on, that's a different story. >> that's when you attack the debt. >> that's when you attack the debt. if you have a low interest rate, 3%, 4%, it's not a big deal. but if you're paying 20% upwards, it's better to pay that off. if i have a credit card where my interest rate is 14% and i've got a $5,000 balance on it, makes more sense for me to attack that. it's like i've earned 14% of my money. >> why are 89% of the folks out there saying -- why is it we want to do that first? why do we want -- we want a clean slate. >> we've been taught debt is bad. and a lot of people can't sleep knowing that's hanging over their head. they can't live on with their lives. if you are that person, go ahead and pay that debt down. you don't want to cause adds stress because i have this debt hanging over my head. it's not a bad thing to pay off debt, but you have to be strategic about how you do it. you make sure you have a plan and look at the interest rates

versus looking at what you could earn on that money. >> you learn something there with clyde this morning. >> yes. >> it's not all the same for everybody. maybe you should pay off and be safe. >> whatever you feel comfortable with. >> fredricka, it's all yours. >> keep that credit score up, too. >> yes. good to see you. >> you as well. we'll see you in new york tomorrow for the 9/11 marking of ten years. >> yes. security is stepped up across america this weekend after what officials call a credible but unconfirmed report that terrorists may be planning an attack on u.s. soil. tomorrow will mark the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. afghanistan's taliban movement issued a statement accusing the west of using 9/11 as a pretext for a war on muslims. it threatened to send america to, quote, the dust bin of history, unquote. according to a senior u.s. official, intercepted

communications suggest the possibility of a terrorist attack on new york or washington. allen chernoff and athena jones are standing by. all allan? >> reporter: ten years on the threat of terror remains ever present, especially here in new york city. the latest details come from a u.s. official confirmed by my colleague, susan candiotti. three people supposed to be involved in this possible effort at an attack. two of them, american citizens, both of arab descent. they are believed to have entered the country last week having begun their travels in the afghanistan/pakistan region. they apparently have common names, common arabic names which makes it difficult to track them down. a third individual believed to have been traveling in europe recently, it's unknown whether that individual actually has

entered the united states. but the alert, again, has been for the possibility of a vehicle vehicle, which is why here in new york city the police have checkpoints all over the city. they've been checking vehicle, particularly large vehicles and renter vehicles. they have been checking them with extreme caution. fredricka? >> and what can you tell us about how this has impacted travel? i see people are getting around seemingly without troubles behind you. >> reporter: right. well, of course, keep in mind, this is a saturday, not all that many people traveling along here. we're on west street just north of ground zero. i think many people know not to go too close to this area. but as you can see, the traffic here is moving along, although i should mention, the people who are traveling by us have just gone through a police checkpoint about three blocks north of where we're standing. and they will meet another checkpoint further downtown.

so the police are all over the police. let's head down to washington, d.c. for further details from my colleague, athena jones. athena? >> reporter: that's right. we're here outside the fbi washington field office. you can see behind me a bomb squad truck, also there are mobile command centers. this is a public show of force. but of course all across this city, the law enforcement presence this weekend has been increased. there are a lot more officers on the street, whether in uniform or in plainclothes. whether it's the metropolitan police department or the capital police or the parks police or the transit police. a lot of police are patrolling on foot and on motorcycle. there's been a real emphasis on public engagement, on the need for the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity. i spoke with the assistant director of this field office here, director james mcduncan a little while ago. let's listen to what he had to say about that. >> reporter: we should and do

give a lot of credit to the public for what they do. the public understands what they do, what their surroundings are, what it looks like when they go to work in the morning, what it looks like when they get on the trains in the morning, what it looks like in their neighborhoods. they're the best people to know when there's something out of place. >> reporter: and so this has been key, as the director said. he estimated that about 85% of the tips that the fbi gets come from the public, which is a pretty big number, a notable number. it's an estimate. but clearly the majority of their tips come from people just paying attention. we also spoke with the d.c. police chief lanier who said that after their 4:00 p.m. press conference yesterday, they saw a big surge in reports of suspicious activity. they'd already seen that during the day. but it increased even more after 4:00 p.m. she estimated this morning they've been getting about 29 or 30 reports of suspicious activity every hour. normally, that number is about seven to ten. so people are paying attention.

