"american morning" continues right now. a brutal day already for the markets. i'm christine romans. investers heading for the exits in europe and asia after yesterday's sharp slide on wall street. are we nearing a second recession or are there still signs of hope? mr. president, want to get away? i'm carol costello. as president obama begins a ten-day vacation republicans go on the attack saying a economy of high anxiety is not the time for r and r on this "american morning." good morning. it's friday, august 19th. and welcome to "american morning." carol, good morning. you said something interesting, i don't feel like there's anything i can do about the markets but what a lot of people are doing, trying to refinance. mortgage rates are at record lows and noticing how cheap interest rates are and is there a way that i can shave some money off my monthly bill. that's really the only thing

people can feel like they can have control over now, if you can get through to the bankers. >> we're trying and it's not cheap to refinance. >> that's right. >> you have to think about whether you want to do that. >> if rates go low enough, it's good to check it out. >> it's friday. >> yes. >> yeah. although the week started off well, the realization that a second recession may be drawing closer is hammering stocks this morning. actually futures. here in the united states, the dow dropped 420 points or nearly 4% yesterday, stripping away this week's gains and then some. adding to the uncertainty, bad news on manufacturing, inflation and jobs. >> jobs, which we know are scarce, this video says it all. thousands of americans waiting for hours in sweltering heat just hoping to land an interview at a job fair in atlanta and because the economy is truly global, the anxiety here is spreading. nina dos santos is live in london. nina, how are the markets overseas so far? >> i'm afraid to say it's not looking good on the final

trading day of the week. it's turned into another volatile session for stock markets around the world. the stock markets in asia ended the day lower and what we're seeing in europe is the markets down to the tune of 1.5% to 2%. earlier they were falling in excess of 3%. that adds to declines of more than 5% yesterday. now, if you take a look at what's happening in the markets, investors are telling us they're becoming increasingly concerned about a slow down of global growth that could, indeed, indicate we could be heading towards another recession. so there's fears of a dreaded double dip playing on investors' minds at the moment. if you take a look at the year-to-date for some of the markets it seems as though europe has fared considerably worse in the markets than where you to are at the dow jones industrial average. markets here in europe down in excess of 20%. >> nina dos santos, we'll see if it spreads here again today. meanwhile, developing news out of afghanistan this morning. the taliban claiming

responsibility for two explosions that rocked the british council in downtown kabul. at least eight people were killed in the attack. apparently began with a car bomb outside the main security gates. heavy gunfire, even more explosions were heard hours after the attack. a u.n. humanitarian mission is on its way to syria to see how far the regime of president bashar al assad has gone to snuff out anti-government protests. a scathing new u.n. report claims syria is torturing and murdering its own people. u.s. and european leaders continue to call on assad to step down. it has happened again. another stage collapse at a concert. this time in belgium. a fierce storm ripped through an annual open air music festival in the city of pasal. heavy winds collapsing the stage, leaving its roof off, equipment dangling in the air and concertgoers running for their lives. five people killed here, more than 50 others hurt.

sugarland performing for the first time since a deadly stage collapse in the united states at the indiana state fair. five people died in last weekend's tragedy. the country duo paid tribute when they took to the stage last night in albuquerque. >> in honor of those people who were wounded and those beautiful lives that were lost, we ask you to stand and join us now in a moment of silence. >> sugarland plans to return to indiana for a memorial service later this year. following developments this year in the case of the west memphis three. a source close to the case telling cnn's david mattingly, convicted child killers could go free after a court hearing today. damien echols, jesse misskelley and jason baldwin have spent the past 18 years behind bars for the murders of three arkansas cub scouts. the case has drawn national attention with supporters

including numerous celebrities claiming the men were wrongly convicted. the men have always maintained their innocence. a father and son from pennsylvania behind bars this morning accused of conducting a month-long campaign to threaten sarah palin and her family. craig and shawn christy have been indicted by an alaska grand jury. they allegedly ignored a restraining order and called palin's number 400 times leaving threats about deadly and sexual attacks on the former governor and her children. if you're the president, there's probably never a good time to get away, just as president obama arrived on martha's vineyard for a ten-day family vacation the stock market took a dive. it's giving republicans a new opening to blast the president's handling of the economy and the timing of his r and r. deputy political director paul steinhauser live in washington. i can remember a lot of grubling about the crawford ranch and now we've just changed crawford ranch to grumbling about the president in martha's vineyard.

i will say the economy pretty much stinks, everyone does want to know what he's going to do about jobs. >> absolutely. when president bush was in office, be he was spending too much time at crawford when the wars in afghanistan were raging, same thing with bill clinton in the white house in the 1990s. presidents get blamed. it's an election year almost. the campaign under way. presidential candidates that's part of their job to criticize the president, why they're out there, one of the reasons. they didn't wait for the president to head yesterday to martha's vin-yard. mitt romney this week twice criticized the president for the vacation. take a listen. >> the president this week is in three states on a bus tour campaigning and then he's going to be going on a vacation to martha's vineyard for ten days. a lot of democrats in martha's vineyard, i don't know why. i wish the president were in washington, calling back congress, and dealing with the challenges we have. >> reporter: a couple things there. martha's vineyard in massachusetts, mitt romney's

home state. talking about bill clinton, bill clinton another democratic president used to vacation there in the summers in the 90s and guess where mitt romney will be a week it now, most likely in martha's vineyard to raise campaign cash. one other thing, the president's approval rating pretty low right now, but what's lower congress and there's a lot of criticism as well that congress is on vacation right now, why are they not back in washington as well working to create jobs. >> paul, on that note then, you know, the rnc releasing some postcards that mock the president's vacation. i guess hoping that people are going to, you know, download them and virally e-mail them all over the place. tell me about that. >> yeah. check this out from the republican national committee, this is a party committee, one of their jobs to attack the president of the other party. look right here, go to their website, download these postcards send them to friends and pretty humorous, i guess, and also you can donate to the rnc. the dnc, democratic national committee doing the same thing. going after mitt romney.

remember his comments about a week ago, corporations are people too. you can buy one of those t-shirts and donate $30 to the democratic national committee. that's politics, what i cover, keeps me i guess employed. >> that's one job you personally do care about. >> yeah, i guess so. >> paul steinhauser, thanks. coming up at 8:10 eastern we'll talk with rnc chairman reence fee bus about their line of attack on the president. >> maybe he can share with you the republican's jobs sfloon i know it's postcards. now is your chance to talk back within one of the big stories of the day. the question this morning, is president obama neglecting the black community. congresswoman maxine waters says yes. >> he went with a plan and that plan was to invest money in those rural communities in order to develop jobs. we like that. we want the rural poor to be attended to. but we also want the urban poor to be attended to.

>> it is true, president obama did not visit majority black communities on his three-day bus tour. in the meantime the congressional black caucus is organizing job fairs for african-americans across the country. but just because president obama isn't present at those job fares, doesn't mean he doesn't care. it's just that well, he's got the black vote and while he doesn't need a majority of white votes to win re-election, he does need some. according to exit polls, president obama won 43% of the white vote in 2008. which is pretty good for a democrat. still, there are ominous signs for the president. according to the latest cnn/orc poll, 34% of whites approve of how the president is doing his job. some african-american leaders say so what. democrats haven't won a majority of white votes since 1964. mr. obama should at least show some love to his most loyal constituency. 95% of african-american voters cast ballots for the president in 2008. although that was only 13% of

the entire vote. and since then, the unemployment rate for black america has risen to 15.9%. where, they ask, is their obama bus tour? the talk back question this morning, is president obama neglecting the black community? facebook.com/americanmorning. facebook.com/americanmorning. i'll read your responses later this hour. coming up on "american morning," the government spending billions to build stealth fighter jets, but now some people are calling for the fleet to be grounded for good. a goodwill game goes bad between georgetown university in china. this happened in china. chairs were tossed, punches thrown, we've got the pictures and the state department's reaction. and baseball-sized hail, 100-mile-an-hour winds inflicting a lot of hurt on one midwestern town. can you imagine walking out and seeing that on your car? you're watching "american morning." [ barks ]

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expensive weapons program ever pouring billions of dollars into the construction of stealth fighter jets, but the fleet's been plagued by mechanical problems, never gone to war. so the big question now is, is it time to cut our losses? barbara starr joins us live from the pentagon. good morning, barbara. >> good morning, christine. you know, defense secretary leon panetta has got to cut defense spending. there's just no way around it. so could these expensive aircraft programs that already have problems, be the place that he starts doing that? >> reporter: it's the most expensive weapons program ever, says the pentagon. $384 billion earmarked for some 3,000 f-35 stealth fighter jets. testing is roesuming after a two-week halt when electrical problems emerged. then there's the f 22 air force stealth fighter at more than $140 million per plane. the nearly 200 plane fleet has

been grounded since may after oxygen to the pilots kept cutting off. one pilot died. with a half trillion dollar price tag for both aircraft. >> the question is, are you really getting the combat capability that justify that cost? >> we cannot afford aircraft that double and triple the original estimated cost. >> i think we have to watch it very carefully. >> reporter: the f-22 has never been in combat, the f-35 may go the same way. both planes have serious limitations. >> these aircraft are relatively short range, which means they have to be based fairly close to the area of conflict. what we've seen in recent years are countries like china, countries like iran building ballistic missile forces that can easily target the forward air bases. >> reporter: a pentagon spending critics say the planes are too expensive and not stealthy enough. >> against some radars, it's detectable as soon as it comes

over the radar horizon and some of the radars that are best at doing that are quite antiquated technology from the soviets. >> so, half a trillion dollars in aircraft that are, to say the least, problematic. this fall, you know, look for all the major defense contractors, the lockheed martins, the northrops to line up in washington and try to preserve their programs. this is just one example of some of the very expensive programs that could be on the chopping block when congress really sits down and tries to address defense spending cuts. >> barbara, what's so frustrating about it, where is the accountability with the defense contractors who have, obviously, made millions and maybe billions of dollars on the programs if you're talking about the numbers that have already been spent, why don't these things work? >> well, you know, these two aircraft in particular, let's take the f-35, the one that isn't even built yet and is

running up quite a chunk of change, these are incredibly complex systems that the military has ordered up. think of it as a flying computer, really, a flying super computer, up in the sky in a combat zone dropping weapons, trying to evade other aircraft, evade missiles. there is probably nothing more complex than this. a lot of people say, hey, just go use the standard planes that the military's been using for years. the f-18s, the f-16s, less complex, they work well. but the military will tell you they need the new planes for future threats. it's a huge debate which way to go. you know, i think this fall is really going to be decision time about whether to move ahead. >> all right. barbara starr, thank you so much. there is no [ inaudible ] in sports. in china what started as a goodwill game between that country and georgetown university deteriorated into a wild brawl.

this game took place in china, the fight broke out with about nine minutes left in the game. punches were thrown and chairs were tossed. spectators hurled bottles at the hoya players as they left for their locker room. both the state department and the chinese embassy called the fight unfortunate. >> i would call it unfortunate. joe biden is in china talking ability the mutual understanding of the two countries, et cetera. metaphor for something there, i don't know. they're reeling in omaha after back-to-back hail storms shut down the airport and injured a pilot. forget about the golf ball-sized hail, looks like someone took a 9 iron to these windshields. the cars couldn't stand up to the 3 inch hail and winds near 100 miles per hour. hundreds of air travelers were stranded by the storm. can you imagine coming back with your family after being away, getting off your plane, and then voila. >> i'd be so angry.

