wso to save money, i trained my dog and this cockatoo to play all the hits of the '80's woman: hit it, mr. butters. ♪ ♪ take on me... ♪ ....take on me ♪ take me on... anncr: there's an easier way to save. get online. go to geico.com get a quote. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. we want to get you up to speed for monday, august 22nd.

moammar gadhafi's grip on libya appears to be ending. rebels say they control 80% of the libyan capital today, pockets of gadhafi fighters are holding out. they still control this hotel that's home base for foreign journalists. gadhafi's whereabouts are unknown. his loyalists continue to defend his compound. rebels keep rolling with no major resistance. they pour into the street to celebrate after they have taken much of tripoli.

>> we were outside the windows screaming. everyone realized no one wants him. no one wants the dictator. most of us had our homes closed because there was fear, but there's no more fear. the end, game over. rebels stay three of gadhafi's sons are in custody today, including the son groomed to succeed his father. fighters grabbed another early this morning. he was on the phone at the time for a live interview with the al jazeera. you can hear him talking as rebels approach. >> translator: i'm standing outside my house. i'm being attacked right now. there's gunfire outside my house. they're inside my house. good-bye, good-bye, good-bye. president obama vacationing in new england released this statement -- the momentum has

reached a tipping point. tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tie rant. the president repeated his called from gadhafi to stand down. gadhafi's regime is on the brink of collapse. and there are dramatic events cnn's sara seiner filed this report. >> reporter: actual le we're about half a we saw green square yesterday with the rebels in that square, though there were a bit tense, because they want there were snipers, though we did not see evidence of any at that time last night. however, what we are seeing in the streets of tripoli are rebel fighters driving, honking the honest, waving the rebel flag, the flag that was in place before the gadhafi regime came to power about 42 years ago.

you're hearing hompging and every now and then gunfire. one thing to definitely note here is that we are in a basically residential/business neighborhood. this is -- there's acbank there. a store here that's selling clothes. every single shop is shut down at this point in time. we're seeing very few residents in the street. we're talking about in the early -- late morning now here, and in tripoli, and normally there would be traffic, there would be people on the streets. we're not seeing that. we're seeing rebels in the streets, just a few residents who have come out to cheer the rebels on, but a very interesting scene here in tripoli. now is your chance to talk into. today's question was u.s. involvement in libya actually worth it? our carol costello joins us from new york. a lot of debate over that. the president got some criticism and some praise both for going into libya.

>> you're right about that. there's no question now, moammar gadhafi's reign is just about over. thoses are reportedly dead, about you thanks in large part for nato norses and the united states, libya will likely be free of a cruel dictator. libya is celebrating. here at home in the united states, the celebrations may be satisfying to watch, but the feeling is tempered. like everything else, u.s. involvement in libya was conflicted. dennis kucinich accused president obama of a impeachment offense. senator mccain was critical, because he said president obama didn't move fast enough. americans weary of war were also concerned about the cost.

according to the obama administration, the libya mission will cost american taxpayers $1.1 billion by september 30th. still, in just six months gadhafi is just about gone. remember he was slaughtering his own people. al jazeera the talk bulk today -- was u.s. involvement in libya worth it? facebook.com/carolcnn. i'll read your comments later this hour. >> thank you, carol. the first hurricane of the atlantic season drenched puerto rico. irene could dumped perhaps 20 inches of rain on parts of the island. the storm is barely holding onto hurricane status, with top winds at 75 miles an hour, so irene could threaten the southeastern united states by the end of the week. new york prosecutors are meeting this afternoon with the woman who says that dominique strauss-kahn sexually assaulted

her last may. an attorney for the hotel housekeeper says he believes that all or parts of the case against the imf chief will be dismissed. that could happen at a court hearing tomorrow. prosecutors have questioned the woman's credibility. dow stocks are starting the new week with a bounce. we're going to check the big board. blue chips are up by 82 points or so. it's been pretty much a dismal august for the dow. a c -- >> this is by far the largest cro crowd. >> we're going to talk with him live what it's like to watch history in the making. ♪

[ mrs. davis ] i want to find a way to break through. to make science as exciting as a video game. i need to reach peter, who's falling behind. and push janet who's 6 chapters ahead. ♪ [ male announcer ] with interactive learning solutions from dell, mrs. davis can make education a little more personal.

so every student feels like her only student. dell. the power to do more. have i got a surprise for you! soyeah, it's new feels [ barks beneful healthy fiesta. gotta love the protein for muscles-- whoo-hoo! and omega-rich nutrition for that shiny coat. ever think healthy could taste so good? [ woman announcing ] new beneful healthy fiesta.

glee here's a rundown of the stories up ahead. first -- a libyan american in benghazi turns c cnn. and the changing faces of gadhafi. and investors are optimistic that libya could be exporting oil sooner than expected. most libyans have lived with goif all their lives. we'll see what's next for the country. three sons are now in the hands

of rebel fighters. right now what's happening is everyone -- we are in green square here in the middle of tripoli. what we are seeing is rebels all over the square. there are really no civilians, mostly men with guns in the square, but we're also see people running. there's a lot of gunfire. we all had to pull back. . they're very, very concerned, because they said there were snipers posted on the top of some of these buildings. they're not sure exactly where some of these gunfire is coming from. so you see people running, trying to get out of the way. it is a history moment here in tripoli in the capital. the real stronghold of moammar gadhafi has now been taken over by the rebels. >> that is our intrepid sara

sidner. a cnn i reporter from south carolina is getting an up-close view. he filed this report from the celebrations in benghazi. >> i'm sammi addahoumi. it is now 1:00 a.m. sunday, august 21st, quite possibly the first night of freedom for all of libya. freedom square, benghazi. >> unbelievable. sammi joins us by phone from libya. you were in the midst of all of that. first of all, just describe what that was like.