she told me that this community is on it. they know what to do. they know what to look out for and they're calling it in. d.c. police authority are running these leads down. they haven't found anything but they want to see the public be engaged and keep calling in. >> athena, for you as well, what are we looking at when it pertains to traffic and how people are able to get around, whether it be by metro or car or even walking in d.c. this weekend? >> reporter: we've seen no indication that there are big issues in terms of people being able to get around. there have been road closures. the road closures we've seen have been for big events going on this weekend. there's a triathlon scheduled, a few festivals around town. the police chief have told the public, go out, do your thing. people should come down to the parks and see the monoyou means and the memorials. we haven't seen so far at least a lot of problems in terms of people getting around. but we're keeping an eye out.

>> athena jones, thanks so much. americans are marking the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. take a look right now. live video from ground zero, the site where the world trade zern sto stood. thousands of new yorkers grasped their hands to form a human chain. in washington, former president george bush and his wife, laura, laid a wreath at the pentagon at the 9/11 stone. defense secretary leon panetta was also there. panetta then headed to ft. meade, virginia, to take part in a 9/11 national service event. in new jersey this morning, a memorial there was dedicated as well. the empty sky memorial displays the names of 746 new jersey residents killed in the 9/11 atta attack. it is located in the liberty state park in jersey city just

across the hudson river from the site of the world trade center. a 9/11 memorial is being dedicated in shanksville, pennsylvania, today. that's where united airlines flight 93 crashed. cnn's john king is there and he'll have a live report coming up in a few minutes. and homeland security secretary janet napolitano is in new york. in about an hour, she will speak at a september 11th ceremony and she'll also be attending a memorial service at st. patrick's cathedral honoring the 343 new york firefighters. as a backdrop, this weekend's ceremonies, the "uss new york" is docked in new york harbor. it was built with steel recovered from the wreckage of the world trade center. cnn's special coverage of the tenth anniversary of 9/11 begins tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m. t.j. holmes will be in new york overlooking ground zero and will be focusing on how america has changed since the attacks.

then at 8:00 a.m., cnn will have complete coverage of all the remembrance ceremonies in new york, washington and shanksville, pennsylvania. also straight ahead this hour, amanda knox's family is hopeful that she'll be on her way home soon. we'll tell you the reason for their optimism straight ahead. host: do people use smartphones to do dumb things? man 1: send, that is the weekend. app grapgic: yeah dawg! man 2: allow me to crack...the bubbly! man 1: don't mind if i doozy. man 3: is a gentleman with a brostache invited over to this party? man 1: only if he's ready to rock! ♪ sfx: guitar and trumpet jam vo: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.

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...to stop, spot, and report fraud. you can help. guard your medicare card. don't give out your card number over the phone. call to report any suspected fraud. we're cracking down on medicare fraud. let's make medicare stronger for all of us. amanda knox could be a free woman in just a few weeks. the american student is appealing her murder conviction in italy. and this week, she scored major victories in court. let's bring in our legal guys, avery friedman in cleveland. good to see you. and richard herman, a new york

criminal defense attorney and law professor joining us from las vegas. good to see you both. >> hi, fred. >> good to see you. >> avery, let me begin with you. prosecutors wanted to retest this dna that was used in the trial. but the judge rejected it. is this a small victory for the defense? and if so, in what way? >> well, it's not a small victory. it's an enormous victory, fredricka. what it really means is that the prosecutors understood that these court-appointed experts essentially blew up the dna evidence which is the centerpiece of the amanda knox conviction. they want to go back, retest it. the appellate judge re-evaluating the evidence said, i've heard enough. instead of permitting the prosecution to go forward, he said, come on back in two weeks. we're going to have closing arguments. and i think there's a lot of reason for amanda knox to be very, very optimistic about what's going to happen here. >> richard, this is very

different from what people may be accustomed to here in the states. there in italy, dna experts are able to challenge the evidence that may have been used in trial in a very different way than they would during the appellate process. we're seeing that happen here. >> yeah, actually in italy, they have hearings in the appellate process. in the united states, of course, you can challenge a dna during the course of the trial and perhaps on appeal. but in italy, you actually have hearings and they take additional testimony. what's happened here is the judge, as avery said, says, look, this dna was contaminated. we have video of the way they collected it, of the way they handled it. it should not have been entertained by the judges. therefore, it's going to be stricken. so the prosecution says, well, let's get more independent investigators to look at the dna. and the appellate judge said, no way, that's not happening. and you can't have any other witnesses testify either. this case is going to hear summations.

