straight ahead. randi kaye is here. >> thank you very much, fred. well, it is not a prime time speech, of course, to a joint session of congress but a lot of people still would like to hear john boehner's alternative to president obama's jobs bill. he has just started speaking. let's listen in for a bit here. >> i worked in that tavern growing up. lot of things you can learn working in a bar. tell you more about that later. but listen, i ran a small business myself. and i was 25 years old. went to work for a guy and he passed away and i suddenly found myself in a small business where i had one real live customer and that was hanging on trying to succeed. but i know what it means to meet a payroll, to hire people and to create jobs in the private sector. and here in washington there's a fundamental misunderstanding of the economy and it's led to an awful lot of bad decisions.

the reality is that employers will hire, if they've got the right incentives. but the incentives have to outweigh the costs. as an example, businesses aren't going to hire someone because the government's going to give them a $4,000 tax credit. if the government mandates that are imposed on them cost a lot more than that, temporary credit. in recent years these mandates have been overwhelming. private sector job creators of all sizes have been pummeled by decisions being made right here in washington. they've been slammed by uncertainty from the constant threat of new taxes out of control spending and unnecessary regulations from a government that's always micromanaging, meddling and manipulating. they've been hurt by government ideas that offer short-term gimmicks rather than fundamental reforms that will encourage long-term economic growth.

they've been hampered by a government that offers confusion to entrepreneurs and job creators when there needs to be clarity. they've been undercut by a government that favors crony capitalism and businesses deemed to be too big to fail over the small banks and small businesses that are at the heart of our economy. and they've been antagonized by government that favors bureaucrats over marked-based solutions. they've been demoralized by a government that causes despair when what we really need is to provide re-assurance and inspire hope in our economy. my worry is that even after all of this, much of the talk in washington right now is basically about more of the same. more initiatives that seem to have more to do with the next election than the next generation. these economic decisions that are being made here ought to be made to help liberate our

economy. and i think the american people are worried about all of this, as i am. i can tell you the american people, private sector job creators are battling what they've seen out of this town in the last few years. my worry is that all the uncertainty by job creators is turning to fear and that this toxic environment for job creation may be a permanent one. job creators in america basically are on strike. and the problem is not confusion about the policies. it's the policies themselves. the anger many americans have been feeling in recent years is beginning to turn to fear and it's fear of our future. that bothers me and frankly, i think it should bother all of us. america is a land of opportunity and it always has been. and our economy has been built on opportunity. on entrepreneurs, innovators, risk takers willing to take a

khan chance because they are confident. if they work hard they've got a chance to succeed. over the past few years governments made people less confident. not more confident, that they can succeed. more and more americans are realizing this and they're speaking out about it. the last six weeks or so i traveled through my district and across the country listening to people outside of washington who are the key to making america work. my message today on their behalf is this -- this isn't that hard! what we need to do is liberate the economy from the shackles of washington. let our economy grow. i think we need to trust in the good judgment of the american people. the instinct of government always is this -- to get bigger, more meddlesome, more intrusive. and that instinct is at direct odds with what is needed to make the american economy move. job creation in america is

facing what i would call a triple threat from our government. i think the first aspect of that threat is excessive regulation. during the joint session last week, i hosted about a dozen job creators from the private sector as guests in the house gallery. all of them with a common story. they're trying to help create more american jobs but in each case the government is getting in their way. we all know some regulations are needed. we've got a responsibility under the constitution to regulate interstate commerce. there are reasonable regulations that protect our children and keep our environment pleen. well, then are excessive regulations that unnecessarily increase the costs for consumers and small businesses and those excessive regulations are making it harder for our economy to create jobs. over the past couple of months we've seen two vivid illustrations. last month agents rated the gibson guitar factory in

tennessee. gibson, well respected american company, that employs thousands of people. the company's cost as a result of the raid are an estimated $2 million to $3 million. why? because gibson bought wood overseas to make guitars in america. the other example is in south carolina where the boeing company recently completed a plant that will create thousands of new full-time jobs for american workers. only to be sued by a federal agency that wants to shut it down. let me make sure i've got this right. american companies are free to go create jobs in china but they aren't free to create jobs in south carolina. you know, this moment the administration has 219 rules in the works that will cost the american economy at least $100 million each.

this means under the current washington agenda, our economy is poised to take a hit from the government of at least $100 million -- at least 219 times. and i think it is reasonable to ask is it wise to be doing all of this right now? the current regulatory burden coming out of washington far exceeds the government's constitutional mandate and it's hurting job creation in our country at a time when we can least afford it. government's threat to job creation has two other components. one is the current tax code which discourages investments and rewards special interest. it strikes me as odd at a time when it is clear the tax code needs to be fundamentally reformed, the first instant to come out of washington is to come one a new host of tax credits that make the tax code more complex. on the final aspect of is the spending binge that's been going

on here in washington, it is created a massive debt crisis that poses a direct threat to our country's ability to create jobs and to prosper. now there are some people in this town who still deny it, who still deny that our debt is a threat to jobs. but if you talk to anybody outside of washington who has to meet a payroll, they'll tell you that out of control spending in washington is one of the things that concerns them most about our future. back in may i was in new york city. and warned that if we didn't take action soon the markets would take action for us. well, last month mavths took action in the form of a debt downgrade and the possibility of future downgrades that caused the markets to tumble. it is going to keep happening until we as a government act. the responsibility for fixing this toxic environment for job creation is a bipartisan one. the situation was created by

washington's inability to let our economy work. it was created by government intrusion on micromanagement and i think we've got a responsibility to work together in the coming months to remove these barriers and to liberate our economy. this is what the american people are demanding of us. everything we do in the weeks and months to come needs to start with asking this question -- are we addressing these problems or are we making them worse? the budget control act of 2011, signed into law just last month, establishes a joint select committee of congress for the purpose of identifying $1.5 trillion of deficit reduction. many have expressed their doubts about the joint committee's chances of success. now listen, i understand the skepticism, you know, a joint committee, after all, is no substitute for the president who controls most of the arms of

government. but i think the select committee has a huge opportunity. it has a chance to lay the foundation for economic growth by dealing with some of the obstacles that are standing in the way. the joint committee's mission is deficit reduction and i think that has everything to do with job growth in our country. as the co-chairman of the joint committee jeb hensarling from texas said last week at the committee's first meeting, said this -- our debt threatens our jobs. a fortune 500 ceo or business person, to them it is clear our debt hangs like the sort of d damiclese in hiring positions. the joint select committee can tackle tax reform and it should. it is probably not realistic to think that the joint committee could rewrite the tax code by

november 23rd but it can certainly lay the groundwork for them for tax reform in the future. that len hans economic growth and enhancement environment for real economic growth in our country. a broad-based tax reform that will lower taxes for individuals and small businesses. yes, the tax reform should include closing loopholes. not for the purposes of bringing more money to the government, but because it's the right thing to do and it's the fair thing to do. if we're going to tackle tax reform, frankly, we ought to tackle all of it. making short-term fixes in exchange for long-term flawed policy is not tax reform. i think tax reform should deal with the whole code, both the personal side and the corporate side and it should result in a code that is simpler and fairer for everyone. now tax increases i think are

off the table. and i don't think they're a viable option for the joint committee. it is a very simple equation. tax increases destroy jobs and the joint committee has a jobs committee. its mission is to reduce the deficit as threatening job creation in our country. we should not make us -- >> listening to republican house speaker john boehner making some comments there at economic club of washington. some highlights, pointing the finger at the democrats for micromanaging for offering short-term gimmicks, as he said. saying the democrats offer confusion to business owners instead of clarity. of course, blaming the excessive regulation for the difficulty that we're seeing in job creation. we will continue to keep an eye on these comments and we'll have much more on them in our political coverage. in the meantime, a very quick break and we'll be right back with much more news. citracal slow release... continuously releases calcium plus d for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal.

