standing with me this morning are men and women who will be helped by the american jobs act. i'm standing with teachers, all across america teachers are being laid off in droves. which is unair to our kids. it undermines our future. and it is exactly what we shouldn't be doing if we want our kids to be college ready and then prepared for the jobs of the 21st century. we have got to get our teachers back to work. let's pass this bill and put them in the classroom where they belong. i'm standing here with veterans. we have got hundreds of thousands of brave, skilled americans who fought for this country. the last thing they should have to do is to fight for a job when they come home. so let's pass this bill and put the men and women who served this nation back to work.

we're standing here with cops and firefighters whose jobs are threatened because states an communities are cutting back. this bill will keep cops on the beat and firefighters on call. so let's pass this bill so that these men and women with continue protecting our neighborhoods like they do every single day. i'm standing with construction workers. we've got roads that need work all over the country. our highways are backed up with traffic. our airports are clogged. and there are millions of unemployed construction workers who can rebuild them so let's pass this bill so road crews and diggers and pavers and workers, they can all head back to the job site. there's plenty of work to do. this job -- this jobs bill will help them do it. let's put them back to work. let's pass this bill, rebuilding america. and there are schools throughout the country that desperately

need renovating. we cannot -- got an amen over there. we can't expect our kids to do their best in places that are literally falling apart. this is america. every kid deserves a great school. and we can give it to them. pass this bill and we put construction crews back to work across the country repairing and modernizing at least 35,000 schools. i'm standing here with small business owners. they know that while corporate profits have come roaring back a lot of small businesses haven't. they're still struggling, getting the capital they need, getting the support they need to grow. this bill cuts taxes for small businesses that hire new employees and for small businesses that raise salaries for current employees. it cuts your payroll tax in half and all businesses can write off investments they make this year and next year.

instead of just talking about america's job creators let's do something for america's jobs creators. we can do that by passing this bill. there are a lot of other ways that this jobs bill, the american jobs act will help this economy. it's good $4,000 tax credit for companies that hire anybody that spent more than 6 months looking for a job. we have to do more for folks hitting the pavement every single day looking for work but haven't found employment yet. it's why we need to extend unemployment insurance and connect people to temporary work to upgrade their skills. this bill will help hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged young people find summer jobs next year, jobs to help set the direction for their entire lives. and the american jobs act would prevent taxes from going up for middle class families. if congress does not act, just about every family in america will pay more taxes next year. that would be a self inflicted wound that our economy just

can't afford right now. so let's pass this bill and give the typical working family a $1,500 tax cut instead. and the american jobs act is not going to add to the debt. it's fully paid for. i want to repeat that. it is fully paid for. it's not going to add a dime to the deficit. next week, i'm laying out my plan not only to pay for this jobs bill but also to bring down the deficit further. it's a plan that lives by the same rules that families do. we have to cut out thing that is we can't afford to do in order to afford the things that we really need. it is a plan that says everybody including the wealthiest americans and biggest corporations have to pay their fair share. so the bottom line is when it

comes to strengthening the economy and balancing our books, we've got to decide what our priorities are. do we keep tax loopholes for oil companies or put teachers back to work? keep tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires or should we invest in education and technology and infrastructure, all the things to help us outbuild other countries in the future. with e know what's right. we know what will help businesses start right here and stay here and hire here. we know that if we take the steps outlined in this jobs plan that there's no reason why we can't be selling more goods all around the world that are stamped with those three words. made in america. that's what we need to do to create jobs right now. i have to repeat something i said in my speech on thursday. there are some in washington

who'd rather settle our differences through politics and the elections than try to resolve them now. in fact, joe and i as we were walking out here looking at a washington newspaper and quoting a republican aide saying, i don't know why we'd want to cooperate with obama right now. it's not good for the politics. it was explicit. >> it was. >> that's the attitude in this town. yeah, we have been for these things before but i don't know why we'd be for them right now. the fact of the matter is the next election is 14 months away. the american people don't have the luxury of waiting 14 months for congress to take action. folks are living week to week, paycheck to paycheck. they need action. and the notion that there are folks who would say we're not

going to try to do what's right for the american people because we don't think it's convenient for our politics, we have been seeing that too much around here. and that's exactly what folks are tired of. and that's okay when things are going well. you play politics. it's not okay at a time of great urgency and need all across the country. these aren't games we're playing out here. folks are out of work. businesses are having trouble staying open. you've got a world economy that is full of uncertainty right now. in europe, in the middle east. some events may be beyond our control. but this is something we can control. whether or not we pass this bill. whether or not we get this done.

that's something that we can control. that's in our hands. you hear a lot of folks talking about uncertainty in the economy. this is a bit of uncertainty that we could avoid. by going ahead and taking action to make sure that we're helping the american people. so, if you agree with me, if you want congress to take action, then i'm going to need everybody here and everybody watching, you got to make sure that your voices are heard. help make the case. there's no reason not to pass this bill. its ideas are bipartisan. its ideas are common sense. it will make a difference. that's not just my opinion. they have said this could add a significant amount to our gross domestic product and could put people back to work all across the country. so the only thing that's stopping it is politics.

we can't afford these same political games, not now. so i want you to pick up the phone, send an e-mail. use one of those airplane sky writers. dust off the fax machine. or you can just like write a letter. so long as you get the message to congress. send me the american jobs act so i can sign it into law. let's get something done. let's put this country back to work. thank you very much, everybody. god bless you. >> the president of the united states there shaking hands after his event in the rose garden. president taking a few minutes there. this is a fascinating test of

how much grass roots support the president can gin up right now speaking to the american people and an audience in washington but mostly asking you watching at home, pick up the phone, hire a plane the president said to support his jobs programs. about $450 billion. a lot of it are things as the president said republicans supported in the past. tax cuts especially. some things in there you heard the president talking about school construction and summer jobs programs and things the president call stimulus deja vu. the politics in a moment. get to the economics of this plan first. ali velshi with me here in tampa. nothing new there from the president. >> correct. >> talking about job creation, i was struck at the end. you have seen the independent analysis. some say 500,000 jobs or a million or 1.9 million. >> that's right. >> you would think the president would say this pass this because -- gun shy about the numbers. >> i don't know if you get the president or the administration to talk about the number of jobs of anything to create because

they're burned by the fact and dana mentioned it. this administration said that stimulus, the reinvestment act will bring the unemployment rate down below 8%. we are at 9%. we didn't get close. this is the problem. we have the unemployment rate is a lagging indicator. it's very hard to have an impact on that in the near future and very hard even if this -- what the president proposes passes in some form and succeeds. may be a year, 18 months before we start to see this. we are in a dire situation. you made that comment when he said it. he's not going anywhere near a number. >> christine romans, a lot of this is to keep things in place, payroll taxes from going up, give states new help when the stimulus expired for teachers on the payroll or the firefighters on the payroll. when the president talked about creating an environment for job creation, by the nuchl bers, by the policy, by the levers pulling in the economy is that true or is this just keep the patient stable?

