states. his theory is now the law. >> it's the interview that you have to say. rare, candid and controversial. tomorrow night. that's all for us tonight. nigh court. my exclusive with justice scalia. that's all for us tonight. "ac360" starts now. it's 10:00 here on the east coast. we begin tonight keeping them honest with five members of congress who are claiming that muslim extremists have infiltrated the highest levels of the u.s. government even maybe working side by side with secretary of state hillary clinton. the evidence they point to, however, is questionable at best. representative michele bachmann and four of her republican colleagues in congress are calling for an investigation because of what she terms the possible depenetration, her words, he muslim extremists into the u.s. government. these lawmakers have laid out their case in letters to the

inspectors general for five different government security agencies. the last 24 hours we've been digging into one of their most serious claims. they point fingers at this woman. secretary of state hillary clinton's deputy chief of staff. implying that she may be somehow working on behalf of the muslim brotherhood and questioning how she got a security clearance. you would think to make a charge like that, for sitting members of congress to make a charge like that that they would have some actual evidence, right? you would think that. the truth is they don't have any direct evidence. what they have are allegations of past connections of relatives of hers that are tenuous at best. a congressman has called for bachmann to produce credible evidence. bachmann produced a 16-page letter she sent to the congressman. stay with me now. because we're going to walk you through the logic she lays out in this particular case. bachmann says that huma abedin's

mother, brother and late father are connected to the muslim brotherhood. here's how she -- her father. bachmann attributes this information to 2002 law review article out of brigham young university. according to that article professor abedin's institute had the support of any man named umar abdullah nassif. bachmann says according to the form the muslim world league has a history of, quote, being closely aligned and partnering with the muslim brotherhood. so that's how many degrees of separation bachmann's claim is based on. huma abedin's deceased father who started an organization decades ago had the support of a guy who had another organization that might have had the support

of another organization, the muslim brotherhood. because of that huma abedin might be some sort of spy or infiltrator and deserves to be investigated. as for abedin's mother and brother bachmann never gives evidence of their alleged links to the muslim brotherhood. they repeatedly cite as their source the work of a group. website muslimbrotherhoodinamerica.com p the man who runs the group is frank gaffney who says the muslim brotherhood is infiltrating every aspect of the american life in order to impose sharia law. before gaffney was focusing on huma abedin he was pointing fingers at conservative norquist. gaffney was not allowed to go to

cpac one year because of the allegations. this is not the first time bachmann has relied on questionable sources. two years ago congressman bachmann made some pretty outrageous claims about the cost of a trip president obama was taking to india saying it would cost taxpayers $200 million a day. wasn't true. totally false. turned out the source of her unstan shated claim was an indian news report that quoted an anonymous indian source, allegedly an indian provincial official. doesn't make sense. was apparently never even questioned by the congressman. among this cast here, all of whom we've asked to come on the program, we should point out bachmann is not the only one who has a history of making unsupported claims. one of the four other congressmen calling for an investigation to root out muslim infiltration in the u.s. government is louis gomer from

texas. in 2002 he was sounding alarm over what we termed -- excuse me. 2010 he was sounding alarm of over what we term terror babies. terror baby conspiracy. making this explosive claim that pregnant foreigners were coming to america to give birth to future terrorists. babies with u.s. citizenship under the 14th amendment who would then be taken back to the middle east, raised for about 20 years, trained overseas as terrorists and then be able to come back to the united states because they had u.s. passports. insidious, right? in a speech on the house floor congressman gomer actually presented all of this as fact saying a former fbi agent told him the fbi had been looking into this problem. later he cited a second source, a hamas loving grandmother on a plane in the middle east. actually, i had a lot of questions for the congressman. >> tid you bring it to the attention of the fbi? did you call the fbi? >> she brought it to my

attention on the narrow -- having flown together. she brought that to my attention. that's why i was talking to the retired fbi agent about it. so having talked to him, no, i didn't talk to them because the point is when we did the research we found the hole existed. >> what research? could you tell us about the research? >> you're attacking the messenger. anderson, you're better than this. you used to be good. you used to find there was a problem and you would go after it. >> sir, i'm asking you for evidence of something you said on the floor of the house. >> i did. and you listen. this is a problem. if you had spent as much time looking into the problem as you have been trying to come after me and belittle me this week -- >> sir, do you want to offer any evidence? i'm asking you what research and evidence you have. you've offered none other than yelling. >> he never offered evidence. you would think if this was a real plot he was really concerned about you would think he'd pick up the phone and call