fred, she still does not have an alibi. i don't think it's open and shut. i'm not so sure she's going to be released very soon. >> quickly on that, avery, do you agree that she may not be released or you think otherwise? >> either the conviction is going to be reversed or she'll be walking very soon. we disagree. >> okay. let's move on to conrad murray, the personal doctor of superstar michael jackson who sadly left us a couple of years ago. 160 potential jurors now are being considered. how tough, richard, is it going to be to whittle this list down? >> it's going to be virtually impossible to prevent stealth jurors getting on this juror, fred. the money the jurors will make afterwards is going to be off the charts with business companies like tmz and these other magazines going after them. it's going to be off the charts, fred. social media sites are going to be watching this trial. hln is going to have a field

day. nancy's going to have a field day with this trial. this is going to be a spectacle like we have never, ever seen. you thought o.j. was big? wait till you see this trial. it's going to be off the wall. >> that's funny, off the wall. hee hee, we get it. avery, are you saying this jury selection could be two weeks long. there are some trials that last that long and a resolution is made. is this the prelude to a trial that's going to be weeks, if not months long, in your view? >> well, the trial itself will be four to six weeks. but the reason i think that richard's right on this thing is that the defense team wanted to sequester the jury. they basically argued, interestingly enough, casey anthony. well, there's no money in california. the fact is that michael pasture had it weigh in. will these jurors be honorable?

will they not look at outside influences? i'm hoping they will. this is going to be a tough case. it will last four to six weeks. but i think the two-week period in the selection of jurors will be longer than that because i think it's going to be tough to get impartial ones. >> these jurors are going to come home every night, have access to their computers -- >> is this a big mistake that they're not sequestered? >> i think it's a mistake. judges ask jurors on these trials every day when they come in, have you seen, heard or read anything about this trial outside the courtroom? and jurors look up at the judge and say, oh, no. i've seen jurors with newspapers in their hands coming into court in the morning and saying, no. this is going to be a tainted jury. >> we'll see you guys in a few minutes. we'll be talking about interesting cases involving lottery tickets.

if you go in with your office to have like a lottery pool and then another case underscores one person's trash is another's treasure. we'll see you again in a few minutes on that. meantime, the 9/11 terror attacks renewed the american spirit as neighbors helped neighbors. that spirit lives on thanks to a cnn hero. see his work next. [ female announcer ] lactaid milk is easy to digest. it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk. are you wondering about your options? with over 30 years of medicare experience, unitedhealthcare medicare solutions can help. just give us a call.

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on the eve of the tenth anniversary of 9/11, we honor a new yorker who was determined to build a positive legacy from the aftermath of the day of destruction. jeff parnez was deeply moved by the outpouring of his hometown that it received after the attacks. since 2004, he's been saying "thank you" by giving back to communities across the country. that's the reason he is a cnn hero. >> september 11th was a very tough time for the fire department. i lost some friends. guys i went to the academy with. afterwards, people came from everywhere to help us out. it was incredible. you knew you weren't alone. >> to see the outpouring of kindness and generosity was more powerful than the terror that happened. it really changed me.

i want to show the world that new yorkers will never forget what people did for us following 9/11. every year on the 9/11 verngs we take volunteers from new york and send them to some part of the country where they had a disaster and help rebuild. >> you pull into down and the tallest thing there is a grain silo, it's a culture shock. >> rebuilding barns, churches, it's our way of saying "thank you." now more than half our volunteers are not from new york. people from all the small towns that we've gone to show up to help the next community. >> we're going to get you in as much as we can. >> after katrina, we jumped on his bandwagon. it's contagious. >> it's like a big dysfunctional family reunion of all these disaster survivor who is get together to do a barn-raising. >> banging nails and building something. but it's the relationship that is help you heal.