>> well, you know, in a lot of conservatives, steven moore from the "wall street journal" and others saying if you don't get yardage, why do you run the ball down the middle of the field? that's the conservative perspective. you have tried this, mr. president. it didn't create an environment that led to job creation. what the other side of that story is that, look, if we don't do this, then what happens? i mean, the 7.8% unemployment rate when the president took office ballooned and holding there at 9.1%. the republicans say it ballooned because of the president's policies. democrats and economists say it's in spite of what the president has done and still too high so this is the fundamental debate that continues and i go back to ken rogaff an we interview on the subject a lot. he is the expert. it is going to take some time. it takes some time. politics is in the way of that right now. >> and so, john avalon, it is a

fa fascinating political moment. this is the president in the last campaign, when he was elected, people talked about this unraveled grass roots network, the ability to communicate. now he has the bull y pulpit. it's a political backdrop. smart to put the people behind him as he makes the case that we need the money. the question is, when he flips the switch on the grass roots organization, does it have the juice it once had? >> well, it really does become a test of the bully pulpit and let the network atrophy and this really is about doing more than speaking to the political base. the american people are frustrated because they're out of work and frustrated because washington doesn't seem to be working and by putting forward an ambulanced bipartisan plan of things republicans and democrats agreed with on the past, the president is upping the ante and puts pressure on the republicans, as well. can they oppose a plan to create

incentives for companies to hire returning gis? there's a cost to that opposition approach, as well. so this is a high stakes political moment. it will be a test to the president's muscle. whether folks call and e-mail because it's a lineage and the president criticized for not leading enough in the past. here's a specific plan with a bipartisan basis and it's a question of whether republicans will be able to accept yes for an answer and if they simply oppose tax cuts for the first time coming from the president, i think people see through that. >> so, 14 months the president says to the next election. that's why he says there should be a climate for bipartisan cooperation now, especially, especially on an issue as urgent as jobs for the american people. 14 months until the next election. 8 1/2 hours until the next debate. how much does the urgency, the fact that, yes, 14 months but this republican presidential campaign is at an interesting and pivotal moment in the sense

of perry, romney and then what happens to the rest of this field? when they all say, no, mr. president, you have it wrong, how much does that complicate the discussions that have to happen in washington, whether the president cuts a deal, the question there of a republican house but here today in tampa, i don't think anyone will say, you're right, mr. president. >> you can't agree with it on the fundamentals. welcome to where we have been for the past two and a half years. i have felt the urgency. i'm married to a small business owner. i've seen them suffer. we are feeling the you aurgency entire time and wanted movement on this a couple of years ago. when the president was elected, one of the things he promised out of the gate to focus on jobs, focus on the economy. here it is finally leading up to the re-election campaign -- >> we had the stimulus. >> and it failed. >> it didn't fail. >> it did fail. >> there's a -- you know what it goes to? >> why do we have 9.1%

unemployment? >> that's just wrong. it didn't create as many jobs as anybody would have liked. that's a fact. >> why do we have unemployment over 9%? >> how do you know it wasn't going to be 12% and if not for the stimulus? >> the promise is 8% unemployment. it failed on that premise alone. >> not only is that failure of the promise clear and why he didn't mention the numbers but the reality is i think we have to understand that they did promise they would do something. whether or not it was successful wasn't the breaking of a promise. it may have just been a stimulus not as effective. if somebody comes forward with that silver bullet saying this is how you do it but saying -- cutting taxes aenl not supporting a plan -- >> here's an idea. the keystone pipeline would create over 20,000 jobs. why have we heard nothing from this? >> pipeline from canada.

jon huntsman endorsed that idea. >> he would have been applauded by grass roots saying get keystone over the ground. over 20,000 jobs. >> and then darryl hannah came out against it. >> oh yeah. >> the stimulus plan you disagree with it fundamentally on policy grounds. i respect that. it didn't meet people's expectations, the administration's own expectations complicating the political argument and a proposal to connect the dots back to the original stimulus plan, mr. president, been there, done that, didn't work. that complicated the politics, whether or not the economics you think are right or wrong. >> yeah. i mean, it does. it does complicate it and you're right. the president did say, not everything was as shovel ready as we thought it was going to be. that was an admission right there. i think what we need to do -- ai gree with what you're saying. you can't just have tax cuts when you talk about that. you have to focus on regulations. we have so many regulations, job

killing regulations. the gibson guitar factory raided over a silly regulation. the moratorium in the gulf destroying thousands of jobs, the keystone and would be something, again, over 20,000 jobs immediately created. regulation is killing business in america. tax cuts would be a band-aid on a bigger problem. you have to have the government back off of the small businesses. >> a taste here of the political challenge facing the president in the short term trying to get congress to pass the plan and a taste here of the issues debating over the next 14 honts. the president noted. a quick break here for us. remember, the issues front and center again tonight. not only the president sending the plan up to congress, the eight candidates for president on a stage right here. cnn debate sponsored with the tea party express. watch. get a sense. whether you're for the republicans, against the republicans or not sure. tune in. the issues are critically important. the coverage will continue in a moment withdrew griffin. everyth? just stay off the freeways, all right? i don't want you going out on those yet.

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i'm drew griffin in for suzanne malveaux. let's get you up to speed on what's happening this monday, september 12th. eight republicans for a showdown in tampa. cnn and the tea party will host this presidential debate. comes as a cnn/orc poll showing that texas governor perry

widening the lead over mitt romney and the rest of the pack. wolf blitzer is the moderator tonight and we have a preview from him for the two candidates with single digit poll numbers. >> the polls are fine. like you indicated, bachmann was the flavor of the week. now rick perry is the flavor of the week. my supporters don't defect. we'll continue to move up. >> we are just beginning to introduce yourselves to the american people and as we do they'll see we bring together private sector experience, having been a successful governor, number one in job creation of this country. best managed state in america. >> president obama is sending the jobs bill to congress today, keeping pressure on lawmakers to pass his $447 billion package and soon. president was in the rose garden a few minutes ago. here's what he said. >> when it comes to strengthening the economy and balancing our book, we have to decide what our priorities are.

do we keep tax loopholes for oil companies or keep teachers back to work. should we invest in education and technology and infrastructure, all the things to outbuild other countries in the future. we know what's right. we know what will help businesses start right here and stay here an hire here. we know that if we take the steps outlined in this jobs plan that there's no reason we can't be selling more goods all around the world that are stamped with those three words. made in america. >> president obama's jobs plan would extend the payroll tax cut and offers incentives for small businesses that will hire people. the president isn't getting help from bank of america today. the bank cutting $40,000 dlsh -- 40,000 jobs i should say.

u.s. investors reacting to the news. an xi if europe. dow stocks down right now 82 points. concerns that greece is close to defaulting. there's speculation top french banks could face credit downgrades, as well, holding so much greek debt. moammar gadhafi's son is in nyjinl n ger. niger says it took in the gadhafi as a humanitarian gesture. >> translator: as far as i'm concerned, if a muslim brother is in danger and he looks for safety near you, you shouldn't hesitate to help him. >> he had an unremarkable soccer career in italy and the reputation in libya is that of a playboy. all 7 american troops wounded in afghanistan in a suicide attack this weekend are expected to return to duty soon.