>> rob, that's call the insurance man right away. >> you have to replace the glass. they come out to the parking lot and they'll take care of you. they're the ones happy about it. thunderstorm complex still holding together, passed through kansas city late last night and moving southeast across missouri towards the boot hills south of st. louis and heading towards cape girardeau. this has some gusty winds, hail. it has a history of doing serious damage. we've got several areas of unsettled weather to the northeast being one of them and also yesterday, we had some stormy weather across parts of arizona. video for you, and ali one of his favorite storms, a haboob. a dust storm. phoenix yesterday, after setting a record high of 112 degrees, had a thunderstorm pass through to cool things off rapidly. that record broken back in 2007. wichita falls seeing a record fort polk and laugh fayette and houston seeing a record as well.

tropical storm heading off towards the west, skim the honduras coastline and get into belize tomorrow. might become a tropical storm. it will have heavy rains and will stay south of drought stricken texas. next item up for tropical consideration is this thing and this thing has more promise, will likely become a tropical storm in the next two or three days and heading towards the caribbean, potentially towards the u.s. by the end of next week. we'll be watching that one. and that hailstorm hopefully the hail is getting a little smaller this morning, but a potent storm moving across southeast missouri. >> watch out. coming up next on "american morning," hewlett-packard pulling the plug on pcs and its brand new tablet. what's next for the computer maker? we're minding your business. a michigan man doing his best fred anyonestone imitation to stop a pick-up truck with no brakes. are you kidding me? yeah. the dash cam video of that coming up right after this. [ woman ] jogging stroller. you've been stuck in the garage

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minding your business u.s. stock futures trading lower ahead of today's open. dow down more than 150 points, as markets in asia closed broadly lower and european stocks right now are also trading in the red. that has gold rallying to a record high, now above $1,850 an ounce. you know that's being called the so-called flight to safety. investors taking their money out of the stock market, planting it in gold and other precious metals instead. bank of america reportedly set to slash thousands of jobs. according to published reports 3500 people will be let go by the end of next month as part of a restructuring plan.

the bank struggling through to work through a slew of problems of the subprime loans. a shakeup at hewlett-packard. the company looking to spin off its computer business and killing off its touch pad tablet which it launched a month ago. hp's ceo said his vision now is to focus on software. aig chipping away at its debts repaying the government $2.5 billion. it still has a long way to go to paying back its $180 billion lifeline from 2008, owes the treasury about $51 billion. and striking verizon workers gathered in front of ceo's lowell mcadams house in new jersey to protest the telecom's to push back. some 45,000 verizon workers in the east coast has walked off the job since august 7th. "american morning" will be back after this quick break. [ oswald ] there's a lot of discussion going on about the development of natural gas,

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happy friday to you. it's 29 minutes past the hour. time for this morning's top stories. markets around the globe reacting to wall street's sharp sell-off. in asia the major indices were off by more than 2.5% and in europe where trading is under way the major markets also down. u.s. stock futures also trading lower this morning. the taliban claiming responsibility for back-to-back explosions targeting the british council in kabul, afghanistan. at least eight were killed in the attack, including two police officers. according to authorities, the strike started when a vehicle packed with explosives blew up outside the gates of the council. a second man wearing a vest with explosives then detonated himself. and there's word of a possible deal that could free the so-called west memphis three. after 18 years behind bars, the men were convicted of murdering three young boys in arkansas back in 1993.

sources telling cnn they could be released at an emergency court hearing today in jonesboro, arkansas. talk about a sign of desperate economic times, look at this line in atlanta. hundreds of people standing in 90-degree heat, some fainting, all for a chance to meet with employers at a job fair hosted by the congressional black caucus. the frustration, like the heat, was palpable. >> like a month or so, you start to feel like, you know, is there any hope, is anybody looking at your profile on-line? not many responses that you get back. >> job market is horrible out here. i mean, i've never just been without a job this long in life. ever. ever, ever. >> 9.1% unemployment markets sinking, can anything turn this economy and what will it be? my next guest said look no further than the federal reserve. bruce bartlett a contributor to

"the new york times" economic blog and former treasury official under president george h.w. bush and joins me live from washington. good morning, sir. you know, the dow jones industrial average down, still have a 9.1% unemployment rate, gold hitting a record of $1850 an ounce. how dangerous is this territory we're in for the u.s. and global economy? >> oh, i think it's very dangerous. but -- and the main reason why it's so dangerous is because the world governments are essentially out of ammunition. it's hard to see where the growth is going to come from under current circumstances. >> you know, the white house, congress, everyone sort of looking to washington to fix it. who's got the plan, what is the plan? some people just say no to whatever plan they hear. you say we're barking up the wrong tree that the answer lies with the fed? >> my feeling is that the basic problem of our economy right now is a lack of aggregate demand. and the best way to get this going would be through some kind

of expansion ari fiscal policy. i think that's pretty much off the table for obvious political reasons. >> what you mean is spending money? >> that's right. there's plenty of liquidity in the economy, plenty of money around, sitting in bank vaults gathering dust so to speak and something needs to get it moving to get spending going again, spending for goods and services, spending for investment goods. and that really would be best done through public works, government jobs programs, things of that sort. but since that's not possible, then we have to look to the one institution that still has freedom of action, which is the federal reserve, and i think they need to be much more aggressive. the risks of doing too little are far greater than the risks of doing too much. >> i hear this from you, i hear this from other reasonable people who are saying, what we need to do to make sure the system can withstand whatever it

is we're facing in the world and then people like rick perry on the campaign trail, sarah palin saying rick perry is absolutely right, and blasting the fed. rick perry said the fed is treasonous. i don't think politically can the fed do anything else? >> rick perry is an idiot and i don't think anybody would disagree with that. but the thing is, that the politics of the fed itself are really a more serious problem. you've got three members of the federal open market committee who are already dissenting against just maintaining the current level of accommodation and so to do more would certainly be very controversial and i think that the one problem has been historically that the president has not focused on the fed. he has had open seats on the fed almost his entire presidency and i think that this sends a signal that he just doesn't really care very much about what the fed does. >> what do you think the president should do?

i mean he's being criticized for going on vacation in martha's vineyard, although we know these are working vacations. what do you think he should order up or come out with in september when he gives his big jobs plan? does it matter if his opponents are just going to say, whatever you want, we don't want? >> well, i think he's trying to give some hope to his base, but i think realistically there's virtually nothing he can do because there's -- anything that would be substantive would require congressional action which is basically impossible. what he could do is start to educate people about the true nature of our economic problem, which as i said, i think is a lack of aggregate demand and if that idea started to get out into circulation, then it might be possible for the fed to do some things that are a bit more aggressive, then i think it feels capable of doing at this moment. >> we're in this confidence trap. so you've got businesses sitting on $2 trillion, banks sitting on

a $1.5 trillion of capital, you got people at home trying to figure out how to keep money in their pocket because they're worried about losing a job, watch the dow fall yesterday and all this volatility, it's almost this vicious cycle of a lack of confidence. you say more aggregate, more money, fed pumping in more money is something that could break that cycle. >> what we need is spending. we need people to get out there and spend. and adding to liquidity is not necessarily going to help. businesses, as you say, have $2 trillion of liquid assets that could begin investing and hiring tomorrow, if they had some prospect of increased sales in the future that would justify that investment. households are saving at a historically high rate. they're putting off all kinds of purchases. they could begin spending as well. they have the wherewithal. they just don't have the expectations of the future that things are going to be better that would lead them to move.

>> all right. bruce, i wish we had more time. >> jump in, carol. >> just going back to rick perry, because bruce, you called rick perry an idiot, can you just expound on that? i mean, is his kind of talk -- how is that affecting, you know, our economic situation or the way americans understand what's happening in the economy? >> well, it has people thinking that the fed doing its normal job is somehow a treasonous act is grossly irresponsible and to the extent that people think that perry knows what he's talking about, it does put a constraint on the federal reserve to be able to be more aggressive, which i think that it should be. the idea that we're debasing the currency is just the grossest nonsense. you can find the data as easily as i can and show that ben bernanke has probably had the lowest level of inflation as fed chairman than any fed chairman in history.

so, if any -- if he's to be criticized for anything it's deflation, not inflation. >> you hear all this about transparency, bruce. carol and i are looking at the balance sheet of the federal reserve right in front of us. it's more transparent today than it has been in the past ten years, the past 20 years. but it's still sort of the same old conspiracy theories and criticisms you keep hearing and i think carol, it's a good point, how does that -- how does that hurt sort of the healing process? >> it confuses people, because they don't know who to believe or what to believe because when you use language like that, it makes it difficult to hear anything else. you hear the word treason and you're like, and you don't hear anything else. >> bruce bartlett, we have to leave it there. former treasury official under george h.w. bush and contributor to the blogs at "the new york times." a michigan man is facing charges driving his pick-up truck during rush hour even though he knew it had no brakes. watch the driver doing his best

fred flinstone imitation, sticking his foot out the door on to the asphalt in an attempt to slow the truck down. of course this isn't bed rock. he hit four cars which begs the question why would anyone knowingly drive with no brakes? >> what he was doing, so stupid it's funny. he admitted or knew he had no brakes. he thought he could do it. he wanted to get home. said he had a very long day at work and had to work today. no alcohol, no drugs, just a serious lack of common sense. >> unbelievably no one was hurt and the driver, he's facing reckless driving charges. coming up next, growing more popular. the sport, not the vegetable, talking about squash. why inner city kids are putting aside their basketballs and picking up rackets instead. a life guard suing new york state over a speedo. it's 39 minutes after the hour. introducing the schwab mobile app.

