when you look at the details or the broad strokes that a senior administration official is telling us, some of these things are what republicans don't like, and they don't like them or the way the democrats and the white house has proposed executing the

ideas. we're expecting to learn more about when the president unveils his plan. it will happen in september when congress returns. >> why the delay in releasing the plan? >> reporter: right now white house officials feel there is no point while congress is away right now. and you have heard some of the republican candidates say then why doesn't the president call congress back and deal with this problem right now. he has answered that directly here on these sort of campaign-style visits he has been making here in the midwest, saying he thinks it would hurt confidence if congress was to be bickering, as he put it, and he said they should be back in their home states hearing from voters and come back to congress with a fresh attitude and ready to compromise. i don't know if it will go down that easily, fredricka. >> nothing is easy these days as

it pertains to what takes place in washington. thank you. the slow economy has been a central issue hanging over president obama since he took office. wolf blitzer had down to talk and was asked if he is up to the challenge of four more years. >> he said, if i don't have this done in three years, then there will be a one-term proposition, meaning you will be a one-term president. do you remember that? >> here is what i remember. when i came into office, i knew i was going to have a big mess to clean up, and frankly the mess has been bigger than i think a lot of people anticipated at the time. we had made steady progress on the fronts but we're not making progress fast enough, and what i continue to believe is ultimately the buck stops with me. i will be accountable. people understand a lot of these problems were decades in the making, and people understand the financial crisis was the

worst since the great depression, and ultimately they say, look, he is the president and we think he has good intentions but we're impatient and we want to see things move faster and i understand that and am sympathetic to it, and we will keep putting up ideas good for the country, and we need a partner from congress and folks to move off some of the rigid positions they are taking in order to solve the problems. >> i want to show you live pictures right now, and the new gop presidential candidate, rick perry, in new hampshire right now. he has been touting how good the texas economy has been under his leadership, and just moments ago, he apparently said that this is about america's economy. >> from my perspective, we spent the last 2 1/2 years in a grand experiment with the american economy. it has been a terrible, terrible disaster.

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a reminder to vote for the choose the news winner. vote for the story you want to see. text "1" for danger in yosmite. it has a dark and wild side. text "2" for made in china. when you buy items made in china the money may be staying home closer than you think, or "3" for american tourists in cuba. a handful of tourists get to go where americans have not been

allowed to go in decades. the winning story airs later in the hour. gay marriage is now legal in new york. while that has been a huge cause for celebration for many, even those who have already tied the knot are not getting the same breaks as traditional couples, especially when it comes to finances. poppy harlow explains. >> i pronounce you both married. >> we have been waiting for this day -- >> reporter: not so fast, for many gay couples in new york the last few weeks have been filled with celebration. they have become the sixth and largest state to allows gay to marry. >> it's good for morale in new york state, but it doesn't change a lot of the laws that affect us. >> reporter: openly gay financial planner says the biggest roadblock for gay

couples is the 1996 defensive marriage act which defines marriage as a legal union between one man and woman. as a result many of the of the tax breaks that same-sex marriages get, gay marriages don't. they can't file joint federal tax returns and no retirement benefits. >> marriage is recognized at a federal level, and they did give each other unlimited gifts and i cannot give my partner more than $1,300 a year without it being a gift. >> reporter: these two plan to marry in november. they own the apartment together but have questions about their financial rights. >> the state tax question will be the biggest issue. >> we have to go back and disman dull or rethink or reallocate, because we are not sure what these things will do.

>> reporter: we arranged for our financial pro to sit down with the couple. >> are there things that we can look at that will save money or change things that can make it easier. >> there's a $1 million exemption that you can pass on to your heirs without taxing -- >> ralph and bill say the right to final see say "i do" outweighs the headaches that may lie ahead. >> i never thought i would see it in our lifetime. >> it's an important baby step, but there's a lot more we need to winter king on. >> reporter: gay couples should keep in mind once they wed they are responsible for their

spouse's debt. what about divorce? gay married couples will have to pay alimony. in new york, poppy harlow, cnn money. record heat in july made life miserable for americans but also had an impact in the arctic. we will check in with chad meyers who has new images of the ice pack to show us. my hair flowing with petal softness and glistening shine. now, that's paradise. [ female announcer ] clearly, someone's been doing the herbal. herbal essences collections... for softness and shine -- the way nature intended.

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all in one plan. remember, the annual enrollment period is earlier this year. call unitedhealthcare now or visit us online to get this free answer guide from unitedhealthcare medicare solutions. call right now. personal pricing now on brakes. tell us what you want to pay. we do our best to make that work. deal! my money. my choice. my meineke. starting new images from the arctic. the hot month of july had a big impact on the ice pack. chad myers with us now, and how much of an impact are we talking? >> you won't believe the pictures. honestly.

the people in northern siberia can barely put boats in the water, and with a small icebreaker they are able to go back and forth. >> oh, my goodness. >> fourth hottest july in the u.s. ever. seven hottest on the globe. that's a big deal. a lot of times you say it's a hot summer in the u.s., but it was cold in russia, or vice versa, the seventh hottest month on record ever. it's the lowest amount of ice pack since 1980. that's great. but we have only been checking since 1980. here is an idea of where we were in the beginning of july, and here is russia, the other side of the globe, and that would be the north pole and santa claus, and come over here one month later all of this is completely open. can you take ships up here through the passages along north of siberia and into russia. and then a couple more graphics ahead. this is what it looked like in 2006. completely closed off again.