truck bomb exploded outside a nato base. at least two afghans were killed. general john allen tells cnn shows taliban capabilities are diminishing. fire evacuees in and around s aroundbastrop, texas, will go home today. two people were found dead last week. six still unaccounted. officials hope they're on vacation or staying with friends. tonight's cnn tea party debate could determine the direction for the race and might give us an indication whether it's a race between rick perry and whether the party is headed anymore conservative direction. jim acosta has a preview. >> reporter: texas governor rick perry is ditched the cowboy boots for the running shoes

staying far ahead of the republican pack. latest cnn/orc poll finds perry way out in front with 30%. nearest rival, mitt romney at 18%. with the rest of the field looking to play catch up, the cnn tea party debate in florida could be a social security smackdown in a state where the program is crucial to seniors. >> it is a ponzi scheme to tell our kids that are 25 or 30 years old today you're paying in to a program that's going to be there. >> reporter: after perry doubled down on the call for an overhaul of social security at the last debate, romney pounced. >> the governor says, look, states ought to be able to opt out of social security. our nominee has to be committed not abolishing social security. >> reporter: michele bachmann piled on. >> what i think is america needs to keep its promise to senior citizens. i talk with them all the time. i love senior citizens. >> you usually don't start a campaign setting grandma's hair on fire but that's what rick

perry did when he not only called social security a ponzi scheme, he implied he might undo it if he could go back 70 years. >> reporter: that kind of clash could make the debate another road sign indicating where the gop is headed, toward more conservative tea party candidates like perry or more moderate contenders like romney. the former massachusetts governor stepped up the courtship of tea partiers after the number sagged. >> are you a member of the tea party? >> i don't think you carry cards in the tea party. >> reporter: some republicans say perry's doubts of climate change might appeal to tea party voters. >> because a scientist says here's the fact. galileo was outvoted for a while. >> reporter: jon huntsman worries it costs the white house. >> in order for the republican party to win, we can't run from science. >> jim acosta joining us live from tampa.

jim, this social security argument which is interesting to me. because it seems since perry has come out with his statements on social security and doubled down on them, his poll numbers have gone up even among the tea party which tend to be an older crowd. >> that's right. even among older voters which might tell the mitt romney the social security smackdown is not working for them. i will say there's an interesting pivot that rick perry made this porn imorning i in "usa today" saying for social security fix the problem and make it more solvent to years to come and doesn't get into specifics as to what he would do. one interesting thing about that op-ed, drew, he doesn't mention the words ponzi scheme and probably an indication from the perry campaign they know that kind of language is pretty radioactive stuff and could turn off a lot of elderly voters. we should point out, though, that this poll that was taken

right after the last debate might not have given voters time to let the thoughts sink in and interesting to see after tonight and you can bet your -- you know, you can bet everything on this that they'll be going after him again on social security. interesting to see how the voters respond in the next poll or two after this evening. drew? >> all right. jim, we'll look for that. thanks. a reminder that that debate is co-hosted by cnn and the tea party express and several other tea party groups and see it live from tampa, florida. the site of the 2012 republican convention, by the way. tonight at 8:00 eastern here on cnn. ten years after 9/11, the war that started in response to the attacks rages on in afghanistan. suzanne malveaux traveled there for answers and she's just met with president hamid karzai. we'll go live to kabul after this. woman: hit it, mr. butters. ♪

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that's personal pricing. checking the numbers on wall street. stock market -- dow jones i should say down 82 points. alison kosik at the new york stock exchange. we're hearing that greece on the verge of defaulting. i should say again. how's that affecting the slide at the markets today? >> yeah. it's why you're seeing the markets slide today but it's really a modest decline because we expected the dow to drop almost 200 points today but you have to remember greece's debt problems, they have been in the news for more than a year and nothing new and people aren't complacent about it. what came out over the weekend and today is that greece could default on its debt as early as this week. and if you ask germany, germany would be the country to sort of underwrite greece financially.

asking the german officials say they an order bankruptcy, may be part of the solution for greece but throwing around words like bankrupt and default, it's scary. >> they're reacting to what could, could happen. why's everybody so worried about greece? >> you know, you think about it. you can think about it this way, drew, as the u.s. and the countries -- you know, overseas is like six degrees of separation. the u.s. is not directly connected to greece but other richer european countries are like france and germany and we're connected to them and they're the backbone of europe so that's really the worry here to see the domino effect sending shock waves through the markets if greece were to default. that is a possibility and what you see is markets trading more on fear. drew? >> alison kosik at the new york stock exchange, thanks. well, what can we expect from those candidates in tonight's republican debate?

we'll have a pregame highlights ahead with cnn tea party republican debate in our political ticker. 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. and i am a phoenix. male announcer: be kind to your eyes with transitions lenses. transitions adapt to changing light so you see your whole day comfortably and conveniently while protecting your eyes from the sun. ask your eyecare professional which transitions lenses are right for you. female announcer: are you a vsp member? your satisfaction with transitions lenses is guaranteed. visit specialoffers.vsp.com/ transitions or ask your vsp doctor.

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and get a 4-week trial plus $100 in extras including a scale and free postage to use during your trial. go to stamps.com/tv and never go to the post office again. big night here on cnn. cnn tea party republican debate. mark preston and peter hamdi live from tampa where the debate takes place and, mark, i guess we need to look at the debate first off looking at who the candidates are speaking to because right now in the political process it's not to everybody. >> yeah. well, look. i mean, this debate tonight, drew, interesting because it's the first tea party debate that's ever happened. happening in a critical state,

here in florida. we expect six of eight to make direct appeals to tea party voters, folks coming about and trying to coales under the idea of limited government and they are anti-democrat and not aligned to any particular party but the fact is they're all conservatives. however, two of the candidates, though, will probably be doing a little bit more of a broader appeal. jon huntsman will try to play to the middle of the road. doing that the whole campaign. tonight i think you will see him do that and mitt romney walking a fine line tonight because he's been running a general election campaign. he want it is reach out across a broad spectrum of voters and see tonight, drew. >> interesting strategy because they need to get the republican nomination before they can move forward. mark, let me ask you about the tea party's darling or once darling michele bachmann. she's plummeted in the polls. can she get them back tonight and how? >> well, if she's ever going to do it today is the day to do it.

tonight is the night to do it here. she's down to 4% in the new cnn/orc national poll. she shot off like a rocket after new hampshire back in june. however, winning the iowa straw poll and should have been a huge victory for her, all the wind taken out of the sails because rick perry announced running for president at that time and by doing so he's taken the support away. expect her to contrast her record with rick perry on the issue of illegal immigration. she will also probably go right after him on the issue of social security and the very end she's going to try to portray herself as the true tea party candidate and the true conservative. drew? >> peter, it seems what i know about tea party members and met them, they like to hear the truth. social security is going to be a big part of this debate tonight. how will the candidates who will try to attack rick perry's position on social security also not offend what many people in

the tea party believe is a big problem with our economy which is how do we handle the increasing debt of social security? >> right. you hit on very smart points. the poll has perry as a front-runner. observers thought he made a mistake calling social security a ponzi scheme in the last debate but he was speaking to a lot of tea party activists, folks in the republican base who do think that people are paying in to a program that they're not going to be able to draw benefits from later but same time mitt romney and michele bachmann as mark mentioned see an opening especially here in florida to go after rick perry because, obviously, this is a state with millions of retirees who count on social security, medicare, these entitlement programs and going after perry tonight and which we can expect they will, almost a certainty, the romney campaign handing out literature at houses down here in florida kind of drawing a contrast on the social security

issue. it's going to be tough because romney has to make up some ground. he is now trailing perry and this is going to be a central issue of the debate tonight, drew. >> peter, on social security, does perry need to come in tonight with a plan in order to defend the attacks he's about to get? >> i think what we'll see from rick perry, honestly, he's done this over ten years in texas, he is going to stick to his guns. might see him soften the language a little bit around the edges. going into a general election, calling social security a ponzi scheme is very dangerous territory again in states like florida with tons of voters who are retired. however, perry's never been one to back down from what he says in the past. he doesn't really change the positions. that's a hallmark of his debate strategy and we could see him stick to his guns, drew. >> the guns worked in the past. thanks, guys. really appreciate it. tonight's debate is co-hosted by cnn, the tea party express and several other tea party groups.

see it live from tampa, the site of the 2012 republican convention. 8:00 eastern is the time only on cnn. washington's top diplomat in afghanistan gives his take on why the u.s. is talking with the taliban. ambassador crocker sat down with suzanne malveaux. he is in kabul and back with us live from the afghan capital. hi, suzanne. (screams) when an investment lacks discipline, it's never this obvious. introducing investment discipline etfs from russell. visit russelletfs.com r a prospectus, containing the investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information. read and consider it carefully before investing. i'm a dad, coach, and i was a longtime smoker. in my heart i knew for the longest time that did not want to be a smoker. and the fact that i failed before. i think i was discouraged for a very long time.