>> it's about using the 9/11 anniversary to celebrate in that volunteer spirit. >> we'll see y'all next year. >> people say thank you for doing this. i say, you want to thank me? show up on the next one. >> jeff's group has also restored an american flag from ground zero now known as the national 9/11 flag. they're in joplin, missouri, this weekend helping that town rebuild. see more of their work as part of our 9/11 commemoration tomorrow morning right here on cnn. to find out more about jeff's work or perhaps you want to make a donation, go to cnnheroes.com and be sure to join the conversation on cnnheroes facebook and twitter pages. investigators have been searching ft. bragg military base in north carolina. we'll explain why after the break. we were so blessed when we had triplets. if by blessed you mean freaked out about money.

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a look at our top stories right now. opposition forces in libya have launched an assault on one of moammar gadhafi's last strongholds, bani walid,

southeast of tripoli. but they have met stiff resistance. some of them have actually pulled back. the fighting broke out after a deadline for the town to surrender passed without a deal. opposition leaders believe key members of gadhafi's regime, including two of his sons, may be hiding in the area. and tensions in cairo, egypt, have settled down a day after protesters attacked the israeli embassy. three people were killed and hundreds more hurt in clashes between the protesters and security forces. tensions between egypt and israel have been building since last month when israeli forces killed five egyptian police officers along the israeli/egyptian border. authorities are searching for 14,000 rounds of ammunition missing from the fort bragg military base in north carolina. the small arms ammo is used in m-4 and m-16 assault rifles. an investigation is under way. a hacking group known as the

script kid dies a claiming responsibility for posting a frightening message on nbc's twitter account. the fake message report add new attack on ground zero in new york. nbc says it's working with twitter to make sure the situation does not happen again. tomorrow will mark the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. this is a live picture right now from ground zero where new york's world trade center once stood. memorial observances are being held this weekend in new york, washington, d.c. and across the country. in shanksville, pennsylvania, today the dedication for the first phase of a memorial honoring the 40 passengers and crew who died on united flight 93, that ceremony beginning just minutes from now. vice president joe biden and two former presidents are there. cnn's john king joins us from the memorial site right now. john, give us an idea of what's happening right now. >> reporter: fred, you see the band playing some music here in the early parts of the ceremony.

the families are down in front, some vips and dig tears as well, members of the general public, filling space in behind. you mentioned -- you can see the white wall behind me. on the short section of that wall, very simple etching, september 11th, 2001. on the longer portion where you see the sheets over the top, behind each of those sheets is a name of one of the 40 victims on flight 93. they will be unveiled as the dedication unfolds. 40 passengers on that flight where we know history was changed and remarkable heroism happened on a day that so scarred our nation. those passengers taking upon themselves to storm the cocktail and fight back against the hijackers. some of the passengers using air phones told family members what was going on. the flight took aim directly at washington, d.c. and came down in this field at 500 miles an

hour. it was a fire-ball. one of the things we need to remember [ n-is this is not just a memorial site. it is hallowed ground because sadly the remains of the victims were nearly impossible to identify. this is not only where they passed, it is where they rest. it makes this site that's in a remote rural area, only the family members can go through the gate and down on to the area in the crater where their loved one remain to this day and will remain forever buried. you have the site in the foreground at the beginning of the crater where that 757 came down. the vice president of the united states, two former presidents, clinton and george w. bush, will be here, dig tears as well, part of the some 'em weekend of reflection. at this remote site, also a reminder of that day so so scarred us, ten years later as we remember the pain and suffering. we should also celebrate. it feels like an odd word, but celebrate the heroism aboard that flight. 40 people died here because of

the heroism aboard their plane. countless others were saved. >> john king, thanks so much. about ten minutes from now, the official welcome will take place there in shanksville followed by a parade of colors as well and the program will be under way. we'll check back with you momentarily. thanks so much, john. tomorrow morning, starting at 6:00 a.m., cnn's t.j. holmes will be in new york overlooking ground zero. he will be examining how america has changed in the decades since 9/11. and then at 8:00 a.m., cnn will have complete coverage of all the remembrance ceremonies in new york, washington and shanks vil, pennsylvania. when we come back after the break, fashion designer john galliano is found guilty of making anti-semitic comments in france. find out his punishment next. hey ! chocolate, vanilla or strawberry ? chocolate ! chocolate it is !