>> the moments, this is a day that libya has been waiting for for 42 years, not just the past six months of war. everybody has been holding their breath. and just a matter of -- [ garbled audio ] >> they're sleepy from staying up all night, watching the news -- so as people couldn't be happier in benghazi. >> sammi, sorry we're having a problem with your audio. it's a bit choppy, but we're

getting most of your message through here. describe for us, there was tension you said beforehand, before the celebrations. what has it been like since you've been there? >> since i've been here, people have really been waiting, like i said, for so long for this day. as you know, from the past five, six months, there's been a standstill, almost a stalemate, even talks before of maybe compromising, but the people said it was completely unacceptable. the only way to end this is for gadhafi to get out of libya and for his sons to get out completely. the people could not be happier. >> and sammi, tell us what you're doing in libya.

why are you actually there? >> well, i'm here first of all, to check on family and to celebrate ramadan with my family here in benghazi. it's not every day that someone has a chance to encounter a revolution of this nature firsthand, and -- >> all right. sammi, the audio is a bit difficult to understand. thank you for joining us. we'll try to get a better connection, and have you back at some point. gadhafi's three of his eight sons are said to be in rebel hands. nic robertson will join us to tell us what they're like and

what the rebels could still be up insurgence. [ engine revs ] what makes us number one in motorcycle insurance? we love bikes. we love riders. and most of all, we love to ride. perfect hair every time. leading the pack in motorcycle insurance. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

where is he? where is he? >> libyan rebels are on the verge of breaking the 42-year-old iron-fisted rule. what does it mean for the future of libya and the region? joining us from via skype from new york is cnn national security contributor fran townsend. fran, you've met with gadhafi when you visited libya previously. tell us, what kind of man is he? is he the kind of leader that

would voluntary step down? >> absolutely not. i'm met with not only gadhafi but his sons. we've seen some of the sons taken into custody. i think you can expect that gadhafi will fight to the bitter end. he's said he wants to be a martyr. i was speaking with a senior italian officials who's been involved in, and there's no indication that he has any interest in an exit strategy. he likes the south of libya so may have been down there, but i suspect he will be prepared to fight and lose. >> hosni mubarak has been caged, tried in court in egypt. it looks like gadhafi would be boxed in. does he have any incentive to turn himself in? >> he's waited now, he's got no negotiating leverage to use,

right? he is facing the international criminal court. he clearly is responsible for the murder of civilians and war crimes. so it's not clear to me where he could go and what he could negotiate with. they now have some of his children in custody, and i don't expect that will move them, either. i don't think he'll allow them to be used as a negotiating tool even if he was pretardy to enter discussions. >> it might be a wild question, but do you have any idea where he might be? >> it's interesting. i suspect that -- we're told saif al islam was governing, so he could have gone to the south of libya. he loves the desert, has conducted official business down there with foreign governments, so i suspect he's in tripoli or somewhere in southern libya in the desert. >> you mentioned that three of his sons have been captured. one has been killed, are there any members who could step into power if gadhafi is forced into hiding, gives up power or is

killed? >> i don't expect so. look, this is a man who refused any civil institutions, refused to share power. he held it all to himself. he even undermines at time the head of his intel jensz service, his foreign minister, so i don't expect there's anyone. the rebels when they take power will really have to form a government from scratch. there won't be anything they can fall back on. >> they have at the very least formed this transitional authority. how do they unite and control all these various tribes that you talk about? >> it's going to be very difficult. one of the things that they have that none of these other government that is have fallen in opposition and taken power is money. the united states has seized more than $30 billion. they do have oil reserves. so they will be able to have cash if they can organize themselves and set priorities in order to reestablish civilian control of the government.

>> is there as obvious leader that would full that power vacuum if gadhafi goes down? >> if there is one, it hasn't sort of emerged clearly and publicly from this transitional national council. we'll have to see. clearly am bass lord feltman has been over there and fran, all of this is coming to a head now, but the mission was led with nato air strikes. there was a limited role by the u.s. government. no american boots on the ground. president obama got a lot of heat for his strategy. do you think now he's been vindicated, perhaps this could be a model working in the future that could be emulated elsewhere? >> i don't think anybody will point to this, even when gadhafi falls, i don't think anyone is going to point to this as a model. this was very slow. it took an awfully long time. nato had to fly over 7,500

sorties. this was not a model of efficiency. we didn't have good contact and good confidence in our allies on the ground. i think there are some lessons learns, but i'm not sure i would regard this as a model. >> do we know, fran, it might be early what this means for security in the region? >> i don't think we do. you know, people have been very concerned about this opposition, who has infiltrated the opposition, are there extremists among them? i think the transitional national council will have to be careful as they put people in power, that they understand who they are, they subscribe to the rule of law, and that there is not going to be an opportunity for a bad actors, if you will, throughout the region to take advantage of this. >> all right. frank, thank you very much. we want to go to the u.n., where ban ki-moon is speaking about what is taking place in libya? >> the international community

will continue to do its part to protect civilians from harm. i have been in touch with the chairperson of the african union and the european union representative to foreign affairs and security, and other world leaders. later today, i will contact the president of the security council and members of the -- of the p-5 of the security council. i intend to hold an urgent meeting this week among the heads of regional and international organizations, including the au, league of arab states organization of islamic corporation, and the european union. my special envoy, mr. abdel al katib has been in close contact with the leadership of the ntc, and will continue his efforts.

he and my special adviser on post-conflict planning, ian martin, will travel to dohar, to meet with the leadership of the ntc. the united nations stands ready to extend all possible assistance to the libyan people. for the past several months ian martin has been working to ensure that the united nations is ready to response -- >> you've been listening to the head of the united nations ban ki-moon speaking about various international organizations getting together to meet about the future of libya, as well as the transitional government that's already been formed in part of libya. gunfire outside a hotel in labia that's a home to international journalists matthew chance reports from one of the last strongholds loyal to gadhafi as rebel forces fight to take control. [ man ] behind every business is a "what if."

what if we designed an electric motorcycle? what if we turned trash into surfboards? whatever your what if is, the new sprint biz 360 has custom solutions to make it happen, including mobile payment processing, instant hot spots, and powerful devices like the motorola photon 4g. so let's all keep asking the big what ifs. sprint business specialists can help you find the answers. sprint. america's favorite 4g network. trouble hearing on the phone? visit sprintrelay.com.

can huntil i tried this.swers. nothing helped me beat arthritis pain. it's salonpas. pain relief that works at the site of pain... up to 12 hours. salonpas.

here's a rundown on some of the stories we're working on. up next, rebel fighters are on the verge of taking tripoli. gadhafi forces have set up a

perimeter around the international hotel, and a cnn reporter is inside. later, the president's warning to gadhafi. rebels in libya say they are in control of most of the capital. right now they are fighting to take over the remaining areas held by forces that are loyal to gadhafi. one of them is a hotel in tripoli that serves as a base for international journalists. cnn senior international correspondent matthew chance is there. for a while he wasn't able to leave. >> we've been sort of weighing our options. we're in a difficult position, we're a man down on the team, we don't have a cameraman, so we're a bit stuck, anyway. we don't have a vehicle. previously we've been depending on the government to get us around f. we've now been deprived of all of that. the overriding situation is the

government is still very much in control of this hotel and the perimeter. they are not permitting us to go outside. there have been a number of journalists who have requested and been refused, remember, we have armed men in the lobby, armed men in the trees around the compound as well. so it's not a possibility of us going out at the moment. we're thinking about hunkering down and waiting for this to pass whatever comes next. they have captured three of moammar gadhafi's sons. another brother is dead. rebels think the other are hide they have no idea where gadhafi's daughter is. an anchor was talking with a mom believed to be mohammed gadhafi. i want you to listen to this.