the fbi, right? we actually did that. unlike congrethe congressman, t said there was no credible evidence. he declined our invitation to come back on the program as he once was on in 2010. back to this current conspiracy theory, we just received a statement from huma abedin's office about the allegations. they are nothing but vicious and disgusting lies that have no place in reasonable political discourse and anyone who traffics in them should be ashamed of themselves. as we said, democratic congressman keith ellison has taken the lead in proof of these claims about muslim extremists infiltrating the government. he joins me. congressman, do you have any doubt in your mind that what congresswoman bachmann and the others are doing is simply scare mongering? it seems they're casting doubt on anyone who's muslim and working for the u.s. government. >> i have no doubt that it's simply scare mongering. but i think it has a long

historic root. and we've seen this kind of thing before. so we've got to stand up to it whenever it rears its head. when edward r.murrow challenged joe mccarthy, he wasn't standing up for communism. he was standing up for american values. i'm not standing up for a religious group. i'm standing up for american's freedom of thought in america today. being a member of a particular religious group does not make you radioactive. >> you asked for a full accounting of the evidence these members of congress are using to make their claims. you got a 16-page letter back. does their evidence hold up? >> no. it's 16 pages worth of nothing. it's 16 pages worth of repeated false allegations. just regurgitated nonsense. the fact is, i would hope we would just let our saner, more

courageous spirit prevail and say look, you know, in america everybody counts. everybody matters. people can be included, part of our american political scene without fear. that's what i'm standing up against here. >> have you seen any evidence of depenetration? those are the words congresswoman bachmann used. depenetration by the muslim brotherhood into the security apparatus of the united states? >> no. it's not true. it doesn't exist. it's a phantom. look, let me also assert that if there is any source of threat to the united states, legitimate, i'd want them to be fully investigated, whatever source. i don't care what religion, what race, whoever they are. if they are a legitimate threat to the u.s., by all means investigate them. in this case there is none i've ever seen. >> bachmann in particular raises questions about hillary clinton's, one of her top aides, huma abedin. muslim. married to former congressman

anthony weiner. they're saying her father headed a group decades ago and one of the people who supposedly supported that group headed another group that was supposedly connected to the muslim brotherhood. does that make any sense to you that she shouldn't have gotten a security clearance because of that? >> i think it just is the worst of guilt by association. it is a stark affront to american values about treating people for what they did and how they behave themselves. not trying to attribute some other people's behavior to the individual. i think that it's the -- i think it's really reprehensible. i do hope that there is -- that people stand up to it. let me tell you, anderson, you know this. good people were afraid to question joe mccarthy because they thought he would be their target. but this is an occasion where good people got to stand up and say, we've seen this before. we're not going to let it happen again.

>> if you really believe there is this insidious security threat into the highest reaches of government, is that really something as a congressperson you make public, you go on some conservative radio show, you write a public letter and put it on your website? or is that something you actually contact, you know, homeland security and fbi and ask for a secret investigation, which congress people can do, if you really believe there's been this infiltration? do you raeeally alert the peopl you are allegedly concerned about? to me it seems this could be more about politics and kind of making a stand, very public stand for political reasons than it is about genuine security concerns? >> anderson, i made this very point. i said, look, if she really believes this why is she broadcasting it? she should go to the responsible authorities to investigate it. that's not what she's done. she's made sure the public got a full views of her behavior. i think the reason she did it, she thinks it's going to be popular and she's going to make

herself look like some sort of hero and it may benefit her in her election. i don't know what's in the mind of michele bachmann this time. it's not only about the election. it's deeper than that. it's about some people in our country thinking that if you're not in the quote, unquote, mainstream that you have no place. that you have to be a certain color, a certain race, a certain sexual orientation, a certain religion. if you're not the right ones, then you're not okay. we've got to stand up for this idea that we all count in this america. american is american is american. we're going to stick with this idea. we're not going to back down. >> grover norquist himself, attacked by frank gaffney on this without any evidence, said this is about religious liberty. >> he's right. >> the freedom to practice in this country. congressman keith ellison, i appreciate you being on. thank you. >> thank you. >> again, we continue to extend an invitation to congresswoman bachmann or any of the other congress people making these allegations. let us know what you think.