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hoops in harlem, have always gone hand in hand. a new street game in some new york city neighborhoods and you might not guess what it is. >> street game, squash, really? turns out a sport once reserved

for prep schools is offering inner city kids a way to move up and out of the neighborhood. i love squash, a tough game. >> fun to watch. who would have thought it? we're talking about someone who came up with an idea and said, why not? how about combining a mentoring program with a sport that kids in harlem aren't usually exposed to. so far, it's a winning combination and if you'll pardon the pun, kids are having a ball. >> reporter: for these students in harlem, learning how to play squash is opening doors to a college education. >> for about the first nine years of the program, we were borrowing other people's courts. >> reporter: george's biggest fear when he founded street squash 12 years ago, was that kids wouldn't be interested. >> especially in the beginning, no one had any idea what the game was. >> probably say what, squash? what's that? >> reporter: this 10-year-old's reaction was typical. had you ever heard about squash

before? >> no. actually, i thought it was some vegetable. before i learned ability street squash. >> reporter: the idea behind the privately funded program, is to introduce students to a new sport, which in turn is used as an incentive to help them focus on their academics. >> they help you with schoolwork and stuff. they're like your teachers out of school. >> reporter: the year-round program is offered to local public school students in grades 6th through 12. half the time is spent playing squash, the other half, on schoolwork. >> how mabts mary lou read. >> if they see my grades lacking they can tell me you need to pay more on your academics than squash and they can help me with my homework. >> they'll stay on top of you? >> yes. >> reporter: tutors help kids with their homework, literacy and eventually college prep programs. the goal is a high school diploma and a college education.

rosemary, a street squash alumnus, is now a student at connecticut college. this summer she's back in new york helping out. >> if you didn't have the program, what do you think your chances might have been? to get a full scholarship to college? >> zero. without this program, i was not going to go into that school at all. >> reporter: some of the students have earned scholarships to play squash in college. george says it's not about the sport. >> kid not able to hit a forehand, could be a terrible athlete, goes to college, graduates from college, i'm happy. >> reporter: all students who stick with the program graduate from high school and go on to college. and of those, 85% are on track to earn a degree. and street squash doesn't drop the ball when its grads go on to college. a mentor visits them at school twice a year. and as one alum puts it, it shows that they care. >> so it doesn't sound that much

matter the sport, but i'm wondering why pick squash? >> yeah, exactly. that's the obvious question. i asked the founder of the program. he played it in college, so it was a favorite of his. plus, there's actually just a few cities that have a league so the kids get to travel out of town and a lot have never done that before. they're loving it. there are a lot of advantages all the way around. >> awesome. what a great story. susan canned yot itty, thanks. he spent 40 years as a life guard at new york's jones beach. now 61-year-old roy lester is drawing a line in the sand saying he's too old to be forced to wear a skimpy form hugging speedo. >> i'm with you, mr. >> lester claims he was fired for years ago when he refused to squeeze into a speedo for a swim test. he sued new york state claiming age discrimination and putting him in a skimpy swimsuit, he says is just plain wrong. >> you ask the people out there if they want to see a 61-year-old in speedos. >> i don't think it's right you have to show your junk. that's all.

it's nasty. >> i do agree that anyone above 30 shouldn't be wearing a speedo. >> standard bathing suit going to impair his function? >> lester's age discrimination suit was dismissed twice, but just got reinstated so thecat n caticase could go on trial later this year. >> do you want to see anyone in a speedo? >> no. >> it's so embarrassing sometimes. >> no. >> unless i'm watching the olympics, basically. >> oh, yeah. that's not bad. like mr. phelps. >> yeah. >> that's not bad. 46 minutes past the hour. we'll check this morning's top stories straight ahead. >> the art of the walkout. jeanne moos with dos and don'ts for talk show guests who decide that it's time to make a sudden exit. it's 47 minutes after the hour. [ man ] natural gas vehicles are used somewhere...

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here's what why you need to know to start your day. a sharp sell-off around the globe in europe. the markets are down and closed lower in asia. stock futures are down after a rough session yesterday. in afghanistan, two bombers attacked a british council nis morning in kabul. at least 8 people were killed, 10 others being treated for their injurieinjuries. the taliban claimed responsibility. israel launching air strikes against militant targets in gaza. it's in response to a string of attacks in southern israel that killed seven people and wounded dozens of others. the west memphis three could be free men today after nearly

two decades in prison for killing three cub scouts in arkansas. a judge has called an emergency hearing to determine if they were wrongly convicted. and an activist in india compared to ghandi is out of jail and will continue a two-week hunger strike. anna hazare is the face of the country's grass roothss anti-corruption campaign. pope benedict speaking to thousands of young people in spain for world youth day. the pope's welcome, a stark contrast to massive protests across madrid. spaniards protesting the cost of the pope's four-day visit in the face of 21% unemployment. and that's the news you need to start your day. "american morning" back after this. .

50 minutes past the hour. we gave you a chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. boy, do you have a lot to say. we asked you this question, is president obama neglecting the black community. this from heather -- this from jannette -- this from james -- keep the conversation flowing. facebook.com/americanmorning. all right. christine o'donnell's walkout during her interview with piers morgan that happened this week, got some of us thinking about some of the more memorable television interviews gone wrong. it's just so fun to watch. cnn's jeanne moos on the art of the exit. >> reporter: who doesn't love a

walkout? sometimes it makes great tv when hosts and guests disagree. >> why are you being so weird about this? >> i'm not being weird. you're being a little rude. >> reporter: if you're going to walk out of an interview, here's how not to. do not have your pr person intentionally block the camera. >> where are you going? >> reporter: if you're going, go. don't linger. >> are we off? >> larry, you're being inappropriate. >> what? >> i'm not going to talk about -- >> i'm asking a question. >> reporter: if you're serious about walking off, we recommend you don't keep looking off to the side at your pr people. it sort of dilutes the act of walking off if you're looking for advice from the sidelines. >> who are you talking to? >> do you ever worry about your moment having passed? >> can i -- i was curious about one thing. >> reporter: do not do as naomi campbell do, do not whack the camera. do not overturn furniture. just because the host called

then quarterback jim everette a girl's name, chris everette. and do not drop a string of f bombs as comedian andrew dice clay did. >> guy wants to open a [ bleep ]. >> all right, andrew. thank you very much. we thought you could hold down -- >> [ bleep ] yourself. [ bleep ]. [ bleep ]. network. >> reporter: if you must cuss. >> i think that's [ bleep ]. >> reporter: try to confine yourself to a single expletive bleeped. remember, tv producers love walkouts. your walkout is likely to end up as a promo. >> sorry? what's your question? >> it's the weirdest interview you'll ever see. >> delete that. >> what sent fergie completely off the rails? >> reporter: if you want to see an expert walk out, check out the young donald trump. >> do this interview with somebody else. you don't need this. do it with somebody else. >> reporter: kiss frontman gene simms mons being interviewed with his significant other of 28 years when joy behar brought up his claim he slept with 5,000

women. >> my back is good. my [ inaudible ] not so much. >> that's very nice of you to joke. >> it's a joke! >> [ bleep ] off. where are you going? >> thanks for the question. >> reporter: his companion headed off toward the new york skyline. what she didn't know is that the only way out of here is through this fake garden wall. so momentarily corralled she paced. >> please come back here. >> no. you joke about it. it's not funny. >> you want to come back? she doesn't. >> before you walk out, make sure there's some place to walk to. jeanne moos, cnn. >> shannon, come back. >> reporter: new york. >> like a sesame street set, actually. can't figure out what's real and what's not. my favorite walkout the sports guy who beat up -- if you're going to walk out do it -- >> try not to have an assault case at the end of it. top stories coming up next, including a check of overseas markets. >> do we have to? >> i'll tell you everything is down right now. we're still -- just cannot get

out of this confidence problem, carol. >> i know. i know. >> also, breaking news out of afghanistan. back-to-back explosions rocking the capital there. one of our own reporters caught in the chaos. we're going to show you. you're watching "american morning." [ male announcer ] members of the american postal workers union

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misery in the markets. stocks in asia and europe take another beating this morning after a dizzying decline on wall street. it has happened again. another concert stage collapsing, several people didn't make it out alive. a stunning report on adhd, the number of kids in this country diagnosed with this

disorder is on the rise, especially in one particular sector of the population. looking for a job is like having a job. it's stressful, it's draining. you need a break in between. >> thousands of desperate unemployed americans waiting in line all night in atlanta hoping to land a job. a scene reminiscent of the great depression, should i say that, on this "american morning"? good morning, everyone. it's friday. let me say that again, it's friday, august 19th. welcome to "american morning." i'm christine romans. >> that makes it a little better right? all that gloom and doom in the economy. it's friday! i'm carol costello. ali has the morning off. we begin this hour with breaking news. violence and chaos erupting this morning in the heart of afghanistan's capital. just a few hours ago, two suicide bombers attacked the british council in kabul. at least eight people were killed, ten others being treated for injuries. afterwards, explosions and

gunfire echoed throughout the city for several more hours. we begin our coverage this morning with our own david ariosto who was caught in the middle of it. >> a vehicle drove up, detonated and militants effectively were able to enter in the -- major, major explosions going on. we heard a major blast behind us here. there seems to be smoke billowing out here. gunfire from what we can tell. isaf security forces have surrounded this area here. major, major smoke billowing out of the council area and the buildings that surround this area. heavily, heavily secured area. but again, we've seen gunfire throughout the day. it's hard to tell exactly what's going on, although a fair amount of billowing smoke now pouring out of this building. gunfire seems to be continuing at this point. very tense situation here in kabul.

>> david ariosto joins us live from kabul. this is normally a heavily secured city. it's quite unusual to have attacks quite like this. what's the situation there like now? >> well, we were just talking with police and the update that we have is that apparently, according to police, it was not two, but five militants that attacked this council down here in kabul. the first basically drove up with that vehicle bomb, detonating in front of the main area, and then the remaining attackers basically storming the area. heavily armed. also strapped with suicide vests. this is a tactic we've seen time and again here. it really is only the latest in the series of high profile attacks as nato is starting to draw down in the transition to local and national security forces is under way. >> the taliban taking credit for this attack? >> taliban is taking credit for this attack.

this is somewhat a hall marc of their tactic where they enter into an area, usually a soft target, and what they're looking for is to make a mark. these are to grab headlines and cause as much civilian damage and damage to westerners as possible. but it's not exclusively to them. we've also seen attacks against president karzai allies. just this month, we saw an attack against the governor of harwan. before that the governor of orzon. a series of high-profile attacks and the timing of this is really critical. as i mentioned before, the 10,000 u.s. soldiers departing this year, the full draw down to take place by the end of 2014, so in terms of recent history, this is really a pivotal moment in terms of what transpires in the terms of the security of this country. attacks like these don't bode well for its future. >> david ariosto live from kabul, afghanistan, thanks. we're following breaking news this morning out of pakistan. an explosion at a mosque in pakistan's tribal region along

the afghan border. at least 34 people have been killed and 100 wounded now. the attack took place while hundreds of people were attending friday prayers. cnn's reza sayah is live in islamabad for us. what can you tell us is the latest? >> we're getting some new information about this explosion police now tell us that this was a suicide attack carried out by a teenage suicide bomber between 15 and 17 years old. police say he walked into this mosque and blew himself up. this is another one of those attacks that really drives home the fact that for some of these militant groups here in pakistan, no target is off limits. not even a mosque where you have hundreds of people gathered to pray. the death toll is going up steadily. right now, according to police, the death toll stands at 43 people killed. at least 117 people injured. we've been monitoring the pictures on our affiliate here in pakistan. those pictures are awful. they show the aftermath of the explosion, the destruction, the

debris, you have shoes and slippers strewn all over the floor. bloodied victims staggering around looking for help. dozens of other victims getting treatment in the hospital nearby. this point no group has claimed responsibility for this attack, but a couple of things to point out here that are significant, first off, the time of the attack, it took place during friday prayers and the muslim holy month of ramadan, a time when mosques are usually packed and police say at least 300 people inside this mosque and a location also significant, the district of hyber next to the afghan border, a district plagued by militancy. >> thank you so much, reza. it's happened again, another stage collapse at a concert. this time in belgium. take a look. a fierce storm ripped through an open air music festival in the city of hassle. heavy winds collapsed the stage, ripped its roof off leaving equipment dangling in the air and concertgoers running for their lives. five people died here. more than 50 others hurt.