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some of the troops who sprung into action at the pentagon on 9/11 are still fighting the war that followed. they mark that somber anniversary halfway around the world. cnn's suzanne malveaux spoke with them in kabul, afghanistan. suzanne joining us after a

decade of witnessing the tragedy at the pentagon, continuing to serve, these memories are still very fresh, aren't they? >> reporter: fred, they absolutely are. you think about it. it was ten years ago, the september 11th attacks. that is really what brought the men and women here to afghanistan. but their memories, still very fresh. their emotions, still very raw. tomorrow, there's going to be a ceremony marking the occasion. it involves now 35 different countries as is indicated by the flags behind me and the flagstaffs there. this is going to be a somber occasion. it is also going to be a time of reflection. and we had a chance to sit down and talk with some of the soldiers not just about how this compelled them to get involved in the mission, but also how it impacted them personally. thomas carter was in room 4d 131 of the pentagon. >> i heard a loud sonic bomb. after the bomb, it was like an

earthquake actually hit the pentagon. that massive building literally shook. it was a feeling of surprise and shock and then anger. >> reporter: colonel todd key was also inside the pentagon on the other sidement he had just gotten off the phone with his wife. >> i swear, i thought she was dead. i just had that feeling that she was dead. >> reporter: he realized she was alive when he reunited with her after escaping the burning building. >> i realize that everyone that died in the pentagon has a family. and it made it real to me that that was -- that it was different, at that moment, it was different. >> reporter: colonel david qukur was thinking about his children -- >> who was painful was the thoughts that went through my head that perhaps some of those children's parents had perished. >> reporter: for captain jason

grayson, the pain of 9/11 was different. he had to leave his pregnant wife to identify the pentagon bodies. >> i was the one who was taking all the x-rays on all the victims and trying to match dental records. the toughest part was at the end of the day, they would take the victims that were ready to be transported back to the famil s families -- >> it's okay, take your time. >> and the hearse -- >> reporter: it's okay, take your time. it's okay. take your time. it's okay. >> and the hearses would come.

and the military escorts and we'd all line up and render that final salute. and you do that enough times, it wears on you. you know that that could have been me, it could been one of these guys and they all had families. and that was the worst part. that was the worst part. >> reporter: fred, you can see that they are all very close. they take a great deal of comfort in supporting each other during this time. jason gracin, one of the men i spoke to there, he says still to this day he might listen to a song that comes on the radio or smell a smell and it takes him back to that moment to that very did i feel time in his life. but it is good that they all have each other here. one of the things that's going to happen tomorrow is they will mark the occasion. it will start at 5:00 p.m. local time and then they will mark a

moment of silence that is at 5:16 p.m. local time. that is the time on the east coast that that first plane hit the twin tower. fred? >> suzanne malveaux, thanks so much, from kabul. we'll check back with you throughout the day. and of course tomorrow during cnn's comprehensive coverage of 9/11. straight ahead, john edwards, he won't go on trial in january. the former presidential candidate is charged with violating campaign contribution laws and providing false statements. his trial was set for october, but thursday a federal judge granted a defense request to push the date back so edwards could have more time to prepare. if convicted on all counts, edwards could face up to 30 years in prison. and fashion designer john galliano was convicted of making anti-semitic insults against three people in a paris cafe. could that happen in the u.s.? our legal guys are back, avery friedman in cleveland and richard herman in las vegas. good to see you gentlemen again.