>> translator: i'm standing outside my house. i'm being attacked. there's gunfire inside my house. they're inside my house. good-bye, good-bye, good-bye. >> we don't know what happened to mohammed or even his brothers. i want to bring in nic robertson. he's in washington today, but knick, you were the first cnn correspond to get inside tripoli when the uprising started. you spent some time with his brothers as well. first of all, how significant is that that they have been captured. do they have any power? >> saif al islam, according to his brothers was running the country on a day-to-day basis, and he would have had influence wieldled through his father. we're told his father had pulled back from the day to day running of the country. s. a saadi also had power, and was able to affect certain things on

the ground. these are people who are not going to -- you know, who are not going to be able to influence anything that happens now. they've been caught by the rebels, and perhaps saif will perhaps face criminal courts at the hague. so that's a possibility if the rebels hand him over to the icc. but gadhafi himself has relied on his son to runs parts of -- it's been a family-run business. >> so how vulnerable, knick, is the father, moammar gadhafi now that his sons have been captured? >> it's really heart to calculate at the moment. there's a lot of rumors he may have left the country, left the capital, but the fact that three sons were picked up so quickly when the rebels, seems to indicate they were outstarted, outmaneuvered. gadhafi's regime have been surrounded by sycophants, that

people that love them and say everything will be okay. so they seem to be outmaneuvered and outsmarted by the pace of events, which suggests if gadhafi was thinking of going somewhere else rather than fighting to the end as he said, that perhaps he too has been outmaneuvered and is hunkered down somewhere in one of those government loyalists controlled areas. but it's all supposition. >> and you spent a considerable amount of time with the rebel forces as well. do you have any idea what they might do with the brothers that have been captured? >> one of toughest things that will face them is to keep them safe from the ravages and ill will of the people of libya, particularly moammar gadhafi, but no doubt when saif al islam winter on the television in february, he turned most of the

people against him. there's a lot of animosity and anger, so the rebels will have to keep them safe from the people. they certainly have said they want to try gadhafi themselves, but a lot of international pressure for to move in a democratic way, to sort of build a political dialogue across the whole country and pressure to live up to international expectations and norms, and the international criminal court has an arrest warrant for moammar gadhafi, saif gadhafi, and the intelligence minister, so it's an important test. >> thank you so much, knick. excellent reporting as's. president obama is away from the white house, but certainly not out of touch. we'll take you to live remarks at martha's vineyards, where he will make his views known.

it was not until the university of phoenix that i was able to work full-time, be a mom, and go to school. the opportunits that i had at the university of phoenix, dealing wh profesonals teaching things that they were doing every day, got me to where i am today. i'm mayor cherie wood, i'm responsible for the largest urban renewal project in utah, and i am a phoenix. [ male announcer ] find your program at phoenix.edu. 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? bundling and saving made easy. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

[♪...] >> male announcer: now, for a limited time, your companion flies free, plus save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. conditions apply.

president obama is vacationing on the massachusetts coast and is being kept up to the minute. dan lothian is with the president, and dan, we know as many of his vacations go, there is no break from the news, the developments of the world. i suspect that he is watching very closely to what's going on in libya. >> he is. perhaps presidents should take vacations in a different month. august always tends to blow up with something while presidents are out on vacation. this one is no different. the president was hoping to focus on jobs, working on that speech he plans to unveil his jobs proposal when he returns to washington. that is still ongoing, but also the administration has to focus on the situation in libya. president obama has been given frequent updates from john

brennan, he also took part in a conference call with senior members of his national security team, so the president very much staying on top of the situation there, but not saying a whole lot on camera. the pool crew traveling with the president yesterday as he was going to a takeout restaurant in oak bluffs, did ask him for any comment at all on libya, and the president said he wanted to wait until they got more confirmation before he would weigh in, at least on camera, but the president did release a statement saying in part, quote, the momentum against the gadhafi regime has reached a tipping point. tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tie rand. and the people of libya are showing that the universal pursuit of dignity and freedom is far stronger than the iron fist of a dictator. the big question now is what will happen next? the administration very cognizant of the fact that there

are still a lot of uncertainties with the rebel organization which the u.s. is backing. i don't know if we know this yet, but do we know if anyone has reached on the with the rebel forces, as this is unfolding? >> we don't know what the latest is on that. that is one of the questions we will ask in an off-camera briefing taking place in a little less than a half hour. i think the situation in libya is still so fluid that they want to be very careful about the message they put out on camera, but those are some of the questions we'll be posing to him during that briefing. >> what i'm hearing is we

probably won't see the president later this afternoon? >> reporter: perhaps. i'm not going to say we won't see him. we simply don't know. right now there's nothing on the president's schedule. up to this point they have been careful about not weighing in too heavily. it's always possible he coot come forward, but at this point we know nothing of what's on the schedule. leaders around the world, with the exception of hugo chavez are calling on moammar gadhafi to step down, end the bloodshed. prime minister david cameron cut short his vacation to chair a meeting. he says -- it is clear from the scenes in tripoli that the end is near for gadhafi. he has committed appalling crimes against the people of libya, and must go now. president sarkozy urging gadhafi

to avoid inflitting new -- and china's spokesman says -- china respects the choice of libyan people. china hopes the sit yags in libya gets stabilized as soon as possible, and people can live a normal life there. well, he went from u.s. enemy to friend, then back again. what the end of moammar gadhafi's regime means for the future of u.s. relations with libya. lione little laugh. honey bunny. [ babbles ] [ laughs ] we would do anything for her. my name is kim bryant and my husband and i made a will on legalzoom. it was really easy to do. [ spits ] [ both laugh ] [ shapiro ] we created legal zoom to help you take care of the ones you love. go to legalzoom.com today and complete your will in minutes. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. go to legalzoom.com today and complete your will in minutes. ♪ priceis it true thata-tor. name your own price.... >>...got even easier? affirmative. we'll show you other people's winning hotel bids.