we're on facebook. we're on twitter. up next, raw politics. mitt romney going on the attack accusing president obama of being anti-business. it all has to do with what the president said on the campaign trail. we'll play that for you. let you be the judge. we'll talk about it ahead. the d♪ ♪ i want to grow ♪ i want to try ♪ i can almost touch the sky [ male announcer ] even the planet has an olympic dream. dow is proud to support that dream by helping provide greener, more sustainable solutions from the olympic village to the stadium. solutionism. the new optimism.™ ♪ this dream i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call and find out

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raw politics tonight. after taking a beating for weeks on his bain record and facing new calls for him to release more of his tax returns likely gop presidential nominee mitt romney has launched a new offensive. he's accusing president obama of being anti-business. he's pointing h ining to these . >> if you are successful somebody along the line gave you some help. there was a great teacher somewhere in your life. somebody helped to create this unbelievable american system that we have that allowed you to thrive. somebody invested in roads and bridges. if you got a business, you didn't build that. somebody else made that happen.

the internet didn't get invented on i wants own. government research created the internet so then all the companies could make money off the internet. the point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together. >> we want to play a fwogood ch of it there so you got a full context of what he is say ing. the part romney campaign seized on, when the president said, quote, if you got a business you didn't build that. today in a conference call organized by the romney campaign a top romney surrogate and former new hampshire govern eor launched a pretty tough attack against president obama. >> the president clearly demonstrated he has absolutely no idea how the american economy functions. the men and women all over america who have worked hard to build these businesses, their businesses from the ground up, is how our economy became the envy of the world. it is the american way, and i

wish this president would learn how to be an american. >> moments later the same call, he backtracked. later on on cnn he apologized for some of the language he used, learning to be an american. the president, he also said the president has to learn the american formula to creating business. if you thought it would end there, it at no timdidn't. he went back on the attack this afternoon on fox news. >> he has no idea how the american system functions. we shouldn't be surprised about that. he spent his early years in hawaii smoking something, spent the next set of years in indonesia. another set of years in indonesia. and, frankly, when he came to the u.s., he worked as a community organizer which is a socialized structure. and then got into politics in chicago. >> the only romney supporter speaking out, republican congressman paul ryan is firing back as well.

congressman ryan blasted president obama in an interview with the american enterprise institute monday saying, quote, the idea that these sbe preneuros owe all their success to some government bureaucrat or centralized planner just defies reality. he added every now and then president obama pierces the veil. he's usually pretty coy about his id koleology. he lets the veil slip from time to time. here's what romney told supporters during a campaign stop in pennsylvania today. >> to say something like that is not just foolishness. it's insulting to every entrepreneur, every innovator in america. our economy is driven by free people pursuing their ideas and their dreams. it is not driven by government. what the president's doing is crushing economic freedom. i do not give government credit for having built that. i give free people credit for having built that business. >> that was mitt romney on the attack today. that's raw politics.

eric ericson and van jones. eric, i've seen your writing on this today. do you believe this was the president kind of getting a peek behind the veil of what he really thinks or was this a misstatement like romney had said corporations are people, too. >> you know, i think that the white house realizes it was a damaging statement because now they're trying to focus on, oh, he meant the roads and bridges to the business. this is consistent with what he was saying going back to his kansas speech last year. the president believes that the more successful you are, the more you owe to the federal government. when, in fact, the most successful people are successful in spite of government, not because of government. the most successful people happen to be the least dependent on government. >> van, the president has adjusted his language on this since friday. but this isn't, as erick said, the first time he's used that tone to talk about business owners. do you think this was a slipping of the veil or a misstatement? how do you read it? >> well, i mean, this is just

silly season in american politics. the president said what anybody would say if you look at america. what he said is america's government essentially has been a partner to american business. that is, in fact, true. it's a lot easier to be a business owner here in america and do well. why? we've got rule of law here. we've got roads, bridges, schools. we've got the internet. you know, erick erickson on this program, one of our best s entrepreneurs in our country built redstate.com. the president of the united states sticking up for america's government, what we have done as the american people through the -- that's patriotic. he is a balanced president. he says the entrepreneur has to work well, but the rest of america has to work well, too. let's all be in this together. that's the height of patriotism. >> effective corporate tax rates