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double on groceries, and a single point on everthing else, it's a fast way to earn more every day. plus, you can earn 10,000 bonus points. and the annual fee the first year is on us. call 800.axp.gold to apply. ten years after 9/11 our suzanne malveaux who normally anchors this show traveled to afghanistan trying to get a read on what is happening there in this war against terror and, suzanne, i understand you just met with president hamid karzai. >> i just did, drew. we are trying to get the elements together here to get it on air as quickly as possible but it was just about an hour ago, we were at the presidential palace. we met with hamid karzai, the president for about 30 minutes or so. very relaxed and hospitable. we had tea.

we had coffee. meat pies as is the tradition here in afghanistan. we also talked about a lot of different issues, a lot of different topics, folks very much looking at the u.s. and nato troops pulling out combat troops at least pulling out by the end of 2014. and he talked about the various negotiations that are going on, talks that are going on with the united states as well as nato allies to potentially have a permanent u.s. and afghan base here. some sort of presence way beyond 2014. we also talked about the possibility that there are talks going on now between the afghan government and the taliban. and how long that would actually take before there's a deal, a peace deal on the table. the president saying he thought, well, perhaps that's going to take months if not one or two years. that was his timetable. we talked about all kinds of issues, the criticism regarding corruption. president karzai said, look, he admitted there was corruption in afghanistan.

particularly in the afghan government. but he said that's the small time stuff and blamed the united states and nato allies essentially on the big-time corruption in the billions of dollars saying that they were private contractors and folks here in this country taking advantage of people and working with the taliban and he essentially said that he believes the united states and nato allies even president obama needs to be more aggressive in trying to control those private contractors and the type of deals they're making that ultimately that money funnels to the taliban talking about the billions of dollars supposed to go to aid this country that has gone to the taliban. one of the main things here, drew, is that timetable, however. are they going to be able to meet this end of 2014 timetable to take over their own security? well, here's how the president put it because he does have a sense of confidence and pride that that does need to happen. take a listen.

>> from the words of majority of the insurgent forces will have, the energy, the freedom to go back home and afghan forces. afghan government. the people. they can go to their own country so yes. by 2014, in short, the forces can and will leave afghanistan. >> and drew, he also said, however, that they -- he believes, he's confident that they're going to be able to pull out so that the afghan security, the army, the air force, police can essentially take over. but he said not all of the elements of the government are going to be in place in that time. that he'll still need assistance by the united states and by nato allies to make sure that afghan institutions can run as they're supposed to. i have mentioned before about negotiating with the taliban and that's an important element. we know that the united states, administration, the obama administration, very much involved in that. hamid karzai saying that they,

too, have a role at the negotiating table and asked him about how that's going and he said that he's encouraged and some taliban who believe they'll put down their weapons, they can share power, that women will have equal rights. those type of things. very tough negotiations but he said some taliban are on board. i had a chance yesterday to talk to ambassador crocker, the u.s. ambassador here in afghanistan, about whether or not he believes that they are making serious and significant progress. here's what he said to me. if i can, explain to us -- i know that the general mentioning about negotiations that will go on in the meetings. are we negotiating with the taliban? >> we are trying to support an afghan-led process of reconciliation with the taliban. we're in touch with a number of actors but it is all designed to support an eventual afghan reconciliation process and

that's what the afghan government wants to see but on certain terms. a complete taliban renunciation of violence, a complete break between the taliban and al qaeda. and taliban respect for the afghan constitution including the rights of women. but the taliban basically have a choice. they can either continue the campaign they're engaged in now which they are not winning or they can accept a political settlement and be part of the democratic secure stable afghanistan going forward. >> help the american people understand that because on the one hand they hear that the taliban are the bad guys and at the same time we're talking with the taliban. >> you know, you don't reconcile with your friends but your enemies. reconciliation by definition is reconciling with someone you don't like and in this case your enemies. and again, we'll see how it goes. we expect that some taliban will reconcile. we expect that others won't. but in any insurgency, what you

want to do is shrink the number of irreconcilable insurgents to be killed or captured to the minimum. we did that in iraq and that's what the afghans are trying to do here. >> so, drew, essentially, what the ambassador's saying and a chance to talk to general allen here in afghanistan both saying that the theme here, the strategy, if you will, is to kill the fighters, the insurgents, the taliban insurgents and negotiate and talk with those willing to put down their weapons and who are able to work with the afghanistan government. that is just one track that's happening now. you also have those discussions that are taking place between the united states and afghanistan afghanistan and many other allies to figure out a way to turn over security to the afghan people. so we're going to have a lot more about all these discussions, where we are in this and of course where this leaves u.s. troops and nato troops on the ground here. there is a huge effort -- a huge

effort, drew -- that they are putting into training the afghans so that they can take over the security in time. you're just talking about a couple of years here and there are some huge challenges around that. that's something we have been seeing in our visit here in afghanistan over the last couple of days. drew? >> suzanne, such a complex issue on this taliban negotiations. it seems what the u.s. ambassador was saying is, look, if you're a taliban member and you're willing to give it up, say you've lost, and be enfolded into a new afghan government, we will reconcile with you. is that what hamid karzai or is he saying the taliban will have a political role in the future of afghanistan? >> i think hamid karzai could see the taliban having a role inside the government but it would have to be a conditional role. it would have to be a power sharing role, one where there

was equal representation. but i also believe that this is not mutually exclusive that president karzai would also say that these guys have to put their weapons down, they have to renounce violence, they have to find a way to have women have some sort of significant role within the government. so these are the kinds of things that are very sensitive, quite frankly. one of the things that's happening behind the scenes is this kind of push/pull between who is taking the lead here in the negotiations. is it the afghanistan government? the u.s. government? you heard the ambassador saying, look, we're letting the afghan government take the lead here. that's a real sensitive issue here in afghanistan, who is actually running the show. that is why president hamid karzai is so adamant about getting the security forces up to speed by the end of 2014. >> suzanne malveaux live from afghanistan, thank you, suzanne. meanwhile, fire crews are trying to contain a wildfire in southern california. it's already forced people to pack um and get out. we'll tell you about that next.