this is where we are. wide open. back to the biggest map that i have now. this is back from 1980. literally the first graphic we could make because this is the first time we had polar orbiting satellites taking look at the sea ice, and closed, closed, and closed all the way through greenland and iceland. back to this part, and so you compare, wide shipping channels all the way through, and with an icebreaker possibly getting through where all of the explorers, hundreds and hundreds of years ago tried to get through, and they were just 300 years too early. >> oh, my goodness. this is really alarming, isn't it? >> sure is. not only is the namt of ice small, we think the thinknecknes also getting smaller. >> we appreciate it. today's talk back question -- is today's heckling

good for discourse. more of your responses are straight ahead. r business? you know, the ones who do a super job? superpages.com®. for local maps, reviews and videos & it's the only local search site with the superguarantee®. so next time, let the good guys save the day. get the superguarantee®, only at superpages®. in the book, on your phone or at superpages.com®. woohoo! yes! ♪ it was the best day ♪ it was the best day yeah! ♪ it was the best day ♪ because of you [echoing] we make a great pair. huh? progressive and the great outdoors. we make a great pair. right, totally. uh... that's what i was thinking. hmm. covering the things that make the outdoors great. now that's progressive. call or click today.

live pictures right now out of akinson, illinois. any moment now president barack obama will be entering there to have the first of two scheduled town hall meetings, town hall-style meetings. this is the third and final day of his bus tour. he has been in minnesota and iowa and wrapping it up in illinois. we will bring the comments to you live as soon as it happens. meantime, texas governor

rick perry is there in new hampshire. and so perry says he created jobs in texas as governor and he is hitting the president hard on not being able to do the same. just how successful was perry in creating the jobs? should he be getting the credit for it? >> that's what he talked about. he talked about his job creation down in texas. he also, you could say, he tripled down on his criticism that ben bernanke, and he noted that president obama lectured him regarding how he should act on the campaign trail. at a breakfast this morning, listen to what the governor had to say. >> yesterday, uh, the president said that i needed to watch what i say.

i just want to respond back, if i may. mr. president, actions speak louder than words. my actions as governor are helping to create jobs in this country. the president's actions are killing jobs in this country. it's time to get america working again. >> there you have it, rick perry, the texas governor appearing at a breakfast here in bedford, new hampshire. he was taking the criticism of ben bernanke, and tying it together with his vision and matching it up with president obama's record on the economy. >> mark, thank you so much. and you have been sounding off on our "talk back" question. carol costello joining us with more of the responses. >> the talk back question today is heckling good for the

political recourse. and this from rob, let the heckling commence. the politicians work for us and need to be reminded. this from tom, definitely not good for our political discourse. it ruins a ability to convey the message, and it's not like we are unaware of a heckler's opinions shotting them during a speech, and it makes them look like a fool. and this from anthony, it's okay to speak out and interject when we disagree with the political can tate. when did the american people forget that we the people dictate the actions of the candidates. this from robin, i want to hear what all the candidates say so i can make an informed decision. if i have to listen to a heckler even if i disagree with a position, i am not sure what they are saying. it's not only rude to the speaker but to those of us that want to hear what is being said.

thank you, as always, for your comments. >> there is more to talk about. take a listen to this. do you watch, by the way, mtv's show, "jersey shore." >> i don't have to watch. >> the executives at amber kraumy and fitch are offering the stars big bucks to stop wearing their label on the air. they are worried the hard-par hard-partying cast is ruining the brand's image. how much are they offering them to stay away? that has not quit been revealed. >> and it came out they said they lost 5% of the sales because the situation wears their clothes. this is big bank, and they are willing to go ahead and dig deeper and pay them to stop

wearing the brand. that's an interesting reverse. >> well, they have an image, and the image is not "the jersey shore." >> that's what they're saying. >> it's more uptown. and you told us what you wanted to see, your choose the news story moments away. drive sober, or get pulled over.

you voted and we listened. here is the choose the news winner. for most people in the u.s. cuban has long been the

forbidden fruit of the tourism industry. >> reporter: sipping to the rhythm of cuban salsa at the historic hotel. thousands of tourists do it every year, but usually they are not americans. >> we're here to experience the people and the culture. >> reporter: cuba receives more than 2 million tourists every year, and they flock to the wide sand beaches and augustle at the american vintage cars, but for the vast majority, americans have been barred from traveling to the country. barack obama eased restrictions, and such trips had been suspended by president bush. the first tour have finally landed. >> we take them and meet real people and real-life settings

and they are invedbly rewarding. >> the idea is to help support civil society, and they get a taste of forbidden fruit. >> i don't have to see a mcdonald's and strip mall every five feet, but get to experience something new and exciting. >> reporter: the community projects like this one, this is where afro cuban artists and musicians get together every weekend to jam and show off art. most participants say they prefer it to longing on a beach. some said they feel they were being fed too much propaganda, and others want a little more free time. >> we want our own time. it was a heavily programmed trip. >> reporter: organizers have to meet u.s. requirements for purposeful travel and run with the tourism operators. nonetheless, insight cuba says it hopes to bring in