richard, this really underscores france's zero tolerance. he didn't have to have a credible threat or make a credible threat against anyone. all he had to do was utter the words that were anti-semitic, which is the same as any kind of hate speech that he may have been spewing. he would soon find himself in court just as he did like in this case. >> yeah, it's like when you walk down the street and you see a piece of garbage and you kick it and little bugs crawl out, that's like this galliano. in france, with respect to free speech, the speech is free except when it does not uphold the common good, inflicts pain or drives a wedge through segments of the community. our first amendment used to be like that about 25 years ago. but it has evolved to the point today where we take our first amendment very serious. we want people to have freedom of speech. and as long as your speech is

not -- is not -- does not provoke immediate violence or is not a threat to someone constituting an immediate threat to someone, you're going to be allowed to say pretty much anything in the united states. but this guy, this is lower than dirt. he's just a horrible person. taking a page right out of mel gibson's book. the off with him. >> oh, my goodness. harsh, richard! so, avery, christian dior house fired him. now he's facing other penalties in the form of big money. will he also see jail time? >> the potential in france was $31,000 in criminal fines and six months in jail. but the judge in paris said, i'm going to suspend it. if you do it again, then you're going to be subject to that. she did order about $19,000 in

civil damages to the individuals and the organizations. look, the big difference here in france and in many european countries, because of the history of those countries in the 20th century, they have very reactionary laws about speech. in america, we would look at a guy like galliano as just an idi idiot. the truth is dior fired the guy. that's part of the penalty. but in terms of expression, most americans would be appalled that someone would go to jail, unless you're going to hurt somebody, fredricka. you basically can say whatever you want. >> let's move on to -- >> in america. >> in america. right. the incredible contrast between how the u.s. might handle it and how france has handled it. two fascinating lottery ticket kind of case. let's begin with the one where one person's trash is another's treasure. richard, this young woman size, finders, keepers. sharon jones finds out what turns out to be a winning

lottery ticket in the trash of the store that actually disposed of it. and the sore says, wait a minute, no, we want a piece of that, you should not get all of the earnings. and a court is actually taking this. the judge said, we're going to put the money in escrow until we resolve it. where next? how will this be resolved, richard? >> apparently this was a discarded, half scratched-off ticket in a gas station. and when the patron took it and finished scratching it off, saw it was a winner, she told the owner of the store and the owner made statements, congratulations, you deserve it. then the owner spoke to her lawyer and came back and said, oh, no, she does not deserve it. we have the sign right above the trash can that says, please don't touch these discarded lottery tickets. so based on that sign, the store claims it was fraud, it was stolen from the store and she should not be into it told the money. this case is going no wrchlt this person is going to get $1 million. >> wait a minute. avery, the sign is there.

this is private property. this is our trash. don't mess with it. was that enough? >> except for one problem, the sign went up after she got the ticket. secondly, there is testimony from other people that frequent this convenience store that the practice is once the owner throws it out -- you don't want to go through garbage -- >> it's a free-for-all once the trash goes out? >> that's the custom of this store. she got the ticket because that's been the practice. sharon jones wins this case, fredricka. >> really? okay. fascinating. we'll see how it goes. let's move on to the other lottery case. this is an office, they go in together, they've been doing it for years, everybody puts a few dollars in. and this young man puts in $5 regularly for eight years. but then he's out sick one day

and lo and behold, that office wins $99 million. and he says, what about me? and they say, no, you weren't here. avery, this thing sounds like it stinks, too. >> well, look, he missed three months and the other 22 co-workers that got the money said, hey, you missed the payment. his argument is, when other people missed, they've covered. that's his argument. i don't know how he's going to prove it. the bottom line, he wants $2 million. at the end of the day, he's going to wind up with something, not $2 million. then the case will sort of evaporate, go away. that's what's going to happen. >> richard, is this an issue of having a conscience? the guy's been dedicated all this time. why would you not include him? that's going to be his argument. might be mine, too, if i were in that situation. >> the great teddy pendergrass had a song "bad luck." and this is just bad luck for this guy.

$99 million for his co-employees. he was out three months. they sent him an e-mail, fred -- >> he could also say, you got what i need. that's teddy as well. >> he's saying that, too. yew you got what i want. >> let's do it. >> you don't want to hear me sing. that's all i've got. >> okay. >> he wrote to them. they e-mailed him. they said, look, you want to participate in this while you're gone? and apparently there's an e-mail that says, no, i'm out for now. >> three months out. >> it's over. >> drag. >> yeah, it's no good. >> he'll get something. they'll give him something. >> maybe a little something. avery, richard, thanks so much. always great to see you. >> fredricka, all best. take care. straight ahead, which presidential candidate is mixing politics and football this weekend? the answer after this.