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we want to show you some of the stories our affiliates are covering across the country. in california, people in stallion springs are being forced out of their homes because of that -- a massive wildfire. 15,000 acres since saturday have burned. it is about 90% contained. three, two, one -- zero, and lift-off of the delta i with "grail," journey to the center of the moon. >> wow, that's impressive. you are looking at the launch of nasa's newest unmanned moon mission. they're called it "the grail." it has two satellites that are orbit the moon. weather delays almost stalled the mission again over the weekend. in indianapolis, a soldier comes down the steps of an escalator to the surprise of her life, a wedding proposal. her boyfriend who is also a soldier surprised her.

friends and family watched as she, happily for him, said yes. the two plan on getting married within the next six months. >> i love you. >> i love you, too. credit 'cause you'll need a loan for one thing or another score 'cause they break it down to one simple number that you can use dot to take a break because the name is kinda long com in honor of the internet that it's on put it all together at the end of the song it gives you freecreditscore-dot-com, and i'm gone... offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com

the president live here on cnn outlined his jobs plan this morning. if you're one of the 14 million unemployed americans still looking for work, alison kosik is here with some jobs or mistakes that you could be making. right? >> yeah, there are plenty. with 45% of hr managers saying they spent less than one minute checking out your application, you need to make sure yours

stands out but make sure you are not going to extremes. careerbuilder points out that some of the most unusual resumes that hiring managers have seen, listing their dogs as a reference. one company insisted they pay him to interview him because his time was valuable. that's a big duh, right? >> that is a really big duh. a lot of people like to jam their resume full of stuff, two pages, three pages. that's not the way to go, is it? >> oh, yeah. you don't want to overdo it. if you can't see any white space on your resume, it is a big problem. use formatting like bullet points, keep your descriptions to one line. if you're an older worker, experts at "money" magazine say don't go too far back in your experience. 15 years will do. as for other dates on your resume, just list years, not months you were at the company especially if you are a recent grad. you don't necessarily want to give away your age.

>> thanks a lot. good tips. hope you find a job out there if you are looking. let's get you up to speed on what's happening on this monday. eight republicans gearing up for a showdown tonight in tampa. cnn and the tea party are going to host a presidential debate. it comes as the new cnn/orc poll has governor rick perry widening his lead over mitt romney and the rest of the pack. cnn's wolf blitzer moderates tonight's presidential debate beginning at 8:00 a.m. we got a preview this morning from two candidates who have single-digit poll numbers. >> the polls are fine but like you indicated earlier, michele bachmann was the flavor of the week a few weeks ago. now rick perry is the flavor of the week. my supporters are consistent and they don't defect so we are going to continue to move up. >> we're just beginning to introduce ourselves to the american people. and as we do they will see that we bring together the elements of success, private sector experience, having been a successful governor. we were number one in job creation in this country. best managed state in america.

>> president obama is sending his jobs bill to congress today. he called on lawmakers to approve it quickly without any games or delays. mr. obama says some republicans don't think it makes political sense to work with him right now. >> the notion that there are folks who would say we're not going to try to do what's right for the american people because we don't think it is convenient for our politics, we've been seeing that too much around here. that's exactly what folks are tired of. >> president obama's jobs plan is to spend $447 billion-on-a mixture of tax cuts, infrastructure spending, and job training. the president is not getting help from bank of america today. the bank of america is cutting jobs. the bank confirms now that it's going to do away with 30,000 positions over the next few years. bank of america is saddled with losses from the takeover of subprime mortgage lender countrywide. the memorial at the world

trade center site has opened to the public. two reflecting pools fed by waterfalls sit in the voids left by the twin towers. the names of every person who died on september 11th, 2001 at that site are inscribed in bronze at the pool's edge. president helped dedicate that memorial yesterday, the tenth anniversary of the attack. >> it's ten years later but it is almost like it is the same day. the only thing that does anything for me with the passing of time is the friends that i still have that are still with me. >> even after the anniversary, security is remaining extremely tight in new york and washington. authorities searching for three men who according to sources now could still be plotting to set off car bombs. sources say two of those suspects are americans of arab decent. officials describe the threat as credible but unconfirmed. moammar gadhafi's son saadi

has fled libya to niger. that country says it took him in as a humanitarian gesture. >> translator: as far as i'm concerned, if a muslim brother is in danger and he looks for safety near you, you shouldn't hesitate to help him. so we implore god to help them. >> well, who is that muslim brother? saadi gadhafi? he had an unremarkable soccer career in italy and his reputation in libya is that of a playboy. fire evacuees in and around travis county, texas, may be allowed to go home today. 1,500 houses have been burned, two people have been found dead in a burned out neighborhood last week and six unaccounted for. officials are hoping the missing six are on vacation or perhaps staying with friends. will it be the social

security smackdown? tonight in tampa, republican candidates square off again after texas governor rick perry called social security a ponzi scheme and a new cnn/orc international poll shows perry far ahead of the pack. he is at 30% with romney a distant second at 18%. sarah palin who is not even in the race comes in third followed by congressman ron paul. cnn deputy political director paul steinhauser and political reporter shannon travis are with us live from tampa. paul, start with you. social security is a big issue in florida, a state with a lot of senior citizens. how is this going to affect that debate tonight? >> it's a really good point. this is the first debate in florida. yes, a lot of senior citizens and nearing retirement age in this state and for them, social security is a big concern. five days ago at that debate at the reagan library, mitt romney and pick remembrick perry were

over the term upponzi scheme. we know jobs and the economy will be top issues here but social security is going to come up tonight and it could be very important. >> shannon, you have studied, been with, reported on the tea party, the tea party's participation in this debate tonight is all over the place. do you expect it to be much different than other debates we've seen because of that? >> well, it won't be different in terms of the candidates standing on their principles. i mean they will, as paul just said, expect governor perry to probably double down on his comments about social security around the other candidates on their principles. but it will be different probably, drew, in terms of them ramping up their rhetoric, in terms of the issues that tea partiers care about, reduced spending, less taxes, adherence to the constitution. you can expect probably for all of the candidates to really amp up their message that is of direct appeal to tea party

activists. >> it's hard to determine what exactly that is, because it seems like the tea party's a moving target. i think michele bachmann may have found that out. what does she have to do tonight? >> well, michele bachmann has to basically step it up. as paul was just mentioning, that debate last week was round one between perry and romney. michele bachmann, a little bit invisible in that debate in terms of mixing it up with them. expect for that to change tonight. we are likely to see a different michele bachmann. first of all, this is her crowd. she's a tea party darling. she founded the house tea party caucus in the house. expect for her to really go after rick perry, possibly even romney tonight and to really say, hey, i'm in this race, too. we know that a lot of people are trying to say this is a two-person race. i'm here as well, a top-tier candidate. >> paul, the new poll we have out internationally speaking, is there some headlines coming out of that as well? >> yeah, besides the number you showed right off the bat i think there is a hidden gem in here.

our poll indicates 3 out of 4 republicans say the most important thing for a nominee is he's somebody who can beat president barack obama last year rather than agreeing with me on the issues. who do they think that is? right at the top -- rick perry far ahead of mitt romney as the republicans' choice for who can best beat barack obama. that's troubling for romney, the former massachusetts governor who is making a second bid for the nomination. because his kind of argument is electability, you may not agree with me on all the issues but i'm git that can beat obama next year. that may not be the case right now with this poll. but the thing about polls, people change their minds. four years ago a guy call rudy giuliani was the front-runner in the battle for the gop nomination. he didn't end up winning, did he? >> no, he didn't. thanks for reminding me. reminder, tonight's debate is co-hosted by cnn, the tea party express and several other tea party groups. see is live from tampa, the site of the 2012 republican convention tonight at 8:00

eastern here on cnn. best part of the show right here -- your chance to talk back on the big stories of the day. today's question -- will rick perry's stance on social security hurt him in the election? carol costello joins us from new york and i guess, carol, we kind you of have to ask which election? >> which election? >> i mean republican primary election? general election? >> well, we'll start with the republican primary election since that comes first. right? >> yep. >> but i like that part about when you said that this was the best segment of the show. thanks for that. >> i'm already ready to type in my anonymous question. >> fantastic. okay. so how important is the issue of social security in a presidential campaign? let me rephrase that. how important are elderly voters in, say, oh, florida to withining a presidential election or a presidential primary for that matter? it's really, really important. you will hear about social security in tonight's cnn tea party debate. now that rick perry's called