>>so i'll know how much to bid... ...and save up to 60% >>i'm in i know see winning hotel bids now at priceline. naturals from delicious, real ingredients with no artificial flavors or preservatives. naturals from purina cat chow. share a better life.

moammar gadhafi remains in hiding. that's a far cry from the

dynamic leader that appeared in 1969. back then he was introduced to a handso handsome, and then he took over aspect. the fa sought continued to crack. he tortured and assassinated his opposition. by 1980, the u.s. had severed all diplomatic ties. >> gadhafi is an irresponsible animal, who has no scruples, no morals. >> throughout the 1980s, tensions between the united states and libya intensified. years of skirmishes between the u.s. and libyan aircraft resulted? form irpresident reagan calling him a mad dog and the u.s. labeling him public enemy number one, then followed bombings and

a disco in berlin. in 1986, the u.s. had enough and retaliated. >> at 7:00 this evening eastern time, air and naval forces of the united states launched a series of strikes against the headquarters terrorist facilities and military assets that support moammar gadhafi's subversive activities. >> the end of the '90s saw a softening. he handed over libyans suspected of the lockerbie bombing. he even took responsibility for the bombing and agreed to compensate victims and their families. that same year, libya also so by 2006 washington had resumed all diplomatic ties. in 2008 he met with condoleezza rice. the pleat with libya and high-ranks official that in more than 50 years. >> i thought he was serious.

he said at one point that it's taken too long, that the lessons of history had to be learned. well, gadhafi's recent good guy image took a turn this year as the arab spring in engulfed the middle east, his willingness to slaughters his own people just to stay in power forced nato's and the u.s.'s hand and could potential mark the end of his regime. 40 years of an on again/off again relationship with the united states, with his rejim on the brink of collapsing, we want to talk about the road ahead and what it means for us here at home. cnn's wolf blitzer joins us from washington. wolf, we just saw this piece and outlined, and we've seen his role and image change. he's gone from the mag dog of the middle east, public enemy number one, now to a friend under bush and notice despised as a dictator and murderer.

where do you suppose in following these administrations he stand now? >> with the new transitional authority. is that the question? >> yes, that's right. >> i think the u.s. has established a good relationship with the leadership of the national transition council as it's called, the headquarters in benghazi, but presumably they've move it to the capital of tripoli one that entire capital is until control of the rebels. there have been high-level contacts over the weekend meeting with the rebel leadership, coordinating, if you will, other nato allies, especially the french, italians and british. they have been meeting regularly with these ribs. if you listen to am bbiguous ba do recall to the united states

who broke with gadhafi months ago, he's grateful to the u.s. and the nato allies, so i think there will be an effort to establish a good strong relationship between the new libya, post-gadhafi libya and the west. i think potentially there's some good signs, but as anything in north africa and the middle east, it's a fact of life, no matter how good it looks, it could go the other way, too. it's the nature of the beast, if you will. >> absolutely. preponderance preponderance when he first introdupresident obama criticized by congress from both ends, some who said he didn't even have the authority, that he should be impeached. are you hearing any from lawmakers who are reacting to seeing perhaps -- >> he was criticized from the left. dennis kucinich thought there should have been some

congressional resolution passed, and he spoke of the possibility of impeachment. though it wasn't a blatant threat or anything along those likes, but senator mccain, senator graham, senator lieberman, if you will, they were among those being very critical that the u.s. wasn't being assertive enough. and if you saw the statements suzanne, that lindsey graham and john mccain jointly released last night, they they welcomed what was going on in libya right now, and they said it could have been handled better and done more quickly if the u.s. had not delayed in unleashing air power over gadhafi's tellments there. nato did play a robust role in this. if it had not been for nato, the rebels would not have been able to overthrow gadhafi's regime

and get rid of gadhafi, which they are on the verge of doing right now. >> wolf, good to see you. >> thank you. today's "talk back," was u.s. involvement in libya worth it? carol costello is up next with your responses. .

with flat rate envelopes, i ship anywhere in the country international too, for a low flat rate. now, we'd like to pass on this offer to you. call or go online to order your free flat rate shipping kit. you get free boxes, envelopes and our helpful shipping guide. i'll even deliver them to your door for free. it's an offer too good to pass up. call or go online now to order your free priority mail flat rate shipping kit, only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. you have been sounding off on our "talk back" question. carol costello is here with your responses. hey, carol. >> hi, suzanne. welcome back, and by the way, we

missed you. >> thank you. >> was u.s. involvement in libya worth it? this from david, yes, it's worth if it in a leader is killing his own people. and an tony says it's not worth our investment. we need to get our own infrastructure in order before we deal with the rest of the world. and this from johnny, absolutely, gadhafi has been too long mistreating his own people. he is corrupt and for sale to the highest bidder for doing evil. he is everything america is not. this from larry, it remains to be seen. if we end up with a democratic society with good relations and a good source of oil, then it's worth it. if we just have changed one dictator for another, then it wasn't. i will be back with you in about 15 minutes. a rebel victory could mean

libya re-opens its oil refineries than expected. how much oil do you think the u.s. imports from libya. is it a, 11%, or b, 3%, or c, 23%? that answer in a moment. hey, the new guy is loaded with protein! really? 25 grams of protein. what do we have? all four of us, together? 24. he's low fat, too, and has 5 grams of sugars. i'll believe it when i--- [ both ] oooooh... what's shakin'? [ female announcer ] as you get older,

protein is an important part of staying active and strong. new ensure high protein... fifty percent of your daily value of protein. low fat and five grams of sugars. see? he's a good egg. [ major nutrition ] new ensure high protein. ensure! nutrition in charge!

so how much oil do we get from libya? is it 11%, 3%, or 23%?

the answer, just 3%. global investors are waiting to see if a rebel victory in libya would send down oil prices. alison kosik is live at the new york stock exchange. alison, tell us, do you think fighting in libya could actually mean translation into cheaper oil? >> there could be cheaper oil, yes, but you won't see it everywhere, because the fact is there are different types of oils and traded different places. in europe, it's down 1%. and here in the u.s., it's on a more upward trend this session. the price job in europe is a knee-jerk reaction. prices are going to be going up there, too. we are not going to see oil flow out of libya right away. it could take months or years. we don't know what kind of shape the infrastructure is in. we could expect oil prices to go up until we see the oil really come out of there.

suzanne? >> we know europe relies on african nations much more than oil, and so how will that affect the market prices here? >> you will not see much affect here. most of libya's oil goes to india and france. we get our oil from canada, saudi arabia, and mexico. if you want to compare to it barrels. in canada, we get 2 million barrels from there. and because of the less demand, it's not the reason we want to see oil and gas prices go down. >> alison, we're looking at the stocks there. a rally. good news. what do we think is behind that? >> well, the rally fizzled out. we saw the dow jump as much as