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now to a murder case that's been closed for 20 years but never in the minds of many actually solved. troy davis has spent his adult life on death row here in georgia and six days from today his life is scheduled to end. his only remaining hope is the state board of pardons and paroles which may or may not be swayed by hundreds of thousands of names attached to petitions presented this morning by amnesty international, the naacp, aclu and others. even the likes of former fbi director sessions is publicly urging davis' life be spared. in today's "atlanta journal constitution" davis writes "serious questions about mr. davis' guilt, highlighted by witness recantations, allegations of police coercion and a lack of relevant physical evidence continue to plague his

conviction." it was over the killing of a police officer in savannah, georgia from 1989. cnn's david mattingly has the story. >> reporter: three sometimes scheduled for execution, three times delayed. now with all legal appeals exhausted, supporters of convicted cop killer troy davis make a final push for clemency. what makes you think you still have a chance to stop this execution? >> can we be sure that this man is not innocent? can we be sure that the conviction of troy davis back in 1991 is still reliable? and the thing that's so difficult to understand is why the legal process has not asked that question. >> reporter: davis was sentenced to death for the 1989 murder of savannah, georgia police officer mark mcfail. seven of nine eyewitnesses have since recanted, changed their stories. some say they were originally pressured by police. >> i told them over and over that this is -- i didn't see this happen. they put what they wanted to put in that statement. >> reporter: others have come forward implicating another man.

one juror who convicted davis questions her decision. >> if i knew then what i know now, troy davis would not be on death row. >> reporter: with only a week to his execution, critics of the case against davis include 51 members of congress, the vatican, and former president jimmy carter. >> we believe that in this particular case there is enough evidence to the contrary to prevent this execution taking place. >> reporter: an online petition supporting clemency for davis exceeded 200,000 signatures in five days. but state and federal courts have all upheld davis' conviction. the former d.a. who prosecuted davis says the courts got it right. >> i'm just disappointed that so many people have been led to believe that nobody has paid attention to these recantations. it is as i explained earlier, simply not the case. it's just not the case. and on what ground are the recantations more believable than the testimony in court?

none. none. >> here to weigh in, naacp president ben jealous and legal analyst sunny hostin. is this the end of the road for troy davis? what should his legal team be doing right now to save him? >> certainly i think they are doing all that they can do, randi. absolutely by sort of bringing this issue to the forefront, he has only six days until the scheduled execution and this really is an egregious case -- really an egregious case and it is really now up to the georgia department -- or rather the georgia parole board to do something about it. they can do something about it. they can stay his execution. they've done it before. and i've got to tell you, i've seen so many cases, randi, i've tried so many cases, and this is one of the most egregious cases i've ever seen that there is really actually evidence that he may very well be innocent. to allow a death penalty -- an

execution to go forward in a case like this would be a miscarriage of justice. knowing what we know now about this case. >> ben, when you look at the testimony in this case, i mean the majority of witnesses have now recanted their testimony. many of them say that they were pressured by police. others say that somebody else actually committed this crime. what does it take when you have evidence like that to get someone off death row? >> what it takes is courage and conviction on behalf of the d.a. and the county who frankly should not have signed the death warrant. he knows that this is not a case that he could come forward now because seven out of nine people who put troy there now say that they lied. this is the time for the board of pardons to do their job, for people to look at these facts and say this is why we are here. since the time kings we've had the power of commutation.

there's too much doubt to execute. we're going to do the right thing, we're going to make sure that this man is not executed, that he gets off death row and then get time for the facts to -- this kay needs to be re-opened in savannah. what people sort of forget here is that what this means is that the killer of mark mcfail is still out there on the street. the reality is that justice has not been done here. justice needs to be done. troy davis needs to be off death row. courts need -- the case needs to be re-opened. the real killer needs to be put in jail. >> sunny, you heard ben there say that the case needs to be re-opened. but it has been re-opened before and the courts have found basically smoke and mirrors. the evidence too general once again. so what would be different this time? >> well, i think what's important to note, randi -- and you really hit the nail on the hit -- the first time in over 50 years the supreme court granted him what sort of commonly known

as an innocence hearing where he gets to go in front of a federal judge and prove his innocence by clear and convincing evidence. and in that hearing that happened in june of 2010 these people came forward and said i was coerced by the police. i'm recanting my testimony. but the judge found that he didn't prove his innocence by clear and convincing evidence. now what's so interesting about that is that is really not what the law should be about. the state has to prove someone's innocence beyond a reasonable doubt. not -- the person doesn't have to prove their innocence. so i think really this system is just awry when it comes to this type of case and again, i mean there's really compelling evidence to support the notion that he is innocent when you have 7 out of 9 people recanting or changing their stories and you have no physical evidence tying someone to a crime, that is not the type of case that you put someone to death on because death is an irreversible sanction. >> ben, i have to ask this.

do you think that we'd be in this same position and that troy davis would be in this same position if we were looking at a white man sitting on death row versus a black man sitsing on death row? >> no. right now there's been about ten people who have come off death row, come off to another prison who have been put there on very serious charges. the reality is that too often we just have a much lower bar being a convicted black male. one thing is for certain, whether the person is black or white, we only put poor people on death row. 95% to 98% on death row were too poor to afford their own lawyer state to state. that's why it is so important that people speak up at this moment, that they text troy 62227 and have their name signed. don't do this in my name.

when our country stumbles toward putting a man who did not commit the crime to death for that crime, it is incumbent upon all of us to say no, stop, please don't do this. because quite frankly, when the state kills somebody -- >> as some have said, including former fbi director william sessions, justice will not be served for the officer's death if the wrong man is then put to death for that. ben jealous, sunny hostin, thank you both for that discussion. coming up -- one high school is creating a new status quo. 100% of its students are going to college. imagine if that was true at every high school. we'll show you the key to their success. 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. ♪

in cnn's series "fix our schools," we are looking for solutions to improve our kids' education. one school now has 100% of its graduates going to college. 100%! but that wasn't always the case for urban prep, the nation's first all-boys charter school. ted rowlands shows us what changed. >> wide receivers over there! let's go! >> reporter: germane taylor is excited about his senior year playing football for chicago's urban prep high school. but it's his future and the future of his teammates and classmates that not only has jermaine excited but also educators around the country. >> everyone here knows that they're going to college. >> reporter: every student that's graduated from this all-boys public charter high school on chicago's notoriously rough south side has been accepted to a four-year college.

