and she'll see her on monday. hi, everyone, i'm fredricka whitfield, live from studio 7, and i'm in for suzanne malveaux, let's get you up to speed. president barack obama is at thomas jefferson high school in alexandria, virginia, right now. he'll sign the american invents act shortly, which modernizes american patent law. the new law will create 2,000 jobs for patent examiners. the white house says it will also mean new private sector jobs because streamlining the patent process will spur corporate innovation. and house speaker john boehner is signaling trouble ahead for president obama's jobs bill. he's redrawing that republican line in the sand saying no to any tax increases. the president would pay for the bulk of his jobs bill by raising taxes on the wealthy. boehner says the way to create jobs is to cut spending and get washington out of the way. >> there are reasonable regulations that protect our children and keep our

environment clean. well, 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. the congressional calendar is so full it appears congress won't even consider the jobs bill until october. the u.s. supreme court will review the case of texas death-row inmate duane buck. justices want to know whether a racist comment tainted his sentencing hearing. testified that blacks and hispanics are more likely to commit a future crime. buck's attorney doesn't dispute that he shot and killed two people in 1995, a third woman survived. >> i forgave him, yes, sir, i forgave him in 1995. i feel that justice will prevail. >> duane buck was eating what he thought would be his final meal when the supreme court called off last night's execution.

amnesty international plans 300 vigils and rallies across the country tonight for troy davis, the georgia man faces execution wednesday. several witnesses have changed their stories claiming police coerced them in to lying. nine others have signed affidavits implicating another man. amnesty delivered petitions with more than a half million signatures to the georgia pardons and patrols office thursday. the board votes on davis' clemency petition monday. davis has no legal appeals left. and libyan rebels are making their move against regime holdouts, they've launched assaults on several towns including sirte, moammar gadhafi's tribal home. he's been hiding since rebels rolled into tripoli, the capital, last month. and president mahmoud ahmadinejad is delivering a live television address shortly. abbas plans to ask the united

nations to declare palestine a state. washington says palestinians should achieve statehood with peace talks through israel. and nasa must be missing the shuttle about now. the agency said russia's next trip to the international space station won't happen until november 14th. a new crew was supposed to fly next week, but that flight was postponed after a russian rocket blew up in the atmosphere. the rocket is similar to one used by manned crews, so a safety investigation is now under way. all right, the man underneath this burning car is now talking about monday's crash. he says he's forever in debt to the people who risked their lives to get him out. brandon wright, a 21-year-old utah state student, is pretty banged up, but he should be okay. wright says he doesn't understand how he slid under the bmw when his motorcycle hit the car. he was wedged under there so tightly he couldn't even turn his head.

>> i just -- just wanted to thank all the heroes that put their lives on the line to save mine. i'm forever in debt. i can't thank them enough. i just hope they know how much they mean to me. and take another look at that video of that rescue. and you'll see the body of wright being pulled out right there. he was not wearing a helmet. really lucky man. let's go back to alexandria, virginia, now, where president obama is at a high school for science and technology. momentarily he'll be emerging there and heading to the podium, after stopping by a classroom to take a look at some of the students' science projects, he's getting ready to sign america invents act into law. cnn white house correspondent dan lothian joining us now. so, dan, tell us more about this america invents act? what is it meant to do? >> reporter: well, at the heart

of it, it's meant to reduce the high cost of these legal battles that take place over who came up with the idea for a particular battle -- particular product. and it's seen as potentially reducing this backlog of some 700,000 patents. what the white house believes is that the sooner that these patents, these ideas, can get cleared and come to market, it potentially could be one area of generating additional jobs. and so this represents the first significant change to patent laws since 1952. what it will do is in the past, it was the person who invented the product that would have dibs, if you will, on the patent. well, now it's the first person who actually makes the application. what this does away with is the whole problem of later on down the road inventors coming out of the woodwork saying, hey, i'm the one who invented this. it's the first person who comes up with -- who gets the application for the product will have that patent.

this just falls in line with the standard that is used around the world and now the u.s., again, making this significant change to the patent laws for the first time since 1952, fredricka. >> all right, dan, the president wants to focus on patents, but he can't help but notice a lot of headlines are being made about his jobs plan. some positives, some not so much. the house speaker, john boehner, well, he's now pushing a republican alternative. his plan calling for less spending and government regulation, and he says the tax hikes are actually off the table, something the president wants to happen. so, any reaction now coming from the white house that there's this kind of counterpoint? >> reporter: that's right, and, you know, it's not anything new, some republicans and even some democrats have been pushing back on this whole issue, the issue being taxes on the wealthier americans. and the white house responding to those comments yesterday saying, listen, in a time like this, everyone has to make some tough choices. the president believes that there should be a balanced approach, that the wealthy americans have been doing quite

well over the last 10 to 12 years, and so they need to bear some of the burden here. so, that's the reaction from the white house, still believing despite what republicans are saying that you need to be able in order to get some revenue have to tap into some of the wealthier americans. >> all right, dan lothian, thanks so much, from the white house. all right, here's what's ahead on the "rundown." a team from the rebels is heading to niger to ask them to hand over moammar gadhafi. and then rocket launchers, explosives and guns found along the texas border with mexico. also dr. sanjay gupta talks with a introdu62-year-old who m yule i grueling attempt to swim from havana to florida. and then why a mother decided to have her child cyberschooled. lower cholesterol. lower cholesterol.

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all right. right now battles for libya are raging in moammar gadhafi's hometown. of sirte and other last remaining strongholds, forces loyal to the new government are making advances despite stiff resistance from gadhafi loyalests, our senior international correspondent, ben wedeman takes us to the front lines in one of the cnn exclusive reports. >> reporter: the rebels told us the town was safe, but it wasn't. we're in this town that is partially under the control of the rebels, but there are other parts of it that still remain loyal to moammar gadhafi. obviously this situation is very fluid at the moment.

opposition fighters entered thursday morning, part of an offensive to gain control of the last loyalist stronghold in the south around the city of sabha. before the gun battle took place, it seemed peaceful enough. this resident, a self-confessed revolutionary, pointed out to me all the parts of town that still supported gadhafi. it seemed like most of it. but those here opposed to gadhafi hate him with a passion. sabha native burned the first books by the deposed leaders he could get his hands up, then shot up his likeness. and stomped him. he returned just a few weeks ago from studying banking and finance in the uk to join the

revolution. he's looking forward to going back to sabha. >> it's my hometown, for three years i don't been to sabha. this is my first time to go to sabha. i'm homesick for sabha. >> reporter: outside the air base, the second largest in southern libya, an inferno of exploding munitions. opposition fighters captured the base wednesday night, but incoming rockets ignited thousands of artillery rounds buried underground. inside the base, dozens of boxes with soviet-era sa-14 surface-to-air missiles stored in the base's prison. casualties among the opposition fighters have been relatively light. resistance halfhearted, commanders say. >> they are just running when they see us, they just run like rats.