are near record lows. corporate profits near record highs right now. what do you make of what van just said? >> that's the most articulate, beautiful log back of what the president said. i don't think it's true when you look at the whole host of things the president has said over the past year starting out in kansas. i'm not going to say the name o the city, i'm afraid. i can't pronounce it. it's the city in kansas where he gave his economic kickoff speech earlier this year. it coincides with what elizabeth warren, one of his apointies said up in massachusetts and other democrats are saying. the more successful you are you owe more to the government. the president talks about paying their fair share. i don't want mitt romney or barack obama being the arbiter of what my fair share should be. the fact of the matter is the more successful you are, the more you pay in taxes. you give back not just in government but other ways, too. through charity, hiring people, employing people, paying into local and state taxes. the president's walk back and what van jones is walking back the president saying, in the whole context of his remarks

over the past year that's not true. the president is saying the more successfulou are, the more you owe the government. >> i'd like to challenge you on that, sir. i think what we've got to understand here is this is a balanced president. i just don't understand. from my point of view, the reason that small businesses -- no small business in america would leave america and go to any other country because we have done a great deal to create an infrastructure for our small businesses to do well. this president has created 4 million private sector jobs. that's more than george bush did and he had a much better economy. this president had been there for the american people across the board. i think what we have right now is an attempt to change the channel. this whole bain situation is terrible. you've got -- when i worked for the government, i had to disclose everything about myself back to the third grade. you got somebody who wants to be president who doesn't even want to show you his income taxes. this is a big channel changer moment. i don't think mitt romney can escape by doing this type of stuff. misquoting the president, taking

him out of context, pretending somebody's saying businesses and people can work together, that's not anti-patriotism. >> he's focusing on the president's context. when you look at the president's context instead of just the one little snippet it looks much worse for the president and less defensible for the president to say somehow successful people owe things to others. the basic part of that everyone agrees with. i owe my third grade writing teacher for my ability to write. at the same time i don't need to pay extra into the fwovt because of what my third grade writing teacher in a foreign country has taught me. that's what the president has been saying on the campaign trail for a year. i'm glad he's walking it back. i think he's absolutely wrong. >> i want to jump in. i want to get your comments on what governor sonunu said earlier today. the campaign, obama campaign has said, quote, about the comments, the romney campaign has officially gone off the deep end. the question is what else they'll pull to avoid answering serious questions about romney's tenure at bain capital and investments in foreign tax

havens and offshore accounts. this meltdown in over the top rhetoric won't make things better, it only calls attention to how desperate they are to change the conversation. van, was that a misstatement by governor sonunu. >> i was very tisdisappointed t hear governor sonunu speak that way. it sounded a little unhinged. it seems like there's something going on where people are starting to panic on the other side and do anything to change the subject. as best i can tell this president knows what it means to be an american. he grew up here and he has lived the american dream. he worked hard. he went to school. he did all that stuff. as i said, he has created 4 million private sector jobs, more than george bush, in a much worse economy. to attack him and say he needs to learn how to be an american i think that's really unfortunate and wrong. >> he did, again, apologize for that language. erick, what do you make of what he said? was that a slipping of the veil or was that a misstatement? >> i think his understand lying statement is true. i think barack obama is pretty

ignorant about how to create private sector jobs in this country. he's never really had a private sector job. he surrounds himself with a lot of people who never worked in the private sector. in fact, his presidency has had fewer people who've come from the private sector than any other president including jimmy carter. i would say on his specific statement had he called the president a liar and a felon the white house would ve been okay with it because that's what stephanie cutter called mitt romney last week. >> gentlemen, thank you very much. there's new violence in syria. reports of the regime randomly shelling houses and homes in damascus. syrian tv tells a much different version. no surprise. one of the most troubling questions so far, is the assad regime planning to use chemical weapons? with 24/7 customer support to help move them to the pool daddy promised! look at me, i'm swimming! somebo, get her a pony! [ female announcer ] the travelocity guarantee. from the price to the room to the trip you'll never roam alone. ( bell rings ) from the price they remwish i saw mine trip of my granmore often,

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dangerous religious tradition turns deadly. a snake handling preacher dies. it doesn't stop the faithful community from keeping the practice alive. up close look ahead when we continue.

the fight for syria seems to be nearing a battle for the capital city of damascus. all under the specter of an ominous question. would bashar al assad, the dictator of syria, be willing to use chemical weapons on his own people? i'm going to talk with former cia officer bob bare on that in a moment. first, the latest pictures from syria. opposition groups say 45 people were killed today including 14 in damascus. this video posted online purports to show random shelling of houses in the capital city. again, we cannot independently confirm this video. also, there's video purporting

to show the shelling of a house in homs. cnn has also exclusively obtained video showing corporatns in the town of duma last month in what residents called the government-backed massacre. at the same time, the propaganda coming from the syrian regime seems to be ramping up. syrian television showed an interview with a woman driving through the neighborhood of midan who was asked about reports of violence in the neighborhood. you can actually hear what sounds like gunfire in the background. [ speaking foreign language ] sberp it as you will. syrian state video shows syrian soldiers marching in parades, kissing children and doing precision exercises. a much different picture than the death and destruction in videos from the opposition. and it's all under the backdrop of disturbing reports that the syrian regime has been moving stockpiles of chemical weapons. in an interview with the bbc, the most senior politician to

defect so far says the assad regime would not hesitate to use chemical weapons. cnn contributor and former cia officer bob bare joins me now live. how much should we read into these reports, rob, the assad regime is moving around chemical weapons? is there any way to know if they are to keep the weapons from falling into opposition hands or to move in preparation to use weapons? >> anderson, we can't know for sure. i don't think washington knows as well. these weapons apparently have been distributed around the country. the regime is moving them either to protect them from the opposition or to use them themselves. i think what we have to consider is would they use them. my interpretation of events there, it's getting very bad. syrian troops i understand have been pulled off the golan heights, moved back to damascus. midan area of damascus is sort of the heart of the regime. this is moving a lot closer. and we see no indication that the alawites, who run this area,

the minority, are backing away. they put up mi-24 helicopters. they've moved armor into the street. so far, they've shown they'll stop at nothing to defend themselves or to crush this rebellion. to answer your question, would they use these weapons, i think there's a good chance. if their back's truly against the wall. a lot of people when they hear about chemical questions they think back to iraq. there's skepticism about this sort of thing. what kind of chemical weapons does the syrian regime have? do we know? >> anderson, the iraq thing, i see why it could confuse people. that was all -- that was old weapons. it was mustard gas. it deteriorated quickly. but these weapons are binary. they're very sophisticated. the syrians have the most so fest kated weapons, chemical weapons in the middle east. they know how to use them. it was given to them by the russians. they are perfectly capable of causing widespread destruction. think of a small nuclear weapon.

we don't know what's going on in the mind of bashar al assad. we just have to interpret, you know, these people are paranoid. they're worried that their end is close. and as we've said all along, they don't intend to give up. >> you said these things are binary. are they put on rockets? is that how they're delivered? >> they can be put on rockets. they could either be put on scuds. you know, one fear in washington the syrians could give these chemical weapons to hezbollah, for instance, which has 60,000 rockets all facing israel. israel at this point is in a very clear panic. what's happening in syria. >> the intelligence is spotty at best. you said you're not sure of the -- if the u.s. even knows. what does the international community have to do in your opinion from preventing these weapons from being used or can they do?

>> we need a serious u.n. sanction. it's got to include iran as well as russia. it's in no one's interest to see the situation spin out of control because it will affect the entire region. it's not going to help that the russians are sending helicopter parts and ammunition for the mi-24 helicopters to syria. it just gets more destruction. we'll get a lot closer to using those chemical weapons. the world community has got to come together on this and take it for the seriousness that it deserves. >> no evidence at this point the russians willing to move on this. it looks like friday there's going to be more talk in the u.n. the u.n. peacekeeping mission needs to be renewed if it's going to be starting friday. bob, appreciate you being on. we'll obviously continue to follow this. let's turn to susan hendricks. >> dutch authorities are joining the fbi in the investigation into the six needles found in food onboard four delta air lines flights. the planes all took off from amsterdam where the sandwiches were made. one passenger was injured and said at first he thought the

needle was a toothpick. the fda just approved the second new diet drug in 13 years. it helped patients lose on average 20 pounds. some are concerned about potential side effects including increased heart rate and birth defects. a wild scene caught on camera. you got to see it. a senior citizen pulls out a handgun and foils an attempted robbery at a florida internet cafe. he is 71 years old. his name is samuel williams. he shot and injured the two robbers. police say he has a permit, allowing him to carry the concealed weapon. >> wow. >> pretty amazing. the death of a snake handling pastor is putting the spotlight on an often secretive religious tradition. churches that use venomous snakes during services. it's illegal in some states. doesn't necessarily stop true believers. gary tuchman goes up close tonight to see why parishioners are willing to risk their life for their faith. it's next. [ male announcer ] if you believe the mayan calendar,