an incredible statistic considering that traditionally, less than 5% of african-american boys from chicago's public schools make it through college. >> i want to go into engineering and get my degree in engineering at u of i. >> reporter: urban prep has been open for five years. there's no test to get in. it is a lottery. there are roughly 1,400 boys on the current wait list. freshman arrive with varying levels of education. the school days are long, 8:30 to 4:30. students wear a jacket and tie and are expected to excel. have you ever wanted to quit? >> no, not really. i was frustrated. i get frustrated but i never wanted to quit because people around me always gave me that positive reinforcement that i needed to keep on going. >> reporter: he's happy now but the idea of no girls and extra work didn't appeal to jermaine. his parents made the decision to go to urban prep for him. brandon is a freshman who had's just starting to understand what

lies ahead. >> my mom told me to come and i didn't -- i really didn't want to go, but now that i'm here i like it. >> there are plenty to get here because mom is making them come. but there's a good number that actually come because they want this type of experience. >> reporter: because they can see where it is going? >> they can see the future. they understand what opportunities they're going to have because of an urban prep education. >> reporter: the urban prep education is more than long hours and hard work. it also includes support. kids are taught to support each other in class. the school provides support for any obstacles at home. >> we've got a 90% poverty rate for our students. our students are all african-american and our students come from some of the tough neighborhoods in the city of chicago. it's very clear to me that that stuff matters but it's not an impediment to that child's success. >> reporter: jermaine says he'd like to play college football if he can make the team and if it

doesn't distract him from his goal of becoming an engineer. >> ted rowlands joins us live now from chicago. ted, that is such a great story. nice to see so many of them succeeding. what's the secret? >> well, it's that support, randi. when freshmen come in they don't say, now if you do well you'll graduate, if you don't, you won't. they say you will graduate from not only this school but you're going to college and here's why -- because we're going to support you and you're going to support each other, you're going to hold each other's hands basically through this process and they're all committed to it. all these kids know that they're going to have to work their butts off but they're going to college and they are excited about it because they've been told what that means in terms of the rest of their life. >> i'm sure. what about their teachers? they must have some pretty great teachers. are they paid more to deliver like this? >> no. they're actually paid about the same starting wage as a unionized teacher here in chicago, but moving forward they really are giving up seniority

because they didn't get the pay increases or the same benefits as a union teacher. so talking about the director, tim king, he says my teachers are here because they love it. moving forward though they are really donating, if you will, some of their salary moving forward because they won't get paid as much. >> ted rowlands, zbragreat stor live from chicago. coming up, he delivered a shock blow to democrats. a win he calls a referendum on president. we'll talk to the newly elected new york congressman bob turner -- next. don't miss our conversation. gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. you had me at "probiotic."

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if i said the name bob turner to you last week, unless are you a political junkie or new yorker, you might have asked, who? but republican bob tirn, a newbie to the political world is now a household name after pulling off a stunning upset in tuesday's special election. he replaces former congressman anthony weiner nabbing a democrat stronghold. talking about the seat for new york's ninth congressional district. losing the ninth district to a republican is seen as a major

blow to democrats who outnumber the gop in this district 3-1. voters here had not sent a republican to the house since 1923. until now. the best man to talk about this surprising win of course is bob turner himself. he joins us now from washington from capitol hill. bob, congratulations. first order of business now that you are a congressman and you're in washington, d.c., tell us, what is your first order of business there? >> well, i'm orienting myself. i had a wonderful day. got sworn in. got my voting card. got directions to the men's room. i'm all set to roll up my sleeves and get to work. >> what made you think that you could win this time around? looking back -- because it was less than a year ago that you actually ran against anthony weiner and you lost by more than 20 points. what was it this time that made the difference for you?

>> i think many of the things we were ouning on, the issues have become more pronounced. i felt more democrats were ready to take a different view. in this district you have to appeal to independents and democrats to win. that was our message. it was strongly the economy, jobs, the looming deficit and its danger. i think people were ready for a different message and they accepted it. >> you have framed your win as a referendum on the president. those are your words. i think you also said you lit one candle today and now there is going to be a bonfire pretty soon. what makes you believe all of this? >> well, the voters of this district turned out in big numbers to support a very different viewpoint. but a viewpoint that's growing and it is out there and it can

be felt. i think if we do not change the current course we're going to see a lot more of these bob turner types coming up and winning in seats that they shouldn't. >> you are a retired television executive. television cable executive. you are admittedly a political novice. you look at what's happening there on capitol hill. we have the do-nothing congress, as they are being called, and all of the in-fighting. how do you expect to navigate that and maybe improve things? >> well, i'm a lone voice but i hope to put forth a business practicality and common sense approach. i have to reach across the aisles to get anything done for the people i represent in the ninth. so i hope we can do that. i expect to do that. >> what's your vote on the president's jobs plan? >> well, i think the plan is a

starting point. it is certainly not perfect. there is a lot do. but i think we ought to begin. we can sit down together and figure out the parts of this that work and what might be added to it to enhance it. >> you are on twitter. right, congressman? >> actually, i hope not. >> you won't be -- you don't plan to be using twitter? >> i think my predecessor would probably advise me not to as well. >> all right, congressman, we'll look for you whether it's on twitter or facebook or maybe just there on capitol hill. we appreciate your time today and good luck getting to know the way things work there. >> thank you. thank you, randi. at the white house today, president obama will award the nation's highest military honor to a marine who calls himself a failure. dakota meyer was a 21-year-old

corporal helping train afghan soldiers when their patrol was ambushed two years ago this month. he defied his commanders by jumping into a humvee along with a rom ccomrade where he rushed enemy fire and saved the lives of three dozen u.s. and afghan troops. he also found and recovered the troops of men he considers his brothers, whom he couldn't save and whom he says he thinks about every day. meyer is the first living marine to accept the medal of honor from the iraq or afghan wars. you'll see the ceremony live at 2:45 eastern time right here on cnn. coming up, we break down the hot political story of the day -- can rick perry win the latino vote? and is michele bachmann's campaign for president coming to an end? it is all fair game and it is next. and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military

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[ gulps ] ♪ where the longhorn cattle feed ♪ ♪ on the lowly gypsum weed ♪ back in the saddle again see how affordable an rv vacation can be. visit gorving.com and watch a free video. go affordably. go rving. it is time for "fair game" where every day at this time we tackle hot political topics people are talking about. our panel, will cane, democratic political consultant ed es pa know za, and john avlon, also a columnist for "newsweek" and the daily beast. welcome to you all. start with the latino vote. many wonder if rick perry, the gop front-runner, could pick up this vote. john, start with you. what does rick perry need to do to secure latino voters?

>> he needs top hand out a welcome sign and a border state governor is in a good position to do that. the republican party as they move further and further to the right are chasing down a dying demographic. they can't build a future party on all-white guys. single most important that happened this week in politics is rick perry getting the endorsement of new mexico's governor. it signals to latino voters they could consider voting for him in the fall of 2012. >> ed, you were at the event the president held last night trying to get the latino vote. how do you think he did and what does he need to do? >> i think the president's done a great job and the important thing in courting any vote, whether the latino vote or the rural vote or any community out there, what you have to do is build up a relationship over time. the problem rick perry has got is the same problem the gop has in general right now, that they haven't built that relationship with the latino community. while perry supports the dream act, he also supported a texas

version of the arizona sb -1070 bill. health care is very low in that state among latinos and he lost every county where there is majority of latinos in his re-election in texas last year. his best way to win the latino vote is to pick a running mate that has a better record than he does. >> john, let me get to you. as ed mentioned, rick perry does support the dream act. so does president obama. but rick perry sits to the left of the rest of the gop candidates. is that a good thing and how does he separate himself then from the president? >> on that one issue it certainly is a good thing and he's taken some heat for it from folks on the far right. that's exactly the kind of stand he needs to take in order to say that, as a border state governor, i understand the diversity of american life. as he takes heat from the far right that's what you need to build bridges through the center of the general election. >> is rick perry the best person to do this for the gop? >> i think john just pointed out he's probably the best among the

field. i should say this -- the answer to the question you asked ed and john is can rick perry win the latino vote? the answer is yes. the latino vote is not mon low litic as say the black vote which is 90% votes for democrats. it is more like 60%, 65% for democrats. so there is certainly a big opportunity for republicans to win with latinos. i think the way to do that is to speak through the prism of aspiration, hard work, success, achievement. the republican party has a unique angle in being able to be proponents of those values. >> the unique angle on that value, but there's a problem with being genuine about that. i think that this goes back to building relationships over time. obviously this is a very competitive demographic. the bloc has shown it is not lock-step with democrats or republicans. but when you look at the track record of what the parties say and what they do, the gop not just perry -- the gop in general has got a problem here. >> and a final point on this. president bush reached out in

good faith and he got slapped down with the immigration bill that mccain and kennedy co-sponsored. then in the subsequent, president obama nominated the first latino justice, judge sotomayor and republicans tried to really block her. then you had the arizona bill. i think ground has been lost in terms of the gop outreach to the latino community since the bush years. >> let's talk about the gop/tea party debate earlier this week. but i want to talk about michele bachmann. her comments at that debate when she went after rick perry on the hpv vaccine, she said that she met a woman after the debate who came up to her and said these are her words, her daughter took the vaccine and she suffered from mental retardation thereafter. that is a quote from her. but last night on sean hty radio show she seemed to backtrack a bit. listen and i want to get your response. >> i am not a doctor, i'm not a scientist. i'm not a physician. all i was doing was reporting what this woman told me last night at the debate.

>> so let me start with you, john. does it sound like she's walking that back a bit? >> oh, she's walking it back. she's not a doctor and she doesn't even play one on tv. but here's the problem. her whole political career has been built by throwing bombs. she has never been restrained by the facts. the problem is she's gained a repetition by throwing out irresponsible statements but there is a limit to how long that can work and that limit is apparently when you start running for president. so michele bachmann's got a real problem here. >> will, there is a minnesota professor and actually another professor who is actually offering $1,000 for bachmann's hpv vaccine victim to come forward. this other professor is offering $10,000. what do you make of that? they want proof. >> i don't need anybody to come forward. i need michele bachmann to go away. she has convinced a certain segment of conservatives that she is the only principled conservative in the field. yet every time she speaks she betrays conservative principles like free market capitalism with her promise of $2 gas or

constitutional federalism like saying mitt romney's health care mandate, while philosophically wrong, is also unconstitutional. with now this vaccination causes retardation? this is too much. we have to do it now. >> ed, i'll give you the final word on this one. >> one month ago she was the republican front-runner. but i think that the problem we're looking at -- the problem we've got here is that it is inherently difficult for a member of congress to launch from their smaller district, their smaller area of supporters, to a larger area, a larger platform like president. we haven't had a major party nominee who's been from -- directly from the house of representatives in almost 100 years. it is not going to happen this time. she just hasn't been tested the same way that a senator or governor has so is her campaign doomed now? i think history shows it was doomed from the start. >> all right, guys. that was a really fun discussion. serious topics of course but fun

discussion. as always, nice to see you guys. coming up -- a brutal warning. mutilated bodies hanging from a bridge. a very disturbing story but one that any social media user will want to hear. we'll have it for you right after this. meineke's personal pricing on brakes. i tell you what i can spend. i do my best to make it work. i'm back on the road safely. and i saved you money on brakes. that's personal pricing.

we have some new details on a story that we told you about yesterday. horrifying murder of two young users of social media in mexico. it happened on the texas-mexico border. the victims allegedly were tortured. their bodies mutilated by a

mexican drug cartel. some of the images are very graphic. rafael romo has more. >> reporter: it's the most shocking message sent so far to people who post messages on social media about drug violence in mexico. the bodies of a young man and a woman were found hanging from a pedestrian bridge in the border city of nuevo laredo. the young man and woman appear to have been tortured. she was tied by a rope with the wrists and ankles and had a severe abdominal injury. the man was tide with a cable by the wrists and his right after was partially severed. two posters found near the bodies had similar messages that the two were killed for denouncing drug cartel activity on a social network. one of them said, this is going to happen to all of those posting funny things on the internet. you'd better expletive pay attention. i am about to get you. the posters threaten those who report violent incidents through

social media networks. it specifically named two blogs. users can peeft anonymous messages about incidents of drug violence in mexico. mexican president calderon has not reacted to the messages but in a public ceremony this week, he said that peace in mexico is everybody's responsibility. [ speaking spanish ] >> translator: face the enemy and fight against it in the name of mexico. i believe that every citizen, whether in the military or not, should do that. everybody in their trenches, everybody in their attacks, everybody doing their jobs. we need to build the country we want assuming that the future of our country depends on every effort we make. and rafael romo is here with me in the studio. that is a horrific story. has any cartel claimed responsibility for these killings yet? >> the poster they found was signed with a z.

a cartel operates in that part of mexico. so far we have no indication on whether they were responsible for this or not. there is a turf war in that part of mexico between two cartels so that might have been what caused the problem. >> we don't even know what the messages said. what they may have written. >> not specifically why. >> thank you for the update on that. we have much more news after this quick break. that's a coff. the afternoon tour begins with more pain and more pills. the evening guests arrive. back to sore knees. back to more pills. the day is done but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. just 2 pills can keep arthritis pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lara who chose 2 aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. find new ways to optimizetted to heltheir cash flow.esses so, stop in and ask for a regions cashcor analysis and see how easy it is to get your cash flow

(whistles) heading in the right direction. let's talk.

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florida has casey anthony, the mother of caylee anthony, paying nearly $100,000 now to law enforcement there for the cost of the investigation. the actual figure is $97,676 for the cost of the investigation. the hearing was held back on september 2. and this is for, as we said, the case of the death of caylee anthony who was just 2 years old at the time. as we know, casey anthony had lied to investigators, sent them on a bit of a wild goose chase looking for her daughter. now she has to repay law enforcement there and the state nearly $100,000. moving on now, hollywood is in high gear ahead of sunday night's 63rd annual emmy awards. with so much talent on the ballot, some are saying this year's winners are pretty hard to predict. now a look at who is on the list. hi there. any sure bets this year, do you think? >> we have a few. can you believe it? the prime time emmy awards are a

few weeks away. some of the hottest stars are gearing up for the biggest night. let's get to the biggest nominee. starting with the comedy category, modern family. it took home the best comedy trophy last year. and after earning 17 nominations, many experts think this could be their year again. that the abc years liz snag the emmy again on sunday. modern family is a handful of acting noms including the favorite in the supporting actor category. moving on to drama. get ready for a big showdown between madmen. it won the best drama emmy the past three years, and hbo's boardwalk empire. earned a whole lot of praise among fans and critics after just one season. the show is set in the 1920s, atlantic city. it the won a golden globe in january for best television drama series. "showbiz tonight" caught one some of the big stars from the show. boardwalk empire. wednesday night at the big premier in new york and they opened up about all the

accolades. let's listen to this. >> it's great. great for the show. but certainly, i don't need the validation. i know i'm working with the best people. every aspect of it. from the costumes to the sets are just so specific in the detail. >> i think everyone felt really good about that. they really appreciate it. and it makes it nice to go to work because everybody feels like almost, they can relax and do the job and not worry too much about ratings and things like that, you know. a real luxury. >> between the people behind the camera and the front of the camera, no better group of people. the level of talent is just hard to top. >> randy, how about that cast? that was, of course, mark wahlberg who doesn't star in the show but serves as an executive producer, along with martin scorsese. so with competition like this, maybe this is the year madmen is bumped from the top spot. we'll have to see.

jane lynch hosts. it should be a great show. >> i know where you'll be sunday night. we'll be watching along with you. thanks very much. we'll have much more news clawing very unique cat after this break. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com whether it can be done safely and responsibly. at exxonmobil we know the answer is yes. when we design any well, the groundwater's protected by multiple layers of steel and cement. most wells are over a mile and a half deep so there's a tremendous amount of protective rock between the fracking operation and the groundwater.

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cat that glows with that greenish tint. in today's big eye, we're taking a look at an experiment from the mayo clinic to then fight against aids. researcher there are studying fiv which causes aids in cats similar to hiv that causes aids in humans. they are looking at reeses monkeys. why the green glow? >> the green glow is a packer gene. it is really there just to allow to us easily tell whether the animal and the cells have the genes of interest without having to do an invasive test to tell that. by shining a blue light on the animals, you see the reflective green glow. it is the same color as in a jellyfish. >> did have the doctor says the goal of the experiment was to give something the cat did not have in order to block fiv. the project has been in the works for several years but it is still too early to tell if one or more proteins are needed to block fiv and it will take

even longer to determine if there will be any sort of human benefit. dakota meyer calls himself a failure. this hour, a nation in awe of his bravery calls him a hero. he was a 21-year-old marine when their patrol was ambushed two years ago this month. he defied his commanders by jumping into a humvee along with a comrade and rushing into enemy fire where he killed several insurgents and saved the lives of three dozen u.s. and afghan troops. he found and recovered the bodies of three of his fellow marines and a navy korpsman. men he considered his brothers, whom he couldn't save and whom he said he thinks about every day. later this hour at the white house, meyer will be awarded the medal of honor. america's highest military recognition. i want you to see that medal up close, okay? there are actually three medals

of honor. as a marine, meyer will receive the navy medal. the army and the air force have their own but the navy's is actually the oldest. it is surrounded by 34 stars representing the number of states in 1862 when it was struck. the insignia shows minerva, the roman goddess of wisdom and war symbolizes this war. fayetting design for the civil war. meyer is the first living marine to receive the medal of honor from the iraq or afghan wars. you will see the ceremony live right here at 2:45 eastern time on cnn. now, i want to bring in our pentagon correspondent. barbara starr. she has much more on the day that meyer calls the worst of his life. war is chaotic. we know that. but the events of september 8th, 2009, were especially so. what have you been able to find out? >> well, when this young man steps on the podium shortly at the white house, next to the president of the united states, he truly is stepping into the pages of history.

what he went through on that day in afghanistan, you know, it really will just make you stop and pause. they got ambushed. they were in a firefight. these sorts of things happen in afghanistan. when they called for help, when they called their headquarters and said, we need helicopters. we need reinforcements. we need artillery fire. we are pinned down. they didn't get an answer. four time dakota meyer asked for permission to go to the help of his buddies who were a short distance away. four times he was denied permission. this young marine finally disobeyed orders with another marine. they got into a gun truck. meyers was in a turret totally exposed to enemy fire and everything rushing off. literally firing at the insurgents at point blank range. there was a major investigation of this incident. there were three letters of reprimand issued to officers who it is felt failed to perform

their duties. it was found by the army that in the higher headquarters, there was complacency, lack of training, lack of responsiveness, and they just didn't get it. they did not understand that these young troops were pinned down under fire in extremis. that a failure. of course, the commanders are supposed to know and make it their business to know exactly what's going on when their guys are caught in a firefight. >> when whatever an incredible drama playing out in the battlefield. whatever happened to the staff sergeant who was in the humvee that day? >> well, he and others, especially another young man are now going to be recommended possibly, possibly for additional medals. we want to tell that you a young man named army captain s wempb nson who went with dakota meyer under fire to rescue the bodies of four u.s. troops who had been killed. nobody could bring them back

from the kill zone. they both went in one more time into the kill zone to rescue these u.s. killed in action troops. captain swenson, we are now will, will be recommended also for a medal. possibly, possibly the medal of honor. this whole incident is really beyond extraordinary. very tragic. stay all about the heroism, the gallantry and the bravery of this young former marine corporal, dakota meyer, from kentucky. it is really to honor his actions. like so many other troops, he says it is not about him. it is about he shall who fights and serves the country. that's what dakota meyer said he wants people to be aware of. >> when he calls it the worst day of his life, it certainly sounds like that. thank you very much. we are not done yet. in our necks segment, we'll hear from dakota meyer himself. he doesn't like to talk about it.

taking a look at some other developing stories we're following. once again, time is running out for the man that you see right here. troy davis is scheduled to be executed near georgia six days from today. his execution date has been delayed three times already. davis was convicted of killing a police officer in savannah in 1989. since then, nine eyewitnesses have changed their stories saying they were pressured by police to testify against davis. they are joined by hundreds of thousands of people who have signed petitions calling for clemency. his only hope now is that the state board of pardons and paroles will agree. house speaker john boehner is taking aim at president obama's new job bill mincing new words last hour. boehner was emphatic saying tax increases are off the table when the special congressional debt committee gets down to work. repeating a familiar gop refrain, he said tax increases destroy jobs. what the 12-member super committee should do instead is

implement reform that could lower tax rates for individuals and corporations while closing loopholes and credits in existing laws. a marine medal of honor recipient said he is no hero. soon the world long him as one. how did a cokoe from my worst allergy symptoms. so lily and i are back on the road again. with zyrtec® i can love the air®. [ male announcer ] each of these photos was taken by someone on the first morning of their retirement. it's the first of more than 6,000 sunrises the average retiree will see. ♪ as we're living longer than ever before, prudential's challenge is to help everyone have the retirement income they'll need to enjoy every one of their days. ♪ prudential. bring your challenges.

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back in 2009, marine dakota meyers saved the lives of 13 u.s. troops and 23 afghan soldiers. now he is receiving the medal of honor. despite that recognition, he still calls himself a failure. but in a short while, the country will be calling him a hero. here's a look at dakota meyer. >> i'm dakota meyer. i'm from columbia, kentucky. anyone who receives the medal of honor and we're still here to

talk about it, that's a great honor to receive it. but there is a huge price that was paid for it. i'm accepting the award on behalf of the guys who died that day. the men and women serving, the men and women who will serve. the marine corps. it is a huge pride to be a marine. a great honor. more than just a uniform. more than just a job. it is a way of life. and it is a brotherhood that sticks with you, even after you're out of the marine corps. it is a bad day. to describe it, it is probably the worst day of my life. not probably. it is the worst day of my life. yeah. a bad day.

i didn't just lose four marines. i lost afghan buddies, too. i lost six from my platoon. and i think that's something we all need to keep in perspective. that it is not just four guys. we were so close to the afghans, working alongside them. they were just like your brothers, too. i was applying aid to as many of them as i cox we were under heavy fire the entire time. i know i applied quite a few tourniquets trying to stop the bleeding. and just really trying to apply aid and comfort to them as much as i could in the situation weapon handed. i didn't do anything 90 marine wouldn't doism didn't see myself as a hero. i got myself out alive and i failed. i'm more a failure than a hero in my eyes. do i think i deserve it? no. but i'm not on the awards process. i don't make that decision. nobody came up to me and asked

me if i thought i deserved the medal of honor. i would much rather have my guys here alive than to get a medal. >> do you feel guilty? >> oh, yeah. how do you not feel guilty? i do. there's a ton of guilt that comes with it. we all signed the contract. that's one thing. that's probably what gives you sleep at night. we all signed up for it. i was going over there. i was willing to die for the country. and just like everyone of them. like every man and woman serving, we sign a contract. every single day i think about what happened and how i'm going to carry on my life in honor of those guys. and i think what it does, it gives you an edge to everyone else. because it is not just me. i'm not just going around for myself now. now i'm doing it for other people. i think once you have that instilled in you, it gives you an extra edge. if i can't look down, i don't have a reason to push original

i've got four reasons on my wrist. that's why i keep their names on my wrist. >> and be sure to stay tuned. dakota meyer will receive the medal of honor later this hour. you can watch it live right here cnn. what are your kids really learning in school? standardized testing could be a big part of it. we'll take a deeper look at the issue. does that in one daily . citracal slow release... continuously releases calcium plus d for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal. i'm not crazy about these light fixtures. kitchen's too small. what's next? 607 franklin st. ♪ sea bass... ♪ ooohhh! ♪ i like it. yeah, i love the kitchen. [ male announcer ] the epa-estimated 42 mpg highway chevy cruze eco.

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the average s.a.t. score slipped across the board and hit a record low in reading. these the average scores from

the more than 1.6 million high school seniors who took the s.a.t.s. the college board reports, while the math score remained about the same as previous years, take a look at the reading and the writing scores. those are the lowest reading scores recorded since 1972 when the college board began tracking average scores. according to the college board, the decline in scores does not necessarily mean a decline in performance. the board explains the drop in part from more students from different academic backgrounds taking those s.a.t.s. standardized testing, like the s.a.t.s, is without a doubt a complicated and controversial subject. it raises the question whether our kids are simply being taught to get good grades on tests or are they really being taught to think critically. as a part of the series, "fix our schools," we are tackling that issue. here with me to talk about that, there are so many kinds. standardized testing. how do you define it? >> basically, it is a sort of set or rigid way of giving a

test. a certain way the questions are asked. this can be applied to a large group of students. then there is a limited way in which those questions can be answered. and there are certain stroongs gai advantages. schools are forced to show students are getting the education they need. it gives evidence of learning. a student will score higher at the end of the semester than at the beginning, showing some progress and it american purchases student progress. in this tangible way where one student can be compared to another student. and it is not particularly expensive. so you are getting certain advantages. you are seeing results in students and they don't cost a great deal. >> is this where i come clean and i say i admit that i feared standardized tying day at school? >> a lot of kids fear standardized testing. a big picture, there are a number of reasons, a number controversies that have escalated. no child left behind has taken

hold. even race to the top. for one, teachers are accused of teaching to the test. a focus on curriculum. it isn't teaching kids to teach analytically. that's the second big con. kids will memorize things. roet memorization instead of capitalizing on a child's desire to learn. also, under race to the top, government assistance is partially linked to test results. nound child left behind, going back to 2002 here, schools can be threatened with closure if they don't show progress measured in part by standardized testing. it is easy to see why people think there is a problem. >> and other countries use these too. >> it is not limited to the united states. if you look at finland. finland is ranked at the top in terms of the education students get. in finland, they're not used as

broadly. they focus on projects based learning. but it is not just all about project-based learning or analytical thinking. japan tried project-based sxlerng noticlearning and found decline. then you mentioned math, science. chinese students are among the top in the world and china utilizes standardized testing. the solution is finding a balance. you can pull back from high stakes testing. don't threaten but still utilize to it measure student progress. >> you brought me way back there to those days. >> not happy ones. >> good information. thank you. nice to see you. the global economic crisis has been in the headlines for some time now. which country's financial problems pose the most risk? that is ahead in today's q & a. and a choice. take advil now and maybe up to four in a day.

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you don't need no tell you that concern about the global economy is at an all time high. does the u.s. or europe pose the most risk? and our resident financial experts tackle that in today's q & a. >> quest means business and so does my good friend ali. we are here together in the cnn newsroom. and around the world. good day to you, ali. >> and to you, richard. we're here to talk business, travel, innovation. nothing is off limits. today we're talking about the global economy. a question we've been getting from some of you on twitter. specifically, which poses a greater threat to the global economy? america or europe? >> it is one of the best subjects that we have had so far. this week's question was inspired by many viewers who wanted you and me to talk about the threat of a greek default. what is hang in the united

states? we're going to start. but you've got 60 seconds. >> all right. richard, as friendly as you look to our viewers, you folk across the pond pose a greater threat to the global economy than america does. europe's problems are structural. too much has to change on the ground. not where you are but in countries like greece and portugal and ireland. the u.s. deficit is large but it is not even close to triggering a sovereign debt crisis. after the downgrade, local investors continue to think that loaning the u.s. government money is a good bet. secondly, richard, this european mess is costing americans who i will remind you are still the world's best customers. real money in the stock market. american consumers have a greater proportion of our retirement savings directly invested in the market than do many of you, our global brethren. so when americans feel poor, the whole world feels poor. finally, while the u.s. has u.s. political problem, they are all

centered on a single federal branch in washington. compared to your 17 member nations in europe look like we're all holding hands and singing kumbayah. >> once again, you have deceived yourself. this is the true answer to the question. i don't know. let's be honest. it is hard to pick a winner in this race to the bottom. europe and the united states are like laurel and hardy. perpetually stuck in another fine mess. but if you ask me which is worse, i'll have to give you the same answer that countless analysts have given me. sometime it's europe with those different countries and characters. contagion, widespread. who fngs that trumps the headlines in the u.s. drama, deadlines, it may be a

little more sensational. they could also be a little more urgent in the long run. ali, i don't know. neither continent is out of the woods. and even more importantly, neither continent has the leadership to do what is needed. take it on face value. i have to give you the exact answer. which crisis is worst? europe or the united states? at the moment, i just don't know. >> while that was an excellent answer, didn't answer the question which you cannot do in the next part of this. because we're going to bring the voice in. and he will give you multiple choice. built for a guy like you. you didn't answer the straight question. let's see if you answer the multiple voice. voice? >> let's see if you can answer the questions. today's quiz is all about money will question number one. countries that provide universal health coverage are trying to control costs. of the 33 developed nations around the globe, which does not

provide universal health care according to the w.h.o. which of the following countries implemented their universal health plan first. a, france, b, germany, c, israel, or d, the united kingdom? ali? >> i'm going to go with the u.k. d. >> incorrect. >> what do you mean incorrect? that was a bell. isn't that correct? >> according to my list, that's wrong. richard? >> well then who rang the bell? bells are supposed to be good. >> all right. i am going to go with germany. >> germany is correct. germany was the first group starting in 1941. norway was the first country ever to attempt universal health care back in 1912. question number two. we'll try to get our bells flight time.

ali, try not to make a face about this. we're about to talk sports. according to forbes, the three most valuable sports team in the world in order are manchester united, the dallas cowboys, and the new york yankees. with all of them being valued between 1.7 and $1.9 billion. which of the following teams is also a member of the billion-dollar club? is it a, barcelona, b, ferrari, c, the new york knicks, or d, the pittsburgh steelers? richard? >> i'm going with barcelona. >> i would take that, too. i don't want barcelona anymore. barcelona is a ridiculous answer. >> then go for it, ali. let's hear it. >> i feel, richard, that it is question number two so the trick is in now. this is where the trick question is. i'm going to say ferrari. >> that is correct. ferrari is another member of the club with just over $1 billion

in value. and while the new york knicks are the highest valued nba franchise, they are only valued at $655 million. >> come on! >> do you know what, richard? depending on my intellect has not worked for me in this game for the past several months so i'm switching completely to skrat now. >> oh, that's what you call it. strategy. question number three. let's talk about raising money for charity. in the 1980s, band-aid released, do they know it's christmas to raise money for famine relief in ethiopia. usa for africa released, we are the world, to raise money for relief for famine and disease in africa. artists united against apartheid released sun city to protest apartheid in south africa and to support an economic boycott of the country. which of the following -- which of the following bands did not have a member of their group perform on any of the aforementioned song?

is it a, the beach boys, b, the beatles, c, the rolling stones, or d, u2? >> come on. we'll show ourselves -- >> i think the beatles were involved. paul mccartney was involved in all of them. u2 was definitely involved. >> richard? >> it's got to be the beach boys. >> the beach boys is correct. none of the beach boys participated in any of these songs. but as a group they performed at farm aid, a charity to raise money for american farm families. well, as they say, gentlemen, time is money. so i must move on to other endeavors. congratulations, richard. good day, gentlemen. i'm out. >> thank you very much. >> thank you very much. >> remember, we are here each week. quest means business. 1800 greenwich meantime.

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sbts 33 minutes past the hour. let's check on the headlines. we're standing by for a white house ceremony. a 23-year-old man from kentucky set to become the first living marine awarded the medal of honor since the vietnam war. in 2009, sergeant dakota meyers staved lives of 13 u.s. troops and 23 afghan soldiers. meyers shared a beer with president obama at the white house yesterday. we will carry the entire ceremony live at 2:45 eastern time. house speaker john boehner detailed the republican plan to create jobs today. he called for bipartisan action to liberate america's economy from the shackle of excessive regulation. higher tax and out of control spending. >> there are reasonable regulations that protect our children and keep our environment clean. then there are excessive regulations that unnecessarily increase the cost for consumers

and small businesses. and those excessive regulations are making it harder for our economy to create jobs. >> and speaking of jobs, the number of people filing for new unemployment benefits has jumped to the highest level since june. according to the labor department, weekly jobless benefits applications rose to $428,000. the week included the labor day holiday when applications typically drop because of the short workweek. the economy added zero new jobs in august. the worst showing since september of last year. casey anthony is out of jail and now has to pay for the investigation leading up to her trial. the state of florida says anthony must pay $97,000 to law enforcement. that's to cover the cost of the investigation of her daughter's disappearance and the prosecution of the murder trial. cnn is awaiting a response from her attorneys. a final push for clemency for troy davis, convicted of killing a police officer. the georgia case has drawn

international attention. amnesty international and the naacp are delivering thousands of petitions today to the georgia board of pardons and paroles. troy davis is scheduled to be put to death next wednesday unless the pardon and parole board grants clemency. in the 20 years since the trial, seven of the nine witnesses have recanted. coming up, learning how to fight on the way to battle. taking aim at gadhafi's last stronghold in the desert. meineke's personal pricing on brakes. i tell you what i can spend. i do my best to make it work. i'm back on the road safely. and i saved you money on brakes. that's personal pricing.

with tripoli under their control, libyan rebels are taking ate at one. last strongholds deep in the southern sahara desert. despite numerous months of fighting in the north, most of the rebels in the south have received no training in how to fight. that's not slowing them down or curbing their enthusiasm. ben weederman is traveling with them and here is his exclusive report. >> reporter: a timeless desert scene until a pick-up arrives. the calm and quiet of the sahara has been disturbed by the arrival of a force heading to loyalist strongholds in the far south. this is a fighting force in the making. they're learning literally as

they go along. in the early morning cool, ahmed formerly in gadhafi's army, is giving lessons how to use a rocket propelled grenade launcher. everyone gets to shoulder it. get used to the feel of it. only a matter of days at the most before they'll be in battle. ahmed concedes, it's a tall order to cram months of training into a few hours to the journey to the front. of course, of course, he says. over the next day or two, we'll try to teach them. what follows are more lessons in the art of the heavy machine gun, how to load it, how to fire it. and then an anti-aircraft gun. not everyone is new at this.

61-year-old former soldier mohamed can chant and quheer the best of them. the plan is to try to negotiate a peaceful surrender in the largest southern city. all indications so far, however, point to a bitter fight for the south. it could be gadhafi's last stand, warns the commander. their biggest concentration is in the south, he tells me. we even have information they want to set up an independent entity to be ruled by all the figures of the old regime. it is not all about fighting, however. the large group of doctors and nurses has also come along. with trucks and ambulances full of medicine and not just the usual material for battle wounds. there is a humanitarian side to this mission. the doctor was a car dealer in tripoli before the revolution. he said he made more money selling cars than practicing medicine.

>> there are two missions. one part of the mission is to keep all the people with us in the front line safe. the other part is now close since one month. and i think all is near to zero. >> reporter: most essential is water. they've brought thousands of bottles. in this heat, dehydration can be deadlier than a bullet. by midday, the force finally starts to move. now they're finally moving out. but it is still a long way to go. more than 300 kilometers to the front lines. it will be a long, hot, and difficult journey. cnn, in the sahara desert, libya. another boost for the rebels today, in tripoli, british prime minister david cameron and french president nicolas sarkozy. the comments go far beyond nato's stated mission of just protecting libyan civilians.

a reminder here, we are awaiting the medal of honor ceremony at the white house. we believe it is just minutes away and we'll be right back with that for you. (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. even though i'm a great driver, and he's... not so much. well, for a driver like you, i would recommend our new snapshot discount. this little baby keeps track of your great driving habits, so you can save money. [sighs] amazing. it's like an extra bonus savings. [ cackling ] he's my ride home.

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running into fire multiple time. the nation and the president will officially recognize dakota's heroism with the highest military honor. he is the first living man to receive such an honor from the afghan or iraq wars. barbara starr, our pentagon correspondent, and white house correspondent, both standing by at this ceremony with us. barbara, let me ask you. just give us the details, if you can, of that day on the battlefield and why he is receiving this medal of honor today. >> well, i want you to visualize it. the unit is pinned down under fire. under ambush. and dakota meyer asks four times to be able to go to the help of his buddies. he is told, no, you cannot leave your post. finally this young marine disobeys orders. with another marine gets in a gun truck and they go speeding off. dakota is in the turret, open,

exposed to enemy fire. and he starts firing back at the insurgents from this gun turret. he is firing at them at top speed. he is firing at point blank range. he is doing everything he can against orders to go save his buddies. he would wind up being credited with saving some 13 u.s. troops. a number of afghans. and then going back into the fire zone one more time to recover the bodies of four u.s. troops killed in action. this is a young man from kentucky who says, he failed that day because he didn't save everybody. the president of the united states will disagree. you can bet on that. the country is honoring him right now. >> i'm sure. let me turn to breeana. i understand he had a beer with the president at the white house on wednesday. how did that come to be? >> reporter: that's right.

sort of interesting. it was at his request, as we understand it. we heard from the white house spokesman. in the run-up to this ceremony today, which as you can imagine, takes a lot of coordination. there was a white house staffer who was talking with dakota meyer about this. and meyer said that he would like to have a meeting with the president. and so yesterday, off the patio, right off the oval office, meyer and president obama sat down. they had a beer. they had a talk. we don't know exactly what they talked about but it was certainly at meyer's request. and you can see right now, the ceremony now, is beginning. >> it is beginning. why don't we let our viewers listen in and we'll listen in along with you. ♪

>> if you would, please pray with me. almighty god, we pause to acknowledge your grace which has brought us to this momentous day. we confirm by this ceremony that in accordance with your divine guidance, our forebearers established a nation rooted in the ideals of courage and virtue. we now yield to your direction for this country, even as we bestow its highest honors on sergeant dakota meyer, who himself, sacrificed to defend its most cherished values. god, hear our gratitude for your honing sergeant meyers' character through the loving support of his family, as well as countless mentors and friends. know of our thankfulness for emboldening this marine's spirit, so when called on to

preserve the safety and dignity of his comrades, he was able to find it within himself to demonstrate the valor of his character. god, for his selflessness and courage, revealed that day in kunar province, this nation is indeed exceedingly grateful. we ask now that you would touch his humble spirit. that he would know as the nation's highest award is draped around his neck, you encircle him with the depth of your love. acknowledging not only him but those marines and sailors who are so much a part of his actions on that fateful day. speak to him in the privacy of his heart and assure him that as his actions are honored, you equally recognize those who demonstrated their willingness to sacrifice everything in order to uphold the ideals we honor this day. with that in mind, we pray your abiding grace on the families

and friends of the marines, sailors, soldiers, airmen, and coast guards mean have given their lives in service to this country. and we lift up in prayer all those who remain in harm's way throughout the globe. now bestow your wisdom on those who lead this nation and shape her endeavours. guide them and each. us by the example of these our heros who loved country more than self. mercy more than life. god, bless america. in your holy name we pray. amen. >> thank you, everybody. please be seated. thank you, chaplain. good afternoon, everyone. and on behalf of michelle and myself, welcome to the white house. it has been said that where there is a brave man in the

thickest of the fight, there is the post of honor. today, we pay tribute to america who placed himself in the thick of the fight. again, and again and again. in so doing, he has earned our nation's highest military decoration, the medal of honor. and we are extraordinarily proud of sergeant dakota meyer. today is only the third time during the wars in afghanistan and prak a recipient of the medal of honor has been able to accept it in person. and we are honored to be joined by one of the other two recipients, sergeant first class leroy pete lie is here. i would point out something else of all the medal of honor recipients in recent decades. dakota is also one of the youngest. he is 23 years old. and he performed the extraordinary actions for which he is being recognized today when he was just 21 years old.

despite all this, i have to say dakota is one of the most down to earth guys that you will ever meet. in fact, when my staff first tried to arrange the phone call, he was at work at his new citizen job on a construction site. he felt he couldn't take the call right then because he said, if i don't work, i don't get paid. so we arranged to make sure he got the call during his lunch break. i told him the news. and then he went right back to work. that's the kind of guy he is. he also asked to have a beer with me, which we were able to execute yesterday. dakota is the kind of guy who gets the job done. and i do appreciate, dakota, you taking my call.

the medal of honor reflects the gratitude of the entire nation. we're joined here by members of congress, including somebody from your home state. the republican leader of the senate, mitch mcconnell. we are joined here by leaders from across my administration including secretary of veterans affairs, rick shinseki. and leaders from across our armed forces including the commandant of the marine corps general james amos. we're honored to welcome dakota's father, mike. his extraordinary grandparents, and more than 120 of dakota's family and friends. many from his home state of kentucky. i want to welcome dakota's comrades from the marine embedded training team. and we are humbled by the presence of the medal of honor society.

i realize the past two years have not been easy for you. retelling the story of that day and standing here today. you're a very modest young man. as you said, you do it for a simple reason. retelling the story. because it helps you to honor those who didn't come home. to remind your fellow americans that our men and women in uniform are over there, fighting every single day. so that is how we'll do this today. it is fitting that we do so this week, having just marked the tenth anniversary of the attacks that took our nation to war. because in sergeant dakota meyer, we see the best of a generation that has served with distinction through a decade of war. let me tell the story. i want you to imagine. it is september 8th, 2009. just before dawn. patrol of afghan forces and their american trainers is on foot. making their way up a narrow valley, heading into a village to meet with elders.

and suddenly, all over the village, the lights go out. that's when it happens. about a mile away, dakota, who has been a corporal, and staff sergeant juan rodriguez chavez, could hear it over the radio. it was as if the whole valley was exploding. taliban fighters were unleashing a firestorm from the hills, from the stone houses, even from the local school. and soon, the patrol was pinned down taking ferocious fire from three sides. men were being wounded and killed and four americans, dakota's friends, were surrounded. four times dakota had asked permission to go in. four times they were denied. it was, they were told, too dangerous. but one of the teachers in his high school once said, when you tell dakota he can't do something, he is going to do it. and as dakota said of his trapped teammates, those were my brothers. and i couldn't just sit back and

watch. the story of what dakota did next will be told for generations. he told juan, they were going in. juan jumped into a humvee and took the wheel. dakota climbed into the turret and manned the gun. they were defying orders but they were doing what they thought was right. so they drove straight into a killing zone. dakota's upper body exposed to a blizzard of fire from ak-47s and machine guns from mortars and rocket propelled grenades. coming upon wounded afghan soldiers darks coat a jumped out and loaded each of the wounded into the humvee. each time exposing himself to all that enemy fire. they turned around and drove those wounded back to safety. those who were there called it the most intense combat they had ever seen. dakota and juan would have been forgiven for not going back in. as dakota says, you don't leave anybody behind. for a second time, they went back. back into the inferno.

juan at the wheel, stwoevg avoid the explosions all around them. did a kyoto up in the turret. when one gun got jammed, grabbing another. going through gun after gun. again they came across wounded afghans. again, dakota jumped out and loaded them to safety. for a third time they went back. insurgents ran up to the humvee and dakota fought them off. some were desperately trying to escape the bullets raining down. juan wedged the humvee into the line of fire. with dakota on the guns, they helped those americans back to safety as well. for a fourth time, they went back. dakota was now wounded in the arm. the vehicle was riddled with bullets and shrapnel. dakota later confessed, i didn't think i was going to die. i knew i was. still i pushed on. finding the wounded. delivering them to safety. then for a fifth time they went

back. into the fury of that village, under the fire that came from every window, every doorway, every alley. when they finally got to those trapped americans, dakota jumped out and he ran toward them. drawing all those enemy guns on himself. bullets kicking up the dirt all around him. he kept going until he came upon those four americans, laying where they fell together as one team. dakota and the others who had joined him knelt down, picked up their comrades, and through all those bullets, all the smoke, all the chaos, carried them out one by one. because as dakota says, that's what you do for a brother. and dakota said he will accept this medal in their name. so today we remember the husband who loved the outdoors, lieutenant michael johnson. the husband and father they called gunny jay. gunnery sergeant edwin johnson. the determined marine who fought to get on that team.

staff sergeant aaron kenafe. the immediatic who gave his life tending to his teammates, hospital man third class james layton. and a soldier wounded in that battle who never recovered. sergeant first class kenneth westbrook. dakota, that i know you've grappled with the grief of that day. up your efforts were somehow a failure because your teammates didn't come home. as your commander-in-chief, and on behalf of everyone here today and all americans, i want you to know it is quite the opposite. you did your duty above and beyond. and you kept the faith with the highest traditions of the marine corps that you love. because of your honor, 36 men are alive today. because of your courage, four fallen american heroes came home. in the wofrds james layton's mom, they can lay their sons to rest because of your commitment in the thick of the fight hour after hour. a former marine who read about

your story said you showed in the most desperate final hours, our brothers and god will not forsake us. and because of your humble example, our kids, especially back in columbia, kentucky, and small towns all across america, will know no matter who you are or where you come from, you can do great things as a citizen and as a member of the american family. there in lies the greatest lesson of that day in that valley and the truth that our american men and women in uniform live out every day. i was part of something bigger, dakota has said. part of a team that worked together, lifting each other up, and working toward a common goal. every member of our team was as important as the other. so in keeping with dakota's wishes for this day, i want to conclude by asking, now gunnery sergeant rodriguez chavez and all those who serbed with dakota, the marines, army, navy, to stand and accept the thanks of a grateful nation.