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[♪...] >> male announcer: now, for a limited time, your companion flies free, plus save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. conditions apply. republican presidential candidate michele bachmann is returning to the site of her biggest campaign victory to date, ames, iowa, where exactly one month ago she won the ames straw poll, critical test of a

candidate's strength. cnn's deputy political director, paul steinhauser joining us from tampa. the first tea party debate is monday night in tampa. let's talk more about bachmann and why she's in iowa and if her star status has since changed. >> reporter: fred, she's mixing a little football and politics, i guess you could say today. iowa state, ames, iowa, they're home today and playing their cross-state rivals, the university of iowa, big, big football rivalry out there. and the congressman from minnesota running for the white house is there at the game doing a little campaigning and enjoying the game. as you said, it was a little over a month ago that she won that crucial straw poll in ames, iowa. what's happened since then? that same day texas governor rick perry announced for president. since then, he's grabbed a lot of her support, it seems. he's jumped up in the polls and is a frontrunner in just about every national poll. her standings in the polls has dropped.

she was on "john king usa" last night and take a look at what she said. >> we're doing very well. we're happy and confident with the reception we're getting across the country. don't forget, there's only been one true vote in this race so far. it's the iowa straw poll. i won the iowa straw poll. and it was a stunning victory, even more than people realize because i had been in that race a shorter period of time than anyone who had ever participated in the iowa straw poll. i'm the first woman who have won that straw poll. we're very confident with that. >> reporter: and one other thing, things change in politics, no doubt about it. four years ago at this time, rudy guiliani, the former new york city mayor and former senator fred thompson, were near the top of the poll in the battle for the republican nomination. >> let's talk about perry and romney. they seem to be duking it out as if they were only a two-person race. what's going on?

>> reporter: yeah, we saw that wednesday night for the first time rick perry taking part in one of those republican presidential debate at the reagan library in california. he stood by his comments that social security was a ponzi scheme. that started a fight between he and romney. we've seen it play out in the days since then and i have a feeling it will play out again monday night at our debate here in tampa, florida. social security is such an important issue for seniors and people nearing retirement age and there are a lot of them right here in florida. >> and all expected -- all of the republican contenders that we know of expected to be at that debate? >> reporter: yep, we're going to see all eight that we saw on wednesday right here. we brought the bus, the cnn express is with us. we're on the grounds of the florida state fair. everything happens monday night at 8:00 eastern. >> thanks so much, paul. we'll all be tuned in monday evening. since 9/11, the rules have

changed significantly for u.s. passports. we'll tell you about the latest passport technology.

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passport regulations changed significantly as security tightened after 9/11. ten years later, passport regulation and rules are still evolving. alison kosik is on the go with details. >> reporter: more than 103 million americans have

passports, according to the state department. while that number has doubled in the last decade, it still leaves more than two-thirds of americans without one. these days, going to canada or mexico, you'll still need a passport. and that means everyone. >> it's important to remember that no matter how old you are, you need a passport. if you're a baby one day old, you're going to be asked for a passport at the port of entry. >> reporter: passports for adults are good for ten years. for minors under the age of 16, it's only five years. >> all passports issued since 2007 are what we call the electronic passport. they contain an electronic chip that contains certain biographical indicators. >> reporter: e-passport readers will help you get through customs faster and move you along to your final destination. nasa's newest mission to the moon is finally off the ground.

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another look at the top stories right now. new details about an alleged terror plot against the united states. a u.s. government official says at least two suspects of arab descent are believed to have traveled to the united states last week. investigators believe they may have been planning an an attack on new york or washington this week to mark the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. hundreds of people in texas have lost everything in the state's record-breaking wildfires. help is on the way from washington. president barack obama has declared a state of federal disaster area. the biggest fire is in bastrop county near austin. floodwaters have started to recede in pennsylvania and new york. but the crisis is far from over with nearly $100,000 people evacuated from their homes. clean-up could take months. the flooding was brought on by remnants of tropical storm lee.