serious alarms this morning about the risk of another recession driving down stocks overseas, pushing wall street lower again. this morning u.s. stock futures are down after a rough day yesterday. the markets wiping away this week's gains and then some. here's the damage. the dow was down 420 points, that's nearly 4%. the nasdaq sank 5%. the s&p 500 was down by more than 4%. ouch, if you're invested in the market you're certainly feeling it this morning. here's some of the most widely held stocks close. bank of america off 6%, ge and cisco systems down more than 5%, ford down by 6.5% and oracle corporation down by more than 8% and the sell-offs spilling over to europe and asia. nikkei down 2.5%, hong kong's hang seng off by 3%, germany's dax and london ftse trading lower this morning. let's bring in felicia taylor, renewed concerns in the economy about perhaps a second

recession or maybe the first one never left is part of the problem. many people feel like it. >> i think that's actually really true. i'm not sure the first left. jp morgan chase has stepped into the marketplace this morning and reduced its growth forecast for the united states. a lot of the banks are taking a look and saying, okay your know what -- you know what. this is the problem we've been talking about this a couple months but now at this point, it's the reality coming to hit. and so the rooster's come home to roost. that's the issue. we're dealing with the reality of what's happening out there. and there is no growth. that's going to be the problem for -- you look so forelorned. >> i've said to felicia, the voice of doom is coming to our set. but i know you have to tell people these things. but the more we talk about it and talk about how bad things are, the more i feel that people are going to react in a way that's not helpful to the economy, even if they have some money to buy things. >> okay. so let's talk about that. there is going to be very slow growth out there.

people should be concerned about their savings. people should have money in the bank, at least for three months, hopefully six months, if they can in terms of cash. >> yeah. >> if not, then they have to obviously curb their spending. it's going to be a problem. there's no question about it. >> we have to do that. people have spent too much, they have too much debt still, and it's funny because we criticize the banks and companies for sitting on this cash and then you talk to the people at the banks and companies, they say this what is everyone should be doing because we don't know what's going to happen next. >> uncertain. i've been talking to people this morning around the world and they're sitting on cash. i've got hedge fund guys out there, buying sovereign debt, but very limited. corporate debt very limited. but they're getting 5% to 8% return. we are not going to get that kind of return. so it's a wise thing to just sit back and wait. have a little patience in this market. don't be afraid. have patience. it's not the end of the world. >> i don't have to move to

montana into the wood in a little cabin. >> that would be fun, carol. i'm saying if you want to. >> if you want to go to montana, go. >> it's beautiful. >> it's gorgeous. have patience. >> there is going to be an end to this. >> i'm waiting for the big snap back of all of that cash, suddenly boom, deployed and buying something other than gold. >> do you know where gold is right now? >> like 1860 -- >> no 1877. >> there you go. >> up $57. >> there you go. thanks, felicia. a big factor weighing on wall street, the job market, a cnn/orc poll asked americans how many jobs are currently in your area. just 4% said many, 24% said about a normal amount, 71% said few. that figure certainly tells the story of what we saw yesterday at a job fair in atlanta. people waiting for hours in the heat just for a chance, just a chance, to meet someone who might be able to get them a chance to work. >> you're sitting in front of a computer, four or five hours

trying to find out the jobs available. >> after like a month or so, you start to feel like, you know, is there any hope? is anybody even looking at your, you know, profile on-line? and -- not many responses you get back. >> it's my job to get a job. i'm going to get one. i'm going to find one. >> that job fair was sponsored by the congressional black caucus. they'll be holding more of these events in rural areas hit hardest by unemployment. talking about the job fair. now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the question for you this morning, is president obama neglecting the black community? congresswoman maxine waters says yes. >> he went with a plan and that plan was to invest money in those rural communities in order to develop jobs. we like that. and we want the rural poor to be attended to. but we also want the urban tore to be attended to. >> it is true that president obama did not visit majority

black communities on his three-day bus tour, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care. it's just that he's got the black vote and while he doesn't need a majority of white votes to win re-election he does need some. according to exit polls, president obama won 43% of the white vote in 2008, which is actually pretty good for a democrat. still, there are some ominous signs for the president. according to the latest cnn/orc poll, just 34% of whites approve how the president is handling his job. some african-american leaders, though, say so what, democrats haven't won a majority of whites since 1964. mr. obama should at least show some love to his most loyal constituency. 95% of african-american voters cast ballots for the president in 2008. although that was only 13% of the total vote. and since then, though, unemployment, the unemployment rate for black america has risen to 15.9%. where, they ask, is their obama bus tour? so the talk back question this

morning, is president obama neglecting the black community? facebook.com/americanmorning. facebook.com/"american morning." i'll read your comments later this hour. the white house insists it's a workcation. president obama will be plenty busy during the ten day hs he's on martha's vineyard. cnn's dan lothian live for us this morning. did the white house ever consider canceling this vacation? >> you know, not at all. i was talking to a senior administration official a few days ago. this official pointed out to me there would have to be some kind of major development, perhaps a natural or manmade disaster, for them to change their plans. as he pointed out, there has been a lot of criticism coming from republicans. you heard from sarah palin saying that the president is making the wrong move by coming here. you hear from mitt romney saying that the president and lawmakers should be back in washington dealing with some of the major

issues at hand. but white house spokesman jay carney said that he doesn't believe the american people begrudge the president for spending time with his family and he says, while the president may be away from the white house, he's never away from his job, christine. >> tell us about the postcards that the rnc is releasing about the president's vacation. they're stirring the pot on this idea. i love the one that said joe, don't touch anything while i'm away. >> that's right. these are 18 photos on the internet from the rnc. essentially harsh photos with captions poking fun at the president for taking his vacation, one saying, quote, finding a way to martha's vineyard is almost as hard as finding a job. look, the white house will say this is not the first time that a president has been on vacation and look, you look over history, they have always been criticized for taking vacations. former president bush was for going on a one-month vacation, not to some nice paradise island but to his ranch in texas.

>> thanks so much, dan. we'll check back with you very soon. thanks. new developments this morning in the case of the west memphis three. they've spent nearly two decades in prison for murder and sources say the three men damien echols, jesse misskelley and jason baldwin could be freed at a court hearing in arkansas today. these men were convicted of murdering three young boys in west memphis arkansas in 1993. david mattingly is following the story, he's live in jonesboro where the case is going to be heard. david, bring us up to date. >> well, carol, this is all transpiring from late yesterday evening when the sides were getting together to figure out what to do about this case, and now we're finding out a source close to this case tells me that there is a deal in pla you in which the three men known as the west memphis three, would be able to go free today and maintain their innocence. but part of that deal, they would also have to acknowledge

that the state does have some evidence that they could use to prosecute them again on this case and go to a jury and possibly get a conviction. they have to acknowledge that there is evidence against them. but they could go free today and be able to maintain their innocence. that sounds a little complicated but it's something that the state may want to have happen because they want to make sure that there may not be any future lawsuit. but right now, we're looking at since 1993, these men have not been able to taste freedom. their cases got an awful lot of attention around the world and across the country here of people continuing to beat the drum, to free the west memphis three, arguing that the evidence against them just wasn't there for a conviction, that these three men who were teenagers at the time were caught up in an emotional frenzy over a terrible crime in which three young boys were murdered and reportedly

which is what came out in court, that investigators believe it was part of a satanic ritual. you can imagine all the emotion surrounding this case at the time they were originally prosecuted and here we are now, 18 years later, these three men now every bit of their adult years have been behind bars. they could go free today. we're waiting to see what will happen in just a couple hours, a couple of brief hearings, back to back, one behind bars and one -- one behind closed doors and then one in front of the public in which the judge will make the decisions for the future of the west memphis three, carol? >> you'll be there to keep an eye on it for us. david mattingly reporting live from jonesboro, arkansas. still to come this morning, a violent storm takes over the omaha airport. how a pilot ended up in the hospital. that's ahead. a father and son both arrested for allegedly threatening sarah palin and her family. you are watching "american morning." it's 15 minutes past the hour.

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good morning. welcome back to "american morning."

they're reeling this morning in omaha, nebraska, after back-to-back hail storms shut down the airport, even injured a pilot. forget about golf ball-sized hail. looks like someone took a 9 iron to these windshields. these cars parked in the lot couldn't stand up to the nearly three inch hail, winds approaching 100 miles an hour. hundreds of air travelers stranded by the storms. let's head to rob marciano. hopefully that storm has passed. >> it has passed that area but has moved to the south and east, it has diminished. we will not see the golf ball or baseball-sized hail like they saw there. to the south of st. louis, heading towards cape gir regard da and paducah and falling apart as would be expected this time of day. later this afternoon we get a little more heating towards nashville and huntsville when things may get a little more interesting. couple areas of unsettled weather in the northeast, we'll see some afternoon storminess and southern florida will as well and the hazy, hot and humid conditions continue. check out some of the high temperatures. actually phoenix getting into the act during the monsoon, rare to get up and over 110.

other parts of texas, louisiana, across cajun country seeing temperatures well over 100. 107 in dallas again today. it has been brutal. didn't break your record of 100 degree days plus, but now you're back at it. it's like having a hitting streak of, you know, 50 games, not getting a hit one game and having another hitting streak of 30 or 40. 86 degrees for the high temperature in new york city. 94 degrees not too cool in atlanta. all right. here we go, tropical depression, pointing this out for the past couple days, heading foot western caribbean, about to skirt the coastline of honduras, may become a tropical storm before it makes official landfall in belize tomorrow. the main cause with this will be rain, none of which will get into the drought stricken areas of texas. the next spot we're looking at is this, zoom into that puppy. this thing has some promise, moderate chance of seeing it develop into a tropical storm here in the next couple days. it probably will over the next three or four and then the forecast tracks from our computer models bring it somewhere in the northern

caribbean and then potentially in the vicinity of gulf of mexico or southern florida towards the end of next week and next weekend. as we've seen all season long, last couple that have hit hispaniola have fallen apart. that may be the case in a good way with this one. we'll keep you posted. back up to you. >> we hope so. thank you, rob. still to come this morning, a giant u.s. computer maker getting out of the computer making business. we'll tell you about that. 21 minutes after the hour. [ artis brown ] america is facing some tough challenges right now. two of the most important are energy security

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minding your business. u.s. stock futures trading lower, dow futures are down almost 200 points right now. the declines come after the dow down 420 points yesterday. that's nearly 4%.

the nasdaq sank 5%, the s&p 500 was off by more than 4%. investors are pulling their money from the stock market and putting it into bonds and gold. gold often viewed as a safe haven investment, the precious metal hitting another record, one after another this morning. well now above $1,850 an ounce. bank of america reportedly set to slash thousands of jobs according to reports, 3500 people will be let go by the end of next month as part of a restructuring plan. the bank's been struggling to work through a slew of lawsuits stemming from the 2008 financial crisis and subprime lending. a shakeup at hewlett-packard. the company looking to spin off its personal computer business. it's also killing off its touch pad tablet which it launched a month ago. hp's ceo has said his vision now is to focus more on software. burger king, kicking his highness to the curb as part of an effort to reinvent itself. the fast food joint is doing away with its king. the company will focus on upgrading its food and

modernizing its stores. for co-workers are a little hot under the collar, could be maybe it's too cold in the office. according to a british survey nearly nine in ten say their ac is turned down way too cold that makes them less productive and more argumentive. for the latest news about your money check out the new cnnmoney.com. "american morning" will be right back after this break. where do you go to find a super 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®.