social security a ponzi scheme. >> it is a monstrous lie. it is a ponzi scheme to tell our kids that are 25 or 30 years old today, you're paying into a program that's going to be there. anybody that's for the status quo with social security today is involved with a monstrous lie to our kids and it's not right. >> but wait a minute. social security has enough nonpay full retiree benefits for the next 25 years and 77% of benefits for 60 years after that. vice president joe biden says rick perry needs a history lesson. >> no, it's not a ponzi scheme. he should go back and find out who ponzi was. it was an individual, it was a different deal. but no, it is not a ponzi scheme. it is secure through 2036 and to fix it is not hard. >> but conservatives like cnn

contributor eric ericsson had applauding perry's straight talk. social security is sick, he says. so why not consider allowing the next generation more choices for retirement like opting out of social security in favor of subsidized 401(k) type accounts? the talk back question today -- will rick perry's stance on social security hurt his campaign? facebook.com/carolcnn. i'll read your comments later this hour. >> carol, i really want to hear these comments. i got to just suspicious that the pundits are off on this. >> we'll see. >> thanks, carol. ten years after 9/11 the war that started in response to the attacks rages on in afghanistan. our suzanne malveaux has traveled there for answers. she's just met with president hamid karzai and we will go live to her after the break.

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that's personal pricing. here's a rundown on some of the stories we are working on. billions in taxpayer money pumped into afghanistan. is it a waste? suzanne malveaux is live in kabul getting answers from president karzai. then we are at the new york stock exchange with news of big bank cutting tens of thousands of jobs at bank of america. plus, an exclusive back-stage foos new york's fashion week. also cnn in-depth, we'll take a close look at the republican presidential front-runner, rick perry. and the ipod controversy, they're giving them to kids in kindergarten. let's go right back to afghanistan. ten years after 9/11 there's been no let-up in the war that started in response to the attacks. our suzanne malveaux joins us from the afghan capital, just met with the president of that country.

suzanne, does hamid karzai see an end to the u.s. military in his country? >> reporter: well, drew, he certainly hopes for this and he says that he sees an end to this. he says that by the end of 2014 that is when u.s. and nato combat troops are expected to draw down and to leave. there will be trainers left, there will be advisors left but it certainly seems as if the president wants to make sure that his own security, his own people, can manage and can handle that huge task but, drew, i have to tell you, there has been a long history, as you know. at least ten years now with hamid karzai and various administrations, the bush administration and obama administration inherited hamid karzai as a leader. there's been some tension, some back and forth over the relationship between the afghan people and the presence, the big presence of u.s. troops as well as nato troops. there was a time just a couple years ago when hamid karzai ruffled quite a few feathers when he had referred to u.s.

troops as potential occupiers. got a lot of attention and a lot of criticism for that, quite frankly, because it seemed like he was ungrateful to the u.s. mission inside of afghanistan. well, i put the question to him today whether or not he would consider the u.s. troops that are still here, and have been here for the last ten years, as occupiers. >> i didn't say occupiers. i meant conditional. i said "if" the united states forces don't respect our sovereignty, and if the act against our well, then yes, they are occupierers. and yes, if they do that, then that's how they will be termed. >> reporter: so, drew, i asked him what would the term be now, today? would he in fact characterize u.s. troops inside of his country trying to protect the

citizens, train the citizens, as occupiers? here's how he responded. >> the time the behavior goes beyond a reasonable limit. well, for example, the search of our homes, the arrest of afghans. >> reporter: so, drew, while he didn't use the word occupiers, he certainly has in the past and is continuing today to wage some complaints here, some criticism that in some ways he believes that u.s. nato forces have acted heavy-handed, that there has been some tension throughout and he's always said that the problem with civilian casualties is really something that has been very hard to deal with. the united nations, matter of fact, drew, says the first six months this year, civilian

afghan casualties have gone up by 15%. we just saw two days ago the eve of 9/11, an attack that happened outside of a combat outpost. who were the victims here? we are talking about two afghan civilians who were killed, about 77 u.s., as well as nato troops who were injured, and 25 afghan civilians who were also injured. so there are a lot of people who are bearing brunt of this war. >> suzanne, a lot of the criticism about this guy, karzai, is that he says different things to different people, you never know where he stands to the u.s. which sends billions of dollars to him and all the blood, sweat and tears we poured over into his country he says one thing, to the afghan civilians he says another. what did the u.s. ambassador for thes and john allen, the general over there, what's their take on what their main concerns are right now? >> reporter: well, sure. it is a very good question, drew. this is not the first time i've

met president karzai. i saw him once before at the white house under president bush in a press conference at the white house, asked him a question when he was at the white house with president obama, and yes, there is an ability for hamid karzai to go one way, then another way, and another way depending on who he's dealing with, who he's talking to and what benefits clearly his own administration. so i put the question essentially to the ambassador, ambassador crocker, and general john allen who is essentially the new head of the u.s. and nato mission here in afghanistan whether or not he can be trusted, whether or not he is corrupt, whether or not he is in fact a good partner. so what do you say to the american people who say, look, we've got billions of dollars wasted here going -- being funneled to the taliban. >> well, first, both on the military side and on the civilian side, we have taken a number of measures to ensure that that doesn't happen anymore. the second thing is is to

look -- is not to think that this has all been a great waste. in terms of civilian spending, the results are fairly extraordinary. in terms of health care, infant mortality has declined 22%. life expectancy in that same decade has gone up 16 years and a lot of that is because of u.s. civilian funding. >> and just to be clear, president karzai has been cooperative in fighting corruption here? this is somebody that you feel is working to fight that? >> you know, it's very parallel in my mind to what we went through with prime minister maliki. first you fight the wolf closest to the sled. those are the insurgents. and then you deal with institutional development. we found prime minister maliki ready to acknowledge that corruption was a problem. we have found president karzai in exactly the same mode and

indeed we have discussed with him some practical steps he and we have agreed on to start biting at way at this. >> what has he agreed to? >> to look at criminal patronage networks that have risen during the generation that the institutions of this government have been crushed. he is committed. and that commitment we intend to work in full partnership with the afghan government to begin the process of whittling away at this corruption which in the enis a corrosive impact on democracy. >> reporter: drew, what was interesting about that discussion is i had a chance to talk to president karzai about the issue of corruption, the xlachb complaints of corruption, the billions of dollars that reports have come out that found aid supposed to have been going to the afghans has been funneled to the taliban. president karzai says, look, they take responsibility in some

form to the small corruption, bits and pieces that the afghans are responsible for, he says, exchanging hands, money, bribes, that kind of thing. but he says the big corruption problem, the big problem he puts the blame -- he puts the responsibility largely back on u.s. -- not u.s. forces but u.s. businesses, nato allies, private contractors that are inside of afghanistan who have taken advantage of kind of the fluid situation and have managed to work out deals with the taliban. those kind of deals, he says, are the ones that are worth billions of dollars and are out of his control. so you can see again, there is some disagreement here, if you will, over who really is responsible for what is taking place that is wrong in afghanistan. he says we're partly responsible but he puts it squarely, that blame, back on some of his closest friends, if you will, drew. >> suzanne malveaux, great stuff, suzanne. thanks a lot from afghanistan today. we've just learned that bank of america's cutting 30,000

jobs. our alison kosik is on the floor of the new york stock exchange to explain what that means as we check the markets. and a choice. take advil now and maybe up to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain. way to go, coach. ♪