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up close tonight, a look at a rarely seen religious tradition. just weeks ago, mack wolford, a renounced pentecostal serpent handler died after receiving a bite from one of the serpents he used. the faithful continue to handle venomous snakes on a regular basis. gary tuchman reports. >> reporter: this church in the heart of appalachia is completely quiet just before the service begins, except for the creature inside this locked box. it's a rattlesnake. and it's rattling. it's one of seven deadly snakes about to be used in a wild ceremony in god's name.

this is pastor andrew. he's a 21-year-old serpent handling pastor at the tabernacle church of god in la follet, tennessee. he and his wife and the rest of the congregation practice christianity much differently than almost all other christians. using venomous snakes. they point to the new testament, the gospel of mark. it stated, in part, they shall take up serpents. believers like this pastor say when god anoints them they have an obligation to do this and that god will protect them. and even if they are bitten, their belief is god will heal them, no doctors necessary. if it looks dangerous, that's because it is. it's also illegal in the state of tennessee. but that only strengthens the pastor's conviction. snake handling in churches is a tradition in decline. but m hamblin wants that to

change. it's against the law to have snakes in a church in tennessee. >> right. >> reporter: does that concern you? >> no, sir, it don't. now if someone was to get bit and die, i know the authorities would come in on us and probably shut us down. that's why i stress so much to my people to, you know, make sure. if it's their appointed time to die, there's nothing i can do to prevent it. >> reporter: this is not a con. these things are poisonous. they can kill and they do kill. just a few weeks ago the pastor of this church in the remote west virginia town of matoka was bitten during one of his rattlesnakes during his service. he initially refused medical care. as he got seriously ill, he gave his permission to go to a hospital. but it was too late. he died the same day. the pastor's father died the same way three decades earlier. pastor wolford died two days after his 44th birthday. outsiders were not invited to the funeral. perhaps it's not surprising that the funeral home tells us snakes were part of the grave site

ceremony. >> any given time, i mean, it could turn around and bite me. like i said, the lord either he let it bite or he won't let it bite. he'll let it hurt or he won't let it hurt. it's all up to god. >> reporter: roy lee christian jr. is the assistant pastor at another church in west virginia. the church of the lord jesus. in the town of jolo. he was at the service where his friend, pastor wolford was fatally bitten. he's shocked and saddened but his faith remains the same. it says, they shall take up serpents. that doesn't mean you have to, does it? is that your interpretation, that you must take up serpents? >> if you believe the word of god strong enough and you really move it and the lord moves on you, you'll do it. >> reporter: back in tennessee, the 21-year-old pastor says he's been bitten four times in two years. he said he almost died after the first bite and says he's prepared to lose his life from a snakebite if god determines that's how he should go. >> i realize that. i've thought about it.

i have. i've really thought about it. that's why it pays to be ready spiritually. >> reporter: another verse from the new testament states that faith quenched the violence of fire. that's why this test of faith happens at many of these services. this is called handling fire. people burning their hands, arms and other body parts with flames shooting out of bottles. are you ever worried that seeing people burn themselves and the snakes will frighten your children? >> no. not really. >> reporter: how come? >> when god's in i there ain't no harm in it. >> reporter: this woman had been crying during much of the service. the pastor saying she had been going through some emotional difficulties. she then took to the altar, grabbing a rattlesnake and shaking it with abandon. almost daring the serpent to sink its teeth into her skin. to us, it looked like she had no idea about the personal risk.

pastor hamblin, though, claims god had anointed her to handle this deadly serpent. >> i'll stand before the lord jesus and be judged. >> reporter: the people we spoke to know what happened to the pastor in west virginia. but that risk won't stop them from coming back to this church. looking for salvation in ways both unusual and unique. gary tuchman, cnn, laflette, tennessee. >> an act of heroism caught on camera. remarkable video. a new york city bus driver is in the right spot at the right time to catch a child falling three stories. my interview with him next on 360. ( bell rings ) they remind me so much of my grandkids.