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candidates changing the way they speak and the way they look, just to make a connection with you, the voter. we're asking, what kind of president are you looking for in 2012 on this "american morning." good morning. it's friday, august 19th. welcome back to "american morning." i'm christine romans. >> i'm carol costello. ali has the morning off. >> top stories, two afghan suicide attackers targeting the

british council in kabul killing eight people and wounding ten others. the taliban is claiming responsibility. the bombings come on the anniversary of afghanistan's independence from britain. the dow's 419-point plunge may not be the end of wall street's misery. asian markets following suit overnight. right now dow futures lower by almost 200 points. another deadly concert stage collapse, this time in belgium. five people died, more than 50 others were injured when a heavy storm brought down the stage at an open air music festival. the scene, reminiscent of what happened last week at the indiana state fair. and now on to politics, and the bus tours and the trips to the county fairs and kissing babies and shaking hands and daggummits and yals. candidates in the running are so down home except maybe for mitt romney and president obama, but they're trying. if you notice they're leaving their shirts open and they're leaving the gs off the end of words. does america yearn for a down

home style president? didn't those who elected president obama want an intellectual? we have the people to ask, used to prep candidates for debates including george bush and martha burke, a political psychologist. welcome to you both. >> thanks for having us. >> thank you for having us. >> martha, start with you, what kind of language do voters want to hear this time around? >> well, i think they want a little bit better language, a little more intellectual as you say, maybe not so much intellectual as smart, and there is a difference in that. an intellectual is seen more as a pointy head, but smart, can they get us out of this mess we're in economically and i think they want a little more high-minded language. the yalls and dropping the gs gets old quick and i think we had eight years of that and a lot of people are tired of it. >> tevy, let's explore that theme a little more.

because, for example, rick perry, we could talk about him endlessly. this morning on politico an article about his cowboy talk. congressional republicans are saying, cut the cowboy talk right now because it's beginning to hurt you. what do you think? >> first of all you have to be true to yourself. you can't free tend to be someone you're not. in terms of the cowboy talk the article is concerned about he might make a gaffe, overspeak about his comment like ben bernanke. but in terms of connecting with the voters he does have an easy style and he is very good at connecting with voters one on one, going out to the crowds. that works well. at the same time he has to be careful he doesn't overdo it in trying to outflank michele bachmann from the right. >> according to this article his treason comment was a serious gaffe. >> absolutely. and he has to be very careful of gaffes. the article suggests that he's almost one step away from making a big mistake and there's a lot

of people waiting seeing is he going to make a big mistake and perhaps reluctant to join him until they see he can go gaffe-free for a while. >> move on to michele bachmann. the "newsweek" cover aside she looks great. you look at her ad ahead of the iowa straw poll, he's decked out in this beautiful yellow jacket, dangling earrings, not conservative ones, but big ones, actuallyp. no pant suits here. what message is she sending, martha? >> well, i think she's sending the message, yes, i can be the president, i am presidential looking. and that is very important. i think women in pant suits were legitimized, in my view, appropriately, but there are a lot of voters that want a lady-like, but competent president. she is projecting that image, at least visually. as she opens her mouth more and more, it may be a problem, as my colleague says, you can make a fatal gaffe.

she's teetered on the edge of that a couple times herself. >> let's talk about that. because -- >> he does look presidential. >> you know, speaking of gaffes, you know, let's listen to a recent gaffe unfortunately that michele bachmann made. >> before we get started, let's all say happy birthday to elvis presley today. happy birthday. >> now, of course, a lot of democrats like to make fun of that, but tevi, is that a serious gafr? everything she says remotely wrong seems to really resonate? >> yeah. it's a good point. look, everybody makes mistakes, nobody goes without making mistakes on the campaign trail. do you get caught in a pattern of mistakes? this happened to al gore in 2000, this whole lying thing he seemed to be lying over and over again, i invented the internet and so forth. when you have a pattern of mistakes or misstatements that's when it gets to be a problem. michele bachmann also made the john wayne mistake confusing him

with john wayne gacy a little while back. it's great to connect to great american icons like elvis and john wayne, but have your facts right when doing it. >> mitt romney, we have to talk about him. where did he go? i mean he's not getting any of the headlines, it seems. so, martha, what do you think -- how does mitt romney have to change his language to stand out more? >> i'm not sure he does have to change his language. you know, i was talking with some texans last night about perry versus romney and the first thing they said to me is we want a statesman this time, not someone that comes out shooting. and they said, we voted for perry for governor, but we would not vote for him for president. he's not presidential enough. romney's a little bit grayer, if you will, a little more boring, but he's also very presidential looking. perry comes close in terms of his clothing and his demeanor at times. looks good in his commercials.

but when he gets out there with the crowds, romney just looks more presidential in comparison. >> interesting. okay. let's talk about president obama. because when he did his midwest bus tour he had an open shirt, he was joking with the crowds, but he can't be too down home because he is president of the united states. but he tries. let's listen to what he said to our wolf blitzer. >> the last time you were elected you got sasha and malia a cute little puppy. >> yeah. >> bo. what will you get them the next time if you're re-elected. >> when i'm re-elected what i'll be getting them is a continuation of secret service so when boys want to start dating them, they are going to be surrounded by men with guns. that's their gift. >> so, tevi, is that the proper form -- he has to be a little humorous. he can't talk ability doom and gloom. he has to connect to voters in a human way. is he doing that by saying those sorts of things?

>> you know, that's an old and good joke about presidents with white house, they get the secret service protection. i'm about that. my thought with president obama is, he's got a very different test this time. the first time was all about hope and change and he said when he's eelected this will be the moment when the earth starts to heal. now he's had 2 1/2 years as president and people said, he just doesn't snap his fingers and make the earth heal. what kind of message will he send? he has to not blame too much because he's gotten hits for appearing to blame the other guys for all of the problems. he has to say, it's not my fault, but not necessarily blame everybody else as well. he's got a tough row to how. >> it will be interesting to see how it shakes down. thanks to both of you, tevi troy, and martha burk, a fascinating conversation. i enjoyed it. >> thank you. serious alarms about the risk of another recession driving down stocks overseas and pushing wall street sharply lower. this morning, u.s. stock futures are down again after a rough day yesterday.

markets wiping away this week's gains and then some. here's the damage. the dow was down more than 419 points. that's nearly 4%. the nasdaq sank 5%. the s&p 500 was also down by more than 4%. if you're invested in the markets you're feeling it this morning. here's how some of the most widely held stocks closed. bank of america, down 6%. ge and cisco systems, down more than 5%. ford, down 6.5%. and oracle corporation was down more than 8%. and the sell-off spilling over to asian sha and europe. ya pan's nikkei down 2.5%, hang seng down 3%, germany's dax and london ftse trading lower. in about two hours markets will open here in the u.s. dow futures down about 200 points in premarket trading. still to come the duke and duchess of cambridge are

visiting the riot town in england. it's 38 minutes past the hour. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] more people are leaving bmw, mercedes and lexus for audi than ever before. experience the summer of audi by september 6th and get over 130 channels of siriusxm satellite radio for 3 months at no charge.

welcome back to "american

morning." rioters and looters ravaged birmingham in recent days. you saw the pictures. >> they were incredible. the duke and duchess of cambridge, william and catherine, visited the riot torn areas. their first official appearance since their north american tour. zain verjee joins us live from london to tell us more. hi, zain. >> hi there, good morning. they've been lying low since they visited canada and the u.s. and wales and angelsey, they were so moved by the images they saw on tv as they watched the riots unfold they wanted to go down and be a part of comforting and seeing what happened. so they're in birmingham and they're looking at the scenes there and the aftermath and going to visit a looted business. they'll be meeting with emergency services, a faith-based group as well, as well as a lot of people really upset and disturbed and affected in the community. they really wanted to be there. this is actually also, guys, a push by the royals to be out there and be seen in public,

too, because charles and camilla were out doing the same thing, so was prince harry and in another city. this is something william and kate felt strongly about and really wanted to come out and do. by the way, guys, there's another piece of news related to them today. i don't know if you've been to london and the famous shop hamly's right, but they have these william and kate wedding dolls they've come out with. they're only $160. >> he looks -- >> creepy looking, actually. if you ask me. he looks kind of annoyed and her face looked ironed out. those are the dolls you can buy and stick on a wedding cake. but they're not cheap. it ain't cheap. but there they are. what do you think? >> i don't know. >> why don't they make him smile? >> i don't know. he has this like creepy grimace there, but he is wearing that -- >> i never understand the need to buy souvenir trinkets for stuff like that. >> when you go to london you see

the commemorative this and that, i mean, i don't get it. >> when i went to the vatican i bought everything. i had little tiny popes, everything. >> what's funny, a lot of us were discussing this, like who's actually going to buy these dolls and the answer was, you know, americans will really like them. >> the americans. >> right. >> all right. zain, thanks. those tacky americans. i know, i probably would buy them. the results in, and this, this is the most trusted face in hollywood. >> mike, what is your deal, man? >> come on, man, you've been riding me all day. >> you're playing like betty white out there. >> that's not what your girlfriend said. >> betty white has the golden touch. she's been voted the most popular and most trusted celeb in hollywood. making her a marketing powerhouse. >> you go, girl. the golden girl, edged out stiff

competition, rounding out the top five, denzel washington, sandra bullock, clint eastwood and tom hanks and paris hilton, not so hot anymore. the poll found she was america's least popular celebrity. still to come this morning, sticker shock for back-to-school shoppers. retailers are, yep, raising prices and they're trying to hide it from you. we'll tell you how. has america's tea party movement hit the wall? you're watching "american morning." it's 45 minutes past the hour. [ male announcer ] they'll see you...before you see them. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. drive sober, or get pulled over. whether it can be done safely and responsibly. at exxonmobil we know the answer is yes. when we design any well, the groundwater's protected by multiple layers of steel and cement. most wells are over a mile and a half deep so there's a tremendous amount of protective rock between the fracking operation and the groundwater.

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lot going on. here's what you immediate to know to start your day. a sharp sell-off around the globe. in europe where trading is under way, the markets are down. they also closed lower in asia. here in the united states, stock futures are down this morning after a very rough session yesterday. president obama begins his first full day of vacation on martha's vineyard, but it's not all play. the president will be meeting frequently with economic advisers to work on his plan to grow the economy and to create jobs. the obama administration is changing its position on illegal immigration. it will now allow as many as 300,000 illegal immigrants facing deportation the opportunity to stay in this country and apply for a work permit if they do not have criminal backgrounds. a father and son from pennsylvania in police custody this morning, accused of making threats against sarah palin and her family. shawn christy and his son craig allegedly ignored a restraining order and called palin's lawyer

at least 400 times leaving profanity laced threats and deadly and sexual attacks on the former alaska governor and her children. a study by two university professors finds the tea party's popularity is taking a hit. based on their research with 3,000 people, the grassroots movement is less popular than much maligned groups like atheists and muslims. and back-to-school is getting more expensive. retail analysts say on average parents will be paying 10% more for children's clothes, but beware, stores don't want you to notice. many of them are jacking up prices dramatically and then running sales to make it look like you're getting a deal. you're caught up on the day's headlines. "american morning" back in 60 seconds.

♪ 50 minutes past the hour. welcome back to "american morning." time now for your am house call. researchers are saying this morning that one or two glasses of wine or beer a day can lower your risk of alzheimer's disease. the loyola university study concludes men and women who drink in moderation are 23% less likely to develop the disease. the study says wine is a better choice for brain health. a government study just found that nearly 1 in 10 children in the united states now being diagnosed with adhd, more than 2% increase in the last decade with cases spiking the most among minorities and the poor. researchers say it could be attributed to better detection. you can eat your way to a heart attack with fried, fatty foods but it may also be possible for your diet to reverse a heart condition and

literally make you immune to a heart attack. cnn's chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta investigated this for his upcoming documentary "the last heart attack." we love the whole concept that we can find a way together to have the last heart attack and overcome this. sanjay, is diet that crucial? >> there are people out there who believe that heart disease in the vast majority of people is almost exclusively a foodborne illness. diet is absolutely essential here. and as we have been investigating this for year, you come to realize what you said is so important, not only can you keep your heart disease from progressing, you could reverse it. that is such an important statement. sharon kintz is 66-year-old retired private investigator. she's a woman. she had a heart attack at one point and her doctors told her she needed to have surgery. at this point, she had the biggest decision of her life to make and she made an unusual one. watch. >> reporter: like a lot of women, kintz does not experience

the classic chest pain but rather fatigue and pain in her jaw. >> he said you're going to have to have open heart surgery. he said i can fix you today. i can take down to o.r. and i can operate on you right now. my son was in there and he was ready to wheel me down to the operating room because he is frantic. it's terrifying. >> reporter: what kintz did next may surprise you. she turned the surgeon down cold. said no. to open heart surgery and decided to take a chance. >> i bought some parsnips the other way. i always have sweet potatoes on hand. >> reporter: using food as medicine. >> i love these. these are my favorite. these are wonderful. >> reporter: like president clinton, kintz has given up the food she loves like butter and cheese and betting her life on dr. eselton's diet. >> she had a heart attack. >> i know. >> doctors recommended she had an intervention. is there a downside?

could she be putting herself at risk? >> no. in hundreds of patients data going back over 20 years and most recent study about a decade, once they start eating this way you'll make yourself heart attack proof. we know if people are eating this way they will not have a heart attack. >> reporter: the doctor thinks heart disease is completely preventable no matter what sort of family history you have simply by eating right. >> it's a foodborne illness and we are never going to end the epidemic with stents, with bypasses, with the drugs because none of it is treating cause aigs of the illness. >> reporter: the doctor and a lot of other believes you can become heart attack proof by virtue of your diet. sharon eats a lot of greens and a lot of vegetables, a lot of fruits. she doesn't eat dairy and doesn't eat oil and doesn't eat meat. the mantra that the doctor talks

about don't eat anything with a mother, don't eat anything with a face. not only reduce your chance of heart disease, but tonpotential eliminate it. >> is what she was having a warning sign she was at risk for a heart attack? >> when you talk about reversing the problem what you're really talking about is reducing the amount of plaque in the blood vessels and dr. eccelstyn if you have a certain amount of plaque on studies seeing the plaque disappear as a result of diet alone. again, no interventions, no new meds nothing like that, just the diary changes. this woman sharon had a heart attack but goal not to have another one and to open up the blood vessels she wanted to do it with diet as oppose to do a surgery. >> don't eat anything with a mother or a face? >> a mantra to remember. >> that means no cheeseburgers, i take it. >> what we eat is kind of gruesome so this is less gruesome. >> when it comes in a styrofoam

box, it doesn't look as bad. sanjay and former president clinton look at the tests and it's a special cnn presentation this sunday at 8:00 p.m. eastern. we have been asking you to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. you have a lot to say this morning. we asked is president obama neglecting the black community? presley says president obama's presidency has not only given black americans an idol role model to aspire to and admire but it's given every underprivileged american a reason to believe in the promise of the idea of america. the fact is president obama is a democrat and the majority of the black community are democrats. his goal is to cure the independents and maybe steal away moderate conservatives and that requires him to make his presence felt strongly with nonblack community. this from laseedra. we are used to being ignored by the president. he is trying to help things for all of america.

all i wish he would do differently is be more aggressive with the legislators. they are the reason he can't get anything done for anybody. benny, the president focuses too much on the black community then other groups will cry foul. either way, he can't win. now president obama has to defend himself from the tea party and his own constituents. does anybody have his back? keep the conversation going. we will talk more about this in the next hour. "american morning" will be back after a quick break. [ male announcer ] it's a fact:

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markets across taking another beating this morning. i'm carol costello. the declines field by renewed fears a second recession could be on the horizon. but are there also signs of hope? i'm christine romans. president obama getting some r & r on martha's vineyard but no rest from the attacks being launched by the republicans on this "american morning." ♪ good morning to you. it is friday. happy friday. it's august 19th. ali velshi is off today. >> good morning. it is 8:00 in the east breaking news from pakistan. a deadly bomb blast at a mosque in the tribal village of gandhi along the afghan border. of officials say a teenager set off the explosion.

at least 34 people were killed and a hundred others wounded. we are following breaking news out of afghanistan's capital. a few hours ago two suicide bombers attacked the british council in kabul. at least eight people were killed. ten others are being treated for injuries. explosions and gunfire echoed through the city several more hours. in 90 minutes we will watch your money and wall street to see how it reacts to the beating the world markets are taking right now. steep declines in europe and asia after a painful day in the united states in the stock market. dow down nearly 4% down and nasdaq and s&p hit harder. renewed fears that the world economy is stalling. if we take a look at u.s. stock futures they are all down. dow futures down by more than 150 points. the good news they had been down more earlier. prepare yourself for volatility. >> there is your silver lining. not only a loss of confidence of the economy but also president obama's ability to lead. texas governor rick perry tried

to seize on that, suggesting he's best suited to create jobs and grow the economy. he is also using words like treasonist to criticize the chairman of the federal reserve. >> earlier, we spoke to bruce bartlett, former treasury official under george h.w. bush. i asked him about perry comments and what the fed can do right now. >> rick perry is an idiot. i don't think anybody would disagree with that. to the extent that he has people thinking that the fed doing its normal job is somehow or other a treasonist act is grossly irresponsible and to the extent that people think that perry knows what he is talking about, it does put a constraint on the federal reserve to be able to be more aggressive, which i think that it should be. we have to look to the one institution that still has freedom of action which is the federal reserve and i think they need to be much more aggressive. the risks of doing too little is far greater than the risk of doing too.

>> bruce bartlett criticized the president suggesting that by not filling the open seats on the fed, he is sending the signal that he really doesn't care what the fed does. they slammed him for his bus tour through the heartland and republicans are all over the president for going on vacation. the republican national committee even created a website for voters so they can send post cards mocking the president's plans for r&r. chairman of the rnc is joining us from washington. welcome to the program. your post cards are getting buzz this morning. i'll be honest with you. but it's not unusual for a president to take some time off in august to go on vacation. why is this time any different for this president than, say, george w. bush at crawford when, quite frankly, we were in the early days of waging wars? >> first of all, crawford was like a second office. so, i mean, i think it's a little bit difficult to compare the two. obama doesn't have a second office that he does business out of just like ronald reagan did business out of the ranch in

california. that is the second piece. the reality is this. no. there isn't anything wrong with going on vacation but the problem with this president is that he is tone deaf to the american people and what people expect out of a president in tough times and i think everyone can admit we are in an extremely, extraordinarily difficult times in this country and we have a president who just doesn't seem to connect the dots. the second piece of this is that the place he chooses to go on vacation is like he's living out the lifestyle of the rich and famous. >> come on. mitt romney is going to be there in a week or two raising money too. >> but this is the president. >> look. he wants to be the president! i want to go through -- >> wait a minute. mitt romney doesn't have the ability to sign a piece of legislation, to tell his colleagues in the senate to get real about the debt and the kev sit in this country. i mean, you can't possibly compare mitt romney to the

president. >> you're right. i will not compare mitt romney with president obama and you're the one saying you cannot compare mitt romney with the president. >> come on, come, i'm not going to let you put words in my mouth. you can't compare them in their current role is what i'm saying. it's silly to do. >> point taken, point taken. >> okay. >> let's talk about who can sign legislation and get things going and who can write legislation. that is congress which actually has a lower approval rating than the president. congress also on recess on vacation. are you saying that the house speaker then should call back congress to get some work done because only 14% of america approve what they have done so far, less than the president's approval rating. >> first of all, i think it was president obama who has been driving around a bus around the country telling all of the people coming out to see him that he thinks that the congressman shouldn't come back in august. in fact, they should say back and listen to their constituents which is what congress is doing. secondly, when the president had the ability to bring people

together and actually put a deal together, he never presented a plan. i mean, the president never put a single sentence on a piece of paper and said, this is my plan for fixing the american -- >> we have heard that talking point so let's look forward. >> it's not a talking point. it's a reality. >> i've heard you say those exact words several times. let's just put it forward. if he comes back with a plan and he puts those sentences on paper, will the republican party be the party of no or will the republican party in good faith try to figure out a way to get people back to work, put all of this acrimony aside? because we are in very dire straits. you look at the world markets how they are reacting they do not like what they are seeing from anything in washington right now. >> i don't know if you're paying attention to what is happening in washington, but it was the republicans that offered a budget plan that addressed the out of control spending and out of control debt that is looming in regard to medicare. it was paul ryan who presented a plan. it was the congress that passed a plan all but four republicans

voted for it. it was the republicans that passed cut, cap, and balance that addressed the ten-year long-term window of a mountain of debt that this country is facing. >> if the president comes up with plan. >> i'm answering your question! the president all he is doing did -- my answer all the president is doing is promising one speech after the next, but offering nothing on a piece of paper. i mean, all the president is offering are speeches and words -- >> so you want the president to write the legislation? >> look. he should offer a plan. he should offer a way out. he should offer something. i mean, he is the classic community -- >> in martha's vineyard is what they have been coming up now and consulting with ceos and -- >> you know that is what he is doing today? 8:00 in the morning. >> i don't know if he is doing it this very second. i don't know if he is doing it this very second. >> sounds like you're the one with the talking points. >> no. i'm saying that is what we are told is happening right now. there will be a plan coming out and i'll tell you, i'll be

honest with you. we have the broad brush strokes but what will the plan be? refed from bruce bartlett the president comes out with something, there is too much acrimony in washington to get it done. he is pushing that the fed is the only game in town right now simply because of the acrimony in washington. >> it's a lot of pushing and a lot of talking and a lot of press conferences and a lot of speeches but not a lot of action. i think yet to be seen but we will soo he what the next speech holds for the american people. >> yeah. i think people are tired of speeches. >> well, sure. >> and buses and people just want to say, we need some jobs and we need a plan and some unity in washington. >> we need a leader of the free world that takes it seriously. >> and a congress that does too. a congress that does too. reince priebus, thank you for joining us. have a great day. >> you too. >> now is your chance to talk back. the question is president obama neglecting the black community? congresswoman maxine waters says

yes. >> he went with the plan and that plan was to invest money in those rural communities in order to develop jobs. we like that and we want the rural poor to be attended to but we also want the urban poor to be attended to. >> it is true that the president did not visit black majorities on his three-day bus tour. it means he doesn't care but he has the black vote and while he doesn't need a majority of white votes to win re-election he does need some. according to exit polls president obama won 43% of the white vote in 2008 which is pretty good for a democrat. still some ominous signs for the president. according to the latest cnn/orc poll 34% of whites approve of how the president is handling his job. some say so what? democrats haven't won a majority of white since 1964. mr. obama should at least show some love to his most loyal

constituency. 95% of african-american voters cast ballots for the president in 2008, although that was only 13% of the total vote. but since then, the unemployment rate for black america has risen to 15.9%. where, they ask, is their obama bus tour? so the talkback this morning is president obama neglecting the black community? facebook/americamorning. i'll read your comments later this hour. a surprise move by the obama administration. many illegal immigrants who were sfasing deportation can now stay in the u.s. indefinitely. it's a huge visit in policy. who is allowed to stay and what is behind this big move? plus, cars covered in broken glass. hundreds of people stranded at the airport after a massive hail storm hits omaha. not once, but twice! benches clear and water bottles thrown and players tackle each other. a brawl breaks out between georgetown and a chinese men's

basketball team and get this. it was supposed to be a goodwill game! plus, juicy secrets of the new york yankees. is derek jeter really that nice? is a-rod really that high maintenance? the yankees former bat boy writes a tell-all book and he'll join us live with some juicy details. it's 10 minutes past the hour. ♪ buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks i don't care if i ever get back ♪ oh, we call it the bundler. let's say you need home and auto insurance. you give us your information once, online... [ whirring and beeping ] [ ding! ] and we give you a discount on both. great! did i mention no hands in the bundler?

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♪ they are reeling in omaha, nebraska. back-to-back hail storms shut down the airport and injured a pilot. this looks like someone took a 9 iron to the wishlendshields. winds of nearly a hundred miles an hour. hundreds of air travelers stranded by those storms. >> imagine getting off a long

flight and going to your car and seeing that. >> i know. >> that would be fun. there has been another stage collapse at a concert. this time in belgium. take a look at this. a fierce storm ripped through an open air music festival. heavy winds collapsed a stage and ripped the roof off leaving equipment dangling in the air and concert-goers running for their lives. five people died and more than 50 others hurt. rob marciano in the extreme weather center. hey, rob. gosh. wind, hail. unbelievable. >> kuned of unusual august. >> clearly the stage set up and safety people aren't talking to each other on the other side of the pond here. to have those two incidents to happen within a week of each other. ill defined fronts are hanging around and those are the focal point for thunderstorms popping up from time to time. not quite as strong as what we saw last night. first off the thunderstorms that you saw that you're seeing right now to the east of philadelphia

those are moving offshore. a couple of sprinkles in new york city. severe thunderstorm through pittsburgh and complex that moved through omaha last night. that's now moving south of st. louis. also weakening. we had record highs over a hundred degrees in phoenix. you would expect that but 112 this time of year when you get the monsoon that is weird and temperatures up well over a hundred degrees yesterday in dallas, texas, houston, and also southern parts of louisiana. 107 the expected high temperature in dallas today. so we're back on the train for seeing that streak after being below 100 for a couple of days but the summer just doesn't want to end there. 86 in chi and 95 in new york city. tropical storm depression hiding on the coastline of honduras. the forecast track is bring it to belize around about tomorrow afternoon. a tropical storm, its name would be harvey. this may be a bigger problem as

we get towards next week. a pretty good chance of this developing into a depression or storm over the next 48 to 72 hours. our initial computer models are taking it towards the northern caribbean and gulf coast and update on a story we told but a couple of weeks ago. we thought this strange orange substance was washing up on the northwest shorelines of alaska, it's been tested and now found to be fungal spores. not the microscopic type of eggs we thought. i'm sure the locals there are very relieved. >> doesn't taste as good on a little piece of toast with cream cheese. >> not the calfier we were hoping for. >> tastes like chicken! thanks, rob. another flash mob caught on tape but this time a twist. all of the thieves are young women. this is ugly twist, isn't it? ten of them entering a

convenience store in northeast washington and they stole food right off the shelves and then walked out. unbelievable. >> here is something else unbelievable. a michigan man is facing charges for driving his pickup truck down a busy street during rush hour, even though he knew his truck had no brakes. this is police dash cam video. watch the driving doing his best fred flintstone imitation sticking his foot out and then on to the asphalt to slow down the truck but this is not bedrock. he hit four cars which begs the question why would anyone drive knowingly without any brakes? >> it's so stupid it's funny. he admitted or knew that he had no brakes. he thought he could do it. he wanted to get home. he said he had a long day at work and had to work today. no alcohol, no drugs. just a serious lack of common sense. >> wow. no one was hurt so why it was so stupid, it was funny, because no one was hurt. the driver faces reckless

driving charges. >> i wonder how his foot feels? >> and he needs a new pair of shoes. this basketball game deteriorated into a wild brawl. this happened in china. isn't georgetown a judgment institution? this should not happen. the fight broke out with about nine minutes lef in the game. punches were thrown and chairs were tossed and spectators hurled bottles at the hoya players as they were leaving for the locker room, so it didn't even fight as they left the court. both the state department and the chinese embassy called the game unfortunate. checking the morning markets next. it's 19 minutes after the hour.

it's 22 minutes after the hour. "minding your business" this morning. u.s. stock futures trading

lower ahead of today's open with dow futures down more than a hundred points right. now. investor pulling their money into smarkts and putting it into gold and bonds. precious metal is well abover $1,870 an ounce. that is bringing down bond yields to record lows pushing down home loan rates to historic levels. the average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage dropped to 4.15%. 30-year fixed, 4.15 percent according to new numbers from freddie mac. bank of america set to slash thousands of jobs. 3,500 people let go by the end of next month as part of a restructuring plan. the bank struggling to work through a slew of lawsuits stemming from the 2008 financial crisis. up next, the f-22 raptor plane, the most expensive fighter jet in the world. we spent billions of world on them but there is one big problem. they cut off the oxygen to the

pilot. a u.s. military failure, billions lost, we're live at the pentagon next. "american morning" back after the break. two of the most important are energy security and economic growth. north america actually has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. a large part of that is oil sands. this resource has the ability to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. at our kearl project in canada, we'll be able to produce these oil sands with the same emissions as many other oils and that's a huge breakthrough. that's good for our country's energy security and our economy.

♪ the pentagon calls it the most expensive weapons program ever, pouring billions of dollars into the construction of the stealth fighter jet. >> but the fleet has been plagued by mechanical problems. it's never gone to war. so the big question now is the time to cut our losses after billions spent. barbara starr joins us live from the pentagon. good morning, barbara. >> reporter: good morning. well, you know, here at the pentagon, leon panetta, the defense secretary, has basically one job right now and that is to cut defense spending. half a trillion dollars in new fighter jets, that might be first on the list. >> reporter: it's the most expensive weapons program ever says the pentagon. 384 billion dollars earmarked for some 3,000 f-35 stealth fighter jets. testing is resuming after a two-week halt when electrical problems emerged.

then there's the f-22 air force stealth fighter at more than $140 million per plane. the nearly 200-plane fleet has been grounded since may after oxygen to the pilots kept cutting off. one pilot died. with a half trillion dollar price tag for both aircraft? >> the question is are you getting the combat capability that justifies that cost. >> we cannot afford aircraft that double and triple the original estimated cost. >> i think we have to watch it very carefully. >> reporter: the f-22 has never been in combat. the f-35 may go the same way. both planes have serious limitations. >> these aircraft are relatively short range which means they have to be based fairly close to the area of conflict. but we have seen in recent years, countries like china and countries like iran, building ballistic missile forces that can easily target the air bases.

>> reporter: wheeler says the planes are too expensive and not stealthy enough. >> against some radars, it's detectible as soon as is it comes over the radar horizon and some of the radar best at doing that are antiquated technology from the soviets. >> reporter: so for the newest plane, the f-35, which hasn't even gotten into production yet, a price tag of over $300 billion, it has technical problems bauts it's so complex and a lot of questions about how stealthy it might be. it might be in the cross-hair whs the pentagon and congress begin discussing budget cuts in a few weeks. three men could be set free today. they are known as the west memphis three and convicted in 1993 of killing three little second grade boys. they have maintained their innocence all along and dna tests never did link them to

that crime. but they have been in prison for 19 years. our david mattingly is live in jonesboro, arkansas. you had a chance to talk to one of the men damien echols who what sentenced to death for his role in this crime. what did he say? >> reporter: one of the things he said that really stuck with me over the month since that interview on death row was that in the last 18 or 19 years, he has not been able to look up and see the stars. it was a comment that he made to drive home the point of all of the things that have been denied to him and the other two jessie miskelley jr. and jason baldwin the last years. they spent their entire adult lives behind bars after being found guilty of the murder of those three young boys in west memphis. there have been so many critics of this case. a great deal of attention. steady beating of the drum of protests about their incarceration in this case. as the years have gone by, the evidence has been attacked and

seems to not have been able to hold up under secrete knee and now we have new dunn testing come back in the last few months not placing them at all at the crime scene. so what has happened in the last day or so, we have learned, that someone close to this case tells us that a deal has been worked out where these three men will be able to go free if all goes as planned, and they will still be able to maintain their innocence. this is a huge and abrupt turnaround in a case that has attracted so much attention, both in this country and abroad as people wondering why after looking at lack of evidence how could they get convicted in the first place and how could they stay behind bars so long when there is so much criticism of the evidence. possible today and many supporters are watching what happens will happen in this courtroom behind me here today, will these three finally be able to go free? will they finally be able to

taste freedom after so many years behind bars? >> so, david, let's say think do taste freedom and get their freedom. three little boys are still dead. is the case still being investigated at all? >> reporter: that is one of the strange things we found out while we were putting together a documentary about the west memphis three was that the authorities here in arkansas believe they had convicted the right people. the investigation had stopped with the convictions of these three young men. but now that could change as they now go back into court. as they come out as free men, able to maintain their scienc innocence. part of the deal they have to recognize before the court that the state does have evidence that they could use against them to go back to trial and possibly seek another conviction. so that is helping the state save face somewhat to acknowledge that they do have evidence against them. so it wasn't a case where they were just completely

empty-handed going to trial. so at this point, we are waiting to see how all of this plays out today. so many people watching this. we have already seen some supporters gathering outside the courthouse today with signs and people really anticipating a day that they say is long overdue. >> david mattingly, all right. i think if these three young men are released even if they have to make that admission there is perhaps some sort of evidence, the public pressure on finding the real killer of these young boys is certainly going to be very, very, very, very strong on that community to find out who really did this and they can't just let it go. thanks, david. in the world of politics, the obama administration is moving to end the deportation of most illegal immigrants. if they have no criminal record and pose no security threat, chances are they will be able to stay in the united states. >> the new white house policy could shake up the immigration system. cnn's dan lothian is live on martha's vineyard where the president is vacationing. dan, tell us how big of a change