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containing the investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information. read and consider it carefully before investing. break news at the new york stock exchange. bank of america announcing they're cutting 30,000 jobs. alison kosik is at the stock exchange. >> wall street expected to see 30,000 to 40,000 job cuts. these cuts the company says will be taking place over the next few years. bank of america says many of them will be true attrition and just doing away with positions that weren't filled in the first place. rumors of these cuts have been really making the rounds for weeks. the ceo addressed these rumors today at an investor conference. he says his goal is to cut $5 billion each year between now and 2014. it is really part of a long-term

turnaround plan that b of a began last year and it wants to continue to sell non-core assets. one reason it shook up its management structure, b of a shares are down almost 50% this year. you can grab a share of b of a for about $7. if you're an investor though, that's pretty painful. >> bank of america's the biggest bank in the nation. right? do we expect this to be a trend among the other banks? >> it is. you know, it could be. you look at hsbc. it announced 25,000 job cuts last month. some analysts say other banks could follow. look, these banks are still facing lawsuits from the financial crisis. they're just now beginning to hit these big banks so they really need to really cut costs. also the economy is another reason for these job cuts. analysts say the fact is, many americans aren't taking out as many loans. they're not taking out as many credit cards or mortgages so there's just really no reason to

have that many people working for these banks if no one's using their services in full like in the past. >> what's going on down with the numbers there on this goofy day? >> check it out. b of a shares are pretty much flat right now. they're off session highs since those job cuts were sort of on the low end of what was expected. as for the overall market though, we do see the dow down 100 points. the nasdaq off about seven. you are looking at investors who are nervous about the escalating fears about greece defaulting on its debt. when wall street hears the word default plus a country, that certainly can send jitters through the market. afghan stepping up to defend their country. suzanne malveaux on assignment in afghanistan showing us new recruits in training and the very big job they face. well-being. we're all striving for it.

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it feels like you're protected against life's little mishaps. it feels like you'll make it home. that's what it feels like to be a member. here are some of the stories up next on the program -- is afghanistan ready to police itself? suzanne malveaux with an exclusive look at training exercises you're now viewing. then cnn in-depth, we'll take a closer look at republican presidential front-runner rick perry. and later, how young is too young? a school district in maine is handing out ipads in kindergarten.

first though training police in afghanistan is key to handing over security to the afghan people so u.s. troops can come home. ten years after 9/11 and the start of the war on terror, suzanne malveaux is getting a firsthand look at u.s. training efforts in afghanistan. she's in the capital now. suzanne, what are you seeing? >> reporter: sure, well, drew, just to kind of help people understand what is happening on ground, the taliban insurgents, they attack, they attack troops, they attack civilians, and essentially it is the u.s. troops, it's the nato troops and it is the afghan army. they go in and basically clear the area. but it is the afghan police. they are the ones that have to stay. they're the ones that live in the communities, the ones who go home to their wives and their children. they're the ones who really have to make sure that the peace is maintained on the street and that is why their success is critical to whether or not this country will be safe in the future.

this is the scenario -- a suicide bomb strapped to a child. a police officer must disarm the explosive and save the boy. the terrorist is taken into custody using tough but measured force. down the street an angry mob. these exercises are meant to simulate real-life crisis situations that the police recruits will find themselves in. they are considered critical because the police in the past have been accused of being abusive and nonprofessional. until recently, the afghan police force was almost entirely uneducated, untrained, and poorly paid. this led to widespread corruption, cops shaking down the community to support their families. fear and even hated by the people they were supposed to protect. general william caldwell is leading an international team trying to turn things around. zbltd police that are being produced today coming out of the training system are far better than anything they used to have.

>> reporter: their pay has been doubled. they are being taught to read and write and have pride in their work. this afghan police recruit is ashamed of the police' behavior. >> translator: some police use their power to abuse people. but i urge them to stop, to be honest and help people. >> reporter: the reason why these guys are so important to the future of this country is because they represent the face of a new authority -- insurgents target the police hoping to put fear in the hearts of the afghan people and undermine the afghan government. the international coalition here believes supporting the afghan police is key to bringing down the terrorists. so, drew, one of the problems here is that human rights watch says that because of these alleged abuses, abuses like land grabs and rapes and beatings and things like this from the police

in the past, that they believe -- or they at least fear that the united states international coalition could be arming and developing a militia. now u.s. forces and international forces say they do not have that fear, they don't believe that that is happening here, that they are instilling a sense of responsibility to the community that the behavior of the police is actually changing. i want to let you know one thing here. previously, just two years ago, when you talk about attrition rates, it was 110%. that means for every ten new police recruits they would train, 11 would drop out. now the attrition rate is 30%. every ten people trained and recruited, three of them drop out. it seems that there is a sense the police department is being built, that it is more successful than it has been in the past but one of the things, drew, that remains the same is that it's the afghan police that have twice as much of a death rate -- twice as likely being killed than the afghan army. so it is still a much more dangerous job and there are still a lot of different factors

that go into whether or not this police department, the afghan police, is going to be successful in the future. >> suzanne, such a difficult situation there. reporting live from afghanistan. thanks, suzanne. texas governor rick perry jumped in the race and shot straight to the top of the polls. we hear from supporters and critics about the perry phenomenon. wepeople'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. a living, breathing intelligence that is helping business rethink how to do business. in here, inventory can be taught to learn. ♪ in here, machines have a voice... ♪ [ male announcer ] in here, medical history follows you... even when you're away from home. it's the at&t network -- a network of possibilities, creating and integrating solutions,

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in an exclusive interview, mega designer marc jacobs sat down with our alina cho during this year's star-studded fashion week up in new york. she found out what inspires the man behind the tattoos and pencil skirts. yep. that he wears. and for the first time, he comments on the most coveted job in fashion that could be his.

>> reporter: you see his name everywhere. the creative genius behind a half billion dollar empire. the creative director of lieu wi vee ton. at 48, marc jacobs has won nearly every award in fashion, including the industry's highest for lifetime achievement just this year. this is an invebl validation from the industry. >> yeah. but a lifetime is also something that feels very final and i certainly don't feel like my lifetime isn't over and in fact i hope it is only half-way started. >> reporter: he may be right. the biggest rumor off the runway is rumor marc jacobs is in line for one of the most coveted jobs in design -- creative director of famed french fashion house christian dior. >> yeah, it would be an honor. there is no question there are two great couture houses in

paris -- chanel and dior. i think it would be a very hard thing to turn down. >> the company has been without a designer after they fired theirs for making antisemitic comments. >> one minute at a time, one second at a time. >> reporter: an obsession that started at 15, a stock boy at a hot new york city boutique. overnight he was selling his own designs, then designing for perry ellis. in the early '90s he started his own label and created a sensation when he re-interpreted grunge for the runway. marc jacobs had arrived. >> i instinctively react to things that stimulate me and -- >> such as? >> well, i mean could be anything. things that have affected me in the past couple of months. the weather's affected me. >> amy winehouse.

>> the death of amy winehouse. and moving into my new place. >> reporter: a perfectionist. >> so we should mock up the size. yeah? and put a pocket. >> reporter: famous for working right up until showtime. >> to me it doesn't really matter. if it is a day before the show, a week before the show. if it is before the show, it is before the show. >> reporter: a former drug addict with 33 tattoos and a certain fondness for skirts. >> i like wearing skirts. i like wearing kilts. started like a few years ago. i moved from kilts into pencil skirts. i wear now mostly prada pencil skirts. i like to do things that make me feel good that make me feel happy, that don't hurt other people. >> reporter: a man who, on and off the runway, has done it his way. and yet is never satisfied. >> i'm always nervous. i'm a total nervous wreck all the time -- or most of the time. i'm very -- i'm always questioning my choices and -- >> you are.