202 points in the early going, and we have seen the number back off at this point. this is after a rough month, i would say. and anywhere from 15% to 18%. what you see in the markets, bargain hunting. we're seeing a bit of fear creep back in the market at noon. we will see where the numbers go, if we can stay in the green until the closing bell, suzanne. >> thank you, alison. good to see you. >> sure. top of the hour, i am suzanne malveaux. want to get you up to speed. rebel fighters poured into libya's capital today largely unchallenged. they claim to control 80% of trip o tripoli. >> now for 42 years, now we are

testing the freedom, the freedom of speech and of movement and everything. that means libyan people are free, no longer suppressed. >> the rebel surgeon into tripoli lead to wild celebrations all across libya. this video is from a cnn reporter in benghazi. the nato air strikes turned things around for the rebels just when the defeat seemed uncertain. >> they have been under gadhafi's rule for over four decades. now they have a chance for a new beginning. >> national security advisers updated president obama today on the progress of libyan rebels. he is at martha's vineyard for a few days away from the white house, and he said gadhafi needs

to relinquish power once and for all. moammar gadhafi now slipped out of sight, but the pentagon has no reason to believe he left the country. sunday, gadhafi remained bitterly defined. >> translator: this destruction, get out and lead, lead the people to paradise. get out, get out of the mosques. get out -- get out of the mosques and lead the people. >> gadhafi was heard on libyan state television which actually went dark today. rebels say they are now in control of the station. >> a popular libyan tv news anchor who angrily flashed a gun

on the air has been arrested. she said i kill or die today. they suffered her in her car outside a coffee house. and three of gadhafi sons are in custody today, including the son groomed to succeed him. fighte fighters grabbed another son, and he was on the phone at the time for a live interview with al jazeera, you could hear rebels burst into his house. and gadhafi's regime on the brink of collapse now. there are dramatic events reshaping the future of libya. we have this report that was filed a short time ago. >> reporter: we're not in green square, but half a mile from green square, and we saw green square yesterday with the rebels in that square, and they were

tense because they said there were snipers, but we did not see evidence at that time last night. what we are seeing in the streets of tripoli are fighters honking their hoerns, and wavin flags. one thing that we could definitely note here is that we're in basically a residential/business neighborhood. there's a bank there, a store here that is selling clothes, and every single shop is shut down at this point in time. we're seeing very few residents in the street. we're in the early or late morning here in tripoli, and normally there would be traffic, there would be people in the streets. we're not seeing that. we're seeing rebels in the streets, and just a few residents who have come out to cheer the rebels on, but a very

interesting scene here in tripoli. now it's your turn to "talk back." today's question, is u.s. involvement in libya even worth it? carol costello joins us from new york. >> hi, suzanne. no question now, libyan leader gadhafi's rain is almost over. thanks to nato forces and the united states libya will likely be free of a cruel dictator. libya is celebrating. here at home in the united states, the celebrations may be satisfying to watch, but the feeling is tempered, like everything else, u.s. involvement in libya was conflicted. denn

dennis kau sinnage was critical, and john mccain was critical because he said obama did not move fast enough. and america's weary of war were also concerned about cost. according to the obama administration, the libya mission will cost american taxpayers $1.1 billion by september 30th. still, in just six months, gadhafi is just about gone. remember, he was slaughtering his own people. al jazeera estimates 13,000 libyans have died in the conflict. so the "talk back" today, is u.s. involvement in libya worth it? facebook.com/carolcnn. i will lead your comments later this hour. >> thank you, carol. we want to go to tripoli, and sarah joins us by phone. first of all, excellent reporting, we have seen you in

the midst of chaos and confusion, and can you describe where you are and what is the state on the ground there with the rebels? >> reporter: yes, let me say it this way. what was dangerous yesterday seems to get more dangerous yesterday as people become more emboldened. we have seen a little looting around the town and people getting more tense because what they thought was going to be a very quick move in to the center city, just like they did last night, has actually been -- there is now fighting going on near the city center according to the rebels. we were not allowed to go down to the same area where we were yesterday in green square because we could hear gunfire coming from that area, and we know that that gunfire was an engagement of the rebels against the gadhafi supporters, and what

they calmer saw narys. and they were shooting at anybody that moved. a very tense situation has unfolded this evening in the capital of tripoli. still there's a lot of celebration going on in the streets. and as it gets more towards dusk, and they have a meal once the sun goes down, and there is more jubilation in the streets. and they are quite happy because they now feel that even though there's still a bit of fighting in the city, they feel the rebels are going to be able to take full control of the city in a matter of days. >> it may be difficult to tell, but you said there was looting taking place, and there was more tension and violence. do you have a sense of who is in

charge on the ground? is there anybody in charge or does that change from hour to hour? >> yeah, it's difficult to tell. there has been quite a bit of coordination, though. when we tried to go down to the city center a couple times today, we saw a group of the rebels coming back, and then all of a sudden, everybody including us was turned around and sent back and send away saying we had to leave the area. there's some kind of coordination. we're not sure where exactly that is coming from. however, with some of the check points, there's confusion as to who can come and go. there's more aggression. somebody pushed our camera down because they did not want to shoot an area we had been shooting all day long. so a little more confusion and y aggression. remember, there are folks in here who have disliked gadhafi and has been terrorized by his

regime for decades, and now they have a chance to do what they want that is not under anybody's control. and there's a certain amount of wildness and freedom that can be exercised here, and we're seeing just a little bit of that. i don't want you to think that people are going wild in the streets, but i want you to understand that there's a little bit more of a sense that we have to be very careful, and women and children, and families have to be very careful, because we're not quite sure what will happen where families think, weren't you the one that supported the gadhafi regime, how they will treat each other as neighbors. those questions will pop up more and more as the rebels gain more control of the city. >> you bring up a good point, and you hint to the possibility of libyans turning on each other. have you seen any evidence so far? have you seen any kind of tension between those who support gadhafi, and those who are now moving through tripoli?