>> reporter: they've taken several prisoners, this man has been handcuffed to an unloaded machine gun in the back of a pickup truck. he told me most of the people in the area are still with gadhafi. as for him, he said he's for whoever brings back electricity and water. reinforcements are pouring into barat from around libya, pickup after pickup of fighters amassing for perhaps the final showdown, ben wedeman, southern libya. many of gadhafi's family members and officials are already safely out of the war zone. they've crossed into neighboring niger and libya's transitional government wants them back. today the government has sent a sent a delegation to niger and nic robertson is in the capital and joining us live.

nic, a big question, where is gadhafi? is there any indication that he may have joined some family members in niger? >> reporter: so far, no indication of that. the first announcement that saif gadhafi had crossed the border came from the government, he confirmed it himself. it seems the government here would at least announce if moammar gadhafi crossed over or so far the track record would indicate that. but at the moment, they seem to be giving sanctuary to some of his immediate supporters and to a number of senior ranking military officials. he's in a presidential guesthouse here, though, when we drove by earlier he's got an armed guard right outside of it, fredricka. >> and gadhafi's family members, they've taken refuge in niger as well as algieriaalgeria. i understand the transitional council from libya has made its way to niger, but will the

countries have to hand them over? is there any leverage there? >> reporter: i think the leverage is not going to come from the libyan government but from the international community. their prime minister returned from a trim to president yesterday, obviously president sarkozy a firm support of the national transitional council, we were told when the gadhafi's son arrived in niger, the u.s. ambassador immediately went to see the president, it seems that's where the pressure will come from. despite the pressure, the justice minister said no can do, he'll not send him back to libya and the national transitional council, the government has held a meeting at the senior level and there will be a press conference about that in the next hour or so. maybe the government's changed their mind, but so far they are saying nada. when i talked to him yesterday, he said the niger government gave him guarantees and they're

not about to send him back. >> nic robertson, thanks so much. your chance to choose the news, text one for the new gold rush. that's is what it is being called, and the gold rush is causing a mining boom. prospectors are coming from near and far in the hunt for gold. all because of the surging price of gold. >> hello, my baby. >> who can get enough of that? text two for web fame. you've seen that cute couple whose webcam video went viral. guess what's happening to them now? here's a hint, hollywood, they're calling. >> you can't contain yourself. >> and text three for welcome home dogs, they are for war vets returning home, and soldiers say the specially trained dogs make all the difference in the world. you can vote by texting 22360, text one for the new gold rush, two for web fame or three for

welcome back dogs, the winning story airs next hour. and use pre-defined screeners to work smarter. not harder. i depend on myself to take charge of my financial future. [ bell dinging ]

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swimmer diana nyad set out to do this summer to become the first person swimming between cuba and florida without a shark cage. dr. sanjay gupta has been following diana's incredible journey and it is this week's "human factor." >> reporter: more than 100 miles of open ocean separate cuba and key west. strong winds, vicious currents, and sharks make these waters very dangerous. but for champion distance swimmer diana nyad, the waters also represent a challenge. she plans to be the first to cross these waters without a shark cage. >> i feel very centered about it. it's going to be difficult. >> reporter: now, she's attempted the swim once before in 1978 and she failed due to the weather, but the following year she set the world record for ocean swimming without a shark cage. she then quit swimming for almost 30 years. now at age 62 to even attempt a swim like this, she has to overcome some significant obstacles, not the least of which was getting her body back in shape after 30 years of not

swimming. >> i just started swimming for 25, 30 minutes. >> reporter: but half hour pool swims quickly turned into six-hour training sessions, then 8, 10, 12, even a 24-hour training swim in the ocean. >> i feel very strong, i must say. >> reporter: but that was part of the battle, she had to get visas from the cuban and u.s. governments, find a meteorologist and several boats and a navigator to support her dunk t during the swim. finally the day arrives. ♪ diana left havana at 6:46 p.m. on august 7th. she expected to have 60 grueling hours of swimming ahead, but by morning she was suffering from a crushing shoulder injury, bad asthma and rough seas. after 58 miles of swimming and some 29 hours into her journey, diana was pulled from the water. >> there's nothing more this body could have tolerated at that time. it was a tough call, but it was

the right call. >> reporter: today diana said she's moved on, and while she didn't reach the other shore, the swim was still a triumph for her. >> we had a gathering of the entire team, and i told them what an outrageously positive, grand adventure this whole two years has been, when you have a positive spirit going, it just gives you hope about how to live one's life. >> wow, she's an incredible inspiration on so many levels. sanjay, she -- you know, she really epitomizes fitness, doesn't she? >> she does. and the mental fortitude that comes with it, she said i'm no faster than any other swimmer in the country -- >> but she's got the endurance. >> and she's got the endurance and she'll do what no other human being has done before. >> she didn't necessarily reach her goal and the final destination, but she swam a long time, how did she eat and nourish herself? >> it's a fascinating process. she's got her bathing suit and

swim cap and goggles, and no wet suit, and she can't touch the boat, so when she wants to eat she has to tread water and people will put food into her mouth. here they are creating a special bevrge a beverage and they put it on a line and in a pouch and she grabs it and drinks for a little while she's on her back and swim again. >> i can't help but thinking and treading water and she doesn't have the shark cage, that's when she's most vulnerable. it's like what sharks like to see. >> it was a little freaky for everybody because you know there's sharks in the water. they use protection called a shark shield which puts off electrical signals which sharks don't like, and i asked her, what are you thinking at moments like that? we do everything we can, and if sharks get in there, that's what happened. that's diana.

>> and when she looks like that, she looks like a seal. >> we all have dreams in our lives and dreams that we've had that we let go because life moves on or unrequited ed d lov told diana, she kept this in her mind, 62 years old, she said i'll do it again. >> something tells me there may be another try. >> she's got a lot left in her. >> yeah. >> i don't know if it will be this or something else, but diana nyad, remember that name, because she's one of those iconic people of our generation. >> synonymous with incredible. >> absolutely. >> dr. sanjay gupta, thanks so much. >> thank you. >> you do incredible things, i wouldn't be surprised if you would follow her footsteps or put your paddle in your water and try to go from havana to florida. >> i would do a mile, not the next 102. >> "extreme dream" you've got to see more of this story of diana nyad, she's an incredible force,

tune in for the special "extreme dream." mahmoud abbas is expected to ask for statehood at the united nations. he'll talk with the former assistant secretary of state jamie rubin about the consequences. what is at stake, next. in here, pets never get lost. ♪ in here, every continent fits in one room. it was fun, we played football outside. why are you sitting in the dark? ♪ [ male announcer ] in here, you're never away from home. it's the at&t network. and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. i want healthy skin for life. [ female announcer ] don't just moisturize, improve the health of your skin with aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula goes beyond 24-hour moisture. it's clinically proven to improve your skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks.