in policy this is. we know the white house has long focused on criminal -- criminal illegal aliens but this is going case-by-case now instead of 300,000 people, i think, in the deportation process? >> reporter: that's right. and still focusing on the high profile cases such as those involved in criminal activity. as you pointed out, department of homeland security will be reviewing all 300,000 pending deportation cases in federal immigration courts. again, the idea is to focus on the high profile cases, not on the low profile cases, such as students or senior citizens. secretary napolitano outlined this new policy in a letter to members of congress about two dozen members of congress. she set that out yesterday, explaining this is a way to not only move these cases through a system that has been clogged, but the administration believing as well that by targeting the

high profile cases, these illegal immigrants who are involved in criminal activity, that it will also go towards helping in the department of public safety at least. >> i'm a little cynical. i know the president has been getting pressure from the hispanic commune on the subject of immigration. did this shift come because of that? >> reporter: well, look. you can't discount that at all. there has been a lot of pressure from latino groups. in fact, one group i've been talking to quite a bit over the last several months and they have been unsatisfied with what the administration has been able to put forward so far. you know the president was really pushing for the dream act, which would give legal status to those who are in colleges, enrolled in colleges or in the military. that is still stuck in congress. and so what a lot of these groups have been saying as they have been meeting with the president over his entire administration is that, you know, the president made a lot of promises out there on the

campaign trail and they don't believe that he has delivered. so there has been a lot of pressure from those groups and it's a critical group. they voted for the president overwhelmingly in 2008. the president will need them in the upcoming elections. so no doubt this is an overture but it's also something the administration has been focused on, trying to figure out a way to deal with these kinds of immigration cases, the highest profile ones, and this is at least what we are focused on now. it's not a sweeping change. there are those critics who are saying that this is essentially the administration making a sweeping overhaul and side-stepping any congressional approval. this is a case-by-case basis. >> dan lothian, thanks so much. reporting live from martha's vineyard. still ahead, clubhouse legendary secrets. the bat point who was the last one who didn't have to sign a

confidentiality agreement. >> he has some dirt! >> that's right.

♪

good morning, new york city. it's cloudy and 75 right now. but thunderstorms, 85 later on today. >> i hope not because it's beautiful outside right now. let's get to good stuff. even better than sunny weather. it's odd but true. a new york yankees bat boy has written a tell-all memoir. he was with the team from 2008 to and was not required to sign a confidentiality agreement easement he reveals juicy details in his new book. "clous confidenti "clubhouse confidential." >> opening day, first day on the job i walked into the yankee clubhouse and derek jeter, i go up to derek jeter's locker and he looks me up and down. he goes, what is your name, kid? i said luis castillo. he said, no, you look like a

squeegee because of my uniform. i was only 120 pounds soaking wet when i was 13 years ochlld. >> what derek says, the so. i've always wanted to be a bat girl, i guess. how did you get to be a bat boy? >> i wrote a letter. first, i went to yankees stadium in 1997. i was a huge yankee fan. i used to sit in the right field bleachers with the bleacher creechers. tina lewis, who was the queen of the bleachers, my friend sat in her seat. and she got us kicked out from the stadium and the next day, i came to apologize on my friend's behalf. and, all of a sudden, we became close friends. '98, i wrote a letter to sunny hyatt, the administrator of the new york yankees, and the front office, she recommended me to him. and i got an interview and got offered the job. >> your first day walking in, you put on the uniform and you're feeling like what?

>> i pinched myself to make sure i was still alive! i felt like i was on cloud nine. it was a dream come true. i was so excited! >> so everybody wondering what the players are really like. so let's get to real juicy parts of your book. one of your favorites was david cone. you said, david cone was a truman's man, full of all of those good vices and lover of hard liquor and smoking and women and take life by the reins and enjoy life to its fullest. >> he was a new yorker and like a father figure to me. i idolized him as a young kid. i wanted to be just like him. and when we got to share something special, me working for a fan working for his own idol and someone he respects, it was like, you know, something i cherished all my life and got to share great moments like the

perfect game. >> oh, yeah! you talked in the book about how david cone used to ask you to get some stuff for him like, you know, girly magazines so he could -- >> really? >> -- thumb through them. >> i didn't see that part! >> it's part of human nature. >> let me ask you about a-rod. 'has a larger than life presence outside of the dugout. what was it like to be with a-rod? >> let me read a passage. >> do you it. >> this is what you said about a-rod. when his magnificent arrived he changed the atmosphere in the clubhouse. i observed before how players reacted before a-rod showed up in 2004 and there was a big difference appear he got. there you said a-rod was very particular. give us an example. >> his magnificeicenmagnificent. a-rod is a-rod. he is different from other players. he brings a lot of attention and

i got to see for my own eyes how, you know, putting out, laying out his clothes for him in the trainers' locker room. win or lose, he wouldn't go to hess own locker. i would have to go to his locker and take out his clothes, put pants, shirts, underwear and sock answe socks and shoes on the floor. >> he had you put the toothbr h toothbrush, the toothpaste on his toothbrush. everybody gives the high five you think a great job, a great hit. alex rodriguez would do something quite different. >> he was like a little kit. into it. he was like, wow, look how far i hit that ball! in spanish. it was pretty funny stuff to see. >> really? it's pretty awesome. clubhouse confidential.

now the bat boys have a confidentiality agreement so they can't talk about the players or anything. it's fun. not spilling too many secrets. >> it's a great book. i thoroughly enjoyed it and thank you so much for coming in and sharing. >> squeegee castillo, thank you very much. morning headlines are next.

markets open in just about 45 minutes and right now, dow, nasdaq and s&p 500 are all down after a sell-off overseas. the futures i'm talking about. though, we should mention futures are not as bad as they were earlier this morning. a deadly bomb blast at a mosque at a tribal village of gandhi along the afghan border. officials say a teenager set off the explosion. at least 34 people were killed and hundreds more wounded. breivik is appearing in

court this morning and confessed to the terror attacks which killed 77 people last month. court considering extend is his isolation for another four weeks. they say it helps their investigation. memphis three could be set free this morning. they were convicted of killing three second grade boys. dna tests did not link them to the crime. a new white house policy will allow most illegal immigrants to stay in the country. 300,000 pending cases will be reviewed. the administration says it will make deporting illegals who are no criminals a priority. a babysitter in florida charged with child neglect after accused of putting a baby stroller with a baby in it the back of a pickup truck. she reportedly told the court she didn't realize it would be dangerous as she had a good grip on the stroller and adding, quote, it's not like they give you a handbook what is neglect or anything.

that is the news you need to start your day. "american morning" back after a break.

number of children in the u.s. with adhd is rising fast. a new study finding 1 in 10 children are diagnosed with this order. >> the question is why. cnn's chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta is in atlanta. he has some answers for us. so why, sanjay? >> it's not entirely sure. the way they do these studies is they are basically based on these large phone surveys. they have about 40,000 families they are calling in all regions of the country from different income levels.

they have boys and girls in the family. so at the end of that, they found over a ten-year period, the prevalence of adhd went up from 6.9% to closer to 9%. almost approaching 10%. so when they really try and dissect the numbers down, this may have more to do with the last ten years you may guess a better rate of diagnosis of adhd. doctors more aware of it. parents more aware of it as well. as a result, you're getting the diagnosis more frequently. it's hard to say that is the cause of the entire increase but that is probably a lot to do with that and they saw the same increase sort of in boys and girls across the board as well. >> so attention deficit hyperactivity disorder i think is what it all stands for. but moms and dads and teachers and adhd, everyone says they have noticed that there are more people being diagnosed and maybe it's because we are recognizing it more. and it's more common, i guess to be able to stand up' get

diagnosed. do we know who is most likely to have it? >> i think to your last point. i think is there a decreased stigma about this as well which may be, in part, i think what you're eluding to and i think may explain part of this as well. people more likely to actually talk about adhd. it's interesting. it's always been more common in boys than girls and quite a bit so. for example you break down that 1 in 10 number, 12.3% of boys versus 56.5% of girls. so quite a difference there between boys and girls. also it's more common in the southern parts of the country and in the midwest versus the northeast and the west. again, that's not entirely clear as to why some people have pointed to environmental triggers that are more common but not sure about that. also as far as the increased numbers over the last ten years, it's increased most in lower income groups so people who make below 200% of the poverty level,

they have seen the greatest increase in adhd levels. it could be because the last ten years, they have had increased access to health care and increased access to diagnosis as compared to before, but, you know, the numbers are what they are. now people are going to spend some time trying to figure out exactly why they are that way. >> a generation ago, he's a boy, he'll grow out of it. now people are -- it's a lot different. it's a lot different trying to figure out why and who and how to fix it. >> they give it a name nowadays, right. >> sanjay, thanks. catch up with dr. gupta this weekend. he has a cnn special called "the very last heart attack." he talks to doctors on the cutting edge of heart disease and prevention including a former surgeon who has developed a radical diet, he says he can make anyone heart attack proof in one month. >> i'm loving that. coming up next, our talkback question of the day. is president obama neglecting the black community? we will read through some of your responses. 52 minutes past the hour.

as millions struggle across africa and what they are calling the worse humanitarian disaster in the world, cnn hero mary's meals is in the middle of the crisis. >> we have been working in northern kenya for about four years now. we have seen the situation worsen steadily. today, one third of the children are malnourished and so we have a real situation of life and death and because of that, we are trying to desperately to expand our program to reach more children at risk. >> reporter: since 2006, mary's meals have been feeding thousands of young children in schools across the region. >> the mission of mary's meals is about linking food through education and without education, could be the poverty for their whole community. >> reporter: in recent weeks they have responded to the drought crisis by feeding an additional 6,000 children daily. 24,000 in all. the kind of important global

work for which magnus was named a top cnn hero last year and received an order of the british empire from queen elizabeth but he remains focused on the critical work in af africa. >> we tend to reach many more thousands of children and do that as funds allow us to. >> reporter: many more thousands of children to be supported by an organization already feeding 500,000 children daily in 16 impoverished countries. >> it's so much about the people sharing what they have in order that these children can be fed. ♪ i'm a film star. well, i'm a film, left behind by a floor cleaner i thought was going to take me places.

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♪ try to do things my way do i have to keep talking until i can't go on ♪ ♪ why see it your way ♪ ♪ >> good morning, washington. partly cloudy and 78 we are told right in the nation's capital but, later, thunderstorms and 90. so if you're out for a jog, do it quick! >> quick and right now! now some of your responses to our talkback question of the morning. we asked you this question. you were darn right, he has neglected and ignored the black community. what ignores the most he has spoken directly to every group of constituents except african-americans. too bad the president knows he will have the vast majority of the black vote. for once i would like to see our community make all politicians work for our support. susan says, no. it's august 2011. this is a big country. the president can't be everywhere. there will be many bus tours and he will be criticized for that. second, has he spent any time at any job fairs?

are visits going to fix what is a worldwide problem? this from mike. why? because he is black and should be catering to the black community? he is etch's president like a white president should work for everyone. obama should look at all americans equally, besides isn't that how equality is supposed to work. >> when you have an economy that is weak it shows divisions and shows the rift between groups in societying who are benefiting and some who aren't. >> this is coming from maxine waters and that big job fair. all of those people were waiting in line. so many people waiting in line for so long. some of them collapsed from heat exhaustion. only 90 employers were inside the building waiting to hear their pleas. >> she would like the president to speak to her specific community. >> that's going to do it for us. it's friday so we will see you here on monday. >> happy friday.