>> no, and that is because for the most part, as has been and every city we have been in, anybody that has supported gadhafi when the rebels came in, they left or they keep their mouth shut. these families generally know each other, although this is a bigger city. generally people know who did and who did not support the regime. there's a little bit of tension here in the sense that if you did support gadhafi, at this point, you know, i think it's best for them to be quiet. we do know there was a significant arrest today of a broadcaster, a very well-known broadcaster, and you had her on cnn air. she was the one holding the pistol. she was arrested today. she was the one that was talking about the gadhafi regime, and she would die and martyr before she let the rebels take control of the city. and there was at that point a

bunch of people trying to get at her and angry at her and want to go get to her. we don't know what they wanted to do to her, but they wanted to get to her, and very angry with her, because they felt that she was the mouthpiece of the gadhafi regime. >> when you say she was arrested, who had the authority to arrest her, that anchor that was loyal to gadhafi? >> reporter: she was arrested by the rebel forces. we have seen it in other areas as well. what they told us was she was parking her car in the city near a coffee shop in the neighborhood, and her brother was with her, and they came up to her and a rebel got in the car and said you are under arrest, and they took her down to a building, not a jail, but just a building that they chose, and they put her in a room. we're unable to see her. we are not sure what her condition is, and they said she

was fine and did not want to talk to the media. they said she was there with her brother. there are groups that formed to become almost the justice arm of the advancing rebels. they say they will take her to the court system, and they said they trusted the court system, and that's an interesting note, even the same system that was in place when the gadhafi regime had full control of the country. >> we could not help but hear gunfire in the background of where you are, i believe. is there gunfire from your location? >> reporter: yes, there is quite a bit of gunfire. we have become accustomed from loud bangs and booms coming from the cars driving by, because 9 times out of 10, the rebels are celebrating and feel good about today and that's one of the ways they enjoy celebrating. yes, there was gunfire but nothing that anybody needed to

worry about. except the bullets have to go down somewhere, and we know in other countries around the world people have been killed by that kind of celebratory gunfire. >> stay safe. we appreciate your reporting and we will get back to you as the news warrants. that was sara sidner out of tripoli, libya. we're covering every angle as the situation continues to unfold. and michael holmes, he is breaking down the gadhafi family tree. plus, libyans have had the same leader for more than 40 years. let's see what is next if gadhafi is forced out. and then the people lining up to lead libya. we will look at potential transitional government. and then journalists, including a cnn reporter, snuck a hotel and forced to fend for

themselves. >> actually, there is still one gun man downstairs, and he has a green bandana on, and he is one person who is sensitive about being filmed. for 3 crab entrees under $20 like our crab and seafood bake... or our snow crab and crab butter shrimp. offer ends soon. my name's jon forsythe and i sea food differently. setting that goal to become a principal. but, i have to support my family, so how do i go back to school? university of phoenix made it doable. a lot of my instructors were principals in my district. i wouldn't be where i am without that degree. my name is dr. carrie buck. i helped turn an at-risk school into an award winning school, and i am a phoenix. [ male announcer ] find your program at phoenix.edu.

[♪...] >> male announcer: now, for a limited time, your companion flies free, plus save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. conditions apply. so many lives being ruined. the whole country, history, really. 42 years have gone by, and violence, so much. so people's morale is high, and we're waiting for it all to be over. >> libyans look to the future

after 42 years after gadhafi's iron fist rule. t and we have an egyptian journalists and a speaker on arab and muslim issues, and she joins us from new york. good to see you. obviously you have your finger on the pulse here, and a massive following of the arab world in the social media. >> first of all, they are ecstatic at the crumbling of the regime. to imagine gadhafi gone is just an amazing thing. and then secondly, and i think this really speaks to just how everybody in the region feels. this is something that has been passed on like a baton.

libyans in what used to be called the green square are chanting never fear syria, and so they are looking to the syrians and saying be inspired by us. and the palestinians in gaza are saying we should be inspired. it's a feeling the entire region has benefited from this and it's a great bust to all the revolutionaries in the region. >> do you know if rebels or protesters are using social media in libya to galvanize the movement. >> well the internet was cut for the last four months, and so they just got back online yesterday. so the voices had dpaun completely silent. clearly social media is not much a big tool for the libyan revolution. i am following some libyans who

are telling us what it's like to be in their homes as they hear gunfire outside. you are seeing more communication between people, like yemenize, speaking to each other, and communicating. >> the protest, the arab spring, it began shortly after the rebels, and does it seem like is better without mubarak? >> well, when that young man set himself on fire, and it set our imagination on fire. it liberated us, if you like. and if you look at libya, every country has a struggle ahead. i was in egypt.

it's clear we have a long way to go. we replaced mubarak. and they are putting civilians on military trial. they -- so far they have not set a date for the elections. clearly we have a long way to go in egypt. but i picked up an amazing amount of optimism. everybody has an opinion or view of where egypt should go, and that to me is what is the most important reward of the revolutions. we can dream again of the kinds of countries that we want to live in. >> you covered libya as a journalists. does it surprise you. did you think you would see the day, gadhafi's regime of 42 years would end? >> i was in libya with other journalists to celebrate the so-called revolution of the coup that swept gadhafi to power in 1989. one of his bodyguards twisted my

nipple during a press conference, so i have no fun memories during that time. i remember the isolation libyans were living under. despite that isolation and despite the shear beau tal tea of the gadhafi regime, and despite the world would look at him as a clown, they continued the revolution. it began many years ago. it did not start in february. we must encourage libyans who for decades have been trying to end the brutal dictatorship. >> we appreciate your reporting there. i want to let you know that matthew chance, who is at a tripoli hotel is reporting that there's intense gunfire where he is. as soon as we can get him. we will try to get him up and bring a live report from there. but what we do know is that he is reporting that there is intense fighting and gunfire that is taking place where a group of journalists have been

trying to report the story. that is our own matthew chance in tripoli. as soon as we can bring him up we will give you an update of what is happening there. >> we are exploring who will take charge in libya. we will look at those possibilities up next. ♪

[ male announcer ] they'll see you...before you see them. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. drive sober, or get pulled over.