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all right. president barack obama right now at a high school in alexandria, virginia. he is there to also talk about the america invents act, new protections on patents, but he can't help but talk about his jobs bill and how he's getting a little bit of resistance on capitol hill already. let's listen in -- >> and let me give you an example of why this is relevant. we're surrounded today by

outstanding teachers, men and women who prepare our young people to compete in a global economy. if congress passes this jobs bill, then we can get t this jobs bll will put unemployed construction workers back to work, rebuilding our schools and our roads and our bridges, and it will give tax credits to companies that hire our veterans, because if you serve our country, you shouldn't have to worry about finding a job when you get home. it connects the long-term unemployed to temporary work to keep their skills sharp while they're looking for a job, and it gives thousands of young people the hope of a job next summer, and it will cut taxes for every middle-class family and small business owner in america. and if you're a small business owner that hires more workers and raises salaries, you get an extra tax credit.

it won't add to the deficit, and we'll pay for it by following the same rules that every family follows, spend money on what you need and cut back on things you don't. and we'll make sure that everybody pays their fair share, including those of us who have been incredibly fortunate and blessed in this country. >> all right, president barack obama, under jorg the need for getting as much support as possible for his proposed jobs bill. right now he's in alexandria, virginia. all right, now, let's call our attention to overseas in a highly controversial move this hour in the fight for palestinian statehood. palestinian president mahmoud abbas spells out his plan to seek full member status at the united nations. his speech to the palestinian people today is a run-up to next week's bid before the world body. the obama administration says it will veto the move, and israel has warned of dire consequences, but abbas is moving full speed ahead.

>> translator: full member of the united nations as the state of palestine. we will take with us as the palestinian delegation all the suffering and pains of our people in order to achieve this goal and to end the -- against our people. >> joining us live from new york jamie rubin, former assistant secretary of state. good to see you. so, he's preaching to the choir right now, but how might he craft his message before the u.n. to get the support that he wants? >> well, i think he is likely to get support from the world in the general assembly, and that's really the issue, is that for most members of the united nations around the world, this is an easy vote, you vote on behalf of the palestinians, you vote for them to be recognized as a full member, as a state.

the problem is to become a real member of the united nations, you have to be a state, and to achieve that, you have to get the security council to bless it. the united states has said it will veto it -- >> why? >> the reason the united states is going to veto it is because we have taken the view, the united states, that a full fledged state of palestine should come about through negotiations with the israelis. and just as we ask the israelis not to take steps to prejudge the outcome of negotiations, we're asking the -- the obama administration is asking the palestinians not to prejudge the outcome by taking these unilateral steps. the idea here is this is a tough problem, and the palestinians and the israelis have to solve it together, and one side just acting is not going to solve the problem. >> is the u.s. position on this vote a contradiction to the kind of u.s. support that went toward the arab spring?

>> well, i think there will surely be some who say that. i think the big difference, and this is something that has always puzzled me over the years, is in the arab spring what you saw were hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people pursuing, at least in cairo and egypt, the primary example, peaceful change and peaceful change of their government. i have never understood why the palestinians and, frankly, if they did this, the israelis would really have some concerns, why they haven't come out and done peaceful change, why they haven't made civil disobedience and large-scale demonstrations, peaceful ones, as the method to achieve change. i think if they did that, if they could actually get hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of palestinians standing up every day, demanding their rights, the israelis would have a much tougher time. as it is, what the palestinians have largely done, and the world

has seen this, is through these terrorists organizations have killed innocent men, women, and children in israel as a way of trying to achieve their objectives. and that's been rejected. that's been condemned, as it should be. and so the difference really is the difference between the seeking of democracy through peaceful change, seeking of self-determination through large-scale peaceful demonstrations, and this kind of action, which really is just a diplomatic step to get worldwide condemnation of israel by approving palestinian statehood. >> james rubin, executive editor of the "bloomberg view" thanks so much, from new york. >> thank you. the u.s. economy just can't seem to get over that hump. now, a new survey shows economists are concerned about another recession. we'll go live to the new york stock exchange to find out more about that. cap a day helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic."

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[ ale announcer ] it's like gic! callod foa fr home an revie we'll offer free android artphone to you! hit i♪ [ laughs here's one for theast coast. now that's se detroit magi rit th male annncer ] one re way quicken loans is engineered amaze a troubling outlook for the u.s. economy. economists surveyed by "the wall street journal" see a 1 in 3 chance the country will slip back into recession. karina huber is with us now from the new york stock exchange. what is behind the growing fears of yet another recession? >> reporter: well, fredricka, i mean, it's really the number. that's what we have to look at right now. home prices are still very low. job gains have been very limited, and now manufacturing is slowing again, so all of this is really weighing on optimism. in fact, this the worst outlook since "the wall street journal" started polling on this two

years ago. but one analyst said many people never felt like the recession ended in the first place, but keep in mind, of course, recession is a technical term, it must be declared by the national bureau of economic research and technically we're not in a recession right now. and another thing to point out, fredricka, by talking about the reports and uttering the "r" word it could become a self-fulfilling prophecy, it's something we want to know about but it shouldn't cause too much panic. >> the federal reserve having a big meeting next week, do they think there's anything that can be done to help the economy? >> reporter: economists are skeptical, while most believe the fed will take some kind of action, they doubt it will have a profound impact on turning this economy around. the most likely scenario is the fed engages in what is known as operation twist, it's where they sell short-term bonds and buy long-term bonds, and would help to drive down mortgage rates,

but they'relar l laalready low hasn't turned the economy around, many believe corporate america is the one that will get us out of it, but they are sitting on hoards of cash. >> how do the markets look? >> reporter: we've been positive and sort of dipping in and out of the red all day. what we've got on the negative -- well, on the positive we've got the report of consumer confidence in early september was better than expected, but the part that gauges how consumers feel, the outlook for the future, fell to its lowest level in 31 years. so, that's weighing on investors today, and there's also lingering worries about the debt problems in europe. the stock to watch, though, really is research in motion, the stock is down by 18% right now. a new all-time low. the last quarter's earnings really disappointed. the profits fell almost 60% thanks to a drop in shipments of the blackberry. the company has been struggling with competition from apple's iphone and google's operating system android found on many smartphones and netflix is under pressure after moving 19%

yesterday, stock is down 5% there, a big selling happening there. >> sca rethank you. with the economy and jobs weighing heavily on the obama presidency and his approval rating at an all-time low, is he strong enough to win re-election? president obama's top campaign adviser weighs in. it's salonpas. pain relief that works at the site of pain... up to 12 hours. salonpas.

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president obama has been focusing on inventions this morning at a high school outside of virginia, in alexandria, that is, so many might say that he actually needs to invent a new strategy to win re-election. political reporter peter hamby part of the best political team is live at the political desk in washington. peter, the top campaign strategist, david axelrod, is weighing in on the president's chances for re-election. what's he saying? >> well, fred, there's a lot of hand wringing among democrats in washington and around the country, frankly, about whether barack obama will end up being a one-term president, obviously

republicans want that. but his poll numbers are really sagging in key battleground states. david axelrod, a longtime adviser and aide to the president, put out a memo basically saying not just yet. the president is doing well among base democrats. he's doing better than republicans are in some of the key battleground states, this is what he said. he said, take a listen, despite what you hear in elite commentary, the president's support among base voters and key demographic groups stay strong. according to latest polls, the democrats approve of his performance by an h18-41 percen margin. while that may be true, there are troubling numbers for the president in the key battleground states. a really bad quinnipiac poll came out in virginia and as we know the general election battles are fought among independent voters and in virginia, a state central to the obama campaign election strategy, he split independents with john mccain.

and quinnipiac poll had his disapproval among independents in virginia at 62%, only 29% of independents in virginia approved, so he's got to get his numbers right with independents, you know, the base may be there, but until he fixes his numbers among independents, he's going to have a tough road ahead in the re-election. still a long way to go, fred, and that's the point that david axelrod is making today. >> peter, thanks so much. for the latest political news, you know exactly where to go, cnnpolitics.com. a chef living in east harlem was shocked when she discovered fresh produce was actually hard to find. it's one of new york's poorest neighborhoods where obesity runs rampant, so she decided to make a big change and it involved lots of fruit and vegetables. she is this week's cnn "hero." >> i grew up in very low-income areas. i saw a lot of poverty, homelessness as a child as well, but it taught me to redefine myself and not let your past

determine your future. when i moved to new york four school, i was living in east harlem and there's very few places to buy fruits and vegetables and healthy food. we've seen most diabetic in all neighborhoods of manhattan. people were super malnourished, i saw the connection between poverty and obesity, and it just seemed unjust and i had to do something about it. my name is gina keatly, and i'm giving nourishment to people who are literally dying for it. you want some free collard greens? come on over. if you want people to try a tomato, give them a raw tomato, it's inspiration, touch it, taste it, because people will not change unless something in them changes. we go places other people will not go, we're giving out produce, we're doing classes. you really can eat healthy on a low budget. what are these? >> greens. >> what is this? >> chicken. >> chicken. we really want them to start early on. it can set a ripple effect for

the rest of their lives. say tortilla. >> tortilla! >> good, right. but in the end the parents are doing the shopping, so we have to win them over, as well. thank you guys for coming. when i see a child it reminds of something i didn't have and i want them to see. it's about pulling yourself up and never accepting no and i can see it in people's faces. i think people are getting it. >> fantastic. what an inspiration. next week we'll actually be announcing this year's top ten heroes on cnn.com and you get to decide which one will be the cnn hero of the year. vote for the hero who inspires you the most at cnn.com/hero. it's the battle between bffs in hollywood as two "snl" funny gals compete at this weekend's emmy awards, we'll check in with kareen wynter live in l.a., there she is, poised, ready to go, a preview next. what is that? it's you!

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[anncr:] love. it's what makes a subaru... a subaru. to vote for today's "choose the news" winner. text 1 for the new gold rush. the surging price of gold is fueling a mining boom. text 2 for web fame. their granddaughter posted a video of them and called it webcam 101 for seniors. now hollywood is calling. and text 3 for welcome home, dogs. the old saying dog is man's best friend is really true for some war vets returning home. the withnning story airs next hour. all right. television's biggest night in hollywood is just two days away. critics say this year's emmy awards may be the closest ever. "showbiz tonight's" kareen wynter joins me now from los

angeles. such a tight race in so many categories this year particularly close in the best actress in comedy category. right? >> of course. you got some favorites, some "snl" alums, as well as "mike and molly," big breakout stars. this morning they're already rolling out that extravagant red carpet for sunday's big event in hollywood. it is getting really exciting around here. hollywood of course counting down to the big show on sunday, the 63rd emmy awards. such a flurry of excitement around town. everybody's getting ready, making final decisions on the hair, the makeup, the outfit, the jewelry. oh, what to wear, what to wear. but everyone is really after, that one accessory, of course, the emmy trophy. one of the most interesting competitions is for best actress in a comedy. tina fey versus amy pohler.

tina has won three emmys for "30 rock" producing but she's never, ever won for acting. her buddy amy is nominated in the same category for "parks and recreation." got a limit friendly rivalry here but it is in a good way. but it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. >> that's going to be fun. tina fey has a few under her belt already so i'm sure she won't be too heartbroken if they were to share it with her bff, amy. we'll be watching. sunday. right? >> yeah. absolutely. we have a little bit more for you. we want to chat a little bit more with you this morning. we want to talk about another person in this category, people are rooting for -- she's a "mike and molly" star and she is just absolutely amazing, amazing. i think we have a sound bite from her. take a listen.

okay. so we don't have sound -- >> no sound. >> no sound. no sound. but it's going to be a very, very interesting race coming up this sunday. will it be tina fey, so much to see and also the emmy fashion. we'll be talking a lot about that, all the extravagant gowns. we're talking about amy, we're talking about tina but a lot of people are saying that perhaps another person, laura linney from that big, big show "the big c" on show time will perhaps take it in that category so we'll have to see what happens on thaend. fred. >> all right. we will be watching. you've reeled us in now. we're like at the edge of our seats. >> okay, good. >> thanks so much. and seventh-grader who didn't do well in a traditional school enrolls in a virtual alternative. i'll talk to him and his mother

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don't forget to vote for today's "choose the news" winner. text 1 for the new gold rush, the surging price of gold is causing a mining boom. text 2 for web fame, how a cute older couple is handling their sudden internet stardom. and text 3 for welcome home dogs. cute pups are making a difference in easing the stress for returning military vets. the winning story airs next

hour. today in our "fix our schools" segment, a seventh-grader who isn't doing well in a traditional classroom enrolls in cyber school and his mother says virtual learning is actually working for him. >> good job. you guys are so on top of it. >> reporter: seventh-grader david tanner is off to a new school year. >> turn your paper over, write political maps. >> reporter: but he's not in a traditional classroom. he attends georgia cyber academy, a state wide public virtual charter school. his mother transferred him to virtual school because she felt he wasn't reaching his full potential with the hustle and bustle of traditional school. >> he had had a hard time organizing himself with that and keep up with the work and so his grades started slipping and we realized that this whole school system didn't work for his personality. >> i can concentrate better when it's peaceful and quiet.

>> reporter: david tunes in to lessons taught by a live teacher fully certified by the state. >> that is correct. here are some of the lakes. >> reporter: the classes are recorded so he can watch them again later at his own pace. >> it offers flexibility in that he can actually speed through topics that he already knows, sew doesn't have to sit through the whole class if he doesn't -- if he already gets it. >> when this little guy, he's real, real -- >> reporter: learning isn't limited to online. there are monthly field trips, david has the opportunity to get out and meet other students. >> it is a very flexible program. you can go on field trips once a week and can you do all your homework at home. can you just like wear your pajamas if you want to. it is a lot less stressful than high school. >> reporter: the state contributes $3,000 for each child. kids from all over georgia are eligible to attend and the school says it attracts all kinds. >> we see gifted students who

are getting bored in the class. we see students who's fallen behind and need an opportunity to catch up. we see students with health issues or special needs that the distractions or obstructions in a classroom just don't work well for them. we see students who face bullying issues in skulls or cultural issues or their local school just isn't safe. >> david's mother keeps him active and engaged with extracurricular activities. >> he plays violin and he plays soccer in the evening to get his pe hours. >> it says three skoochs chocolate ice cream -- >> and they still make time for the fun stuff, like homemade milk shakes. top of the hour, i'm fredricka whitfield. let's get you up to speed. >> we're in this town that is partially under the control of the rebels but there are other parts of it that still remain loyal to moammar gadhafi.

obviously this situation is very fluid at the moment. >> cnn's ben wedeman with libyan rebels. they are making a new push gets fighters holding out for moammar gadhafi. rebels are attacking several towns today, including gadhafi's hometown. we expect a live report later this hour. libya's new political leadership is sending an official to get saadi gadhafi. president mahmoud abbas told palestinian people a short time ago state hood is their right. abbas plans to ask the united nations to declare palestine a state next week over the objections of israel and the u.s.

>> -- to demand our legitimate right which is become a full member of the united nations as a state of palestine. we will take with us as a palestinian people the suffering of our people and to end the historical prejudice against our people. >> the obama administration says it will veto the move. washington says palestinians should achieve statehood through peace talks with israel. >> we believe strongly that the road to peace and two states living side by side does not go through new york. it goes through jerusalem and ramallah. >> president abbas says he'll personally harnd the petition for statehood to u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon on

monday. a new patent law stream lines the patent process. the white house predicts the easier the process is, the easier it will spur corporate innovation and create jobs. >> we have to do everything we can to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit wherever we fine it. we should be helping american companies compete and sell their products all over the world. we should be making it easier and faster to turn new ideas into new jobs and new businesses. we should knock down any barriers that stand in the way. >> the law will create 2,000 new jobs almost immediately at the u.s. patent office. the man underneath this burning car right there is talking about monday's crash. he says he is "forever in debt to the people who risked their lives to get him out." a 21-year-old utah state student is pretty banged up but he should actually be okay. he says he doesn't understand how he slid under that bmw when

his moat siblg hit the car. he was edged under that vehicle so tightly that he couldn't even turn his head. >> i just wanted to thank all the heroes that put their lives on the line to save mine. forever in debt. i can't thank them enough. i just hope they know how much they mean to me. >> wright is lucky so many times over. look again when they lift the vehicle, then they pull him out from underneath. you'll notice he wasn't wearing a helmet. form he nba player javaris crittenton was extradited from los angeles, charged with killing a young atlanta mother in a drive-by shooting last month. police say she wasn't his intended target. amnesty international plans

300 vigils and rallies across the country tonight for troy davis. georgia man faces execution wednesday. several witnesses have changed their stories claiming police coerced them into lying. nine others have signed affidavits implicating another man. georgia hears davis' request for clemency on monday. dwayne buck was minutes from execution last night in texas when u.s. supreme court said hold on. buck says texas shouldn't put him to death because a witness made a racist statement at his sentencing hearing. the supreme court will take a look at his case to determine if the remark influenced the jury to go with the death penalty. so let's take a closer look at these two death penalty cases. sunny hostin from in session on our sister network true tv joins us live right now from new york. good to see you, sunny. >> good to see you, fred. >> why so many lingering questions now about both of these cases? >> you know, death penalty cases certainly get a lot of scrutiny

because the appeals process takes a very long time, tread. i mean if you're talking about the case of troy davis, this is a case that's been going on for over 20 years. so through the appellate process, typically new issues come up and the initial case certainly in the trial is really scrutinized. i think that's why you hear so many new things come up, so many people are surprised at that. they say things like, well why didn't this come forward at trial? well, oftentimes these things happen after trial. new evidence comes up. witnesses recant their testimony which is the case in the troy davis matter. and so that really is why we're hearing so many new things in these types of cases. >> you are talking 0 years, didn't some of the jurors say they second-guessed themselves on this case. so kind of spell out the process for us. in the case of troy davis, how many appeals is he able to get? how many times before this

parole hearing to see if indeed his case could be reconsidered? >> his case certainly is very unique in the sense that there's an automatic appeal when you're convicted and given the death penalty. then that takes many, many years to wind its way not only through the state system, then sometimes through the federal system, all the way to the supreme court which is what happened in his case. i mean what's interesting is that in his case the supreme court granted what's called an innocence hearing. it is the first time the supreme court's done this in 50 years. so his case is very unique in that sense but we want those appeals to happen when you are talking about the death penalty, right? because that's irreversible punishment and you never want an innocent person or a person whose guilt is called into question to be put to death. i think that's really the take-away here and that's what people need to understand about why people are on death row for so long. it is because the initial

decision to put someone to death is questioned over and over and over again by the higher courts of the land. >> now in the case of the texas case, dwayne buck, at issue here, not necessarily guilt or innocence. at issue is what may have influenced the jury as it pertained to this sentencing phase of his conviction, that a psychologist said that blacks and hispanics are more likely to commit crimes and that that may have been too influential in this death penalty. >> that's right. apparently what this witness said in front of the jury is that blacks are more likely to re-offend. so there's almost no chance for rehabilitation. and you put that in front of a jury, that jury may be more likely to sentence someone to death if they think they're incorrigible and there's nothing that can be done with this person. and that's a really inflammatory remark, let's face it, to say by virtue of someone's race -- >> i'm surprised that wasn't

knocked down as it happened. >> well, you would think. you would think. but i think our country has come a long way and it is certainly reviewing these things. it is very interesting to note now that the supreme court now has stepped in and said there's a problem here, we're going to review it. i think that's a step certainly in the right direction in terms of our legal system, especially in terms of death penalty cases. >> right. sunny hostin, thanks so much. always good to see you. >> good to see you. here is what's ahead right now on the rundown. first a florida millionaire accused of murdering his wife is proving hard to defend because of some strange behavior, say some. and an fbi training manual comes under fire because of the way it portrays muslims. then, why a key democratic strategist says it is time for the president to panic and fire some people. also, if you are iphone has a problem, call the iphone doctor. meet a young entrepreneur whose

business is actually booming. and later, a sailor finds a message from japan on a beach in ah. louisiana. the afternoon tour bs 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. is to take you from where you are... to where you need to be. and we're not just talking about points on a map. with a more intuitive delta website and mobile app... and the most wifi equipped planes. we let you be everywhere at once. innovations like these are extending our reach so you can extend yours. and now, even at 30,000 feet you can still touch the ground.

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call right now. here's your chance to "choose the news." text 22360 for the story you want to see. text 1 for the new gold rush. that's what it is being called. gold rush and it is now causing a mining boom. prospectors are coming from near and far on hunt for gold. all because of the surging price in gold. >> hello, my darling, hello my baby -- >> text 2 for web fame. you've seen that cute couple whose webcam went viral. well now, guess what's happening to this couple? here's a hint.

hollywood is calling. and text 3 for welcome home dogs. they are for war vets returning home. soldiers say these specialry tland dogs make all the difference in the world. text 22360, 1 for the new gold rush, 2 for web fame or 3 for welcome home dogs. the winning story airs later this hour. the fbi is getting some back-lash over a training presentation that depicted mainstream muslims as terrorist sympathizers. our brian todd reports. >> reporter: in the often-tense relationship between the muslim community and the u.s. and law enforcement, another potential problem. fallout over an fbi training presentation which claimed that mainstream muslims sympathize with militants. "wired" magazine says it obtained slides that were sloan

at the bureau's training facility in quantico, virginia. in "strategic themes and drivers in islamic law," it says the proeft mohammed ordered assassinations and executions of his critics. that islam's world view is that there can be no peace between islam and others until al islam conquers its adversaries. the arab american institute calls the cult reference horrific, says mohammed didn't order his opponents to be killed. i read him another passage. then he says these strategic teams are not fringe, they are mainstream. what do you make of that? >> again, i say this is the propaganda of the islamophobes. this is why they have been stopping the building of mosques. they want to paint an entire faith community as extremist and radical and violent and prone to violence. it's bigotry of the worst sort. >> reporter: contacted by cnn, the fbi wouldn't comment on

that, would not allow us to speak to the analyst who wrote that presentation. an fbi spokesman acknowledged that that training session took place but he says that was six months ago. one time only. that it was quickly discontinued. that policy changes are under way, and that that instruct another longer provides training for the fbi but the instructor is still an fbi analyst. since september 11th, the fbi has often invited muslim leaders to talk with agents. >> true or false -- all arabs are muslim and all muslims are arab. >> false. >> false. >> reporter: i asked former fbi assistant director tom fuentes if the counterterror agents he's dealt with would believe any of the points in that presentation. >> no. and they furthermore believe strenuously in a strong outreach program. >> reporter: he says the publicizing of this training segment could play into al qaeda's hands for propaganda, says it could diminish the fbi's ability to get the an-muslim community to help in investigations. but he says hopefully the fact that the fbi acted so quickly to

terminate the program may give the bureau more credibility with muslims. brian todd, cnn, washington. if you are pea a pro football fan, you want to listen to this. the nfl might look a little bit like an airport security checkpoint this year. the league wants fans to get enhanced pat-downs. from the ankles up. not just the waist-up anymore. the idea is to keep everyone in the stands safe so you might want to get to the game a little early, earlier than i did last time. may take a little bit longer to get through. checking stories our affiliates are covering cross-country, u.s. border patrol agents seized several high-powered weapons, ammunition and explosionives along the rio grande. the agents found them inside a bag near the brush patrolling the river suggesting a possible tie to mexico's violent drug wars. among the weapons were six assault rifles and a rocket

ladies and gentlemen. a u.s. sailor stationed in hawaii finds a message in a bottle during a coastal clean-up day. turns out a sixth-grader in japan wrote the letter five years ago. the bottle traveled 4,000 miles. the sailor's wife and son just happened to live in japan and he actually plans now to visit the school where the letter actually was written. a father and son on a fishing trip in michigan find a baby deer struggling to swim across the bay so they pulled the fawn into their boat and then they released it close to the shore. pretty extraordinary there. capturing the entire rescue on their cell phone. yeah, now it is free and off into the wild blue yonder -- or at least that little island. >> imagine the sunset you'd see if you lived on one of the planets nasa has discovered outside our solar system. it has two suns just like one of the planets in the "star wars" movies. chad meyers, this is not in the pictures? this is the real deal?

>> this is the real deal. it is 200 light years a way. we will never find out whether luke skywalker really lives there or not. they have named it tattooing. remember when luke sees the two suns setting? actually it exists. they've renamed it. this is what the artist rendition looks like. the planet would be here. two suns, one red and one orange. that is from nasa. so where is it? the center of our milky way galaxy. there's our sun and this telescope has been looking for years and years out here trying to find planets that pass in front of surgeons. it found one. then it said, wait, there's two suns. the suns are rotating around each other every 41 days and then the planet is going around those two suns every couple hundred days. and this is what nasa animation looks like. they think it is spinning, they

think it is probably not inhabitable, although there may be some type of water on the planet. probably not inhabitable because of its distance and the temperature that this planet probably is. it is one of the best known planets out there. they finally have realized it has two suns. it's like "my three sons," the show, but this is "my two sons." >> all right, chad. thanks so much. that's fun. when your apple gets bruised, who do you call? the iphone doc. the iphone doc is in and business is booming, by the way, as you are about to see. and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. from free checking to credit cards to loans, our commitment to the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. ♪ visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. usaa. we know what it means to serve.

six years after hurricane katrina, people in new orleans are still rebuilding. but violence is now the storm tearing apart communities. the murder rate in new orleans is ten times the national average and it's primarily young black men killing each other. suzanne malveaux looks at why this matters for all of us. >> this is my sister, my youngest brother. this is my brother who was recently murdered. my brother zachary. >> reporter: clarence has experienced unthinkable loss. three brothers murdered on the streets of new orleans. >> the hardest part is just experiencing so much violence over a year, losing family members, people that i grew up with that i loved, that i was close to. >> reporter: as an african-american man raised in the bayobayou, he says cultural violence is a problem that's being ignored. >> i felt like no one cared when

my brothers were killed. it would just be another black man dead and society would just keep moving on. >> reporter: in new orleans, african-americans are 91% more likely to be victims of violent crimes than whites. >> we have to call the nation to purpose on this and fix it. >> reporter: since taking office in 2010, mayor mitch landrieu is addressing these alarming statistics. >> we primarily have young african-american men killing other african-american men at a level of violence that's unnatural. what's unique about what's going on now that didn't go on ten years ago, 80% of these individuals know each other. some of it is drug related but it is not gang related. evidently we have a whole generation of young people who have learned how to resolve even the slightest difference by a violent act. >> reporter: peter sharp is a criminologist and tulane university's school of public health and has researched this issue for years. his studies show some residents

have become accustomed to violence. >> murder is normal. kids walk around the yellow tape to school. tlp sneakers of dead kids hanging between the buildings so it became part of the culture of some neighborhoods. it's just true. >> reporter: who's responsible for making sure those young men are safe? >> it's everybody's job. it is a problem that starts in the home. it's a problem that continues through the school. it's a problem where people fall through the cracks. so this whole social network has to be brought together and we have to drill down on this in a very aggressive way. >> reporter: nero credits education and strong role models for his success. he recently organized an essay contest in honor of his brother to inspire teenagers to break the cycle of violence. >> can you make it successful through education. just because you live in this space doesn't mean you have to die there. >> according to the "times," 130

people have been murdered in new orleans this year. a crime action summit is being planned to address this issue. tough times for president barack obama. the economy is still sputtering and political fights on capitol hill aren't getting any easier. we'll take a closer look at what the president is facing. [ angela ] endless shrimp is our most popular promotion at red lobster. there's so many choices. the guests come in and they're like yeah i want to try this shrimp and i want to try this kind and this kind. they wait for this all year long. [ male announcer ] it's endless shrimp today at red lobster. your favorite shrimp entrees, like garlic shrimp scampi or new sweet and spicy shrimp. as much as you like any way you like for just $15.99. [ trapp ] creating an experience instead of just a meal that's endless shrimp. my name is angela trapp. i'm a server at red lobster and i sea food differently. is to take you from where you are...

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new jobs numbers are grim. a solar power company goes belly-up along with more than a half billion dollars in taxpayer loans. terrorists launched new attacks in afghanistan and in special elections republicans win two congressional races. political analyst james carville who helped bill clinton win the white house has some advice for mr. obama. he says it's time to panic and fire some people. listen to his comments earlier in the "newsroom." >> i think the problem is change the policy and change the personnel that are working with the policy and tell the public you get it. don't lose two races and come on tv and talk about everything's fine when everybody knows it is not fine. >> john avlon is with us now from new york. john, what do you make of james carville's comments? >> he's the raging cajun is back. he's telling some hard truths to the white house. now look, he loves to throw a hard punch and that makes some news. i'm not sure really the solution

to the white house's problems is to hit the panic button and just fire a bunch of people but clearly they've got to recognize there is a problem. i don't think the turner special election or nevada election are real bellwethers but democrats and the president need to recognize they need to take action to make the case to the american people directly. >> is the problem then the staff, the white house, who is equipped to make some decisions, call the shots, or is the problem that so much -- the house is falling around the white house. there are so many things going on, it is such a big plate and it is difficult for the twous manage. >> yeah. i've never been sympathetic to, a, it is too hard argument or, b, it is the personnel. it is kind of like blaming the equipment in golf. i do think clearly the fundamental fact of washington is a divided government in a hyperpartisan time. we've done great things with divided government before. interstate highway system plan, all the reagan achievements, the problem is right now with this divided government we also have

hyperpartisanship. parties are more polarized than ever before. some folks really believe they're working across the aisle. that's collaboration. not cooperation. the president has an incredibly difficult problem. that's why he put forward a bipartisan plan. >> let's talk about house speaker john boehner. he has ideas on how to create jobs. it is clear the white house plan is going nowhere on capitol hill. if you listen to john boehner. more of the same? >> well, a little bit more of the same. look, i don't think that this -- the bill is -- this is the beginning stage of a negotiation. when the president put forward how he would pay for his bill, some centrist credibility having bipartisan policies got taken out. but it is a start of negotiation. here john boehner when he talks about the super committee, nothing should be off the table. everyone should be at the table. that's the nature of how you deal with the deficit and debt. but the question is with tax reform. he's saying no tax hikes.

fine. here's the big question republicans need to ask and conservatives need to ask republicans -- is closing tax loopholes, is that raising taxes as some folks on the far rye think or is that taking earmarks that are embedded in the tax code out? that's really where the debate will be in the next couple weeks. >> democrats have a problem, too. the obama white house is a little upset that democrats would go publicly, talk to reporters, "the new york times," et cetera, about what they don't like about the plan as opposed to, the president says why not come to me? >> i think the horse is spooked when it comes to the house. every incumbent realizes that there's a lot of voter anger out there. ind pebts are angry at whoever is in power. president obama's approval ratings are under water. guess who are worse? democrats in congress. there's a certain divergence from reality here. the schizophrenic time of our politics is this -- folks on the far right think the president is a socialist, folks on the far left think is he a wall street

sellout. you can't be both. i think the president has been a pretty effective leader of the democratic party. he's got around 70 folks on the far left of the house that don't want any entitlement reform, but it is a relatively small group. libyan rebels tried to mop up the fighting. they've launched a new assault on regime holdouts. 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. how much can the snapshot discount save you? call or click today. naomi pryce: i am. i'm in the name your own price division. i find empty hotel rooms and help people save - >> - up to 60% off. i am familiar. your name?

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battles for libya are raging. moammar's last remaining stronghold, including his hometown of sirte. phil, what are you experiencing? >> reporter: fredricka, it's been quite a day, really. thousands of rebel fighters advanced on sirte earlier this morning entering the city where they came up upon some resistance a bit harder than i think were expected.

they were hoping to take or secure a good part of the city today. they haven't done so. they advanced to certain points but now as darkness begins to fall they've decided to pull back. behind me are just some of the rebel forces that have pulled back or are in the process of pulling back from sirte. the fighting today was intense. they advanced trhrough the outskirts of the city with considerable ease. but once to the build-up areas, it would seem gadhafi's fighter numbers and firepower were both smaller around less impressive than what these guys were able to turn out but in that sort of environment they were still able to slow this force on advancing and making the sort of progress they had hoped to make. >> what about just ordinary civilians doing about food, water, safety, et cetera? >> reporter: well, in this city, si sirte, it is difficult to get a

sense of who is a civilian and who isn't. in the areas that we were in today where there was very, very heavy fighting, we did not come across people who you would just describe as regular civilians. the fighters tell us that the people they were coming up against, the pro-gadhafi fighters on the other side, they say they were dressed as civilians, not in uniform. so it is unclear if they are former members of gadhafi's military services. if they are just civilians within the town who are dedicated to fighting for gadhafi's cause or some blend of both. and what they hope is that by entering the town today, showing that they can go in there and take them on, that they will now have -- those in the town considering possibly surrendering. >> phil black, be safe outside of disirte.

a florida millionaire dancing and doing a pretend striptease in jail? here what bob ward says actually happened in their florida mansion. time for the help desk where we get answers to your financial questions. the founder of the financial advice blog ask the money coach. and stacy francis, president of francis financial. thanks for being here. the first question for you, stacy, from alexandra in maryland. i've never invested in stocks, i don't know where to begin. any advice? >> i'll tell you, the cnn website has a great amount of information there to help you sort through stocks and how to invest in them. also you may want to invest in actually joining an investment club and better investing.org, if you go to that website you'll see there are many investment clubs around the u.s. and i bet you there is one in your hometown. >> that's right. get some advice from friends and peers. >> lynette, monica in japan --

i've worked outside the u.s. for nine years and will continue to do so for seven or eight more years. she's asking if she'll still be eligible for social security when she retires and what kind of retirement plan to get into other than straight investments. >> here's the thing for monica. because are you outside of the united states, you're earning foreign income which is typically not subject to social security taxes -- except under certain circumstances. one is if you're work in a country where the u.s. has what's called a bilateral social security agreement. essentially that means you're not going to be taxed twice. japan happens to be one of those countries that is covered. long story short -- all of your contributions that you've made to social security over the years, not just the reenter years she's been in japan and the amount of money you've put in and the time you've put into social security is what determines whether or not you're eligible. i'm thinking likely, yes, she still will be. you can get more information from the social security website,

socialsecurity.gov/international . that's a great place for more information. >> lots of rules to read. thank you, ladies. if you've got a question you want answered, send us an e-mail any time to cnn help desk@cnn dot connell. impressive resume. thank you. you know what,ell me, what makes peterpeter ? i can my own homemade jam, apricot. and really love my bank's ise your ratcd. i'm sorry, did you say you'd love a pay raise asap uh, tuly, i said i love my bank's raise your rate cd. you spen8 days lo at sea ? no, uh... you love watching your neighbors watch tv ? at ally, you'll love o raise your rate cd that offers a one-ti rate increase if our currentates go up. there's so many choices.

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it might take an extra day or two to get your mail because of a proposed cutbacks at the u.s. postal office. u.s. postal service is looking

to slash costs to close a $10 billion gap. likely shutting down 252 of its mail processing centers over the next three months. a move that would eliminate 35,000 jobs. it also wants to end saturday delivery and raised price of a 1 first class stamp. mail has dropped by half over the past decade. he's not a medical doctor but if your iphone, ipad or mac book needs repair, dr. brendan is on call. a year ago he was fixing everything apple from his apartment. but a lot has changed since then. cnn money's poppy harlow reports on this doc in high demand. >> everything from iphones, ipad, the itouch. >> remember him? dr. brendan, a/k/a the iphone

doc. last year he was fixing everything and the out of his new york city apartment. we introduced you to him. >> that is a new iphone screen right there. >> reporter: but a year's been good to the doctor. his business has exploded like apple stock. >> this is my first shop right here. my office is my apartment and coffee shops and the fiat. >> reporter: now he's got four stores, eight employees and boasts 300% growth since january thanks to customers looking for a quick fix. did you think about going to apple? >> to be honest, no, i didn't. >> reporter: emily's come here six times. >> i was bending down to high my shoe in philadelphia and my phone dropped about 12 inches on the concrete. >> reporter: the most common fixes -- iphones averaging $100 and mac books averaging $200. >> one broken screen, two -- you got hundreds of them in here. you know what that means? big business for dr. brendan.

but it's about a lot more than that these days. website's been expanded for more mail-in repairs and his team now makes i.t. service house calls in the dr. brendan mobile. >> your mac pro was actually blowing the exhaust right on to your cigarette switch. >> this is one of the down sides of house calls -- $115 parking ticket. one secret to his success -- hiring employees right from apple. >> we're not going after apple's business. we love apple. the product is simply so very popular for valid reasons, that's one of the reasons we're here. >> do you ever question the demand for apple products will fall and that will hurt your business? >> that's a great question. no. >> this is where we work with customers. >> reporter: offers have started rolling in from franchisees and private ecpit firms. but he's not interested. >> in the beginning i think it is smart to just do everything by yourself as much as you can handle. and i really didn't want to get

in over my head in something i really didn't understand. >> you're not ready to hand this business over to anyone yet. >> not yet, no. >> reporter: in fact, dr. brendan's got his eye on global expansion. you're seeing strong growth but the economy is tough. are you worried? >> no. no, i'm not worried. >> why? >> because i started this business in the middle of the economic meltdown. if i was going to be worried, i would have been worried then. not now. >> fredricka, i asked him if he's heard from apple yet, did apple come calling trying to buy the company or interested at all. he said he hasn't heard from them, at least not yet. i think it is very interesting that here's such a successful small business owner when times are so tough for small businesses, it proves you need a good idea for a product that is in demand and your business can absolutely explode. one note though for folks. if they are getting their iphone, ipad, fixed outside of

apple, by dr. brendan or someone else, what they need to know is that their warrantee very well may be broken if they don't shae it fixed within apple. >> i'm not surprised apple's not calling him. he's kind of taking away some of the repair business. all right, thanks so much. a florida millionaire accused of murdering his wife says it is not true. she killed herself. but that's not what he said in this call to 911. >> what's your emergency? >> i just shot my wife. >> you just what? >> i just shot my wife. >> our gary tuchman takes a look at both sides of the story and the defendant's bizarre behavior behind bars. that's a coffee and two pills. 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.

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a millionaire developer accused of shooting and killing his wife in their florida mansion is on trial right now in orlando, florida. the defendant, bob ward, says the shooting was an accident. but as cnn's gary tuchman reports, his bizarre behavior outside of the courtroom is raising eyebrows. >> reporter: florida millionaire bob ward is on trial for the murder of his wife. his defense -- she shot herself as he struggled to stop her. but it was a much different story he told on the night of her death two years ago. >> what's your emergency? >> i just shot my wife. >> you just what? >> i just shot my wife.

>> where is your wife? >> she's right here on the floor. >> reporter: three more times in the same 911 call he admitted he shot her. >> i just shot my wife. >> where's the weapon at, sir? is she breathing? >> she's dead. she's dead. i'm sorry. >> reporter: later in the call ward said the shooting was an accident but there was never any emotion in his voice. in court, a very different picture from his attorney. >> this entire incident happened in the blink of an eye. her death was an unexpected and tragic accident. no crime was committed by bob ward on the night of september 21st, 2009. >> reporter: but from the prosecution -- >> ladies and gentlemen, this case is about the fact that it was bob ward that shot her almost dead between the eyes. >> reporter: police say his story changed during his police

interrogation. >> it was an accident. and i will tell you more about it later. >> reporter: his demeanor also changed as time went on. and his bizarre behavior has made defending him more of a challenge. the emotionless man on the phone became the jokester, as captured on jail video. here he was doing a striptease of sorts. >> i'll make sure that -- ill -- no, i wouldn't do that. do you want to hear -- >> reporter: what makes this video even stranger is who is visiting him? the woman talking to him, his dead wife's sister. the woman in the background, bob and diane ward's daughter. >> he's had hundreds of phone calls about you and everybody is very, very supportive. >> reporter: the three in this video all thought it was a hoot that the plumbing wasn't working in the cell. >> that's a lifestyle change for you. i can only imagine. i know you're missing a bidet.

>> he's saying there's no water. >> nobody seems to care though. >> well, i do. and i know you do. and i also want to let you know how nice that i think you look right now. i've been trying to get you to wear pajamas for years now. that's a really lovely fall collection that you've got on. >> reporter: prosecutors hope to build their case on these points. they say bob ward's dna were found on the gun and his wife was shot from much farther away than someone would shoot themselves. she was also about to give a deposition in the financial case against her case but it will be up to the jury to decide which bob ward to believe -- this one -- >> diane ward was killed by a single gunshot wound as she struggled with her husband over a load gun. >> reporter: -- or this one.

>> okay, what's going on there? >> i just shot my wife. >> reporter: gary tuchman, cnn, atlanta. the orlando sentinel reports the couple's daughter mallory ward took the stand today and testified about arguments her parents had in the past and how she sometimes advicsed them to drink less when they became "a little loopy." you told us what you wanted to see. your "choose the news" story just moments away. [ tires screech ] [ crying ] [ applause ] [ laughs ] [ tires screech ] [ male announcer ] your life will have to flash by even faster. autodrive brakes on the cadillac srx activate after rain is detected to help improve braking performance. we don't just make luxury cars. we make cadillacs.

you voted, we listened. here's your "choose the news" winner. they are called welcome home dogs and they are trained to ease the stress for service members coming home from war. here's bob mcdonald from cnn affiliate wxin. >> reporter: they're returning from overseas but not quite home yet. these soldiers from the illinois national guard will spend the next few days here at camp aeterbury getting processed and debriefed. it is a huge transition from their service in kuwait but one that's about to become easier thanks to some visitors waiting outside. >> it could be tough on them. they're overseas. they're go, go, go, for 24/8, for how ever many months they gone so they're processing, it is a lot of sit and wait. it can be tough to go from one lifestyle to another overnight.

dogs just give them something else to think about while they're waiting. >> reporter: they're called the welcome home dogs. it is only 1 of 2 bases to uses dogs like these to ease the stress of returning veterans. the dogs an their volunteer handlers go through more than a year of training to become pet therapy certified. they provide a sense of normalcy for soldiers who have often served in iraq and afghanistan. war zones where nothing is normal. >> as a soldier you're missing family, dogs, with this long process, it is nice to have a little break in between. >> within ten minutes or so of the dogs being next to them they relax, they're smiling, talking to everybody, playing with the dogs. can you see how much the dogs really help them. >> reporter: these soldiers are anxious to return home. the process tle going through can seem tedious, at best. the dogs provide a welcome distraction and a first taste of home. >> i'm a dog owner and i miss my dog a lot. this helps a lot.

>> his face lights up. you can pet them, play with them. >> reporter: and in the end it is not just the soldiers who are left smiling, the handlers know they've given back and providing a welcome home that only a best friend can provide. >> we enjoy what we do. we enjoy watching our dogs with the soldier and seeing that it can help them. >> dogs make everyone feel better. if your choice did not win or you want to check out the runners-up, there are links on c cnn.com/suzanne. it is 1:00 p.m. in the east, five days and six hours before the state of georgia plans to execute a man who many people think is innocent, or at least was wrongly convicted. troy davis has spent 20 years on georgia's death row for the killing of savannah police officer in the summer of 1989. there was no physical evidence against him and seven of the state's ni