>> i'm always relooking at things. yeah. i don't think there's anything wrong with that. i don't think that's a negative thi thing. >> alina cho. we are letting you talk back on one of the big political soe stories of the day. will rick perry's stance on soeshg security hurt him oating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. i've tried it. you had me at "probiotic." but nothing's helped me beat my back pain. then i tried this. it's salonpas. this is the relief i've been looking for. salonpas has 2 powerful pain fighting ingredients that work for up to 12 hours.

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the republican presidential candidates are squaring off tonight. cnn along with the tea party express and other tea party groups host this debate tonight in tampa, florida. that by the way is the site of the 2012 republican convention. the cnn/tea party republican debate tonight. 8:00 eastern right here on cnn. texas governor rick perry heads into tonight's debate with a big lead now over his republican challengers. in a new poll out from cnn, perry is at 30%. mitt romney now a distant second at 18%. sarah palin, she's not even in it -- she's running third, followed by congressman ron paul. perry has rocketed to the top since jumping into the race and cnn's ed lavendera takes an in-depth look at the perry phenomenon. >> sometimes your instincts tell when you a man is right for the job. >> reporter: wearing chaps and riding a horse. this was rick perry's first state wide political ad back in 1990. >> i'll tell you a great story. >> reporter: legendary texas

political consultant bill miller remembers women posting pictures of perry in chaps in offices all over austin. he knew then rick perry had the "it" factor. >> they tell me, yeah, he is a good looking guy. when you meet him, you're going to get a vitality and energy off of him that you'll feel which will surprise you. >> reporter: so miller isn't surprised to see perry rocket to the top of the polls for the republican presidential nomination. he credits perry's risk taking like joining the tea party movement early. >> we didn't know where it was going or how it would play out. so he is a risk taker but a smart one because the bets he makes have paid off well for him politically. >> reporter: harold cook is another veteran political consultant in austin. he knows a thing or two about crafting political messages. he says perry has a great narrative but he hasn't locked up the nomination yet. >> if you hope to knock perry down as a republican opponent, you're going to have to get in the middle of his own jobs narrative and knock it down a couple of notches. the notches are there to knock.

they just haven't tried yet. >> reporter: cook is a democrat an he wouldn't let an opportunity slip by without trying to burst the rick perry phenomenon bubble. >> as easy as perry is to underestimate, it is also kind of easy to overestimate perry. is he not some magic monolith of a campaign here. since 1994, the only thing you've had to do as a republican in texas to win your election is to avoid being the democrat. >> reporter: rick perry is also used to being the front-runner. he's always held the lead and he's comfortable in front of crowds. he was a yell leader, kind of like a male cheerleader, at texas a&m university. >> all that in a weird kind of way helps him and i think makes him a better politician, a better campaigner and certainly by all accounts he's as good a campaigner as anyone seen down here in our lifetimes. >> reporter: but there is still months left in this race. rick perry can't ride off into the sunset as the republican nominee just yet.

ed lavendera, cnn, austin, texas. you've been sounding off on our "talk back" question. carol costello is here with your responses. >> i have them right here. the "talk back" question today lsh will perry's stance on social security hurt him? he called social security a ponzi scheme. this one -- yes, rick perry's stance will hurt him. tens of millions of u.s. paid in tens of thousands over the decades and we count on it to be there when we retire. this from arthur -- remember they want to privatize at fix. that means big business stops paying and you still pay and the money will be invested back to big business. your money will be safe in wall street. right. alex -- i'm a dedicated liberal but i agree with rick perry. i'm 21 years old and there's going to be no money in social security for me or those in my age group. even now those of us have begun to set up retirement nets

because there is no safety for us. quinn -- no, because set leader of the tinfoil hat crowd. sorry, michelle, there's someone who does crazy even better than you." keep conversation going, facebook.com/carolcnn. >> creative. i just got that tin-hat thing. a lot of people believe the ipad is the learninging tool of the future. but is a school district in maine missing the error message by making them mandatory in kindergarten? our senior medical correspondent looks at the good and the bad.

a school district in mainei

approach to helping kids struggling with math and reading. getting kids in kindergarten ipads. senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen caught up with some of them. >> reporter: it's a big day in mrs. mccarthy's kindergarten class at fairview school. >> what time do you think it is? >> lunch time. >> not lunch time. what do you think it is? >> ipad time! >> ipad time! >> reporter: today these kids are getting their own ipads. >> yep. thumbs on top. >> reporter: the auburn maine school district spent more than $200,000 to outfit everyone of its 250 kindergarteners with the tablets and a sturdy case to protect them. they pleefb they are the first public school district in the country to give every kindergartener and ipad. mrs. mccarthy says the ipads give her 19 students more immediate feedback and individual attention than she ever could. >> as much as you would love to as a person be able to get to

everybody right away and individualize what they're doing, sometimes you can't. >> reporter: 40% of the third-grader here in auburn are not reading at grade level. super says the goal is to fix that. >> we put a stake in the ground that our kindergarten classes from here on out by the time they reach third grade and leave third grade that 90% of those students are meeting benchmarks. >> reporter: there's no question these kids love their ipads. maybe a little too much, some might say. a study done last year shows kids with too much computer time are more likely to have psychological problems. some experts worry too much screen time takes them away from reality and away from face time with other kids and teachers. the school district says they're making sure that doesn't happen. >> we're going to really make sure that they're outside playing, that they are interacting with each other, they're interacting with adults.

besides using the tool that we're giving them. >> reporter: soon they'll find out if the ipads help or hurt when they test the kindergarteners reading and math skills in november. >> there's an obvious disconnect between the president telling us we have to fix crumbling schools and a school district handing out ipads to kindergarteners. but let's put aside the money. what do you parents think of this? >> for the parents the money is really a central part of this. some of them say this is a great expenditure, we feel like our kid is getting apps that are especially for them, they can move at their own pace. others are like $200,000? you could have bought a lot of teachers for that. i would rather my child have more teachers in the classroom than ipads in the classroom. >> you alluded to it in the report about too much computer time. what do psychologists think? it seems like that wonderful teacher there is being replaced by this little electronic etch-a-sketch. >> she's not being replaced by it, she is still in there and

very much involved with those children but she herself said i can't be with all 19 of these kids at one time, it is nice that they all have their ipad. child psychologists are sort of in disagreement about this. some of them feel that these are fine and some them feel the more time a kid spends with an ipad or itouch or just having a device that they can have with them at all times, they're not sort of registering with the world as much, that they're very focused on it device in front of them and their brain gets used to it and they want that fast face all the time and the world itself is slow. >> elizabeth cohen, that is going to be a talker. thank you for the story. the u.s. postal service borrows a page from the past to help protect its future.

the u.s. postal service is banking on a new strategy as it struggles to stay solvent. it is partnering with neighborhood businesses. patrick opman has more on what's being called a village post office in malone, washington. >> reporter: in malone, washington, it wasn't the rain, snow, sleet or hail that shuttered the town's only post office. the only landmark that comes up on google maps is this post office. it's now been closed but a new place is just across the street where you can pick up and receive mail. it is probably unlike any post office though that you've ever been to. this is what the postal service is calling a village post office. a mini-mart where mail is delivered and in between the beef jerky and $7 sunglasses, you can pick up flat-rate shipping supplies. postal service says they are paying the kims, couple that owns the market,