if rebels succeed and drive moammar gadhafi from power, they are halfway to their goal. some discuss putting together a democratic government, and that's going to be the hard part. we have jill at the state

department. and they have rivals and competing goals, and do we think they can work together to form a democratic society? >> that is going to be the ultd mitt question. when the fight something over, and even now you can say the transition has gubegun. they being the national transitional counsel, the ntc, does have a series of detailed plans we're told by u.s. officials in place for what will happen next, when gadhafi goes. now, essentially what they are trying to do is make sure that security will be okay, and then move on to other really structural things. how do you make sure that everybody is brought into the process? how do you make sure, as you mentioned, the tribal groups are not alienated. people don't start a civil war with each other. so the ntc would in turn create an interim authority, and that interim authority, we're told,

would be made up of experts and people who have expertise in governing. they would put together groups that work on a new constitution. work on the elections that still have to take place, because the ntc is not a government in that sense. and then finally, when you talk about the things that can divide them, good things can divide them. in other words, they, if they take over, would have the oil revenues from libya, which are really huge. they would also have those frozen libyan government assets that are now being unfrozen. remember the united states froze about $30 billion in libyan money. that will be unfrozen and given to the ntc. money sometimes can divide people. so there are really serious challenges, not to mention just the insecurity of the situation. the plans we're told look good on paper, but can they actually be carried out. that's the question. >> jill, thank you. libya after the up rising, i

will talk with ambassador, nicholas burns, about what is next for gadhafi and the country. and help people save - >> - up to 60% off. i am familiar. your name? > naomi pryce. >> what other "negotiating" skills do you have? > i'm a fifth-degree black belt. >> as am i. > i'm fluent in 37 languages. >> (indistinct clicking) > and i'm a master of disguise >> as am i. > as am i. >> as am i. > as am i. >> well played naomi pryce.

what ahead for gadhafi and the rebels fighting to break his 42-year grip on power. and we have the u.s. secretary for political affairs and former state department official. when you look ask see what is happening on the ground, i understand, nicholas, if you hang on with us for just a moment. we're getting news. my colleague, our international colleague is interviewing our own matthew chance who is in tripoli in a hotel where he was covering the story. let's listen. >> and it seems that we're truly in the middle of one of those areas that is still controlled by the government of colonel gadhafi. the hotel we're staying in has be been abandoned.

we have fun out of fuel for the generators. there are still armed gadhafi supporters in the lobby, and so we still feel very much under the control of the gadhafi supporters, the members of the government of colonel gadhafi, and even as much of tripoli falls into rebel hands, there is fierce gun battle in the last several hours. outside the hotel and in the parameter of the hotel, and so while there are pockets of rebel control, perhaps the majority of control elsewhere in the city, again, this is one pocket that remains firmly in the hands of the gadhafi loyalists. there are fierce battles under way between them and the rebels to try and wrestle away power.

>> we have seen this for more than five months now. i imagine you in the hotel are expecting any minute a fight to get close to you or one of these two sides to take control of this hotel, matthew? >> reporter: yeah, it has a certain symbolic value to the government and the rebels. that's a reason why there's a ferocious battle outside right now and areas close to it. and perhaps that's one of the reasons the government has posted their security forces and some numbers around the parameter in the hotel, and they want to hold on to the kind of symbolic target in the middle of the area, which also contains other symbolic buildings like the compound of gadhafi. it has been heavily bombed over the last several months. it is quite disturbing. as i mentioned before, it's a precarious situation we're in.

food and water is running short. i think we have enough supplies for a few days, but after that things are going to get, you know, pretty difficult for the journalists who have continued to congregate in this hotel. we're not being permitted by the loyalists to go outside or to leave. we have to stay here. they are not allowing us to go outside. >> is the fire fight on going outside of the hotel right now? >> reporter: it is on going. we're talking heavy explosions, and artillery shares, and heavy machine gunfire, it's not a rat atat tat, but a huge battle of control of the area. we're getting stray bullets come into the hotel, and we have to stay in the hotel and away from

the windows and congregating in the center. many of us are sitting here in the dark because of no lights in a very hot heat because of the no air-conditioning, and staying away from the windows in case we get struck by a stray bullet. it's a pretty disturbing experience, however. >> best of luck to you and all of our colleagues and friends at the hotel. a uncertain and dangerous situation. matthew describing a fire fight outside of the hotel still in government hands. many of the international journalists are reporting from in the libyan capital. a fire fight on going. loud explosions in the dark because power has been cut off and there is no more fuel for generators. perhaps a couple days left of supplies there. the battle for that symbolic, matthew saying still very much on going. we thank our senior

international correspondent in tripoli. for the u.s. viewers. thank you for joining us, it's back to suzanne malveaux at the cnn center. >> thank you, i want to bring in our ambassador, a former state department official, and nicholas burns, you heard matthew chance inside of that hotel. when you hear that, the situation that he is in, what do you make of what needs to happen to turn that around? the symbolic importance of them taking that hotel and making sure they hold on to that hotel, gadhafi forces? >> well, gadhafi forces all but lost the war, but there are remaining pockets of them as matthew showed in tripoli. obviously number one job is to defeat the forces or convince them to surrender, because until that happens, there may be a suspicion that gadhafi could

continue in power. he may be in hiding for quite a while. it's imperative, they are able to defeat the remaining forces in tripoli. they will have a major battle of forming government, and gaining public acceptance, and trying to unify the badly fractured and badly damaged government. >> nick, having worked at the state department before, is there anything that you think the united states could or should be doing right now to help bring gadhafi's regime to an end? >> you know, i think the obama administration has done a fine job of leading in terms of the combat support, the air support in particular over the last couple weeks. mate yoe really stepped up its air attacks, as you know, suzanne, in the last days or weeks. the u.s. had a lot to do with that. i think there must be a certain amount of vindication that the

administration deserves to have, and there are critics as to whether the president could order our forces in the conflict, and others argued it was a stalemate. the president stuck with his policy and it appears to be succeeding. i think the united states as the leading country in the world will have to give a lot of political support to the new government. it should be the europeans, and the arab countries that do the most in terms of economic assistan assistance to this gut when it is established. >> should there be a civilian force on the ground from the united states and other countries to help them manage the transition. >> i think as jill doherty reported from the state department and the earlier report that you had, the united states will have the ability to release the $30 billion from the gadhafi regime. that will be a shot in the arm to the new government.

obviously the u.s. can use political influence with our nato allies, particularly france, italy and spain, all who have vital interest in libya to encourage them to be on the ground and lead in economic assistance, and the persian gulf, they ought to step forward, and they ought to lead the arab league to embrace the government and help it get on its feet, and to help put itself on the road to developing a constitution, very slowly, obviously, and leading to new elections. the u.s. can play a very pivotal political role, but i don't think they need to shoulder the economics here. >> they think it could take up to 20 minutes or so before they could stabilize the region, and do you think the libyan people have that kind of time, do you think they will be patient enough to hold on? >> i think it will take a long time. this is not egypt. egypt had a civil society. ae skrupt had political parties.

libya has had none of that under the brutal rule of moammar gadhafi. it will take a long time for the country to get back on its feet. there are poor people and damaged cities, and cities blown apart where the infrastructure has been destroyed. all of us will have to be patient and not expect immediate results as this government takes power. >> all right. nicholas burns, thank you so much, and good to see you. toppling moammar gadhafi is only part of the regime change. he has a large family. seven living sons and a daughter. what about them? we'll talk about that next. ucer. they have slowly digestible carbs to help minimize blood sugar spikes, which can help lower a1c. [ male announcer ] glucerna. helping people with diabetes find balance. yeah. 24 bucks later. that hurts. it's not like i really had a choice. snack on this. progressive's "name your price" tool showed me a range of coverages

and i picked the one that worked for me. i saved hundreds. wow, that's dinner and a movie. [ dramatic soundtrack plays ] this picture stars you and savings. but mostly savings. out there with a better way. now, that's progressive.

everybody is wondering where gadhafi is, and how much longer he can hold on to power. and then there is the family. we will explain about the family and your even experience in coming back from that region.