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a veteran new york city bus driver is being hailed as a hero for putting himself in harm's way and saving a live as a result. all caught on camera. stephen st. bernard spotted a 7-year-old girl standing atop an air conditioner three stories up. when she fell he was there to make the life saving catch. i spoke to stephen st. bernard about the fateful moment. steven, this video of you catching kayla is just incredible. when did you first realize something was wrong? >> well, when the little kids started running towards me, coming -- coming to the walkway, little kids started coming, that's when i realized. >> did you -- i mean, you saw her before she fell, i assume, right? >> yes. she was standing up on top of

the -- on top of the air conditioner. >> what was she doing? i heard a report she was dancing on top of the air conditioner. did you see that? >> yeah, she was dancing. >> she was doing that? >> yes. >> and did you hesitate at all? i mean, did you immediately rush towards her? >> of course. it's just -- it's a natural instinct, i guess. it's just out of normal reaction. you know a kid needs you. >> i think some people would be scared that they could get hurt by the fall. did you not think about that? >> no, that didn't -- that didn't come to mind. >> i understand your arm got injured. what happened? >> yes, the tendon in my left arm, the bicep, got torn. so tomorrow i go to the specialist and they'll tell me what -- what's the next course to take. i hope it's not surgery, though. >> have you seen the video yourself? have you watched it? >> yes, i've watched it. every time i look at it, i tear up.

>> i mean, it's a miracle you were there and, i mean, it just says so much about what kind of person you are that you didn't even think twice, you just ran toward this little girl. a lot of people consider you a hero. do you think of yourself that way? >> no. that's not a hero. no, i just saved a life, that's all, the little girl's life. >> have you seen kayla since the fall? >> i've seen kayla. i've seen her. and i met with the mother. and sometime later on this evening, i don't know exactly when, she's supposed to bring the little girl over to play with my little daughter for a little while, she said. two minutes ago, i saw her, and she said she was going to bring her little daughter to play with my little daughter for a little while. because they never met. >> and how is she doing? she's doing okay? >> yeah, she's doing fine. she's doing fine. she just smiled. >> well, steven, there's a lot

of people around the country who have you in their thoughts. just think you're remarkable for what you did. i just want to add my name to that list and i just want to thank you and thank you for talking to me. >> i thank you, and no problem. >> all right. you take care, steven. well, kayla has autism and her mother says she just took her eyes off her for just a few seconds. we're following some other stories tonight. susan hendricks joins us with the 360 bulletin. >> the fbi says scent dogs did pick up a trail while searching for two young cousins in iowa. searching for them. the spokesman wouldn't say what, if anything, it led investigators to. elizabeth collins and lyric cook were last seen friday, riding their bikes near a lake. the girls are 8 and 10 years old. police arrested the 44-year-old man in this surveillance tape after a shooting in a bar in tuscaloosa, alabama. 17 people were hospitalized. the suspect has been charged with 18 counts of attempted murder. one of the charges stems from a shooting hours earlier.

a 33-year-old woman is brave. she was training for her second iron man triathlon. she was attacked by an otter in a minnesota lake. the animal left 25 bite marks in her legs, feet and back. some were even two inches deep. that's severe. she had to get rabies and tetanus shots. remarkably she plans to compete in a triathlon next month in the same lake. if you've always wanted to go back and read the classics but you've always thought they've been missing something, you're in luck. the ridiculist is next. daddy, come in the water!

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time for the ridiculist. tonight we're adding classic literature. it pains me to do this. i'm actually quite an avid reader and fan of classic literature. you know and i know there's really been one major problem plaguing all great works of literature. the problem being of course that there are just not enough like "50 shades of gray." now that's being solved. clandestine classics. in just a few weeks you will be able to download e-books. is that what they do? download them? i still read analog books for the most part. in just a feweeks the clandestine classic series will be available online with racy versions of jane eyre.

retold with passion. a version of sherlock holmes. watson falls in love with holmes and has his sexual attention tended to in ways he only dreamed. and what literary collection would possibly be complete without an erotic retelling of 20 thousand leagues under the sea. isn't there a sea monster in that book? i don't know where you would take that. if you're going to go the whole maritime adventure root, wouldn't the obvious choice be herman melville's novel of the rather large whale? the company says they're not rewriting the classics, they're keeping the authors' voices, just enhancing the novels by adding in steamy new scenes. some people are going to say these works contain sacred prose which shouldn't be manipulated in any way. why not? and why stop at the classics? there are plenty of other books that could use erotic enhancement. how about cook books? those things are totally boring to read. randomly throw saucy encounters in there. what about do it yourself home impren