>> yeah, these are the guys that made it to the coast. when it comes to gadhafi's family, he had nine kids and eight wives. it's a big extended family. not all of them heavily involved in the running of the country. several of them were, however. three of those might be in custody. have a look back. >> reporter: 68-year-old moammar gadhafi has been married twice and has eight biological children and two adopted, one of whom died. his first wife was a schoolteacher. they were married only six months. they had a son, mohammed, who is now 40 and the head of libya's olympic committee. and gadhafi's second wife, was a nurse and the mother of seven of his children. 38-year-old saif al-islam, he

heads the global charity. once seen as an advocate of reform, more recently he is a vocal defender of his father's regime. >> we have plan a, plan b, plan c. plan a is to live and die living there, and plan b is to live and die in libya, and plan c is to live and die in libya. >> another son is a former football player. he played in italy for one season, and now runs the libyan football federation. and leaked diplomatic said he had scuffles with the police. and then this son met with the secretary of state, hillary

clinton. and there was an intense personal rivalry between the two brothers. and he has attracted attention. it was described as a million dollar personal concert with beyonce and usher performing. and then his daughter is trained as a lawyer and was on hussein's defense team. and united nations recently terminated her role as a goodwill ambassador, and she quickly responded that decision. >> all the libyans that know me and i know them, they know i am

a goodwill ambassador with or without the united nations. >> another son in his 30s, and no stranger to controversy. he has been arrested several times including in 2008, when he was arrested in geneva for allegedly beating two of his servants. the charges were dropped but the case caused an international uproar. the libyan government threatened to punish switzerland with sanctions including cutting off the oil supply unless he was released. and then there is khamis gadhafi. and his 32nd brigade is widely known to be the most well trained and well-equipped army. and gadhafi adopted a nephew, who said to have saved gadhafi's

life in the bombing in 1996, and hanna was killed in the bombing when she was 15 months old. >> and yeah, and there was one other son, and he was killed in a nato bombing back in may, and three other sons are said to be in the hands of the rebels at the moment. >> do we have any idea where the other siblings might be hiding? >> nobody knows. it's like hunting for gadhafi. there was stories he was in to other places, and there were rumors he was in the hotel where the media is, and nobody knows for sure. >> and these are the guys that did the big push across the mountains and headed for the coast, and it was like being with a mad max army, but these guys did know what they were doing. one of the commanders was an x-ray technician, and he knew what he was doing and calling the shots in what was a

ferocious battle. they obviously were on a steep learning curve. it showed, when they got to the coast they headed straight for tr tripoli. >> thank you so pch. a day on the job in libya can be a very intense ordeal.

outside, intense fighting as the rebels are trying to move in. inside, cnn's matthew chance is describing intense moments as gadhafi's men roam the hotel

with guns. >> reporter: we don't know the reason, but the assumption is it's because the rebels are very close by. what we are expecting -- we can't confirm this is going to happen, but what we are expecting now is the rebels will come into the hotel to take control of it. what we're doing here, all the journalists corralled themselves up on the upper floor of the hotel which we decided was the safest place we can be. we have a flag, saying "tv," and if the rebels come in and high emotions, and perhaps they can pause and see that the international press is in the hotel. >> we are hearing that gunman you were describing earlier, and i am not sure what he is saying? is he having issues with anything the journalists are

doing? i want to make sure you are as safe as possible, matthew. >> reporter: let's take a listen. [ indistinct yelling ] >> reporter: i can't make out what he was saying, and he had a problem with the "tv" sign we had, and he seems to have backed off now. the last half an hour or so it seems the majority of the minders who have been heavily armed have left the hotel, and they have been replaced by a sense of insecurity of the hotel. there are a few gunman wondering around with green flags and bandanas, and at the moment we don't know what is going to happen next. i think i am going to have to leave it there. i will get back to you as soon as i can.

>> we want to know what you think. today's "talk back," is u.s. involvement in libya worth it? carol costello is up next with your responses. ♪ this is our pool. ♪ our fireworks. ♪ and our slip and slide. you have your idea of summer fun, and we have ours. now during the summer event get an exceptionally engineered mercedes-benz for an exceptional price. but hurry, this offer ends august 31st.

we're sounding off on the "talk back" question. carol costello is here with your responses. hey, carol. >> hi, suzanne. today's "talk back" question is, is u.s.'s involvement in libya worth it? this from nathan. worth it to who? i mean it was worth it for the rebels. and it sure made america look good. and this from mia, the president

handled the libyan conflict in the west bay possible. this from david, no, the u.s. government is bankrupt and all this does is add additional deficit and debt to the economy. it already wasted $1.1 billion of our tax money, and it's money that could have fixed infrastructure to help us compete better in the world. and this from marcus, i don't know if it was worth it until we see who comes to power after gadhafi. the middle east is one big country no matter how much we claim to know what is going on over there. continue the conversation, facebook.com/carolcnn. cnn news room continues right after this with randi kaye. or hires another employee, it's not just good for business -- it's good for the entire community. at bank of america, we know

the impact that local businesses have on communities, so we're helping them with advice from local business experts and extending $18 billion in credit last year. that's how we're helping set opportunity in motion. it's delicious. so now we've turned her toffee into a business. my goal was to take an idea and make it happen. i'm janet long and i formed my toffee company through legalzoom. i never really thought i would make money doing what i love. [ shapiro ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom.com today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. [ tires squeal ]

an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual insurance, if your car's totaled, we give you the money to buy a car that's one model-year newer with 15,000 fewer miles on it. there's no other auto insurance product like it. better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual. it's a better policy that gets you a better car. call... or visit one of our local offices today, and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy?