morning. it's this one. >> in romney's world, the cars get the elevator, and the workers get the shaft. when mitt romney did say let detroit go bankrupt, who took the wheel? barack obama! >> former michigan governor jennifer granholm fist pumping. is this her howard dean moment? breaking news overnight. prince harry arriving in afghanistan. the new video straight ahead. plus this. >> spectacular. >> game, set, match. djokovic. live courtside in flushing at the u.s. open. and weekend of the rookie five. count them, five rookie quarterbacks, set to start sunday. we're on the 50 yard line. "cnn newsroom" begins right now.

good morning. happy friday to you. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining us. we begin with politics and your pocketbook. minutes ago, a dismal jobs report. last month, employers created a lot fewer jobs than expected. bad news for the economy, and big news in a presidential race that's deadlocked and sprinting to the finish. here's the latest. according to the feds, employers added just 96,000 jobs last month. that's a very weak number. it's far fewer than the expert has predicted. alison kosik is at the new york stock exchange. so break these numbers down for us, alison. >> one analyst said this is a shocker to him. it's a big miss and a big disappointment. as you said, only 96,000 jobs were added in august. that is way below what was expected. and when you think about it, what was expected was at least 120,000 would have been added. and that was even lower. so it really winds up being a bigger miss. the unemployment rate fell to 8.1%. the headline, when you see that,

you think, wow, that's great. but then you look deeper into the number and you see why. it's because the labor force shrank. it's because more people dropped out looking for work. they got frustrated and just gave up altogether. that's really not what you want to see. that's not the way you want to see the unemployment rate go down. more bad news, the june job additions, those numbers were both revised lower. 41,000 fewer jobs it turns out were added over the summer than previously thought. so let's try to look at the glass half full here. where are we adding jobs? we are adding jobs in food services and drinking areas like at restaurants and bars. we saw 28,000 job additions there. professional and technical services. rise of 27,000. health care did pretty well. up 17,000. ok. the bad news. 15,000 jobs were lost in manufacturing. for the month of august. and that's because of some summer shifting going on in the auto industry. the labor department says fewer workers than usual were hired back in august to prepare for the next model years. so on this news, we're watching

stock futures slip just a little bit after the report but they are staying in positive territory. remember, we did see the dow jump more than 200 points yesterday in part because of hope for a good jobs report. hopes were dashed, though. that adp report was just way off the mark. carol? >> ok. so we'll get back to you to see how the stock market reacts later this morning. now let's turn to the political impact. all week, democrats have been telling voters that president obama had the recovery on the right track, but this latest setback may make that argument a much harder sell. the top of the hour, the president leaves charlotte en route to portsmouth, new hampshire, and that's where we find our white house correspondent dan lothian. dan, how damaging to the president could this latest jobs report be? >> reporter: well, look, it had the numbers really been more positive than this, then you could argue that it would have moved the needle in a more significant way, especially coming out of the democratic national convention.

the president could go out there on the campaign trail and say, look, we are making some significant gains. we expect that what we'll hear from the white house, though, is that there's still a lot of pain. there's still a lot of work to be done. but nonetheless, a little bit of progress is being made. but obviously, this is something that republicans now can go after the president as we've seen already from rience priebus, the chairman of the rnc, who is saying that the president so far has not been able to deliver on his number one promise, and that is job creation. in fact, in a tweet, he tweeted out, quote, no wonder they couldn't fill bank of america stadium. over 300,000 americans left the work force. devastating, #timeisup. what he is referring to is that republicans over the last few days have been saying that the reason that the president moved his speech indoors last night was not because of the weather but because democrats could not fill the seats. the campaign is saying that's clearly not the case. it was because of the weather. but the president, as you pointed out, hitting the campaign trail, coming to new hampshire.

he'll go from here to iowa and then to florida. you'll see the president spending a lot of time in key battleground states because because as we've been talking about, it's a small slice of the electorate that the president is trying to reach. and those are the undecided independent voters. they are trying to sway them. most of the rest of the americans have already decided who they are going to vote for. so that's the hard sell. and you'll hear the president continue to talk about what he has done, and what he plans to do, to help middle class voters. they are hoping that will be effective especially in states like ohio and michigan. >> dan lothian reporting live from portsmouth, new hampshire, this morning. thank you. of course today is the morning after the big night in charlotte for the democrats, where president obama took his bid for re-election directly to you, the voter. his mission, to carry the convention's momentum straight to the voting booth 60 days from now. >> i accept your nomination for president of the united states. and on every issue, the choice

you face won't just be between two candidates or two parties. it will be a choice between two different paths for america. ours is a fight to restore the values that built the largest middle class and the strongest economy the world has ever known. now, our friends down in tampa at the republican convention, were more than happy to talk about everything they think is wrong with america. but they didn't have much to say how they'd make it right. they want your vote, but they don't want you to know their plan. and that's because all they had to offer is the same prescriptions they've had for the last 30 years. have a surplus? try a tax cut. deficit too high? try another. feel a cold coming on? take two tax cuts, roll back some regulations, and call us in the morning.

i'm asking you to rally. around a set of goals for your country, goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security, and the deficit. real achievable plans that will lead to new jobs. more opportunity. and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation. that's what we can do in the next four years, and that is why i am running for a second term as president of the united states. only you have the power to move us forward. i recognize that times have changed since i first spoke to this convention. times have changed, and so have i. i'm no longer just a candidate. i'm the president. [ cheers and applause ] >> to talk about the president' speech, we are joined by cnn

political strategists. >> hi, carol. hi, anna. >> i know it's been a long night and it's an early morning for you guys. we appreciate you being with us. the jobs report. disappointing. coming on the heels of the president's speech, how does that affect how voters kind of like took his speech, hillary? >> well, look, you know, i'm hesitant to sort of spin this too much so i'll lay it out straight. you know, we still had 29 straight months of job growth. we were losing 800,000 jobs a month before the president took office. and we are growing jobs. it is too slow. there are still too many people out of work. but i think what -- you know, one thing to remember is the president knew those job numbers when he made that speech last night. i don't think it's any surprise that we heard from him i never promised you this would be easy. we were in a big hole. and we have a lot of work to do. >> anna, the president sort of

said, you know, it's all about hope and faith. like give me some more time. i'll turn this thing around. but with a jobs report like that, will anybody believe it? >> i think it's hard to spin this jobs report as anything but what it is. and it is raining on president obama's convention speech last night. you know, he's now gone from hope and change to cope and wait. he's no longer -- four years ago, carol, he was the candidate that was america's hope for change. today, he needs to maintain the hopefulness of americans, if he has any hope of winning. and when you see job reports like these continue coming out before the elections, i tell you, that becomes increasingly difficult. and it also highlights a stark difference between the pageantry, the words, the speeches, that we've heard in the last four days and what's really happening in american households. >> and hilary, the president really didn't lay out an economic plan, or at least a new

economic plan. he sort of went through the basics. you know, we need to concentrate on infrastructure, and we need to cut taxes for middle class americans but raise taxes on the wealthiest americans. but we've heard that before. did he need to lay out more of a plan last night? >> well, a couple of things. first of all, we've heard it before but we haven't done it before. so the president proposed a budget to congress that would trim the deficit, that would give middle class tax breaks, that would reinvest in education and technology, and the republicans in congress have not passed it. so there is a plan to do that. you know, energy was a big goal that the president set last night. the jobs in the future, and we saw this in the jobs report today, they are in health care, energy, they are in services sector. those are the places that the president's consistently said we've lost the jobs of the past in so many ways. we have to double down on the jobs of the future. and this does not happen overnight. you know, i thought bill clinton

said it best the other night in some ways. in his only bill clinton coloekial way, he left us a big mess, he is not cleaning it up fast enough, and now they want the reins back. we cannot go back to the same policies that got us where we were. we have to go where the president is taking us. >> ana, i know that mitt romney will be on one of the sunday morning news shows. what do you suppose he'll talk about? >> well, you know, look, i think hilary is right in what she said. nobody expected president obama to change things overnight. but we're not talking about overnight anymore. we're talking about 3 1/2 years. and i think americans are losing some patience. what does mitt romney have to talk about? this jobs report. he has to focus squarely on the economy. and he's going to have to highlight that american people have lost patience, that he's

gotten a good chance, 3 1/2 years, that things aren't what we had hoped for. and that, you know, it's time for a change of leadership. >> ana navarro, hilary rosen, thank you for joining us this morning. >> ok. take care. let's talk about jennifer granholm now. she is a speaker at the dnc getting a lot of buzz this morning. she is the former michigan governor, and conservatives are saying jennifer granholm, well, she just delivered the democrats howard dean moment. >> and then we're going to washington, d.c., to take back the white house! yeah! >> ok. so that's the howard dean moment. you be the judge. listen to granholm's fiery address last night when she started talking about the auto bailout. >> now, you know -- you know mitt romney, he saw the same crisis. and you know what he said. let detroit go bankrupt. now, sure, sure, mitt romney

loves our lakes and our trees. he loves our cars so much they even have their own elevator. but the people who design and build and sell those cars, well, in romney's world, the cars get the elevator, and the workers get the shaft. all across america, autos are ck. manufacturing is rebounding. why? you know why. say it! >> usa! usa! usa! usa! >> usa! >> ok. so this is some of the reaction granholm was getting this morning. ohioan wrote, was she drunk? on drugs? that was embarrassing to watch.

but cnn political analyst david gergen had a far different view. he posted this on twitter. if anyone ever tells you a woman can't give an energizing, hard-hitting speech, tell them to watch video of jennifer granholm. we'll let you decide this one. republican mitt romney is taking a break from debate prep to head back to the campaign trail and also appear on nbc's "meet the press" on sunday. but before that, team romney is reacting to president obama's address. matt rods, romney's campaign manager, says tonight, president obama laid out the case for this election, laying out the policies that haven't worked for the past four year. he offered more promises but he hasn't kept the promises he made four years ago. americans will hold president obama account for for his record. they know they are not better off, and it's time to change direction. the dnc was rocking inside the arena last night.

but what about the 65,000 that weren't invited to the party? we'll talk to one of them.

it was like a cavalcade of stars at the democratic national convention. james taylor, the foo fighters,

and an unusual show of affection by eva longoria, who appeared to be petting jessica alba. mary j. blige took the stage to sing her hit song "family affair." >> don't be shy! come on! ♪ don't need no hateration ♪ toleration ♪ perkulating ♪ listen -- >> you could see everyone getting their groove on. some were good at it, and some pretty darn bad, but it doesn't matter. they tried. they tried dancing, and they were having fun. of course, about 65,000 people missed out on the fun because democrats feared it would rain. this is where president obama was supposed to speak. the bank of america stadium. it fits about 75,000 people just in the seats. but forecasts for thunderstorms and heavy rain forced the dnc to move into the time warner cable arena, which can only fit about 20,000 people. so as you might have guessed, that meant thousands of people

were mighty upset. president obama held a special conference to apologize. >> i just want to begin by saying how much i regret that we're not all gathering together in one place to deliver my acceptance speech tonight. the problem was a safety issue. i could not ask you, our volunteers, law enforcement, first responders, to subject themselves to the risk of severe thunderstorms. >> by the way, it barely rained at all. u.s. airways and unite -- united airlines told people they could change their tickets without a change fee. this mother was scheduled to attend the last night until she got an email saying, sorry, there was no room. >> my children were excited. they all wanted to see the president in person. we were packed and ready to go, and then i got the word that we weren't able to make it. >> you got an email. what did it say?

>> essentially, it said, you know, we wa to keep the momentum going. unfortunately, due to forecasted thunderstorms and us keeping your safety and consideration, we had to move to a different arena. and it does not accommodate the number of individuals initially planned for. >> well, at least you didn't fly there. that's one good thing. >> yeah, yeah. >> you know what the republicans are saying. they are saying the reason the democrats cancelled the big stadium thing was because they couldn't fill the stadium. >> i doubt that that's the case. i seriously doubt that's the case. i think there were thousands of people who were very disappointed, like i was. i actually looked online, on the website, for the convention, and saw a lot of responses. people were very upset. some people more understanding than others. but overall, everyone was disappointed. >> how upset did some people get? >> oh, wow. some people said, all my volunteerism was for nothing. why would you plan to have something in an outdoor arena knowing that weather could be a

factor? not so nice tes, people basically conveyed their disappointment. >> but i'm sure that you watched president obama's speech on television. >> i did, i did. >> and the jobs report came out this morning, and it was kind of dismal. >> uh-huh. >> so add those two things together, and what is your impression this morning? >> well, you know, weather obviously is something that no human can control. in terms of planning for it, hurricane season, east coast location, i don't know that it was the best decision to try and have it at an outdoor facility. but that aside, the jobs report coming out this morning, again, we are steadily, slowly but surely, improving in the job market. it wasn't as positive as i think a lot of people were expecting. but i think that yet it's still yet to be seen what the result of his past four years is looking like. >> it's not going to change your mind in the voting booth? >> no, not necessarily. >> nana, you're going to join us in the next hour. >> i will. >> thank you for being here this morning. the democratic national

convention is now over. what did you take away? the day's talk back is next. ones i've made. ones we've all made. about marriage. children. money. about tomorrow. here's to good decisions. who matters most to you says the most about you. massmutual is owned by our policyholders so they matter most to us. massmutual. we'll help you get there. ♪ [ male announcer ] its lightweight construction makes it nimble... ♪ its road gripping performance makes it a cadillac. introducing the all-new cadillac xts. available with advanced haldex all-wheel drive. [ engine revving ] it's bringing the future forward.

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now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the question for you this

morning, what did you take away from the democratic national convention? massachusetts governor deval patrick led the rallying cry. >> my message is this. it's time for democrats to grow a backbone and stand up for what we believe. >> and stand up they did, like bulldogs. speaker after speaker attacked republicans, even at times spicing it up with some colorful lingo. >> when congressman ryan looked into that tv camera and attacked president obama's medicare savings as, quote, the biggest, coldest power play, i didn't know whether to laugh or cry. you've got to give them one thing. it takes a brass for attacking a guy for doing what you did. >> yeah, there was what conservatives called the howard dean moment from former michigan governor jennifer granholm.

>> all across america, autos are back. manufacturing is rebounding. why? you know why. say it! >> usa! usa! usa! >> well, maybe you could call it the democrats' clint eastwood moment. but the real question is whether voters took away anything new from president obama. >> i'm asking you to rally. around a set of goals for your country, goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security, and the deficit. real achievable plans that will lead to new jobs, more opportunity, and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation. that's what we can do in the next four years, and that is why i am running for a second term as president of the united states. >> so did you buy it? talk back question for you

today, what did you take away from the democratic national convention? facebook.com/carolcnn. your comments later this hour. a paycheck in hand, but a home still out of reach. we'll look at how one city is dealing with the growing problem. fulltime workers who are forced to live in their cars. >> i've got a fulltime job. i'm barely making ends meet.

30 minutes past the hour. good morning to you. happy friday. i'm carol costello. stories we're watching right now in the newsroom, we're seconds away from the opening bell at the new york stock exchange. all eyes are on the market to see if it will respond to the dismal jobs report. we'll go there for an update. the man who pulled off the -- the man pulled off of a u.s. airways flight in philadelphia after a bomb scare has now been arrested on other charges. chris shell was removed from the plane by armed officers yestery morning. police were acting on a tip that shell had explosives on him, but it turns out that tip was a hoax. an affiliate wpvi says it was made by a man who is dating shell's ex-girlfriend. it was an episode that startled other passengers onboard that plane. >> he reached out with his left

hand, grabbed me, pulled me behind him, and focused on the guy that was next to me. and told him to get up. you know, don't move fast. just stand up. put his hands up. last night, shell was taken into custody for outstanding warrants from texas. no dangerous material was ever found on shell after the u.s. airways flight landed. prince harry is in afghanistan this morning. he'll be based in the helmand province as an apache helicopter pilot. the prince served there briefly four years ago but was quickly called home because of safety concerns. the nation's dismal economy is a huge issue in the presidential election, but for millions of americans, it's much more than just a talking point. that's especially true in santa barbara, california, where the average home costs more than $600,000. the average home costs that. it's enough to overwhelm even people making healthy paychecks. and force families to live in their vehicles.

now a report on how the city is trying to help. >> reporter: julius is behind the wheel of a bus five days a week. a fulltime job that pays $19 an hour to the jovial driver with the unforgettable beard. when his work day is over, he moves from his bus to another vehicle. his van. where he lives. >> we have a regular full size mattress. >> reporter: this is home because he makes too much to qualify for public housing, but can't afford rent in the high cost city of santa barbara. a lot of people think if you have a fulltime job in america, you're ok. that's not really the case for you, is it? >> no. you know, i have a fulltime job. i'm barely making ends meet. >> reporter: debt from a failed small business piled up, and he and his wife are still digging out. so this county parking lot is where they sleep, joined by more than a dozen others who live in their cars. it's called the safe parking

program. 114 spaces spread out across the county, with the waiting list of more than 40. >> i have senior citizens. i have couples. i have families. >> reporter: 1/3 of the people, says the program's manager, have jobs, but are underemployed, like approximately 17% of americans. what do you think it says about america when somebody who has a job, who wants to work, still has to live in a car? >> i think people would be shocked. i think they would be shocked if they would come and meet some of these people, because i'll tell you, when they come into my office, i want to cry, because it reminds me of someone that could be my mother, my sister, my brother. >> reporter: or your bus driver. >> good morning. >> reporter: who starts his day on the move. breakfast with his wife, mary, is at the donut shop. >> toothbrush, toothpaste. >> the bathroom, a public one. the dressing room, the back of the van.

>> normal life is watching this. you know, living in a van is not the norm. >> reporter: has the middle class in america changed? >> i think that middle class has slid down the scale a little bit more towards the lower class. and it's a little tougher for the middle class people to survive and actually pursue their american dream. >> i love you. >> i love you too. >> reporter: he keeps chasing his dream, hoping whoever wins this election will be able to shift the economy into gear. >> good morning. thank you. >> you just wish they could move out of santa barbara, find someplace cheaper to live and be able to get a job. but that's the hard part, right? >> reporter: absolutely, carol. it comes down to one word, "job." and you'julius has that good-pa job, $19 an hour, so he doesn't want to leave it.

even though perhaps it's cheaper to live somewhere in the midwest or the south, he doesn't want to give it up. we have been talking about that jobs report, how difficult it is to get that job. he doesn't want to let it go. he's only got a couple of years before he is vested and can get a pension. >> reporting live from los angeles. thank you so much. so we just heard from someone who actually has a job but it is still homeless. and this morning we are learning that the nation's job market continues to grow at an agonizingly slow pace. 96,000 jobs added last month. the unemployment rate ticked down to 8.1%, though. but that's really not the bright news you'd expect. alison kosik is at the new york stock exchange. how are the markets reacting? >> you know, what's interesting about jobs report in general, no single economic report, carol, can move the market more than the jobs report. and you don't see stock moving much at this point. they are pretty much mixed. a little positive, somewhat on the positive side this morning, and you're thinking, how can that be? this number, this jobs number, 96,000 jobs added in august,

that's a lousy number. but the way wall street sees it, bad news if are the economy could be good news for the market. it's kind of this crazy reverse logic because the way wall street sees it, many believes that this report could wind up influencing the federal reserve's decision next week when it meets to announce a new stimulus program to try and rev up the economy. so there are still high hopes that the fed will take some sort of action next week. you did mention that drop in unemployment from 8.3% to 8.1%. it sounds good on the headline, but then you kind of roll back that curtain and see the reason is because the labor force shrank. 368,000 people literally dropped out looking for work. they got fed up, frustrated, and said, i can't get a job. that's really not the way you want to see the unemployment rate go down. also the number of people in the labor force, carol, at its lowest level since september of 1981. one analyst tells me it's a disappointing report because lately the economic reports for the u.s. have been showing promise. so that kind of adds to the disappointment. carol?

>> alison kosik live at the new york stock exchange. chicago braces for a possible teacher strike that would keep 400,000 students out of school. as the clock ticks down to a deadline, we'll see if there's any chance of a settlement. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we need it now more than ever. chevron's putting more than $8 billion dollars back in the u.s. economy this year. in pipes, cement, steel, jobs, energy. we need to get the wheels turning. i'm p. making real things... for real. ...that make a real difference. ♪

parents in chicago are scrambling trying to figure out what to do with their children on monday. that's why. teachers are set to strike, a move that would affect some 400,000 students. so let's bring in our ted rowlands. what's at issue here, ted? >> reporter: well, a couple of things, carol. first of all, pay, as you might imagine. another issue they are stuck on is some job security for veteran teachers when schools are closed. the union really wants those veteran teachers protected in the event that a school goes down. they want those teachers to keep their jobs. also they are ironing out the specifics over a longer school day, which both sides agreed to a few months ago, but the

teachers want breaks in there and prep time put in there. those are the major sticking points. another thing that is sort of an overriding theme in this negotiation is this anti-union sentiment that the teachers union is very sensitive about. and they believe that that's playing a part in this. take a listen to a spokesman we talked to yesterday who brought up that exact point when we were discussing it. >> it is playing a part. and i think what's most disconcerting is you have democratic mayors all over the country leading the charge, attempting to destroy the public sector. particularly, you know, public school teachers unions. >> reporter: and of course the democratic mayor here in chicago is rahm emanuel. and the teachers union really feels as though he has aligned himself with the board, and has left their side. we asked rahm emanuel for an interview, and he declined our offer to talk about that specific item. he did release this statement to

us yesterday, talking about the kids being out of school possibly. saying every day they are not there is a day taken away from them that they just cannot afford. leaders on both sides need to stay at the negotiating table and finish their job, finding a solution that is fair for our teachers and keeps our students in school. neither side wants this to go through. they do have a considerable impasse that they have to deal with. but the empathy level for the teachers is not going to be real high when we're talking about jobs and the lack of them for people around the country. and it's the last thing that rahm emanuel needs. he's got violence in this city. he doesn't need kids out on the street during the day, and teachers striking outside of his schools. so they're working hard. but at this point, no deal. and all the preparations have been put into place for a monday strike, including calls to parents warning them that this could and probably will happen. people are told to get plan b set and ready to go. >> ted rowlands live from chicago for us this morning.

42 minutes past the hour. checking our top stories now, a jury has found drew peterson guilty of murdering his ex-wife. illinois investigators accuse the former cop of killing his third wife, kathleen savio, in 2004 after his fourth wife, stacey peterson, went missing. mily members had an emotional reaction to the verdict. >> i'll never have my sister again. i still have to see her in the cemetery. but at least she got her justice. >> peterson's attorneys have vowed to continue fighting on his behalf. at least some of the oil and tar balls found on coastlines after hurricane isaac was from the 2010 bp oil spill. that's according to preliminary tests by state officials. bp plans to test the samples too, saying there's a lot of oil out there that may not be ours. texas will soon open a new highway with the highest speed limit in the country. 85 miles per hour.

this is a 41-mile stretch that connects austin to san antonio. critics say higher speed limits mean more deadly crashers, but supporters love the fact that they will be able to drive way faster than 55. and in sports, tennis player novak djokovic will play david ferrer in the u.s. open semifinals tomorrow in new york. djokovic is ranked number two in the world. the winner will advance to the finals on sunday. take a look at these pictures. wow. a semi truck slams right into a state trooper during a traffic stop. and then you see the trooper walk over to the railing before he collapses. it happened in maryland in june. but this video was just released. the trooper is still alive. he is recovering. the truck driver was forced to pay a fine. the democratic national convention is now over. so what did you take away from it? your responses to our talk back question, next. stocks for your portfolio? divig

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the pakistani-bed hakani network will now be listed as a terrorist organization. cnn's pentagon correspondent barbara starr is joining me now to tell us why that's important. >> good morning, carol. it is important for one big reason, of course, and that is that the haqqanis have killed perhaps dozens of u.s. troops, let alone afghan and pakistani citizens during the last several years of war. let's get right to it. who are these people? who is the haqqani network? this is a group of warlord run militants that operate on both sides of the afghan-pakistan border but are headquartered mainly in pakistan. what have they done? they are responsible for a number of very high profile

attacks in the afghan capital of kabul, in pakistan, and against several u.s. military bases, many u.s. military lives lost. what does this action mean designating them as a terrorist network? it gives the u.s. another tool, if you will, to go after their financing. the u.s. has long believed that much of the haqqani's money, which allows the attacks to happen, is coming out of supporters in the persian gulf. but, carol, will this make a difference for u.s. troops? that's the real question. the belief of u.s. intelligence is that the haqqanis are well supported inside pakistan by pakistan's own intelligence services. so once again, you have this problem that we've heard so much about. unless pakistan agrees to crack down on these guys, the u.s. effort may be just another step on the road, but nobody really thinks it's going to make a fundamental difference unless pakistan itself gets involved

and cracks down on this militant network. carol? >> and that's a big question. that's a big if, barbara. thank you so much. >> you bet. >> barbara starr live from the pentagon. our talk back question this morning, what did you take away from the democratic national convention? this from brandon. that obama is the right president. however, he needs to focus on better fiscal responsibility if he wins his second term. i believe clinton called it simple arithmetic. this from kyle. we saw that the democrats are ready to fight for the presidency. they're throwing down the glove, holding back no punches. this should be an interesting election to watch. this from paul. lack of specifics. no vision. i expected and wanted a vision and instead we got hype. to be fair, we also got that at the republican convention. this from roger. the democrats are willing to promise anything to stay in power and turn this country into something it was never intended to be. it is not the uniting party but rather the divisive party. and this from brian. maybe they are growing a backbone to enunciate their principles and goals again. keep the conversation going.

facebook.com/carol cnn. more of your comments in the next hour of "newsroom." it's been a really long time since this has happened. five quarterbacks straight out of college all starting their first pro game at the most demanding position in football. i'm also a survivor of ovarian a writand uterine cancers. i even wrote a play about that. my symptoms were a pain in my abdomen and periods that were heavier and longer than usual for me. if you have symptoms that last two weeks or longer,

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if you want to take your family to an nfl game this season you might need to take

out a loan. according to a new survey from team market iing reports fan co index, try to say it eight times quickly, the new york giants have the highest average ticket price. the average ticket to see mark sanches, tim tebow and company just under $118. tom brady and the new england patriots are very close second, ten cents cheaper than jets tickets. the defending super bowl champs the new york giants third, average ticket cost of over $111. wow. well, the nfl starts for real this weekend and week one is not going to be easy. joining me now via skype is jim trotter from "sports illustrated." good morning, jim. >> how you doing? >> would you pay $118 to get into a football game? >> no chance. thankfully i have a press pass. so i can avoid that. but i can feel the fans' pain. >> i think i'll stay home and watch.

the nfl package is expensive but cheaper than going to the games. take your pick. san francisco at green bay or pittsburgh at denver? >> well, they're both intriguing but for me i like the green bay/san francisco game from the standpoint i believe it's going to be a preview of the nfc championship game and it has a great story line there in terms of, you know, the irresistible force meaning the green bay offense against the immovable object which is the san francisco defense, which was number two in the league in points allowed last year. so when you look at it from that standpoint to me that's the better match up but obviously a lot of attention will be paid to the denver game because it is peyton manning's first game in two years. >> how did he look? i mean, his arm strength kind of seemed to be there but the craftiness is back certainly. >> i think he'll be fine but the thing you have to look for is what peyton talks about and that's the process. for the first time in his career he's in a new offense. he has a new offensive coordinator and he has a new group of receivers.

and what peyton told me is that, look. you can't rush, you know, building camaraderie among those receivers. it takes time. it's a process. what is going to be difficult for him is six of the first games were in playoffs last year so he won't have time to get his feet wet and develop a rapport with these receivers but physically i think he's fine. >> i hope so. just such a great guy and great player. quarterbacks. let's talk more about quarterbacks. five rookie quarterbacks starting opening weekend. the most in what, 60 years? andrew luck, robert griffin iii, russell wilson, brian tannehill and brandon weeden. so who will have the better game? >> i'm going to say i might surprise people but it's going to be russell wilson in my opinion because i think, number one, seattle has a very good defense which means there's going to be that pressure taken off for russell wilson. number two he is playing an opponent that does not have a stable quarterback situation.

i don't think he has to put up a lot of points to win. if you look at it, andrew luck has to go against the bears and their formidible defense in chicago. tannehill has to go against houston which was number two in the league in defense last year. rg iii has to go against the saints in new orleans. >> ooh. >> where the saints limited 6 of 8 opponents to 17 or fewer points last year. and weeden and the browns, you know, i think they have a chance of having the worst record in the league this year so i don't anticipate much from him. >> yeah. i'm already weeping for cleveland. but you never know. with cleveland you actually always know. jim trotter, thank you so much. i appreciate it. >> thanks for having me. next hour of cnn newsroom starts after a short break. we make a simple thing.

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politics are on a lot of minds here. "newsroom" starts now. good morning. happy friday. thank you for joining me. i'm carol costello. this morning a collision of politics and your pocket book. a bleak jobs report raises new questions about the economy and a president who is pleading with americans to be patient. we're covering both angles. chief business correspondent ali velshi has the numbers. on the campaign trail dan lothian has the fallout. let's begin with the numbers and what they mean for you. our business guru ali velshi is here. tough to spin these numbers anyway. >> you're absolutely right. when you said it's a collision of the economy and your pocketbook, the politics and the numbers here are hard to separate. 96,000 net new jobs created in august. the number of positions created

minus the number of positions eliminated. not a bad number overall. take a look at that chart. it's been very choppy since the beginning of 2011. we have had 30 straight months of job creation. that is what the white house is touting but here is the problem. we expected at a minimum 120,000 new jobs. i saw estimates going up to about 142,000 and after some good job news earlier in the week there were many people who thought it would be a lot better. here's the reality. 96,000 jobs created. lower than pected. that means the unemployment rate, the counterintuitive rate went down to 8.1%. it was 8.3%. that is not great news and the reason why it went down is because people left the work force. 368,000 people left the work force in august. there are a number of reasons why you would drop out of the work force. sometimes you're retiring, going to school, sometimes just disillusioned. right now the labor

participation of people available to work 63.5% are working. that is the lowest since 1981. it'll take some parcing to figure out exactly what that is. the third bullet point is concerning. we've been growing manufacturing jobs for a while in the united states for a couple years. we lost 15,000 of them. mostly auto parts manufacturers. that is concerning. before we hand it over to dan for politics, carol, i want you to think about this. there are two more jobs reports before the election. in fact, the last one is four days before the election. if president obama -- 261,000 jobs are created in the next two months, president obama will make the claim all jobs eliminated on his watch have been replaced. in other words, we're back to break even. he'll make a big deal out of that if it happens. 261,000 jobs, 130 roughly for the next two jobs reports. not out of the realm of possibility. but that's going to be a big deal for the democrats, carol. >> thank you very much.

we want to take you live to charlotte, north carolina now. the president and his family are preparing now to leave. there you see airforce one. i think the president and his family have already -- there they go. president obama and michelle obama boarding the plane taking off for portsmouth, new hampshire where of course president obama will hit the campaign trail. that is where dan lothian is already waiting for the president to arrive. so i'm sure the white house has already put out a statement on this jobs report. what's it saying? >> this is not the kind of numbers that would really put wind in the sails of the president as he bounces out of the democratic national convention. i've heard from two officials who tell me the president will in fact address the jobs numbers during his first stop here post the dnc convention here in new hampshire. so he will be addressing those job numbers. we'll be listening for what he has to say. we heard from the president's

economic adviser who said in a statement in part, quote, while there is more work, there remains to be done, today's employment report provides further evidence that the u.s. economy is continuing to recover from the worst downturn since the great depression going on to highlight, 4.6 million jobs have been created in the private sector. the message that we will no doubt hear from the president as he campaigns here in new hampshire then goes on to iowa and then to florida -- >> uh-oh. we're having technical problems with dan lothian. you get the gist of that. president obama will be in new hampshire campaigning and he will address those jobs numbers. mitt romney will also be on the campaign trail and i'm sure he is going to address the jobs number. jim acosta is traveling with mitt romney. jim, i think romney has already responded. >> that's right, carol. you're right. he is going to be talking about this probably a lot today. he's got an event in iowa near sioux city in a couple hours from now.

he'll be back here in new hampshire later on this evening. he is in the air right now and we're here on the ground in new hampshire because quite frankly we wouldn't be able to report to you if we were up in the air all day long. he'll be in the skies for seven hours today. but he did put out a statement earlier this morning. i'll read it to you. we'll put it up on screen if we can. he said, quote, if last night was the party this morning is the hangover. for every net new job created nearly four americans gave up looking for work entirely. this is more of the same for middle class families who are suffering through the worst economic recovery since the great depression. after 43 straight months of unemployment above 8% it is clear that presint obama just hasn't lived up to his promises and his policies haven't worked. what is interesting in that statement you saw mitt romney talked about the number of 8%. mitt romney and the republicans have been talking about this for a couple years now that this is a number president obama cannot beat. but there is one concern for mitt romney in this jobless report today. the unemployment rate did tick down to 8.1%.

it is getting very close to the 8% number that they keep throwing out there. >> interesting. jim acosta reporting live for us this morning. outside of new hampshire the romney campaign is preparing a media blitz releasing 15 new television ads so ohio, florida, north carolina you get ready. you and other battleground states are about to be bombarded with commercials, slamming the president's job creation skills. >> here in ohio we're not better off under president obama. his failed economic and trade policies with china have destroyed thousands of jobs. the romney plan? stand up to china. create over 450,000 new jobs. keep ohio jobs in ohio. >> i'm mitt romney. >> tara wall is the senior communications adviser for the romney campaign. welcome, tara. >> thanks for having me, carol. >> thanks for being here. it's one thing to criticize president obama's performance in creating jobs and another to deliver a specific plan.

when will we hear governor romney's whole plan to create jobs? >> first of all let me say i concur with governor romney when here in charlotte people are literally waking up this morning unfortunately essentially what he equated to a hangover when you have over 360,000 people now out of the work force and 42 straight months of unemployment over 8%. at the end of the day governor romney has articulated over and over whether it is a 59-point plan spelled out on the website to bulleted five-point plan that talks about energy independence and tax reform and education reform as ways to get this economy back started again. >> tara, voters often hear from the governor how -- let me just ask you this. we often hear how job creators are eager to create jobs if only regulations were eased and taxes reduced. but many voters are skeptical of that. they don't quite believe it.

if take a look at big business today it is doing fine with fewer employees so how does governor romney convince them to hire right away? >> i think what voters don't believe is the failed policies president obama is continuing to articulate have not worked for them over the past four years. when you look at where we are now. >> i'm not asking you that. >> that's what we should be talking about though, carol. listen, people want jobs. and there are a number -- there are a number of ways that we go about fixing this economy. and what has happened is president obama's plans have not worked. when you talk about obama care which he did not talk about -- >> tell us why governor romney's plan will work. >> sure. i personally believe that as a leader of the -- governor who has business acumen, experience, has brought down unemployment,

who has stimulated economies, who has turned around the olympics, i believe that his leadership shows that he has the ability and the capability to do that. i think when you talk about some of these pro growth principles this free market enterprise system, these are things that most americans i think can embrace and do embrace particularly small business owners who have been struggling in this economy. these are the folks who talk about wanting to ease the tax burden on them so they can hire, they can create -- >> if you're going to cut taxes you have to find money to make up for that right? mitt romney talks about these tax loop holes he is going to close. he doesn't say which loop holes he is going to close and this leaves many voters wondering what exactly is your plan? >> listen, i think again, carol, this is, when you talk about these issues and these -- like in a snap shot this way, these are shiny balls. what the public wants to know is where is the plan?

what are we going to do? he has articulated that. if they want specific details again we have a 59-point plan and you can have it in snippets in five-point chunks. i think again the american people -- >> you know as well as i do that in that 359-point plan very few voters are going to read that and there aren't specifics in there that really tell us how. >> that's why we have broken it down into those five points. i talked about energy independence, education reform, we've talked about small business growth. we've talked about tax reform. those are all issues that are outlined in that five simple bullets. that is the way to get started. at the end of the day the biggest thing people need to know is we will -- the governor will repeal or replace obama care and begin to get the economy back ontrack. >> all right. tara wall, thank you for joining us this morning. we appreciate it. >> you bet. the president states his case to the american people.

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chblg. 15 minutes past the hour. time to check our top stories. an illinois jury has found drew peterson guilty of murder in the 2004 death of his ex-wife kathleen savio. her death was originally ruled an accident but the case was reopened in 2007 when investigators were searching for peterson's fourth wife who had gone missing. choking back tears the savio family was visibly relieved outside the courtroom. >> i want to thank everybody that stood behind us on this. bitter sweet like i said before. i'll never have my sister again. i still have to go see her in the cemetery but at least i know she got justice. >> the jury deliberated for nearly 14 hours before delivering the verdict. the mars curiosity rover is leaving its mark on the red planet. if you look closely, you can see the rover's tracks imprinted in

the dust as it slowly across mars. nasa says they will observe the tracks over time to see how the surface changes. lab tissue that some of the tar balls found on the louisiana coast after hurricane isaac did originate from the 2010 bp oil spill. officials say isaac either washed up or uncovered the oily mess last week. bp plans to test the samples too saying there's a lot of oil out there that may not be ours. and usain bolt may be the fastest man alive but he's got nothing on cheetah. this robot appropriately named cheetah broke its own speed record clocking in at 28.3 miles per hour. this cheetah is the fastest four-legged robot in history. you got a chance to tell american voters his plan for a brighter future, now the president is ready to hit the campaign trail again. today is the morning after his

big night in charlotte where he took his bid for re-election directly to the voters. his mission? to carry the convention momentum straight to the voting booths 60 days from now. >> america, i never said this journey would be easy and i won't promise that now. yes, our path is harder but at lea -- it leads to beater place. yes our road is longer but we travel it together. we don't turn back. i have cut taxes for those who need it. middle class families, small businesses, but i don't believe that another round of tax breaks for millionaires will bring good jobs to our shores or pay down our deficit. i don't believe that firing teachers or kicking students off financial aid will grow the economy or help compete with the scientists and engineers coming out of china. you can choose a future where we reduce our deficit without sticking it to the middle class.

independent experts say that my plan would cut our deficit by $4 trillion. now we have a choice. my opponent and his running mate are new to foreign policy. but from all that we've seen and heard, they want to take us back to an era of blustering and blundering that cost america so dearly. four years ago i promised to end the war in iraq. we did. i promised to refocus on the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11. and we have. i'm asking you to rally around a set of goals for your country, goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security, and the deficit. real, achievable plans that will lead to new jobs, more opportunity, and rebuild this

economy on a stronger foundation. that's what we can do in the next four years and that is why i am running for a second term as president of the united states. >> the president took a different tone with his convention address, a tone cnn's david gergen and ari fleischer both noted. >> very strong speech. anderson, there's been an arc in his speeches at conventions. he started out eight years ago in boston and was magical. he came to denver and i thought he was compelling as a candidate. tonight he was presidential. and it's a different aurora, more dignified speech, but he is also a president, he is more mature. he's not promising as much. >> save for the portion at the end when he spoke movingly about this is about you and a page out of ronald reagan when he identified with individuals and struggles in their lives. i thought the rest was same old same old. the same speech, many of the same promises this country has heard for four years. in that sense i think it's a hit

and a miss. >> the president and vice president will head to new hampshire. in fact, they're already on the plane and they're going to hold a campaign rally not only in new hampshire but in iowa as well. interested to whaer ha the pundits have to say but for the candidates it is much more interesting to hear what the voters have to say. we'll talk to a republican, democrat, and undecided voter when we come back. how do they feel after the rnc and dnc? we'll be back. jack, you're a little boring. boring. boring. [ jack ] after lauren broke up with me, i went to the citi private pass page and decided to be...not boring. that's how i met marilyn... giada... really good. yes! [ jack ] ...and alicia. ♪ this girl is on fire [ male announcer ] use any citi card to get the benefits of private pass. more concerts, more events, more experiences. [ jack ] hey, who's boring now? [ male announcer ] get more access with the citi card. [ crowd cheering, mouse clicks ]

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talk back on one of the big stories of the day. what did you take from the democratic national convention? massachusetts governor patrick led the rallying cry. >> my message is this. it's time for democrats to grow a back bone and stand up for what we believe. >> and stand up they did. like bulldogs. speaker after speaker attacked republicans even at times spicing things up with some colorful lingo. >> when congressman ryan looked into that tv camera and attacked

president obama's medicare savings as, quote, the biggest, coldest power play, i didn't know whether to laugh or cry. you got to get one thing. it takes some brass to attack a guy for what you did. >> yeah. there was what conservatives called the howard dean moment from former michigan governor jennifer granholm. >> all across america autos are back. manufacturing is rebounding. why? you know what i'm saying! >> usa! [ chanting ] or maybe you could call it the democrats' clint eastwood moment. i'll leave that up to you. the real question is whether voters took away anything new from the president. >> i'm asking you to rally

around a set of goals for your country, goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security and the deficit. real, achievable plans that will lead to new jobs, more opportunity, and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation. that's what we can do in the next four years and that is why i am running for a second term as president of the united states. >> for you this morning, what did you take away from the democratic national convention? facebook.com/carol cnn. your comments later this hour. you heard the gop talk about the middle class and last night the democrats made their pitch to the key group of voters. we'll find out what three members of the middle class think about what they heard. a writer and a performer. des i'm also a survivor of ovarian and uterine cancers. i even wrote a play about that. my symptoms were a pain in my abdomen

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it didn't take long for republicans to go on the attack after that disappointing jobs report this morning. 96,000 jobs were added to the u.s. economy this month and vice presidential candidate paul ryan came out swinging. >> this is not even close to what a recovery looks like. we would need to have 150 jobs traded to keep pace with population growth. this is not what president obama promised. i would argue this is the result of failed leadership in washington, bad fiscal policy coming from the administration, and that is why we have this very tepid report. >> president obama will be on the campaign trail in new hampshire today. he'll also be in iowa campaigning. according to our white house correspondent dan lothian the president will respond to that jobs report. stock market has a mixed opening after that disappointing jobs report and that's after all the talk of jobs at the dnc last night. both vice president biden and president obama are trying to

sell voters on their economic policies. >> look, president obama knows that creating jobs in america, keeping jobs in america, bringing js back to america is what the president's job is all about. >> i'm asking you to rally around a set of goals for your country -- goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security, and the deficit. real, achievable plans that will lead to new jobs, more opportunity, and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation. that's what we can do in the next four years and that is why i am running for a second term as president of the united states. >> okay. so did the president win any votes? joining me now are middle class talk back members moira binder who is a democrat and suffered through long stretches of unemployment and has a house under water.

nanaoone an upper middle class working mom who voted for obama in 2008 but is open to voting republican. welcome to you both. >> thanks. >> okay. moira, i'd like to start with you because you voted for president obama. when you see numbers like the jobs rept only 96,000 jobs created this month, what goes through your mind? does that affect the way you feel about president obama? >> i think that what it does is it tells me that this is a long road and it's not as easy as we hoped it would be. and, you know, i wish it was an easier answer. i wish that i had a job with health care benefits. i don't. you know, it's hard out there. and it's challenging when the republicans say, you know, we're going to invest more and create more jobs but at the same time we hear that companies have money to hire 9 million people but they're not hiring because they can do more with less. and i feel like i'm one of those people that's trying to do more

with a lot less and, you know, i wish the recovery was faster. but it's not all president obama that has stifled this growth. you know, it is the economy of companies investing in things and the congress moving things forward or not moving things forward. >> nana, i'd like to ask you this question. you were going to go to see president obama's speech so it's likely you're leaning in that direction, right? but you're still open. so what are you not hearing from mitt romney that makes you more interested in perhaps voting for him? >> you know, i think what happened last week with mitt romney, it was an opportunity to really lay out a clear plan for how he is going to impact change for the country. and i felt that he fell flat really with his speech. he definitely went on the attack. it's evident he is anti-obama, anti-anything obama has done over the past four years. while they talk about all of those things they are not

talking about what the republican party is going to do differently or what mitt romney is going to do successfully for me as an american. now, with obama obviously he has the advantage of being able to go second and his speech yesterday i think was ten times better. it's hard for me to even remember what mitt romney talked about after hearing the speeches from this week. and he's not only going off of what he has done over the past four years but what he plans to continue doing and what he plans to do differently. and i think that speaks volumes. you know, it's interesting hearing from moira directly who is in a position of not having a job with medical benefits right now and she is still in support of obama. that speaks volumes to me as well. that says a lot. so i think mitt romney has a lot more he needs to deliver in order to move the needle for undecided voters. >> skip becker is with us. we've lost him for a second. he is our republican. he is a semiretired small business person. welcome, skip. we're glad we got you. >> thanks, carol. good to be here. >> okay. so as our resident republican,

did you listen to obama's speech? what did you think? >> i did. i listened to his speech. you know, i think we've heard a lot of the president's speeches over the last four years and we've gotten kind of used to his rhetoric. i think it was a very good speech. it was well delivered. i believe that he was able to make meaning for us in a way that we are used to and i think that he is laying down that kind of choice/choose option that we're faced with right now in the elections that are -- will come to us in november. >> so you're a republican. would you think of voting for president obama? >> oh, yeah. i think i have always thought that both candidates represent some very unique political

positions. the question i think finally lies with the -- to the extent to which either one of them is going to be the leader that we will need in order to come out of this recession in a strong manner and set the tone for those generations to come for my grand kids for instance. >> well, moira, mitt romney would say, the president has had his chance. with a lousy jobs report again. how many chances do you give the president? why vote for president obama this time around? >> i think that it is -- we had built up such a habit of buying things when we didn't have the money to buy it that it is taking a long time to really rectify the problem in this economy. you know, people having a lot more than other people and not

realizing we are all in community. i think that is one thing i took away from last night is that as a community we need to band together and the middle class i think has gotten the shaft from what jennifer granholm said and i think that president obama and vice president biden, for me, have a lot more credibility in understanding where i'm coming from and really bringing my message to the table. vice president biden's introduction last night talked about, you know, what do you do when you have to go into your child's room and say we can't afford the soccer this summer? well that happened to me. my daughter doesn't do any kind of after school programs other than i tried to do some swimming lessons for her this summer. but she doesn't get to go to camp every week to a different camp. you know? so i feel like the president and the vice president really understand where i'm coming from a lot more. >> nana, just a final question to you. i'm sure there are viewers out

there looking at you and saying oh, she is african-american. of course she is going to vote for obama. why even pretend you're thinking about romney? >> that's not the case. and, unfortunately, that is a stereotype that i think plagues african-americans across the country. at the end of the day, change is not an overnight process, so we gave obama four years to try and move the needle and i think he has. now has he solved every issue? no. but i didn't expect him to. i was open to mitt romney because as i said in the past he comes with a good business mind and because he's been successful in the business realm i wanted to hear what ideas he had and what plan he had that he wanted to put in place for the country. unfortunately, i still feel there is a strong disconnect between his mind set and what every average american is experiencing. until i see that connection, unfortunately, i am going to have to lean away from mitt romney and lean more toward re-electing obama. >> nana boone, moira bindner, skip becker, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us this morning. we appreciate it

you're welcome. this week in charlotte it was not just delegates who flew in to support the president's re-election bid. it was also some of the biggest names in hollywood. 8% every 10 years. wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! dad vo: ok, time for bed, kiddo. lights out. ♪ (sirens)

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come on. ♪ hey! listen ♪ come on ever get on down >> let's just say i'm glad you didn't see me dancing there. that's mary j. blige. the democrats would say, hey, we know how to party. because the dnc wasn't only political. it was also quite the celebrity thing. take a look at some of the hollywood stars who addressed delegates in charlotte this week. eva longoria, kerry washington, scarlett johansen just to nakatk a few. eva longoria used her time to

attack mitt romney mitt romney would raise taxes on middle class families to cut his own and mine. that is not who we are as a nation. let me tell you why. the eva longoria who worked at wendy's flipping burgers, she needed a tax break but the eva longoria who works on movie sets does not. >> the perfect time to go to michelle turner in los angeles. i want to ask you about this moment from the democratic national convention. it involved eva longoria and jessica alba. it appeared that they were petting one another. isn't that strange? >> they're girlfriends. yes, she kind of was stroking her arm. it was a little odd but maybe she was comforting, soothing, maybe she had nice lotion on. i don't know. but they are good friends. >> very good friends. >> yeah. i think she's feeling, maybe she just had a scrub at a spa and she wondered how soft her skin was. i don't know. >> it looked very, very soft.

let's talk about the mtv video music awards because they were very entertaining as well. >> yes, very entertaining. you know i was on the red carpet last night for the mt awards. just between us girls truth moment i had so much fun. one direction was the big winner on the show last night. they took home three moon man trophies. she won video of the year for we found love. her relationship with chris brown once again has everyone talking this morning. as she was walking off the stage with her trophy chris brown congratulated her with what looked like a quick kiss on the lips. shocked me. i know. i'm sure everybody else was shocked as well. now the other big chris brown moment came as host kevin hart talked about the night club brawl between him and drake. there were reports that the fight was overary h arrihanna b told him to fix the feud.

he said he was tired of it. he said he heard about the fight and thought it was overly environment is what he said. they ended the show in time to watch the president's speech at the convention. he told the crowd to vote in the election and said the result is, quote, in our hands. on the red carpet talking with all of the celebrities there politics was on the forefront. i talked to tom petty last night who was absolutely thrilled that won't back down was used at the democratic national convention. and, yeah. you know, the election was being talked about by people like pink and alicia keyes and miley sire us. lots of people talking to everyone saying get out and vote no matter who you vote for especially they were talking to the young people. >> i hope they do. fun as always. thank you. >> thanks, carol. okay. so everyone lives but this was one horrifying moment caught on camera. a semi crashes right into a state trooper. ♪ [ acoustic guitar: upbeat ]

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exclusive to the military, 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. with our award winning apps that allow you to transfer funds, pay bills or manage your finances anywhere, anytime. so that wherever your duty takes you, usaa bank goes with you. visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. okay. here is this video i was talking about. watch. oh, that's scary. a semi slamming right into a state trooper during a traffic stop. you can see the trooper there. see him on the guard rail? and then he just collapsed. it happened in maryland back in june but this video was just released. the trooper is okay and is still

recovering. the truck driver paid a fine. now to sports. the surprising baltimore orioles back in a first place tie in the al east. the birds pulled even in the standings with new york after beating the yankees at a sold out camden yards crowd. the orioles hit six count them six home runs in the 10-6 victory. the teams play game two of the big series tonight. hard to believe serena williams was on her death bed from a mystery illness just a year ago. she's now destroying her opponents at the u.s. open. amazing. serena steam rolled through her first five matches and plays in the semifinals later today. we're outside arthur ashe stadium in flushing meadows. can anybody beat serena? >> reporter: not the way she is playing right now, carol. she has been absolutely brilliant in this tournament so far. as you say she has obviously won her first five matches and has only dropped 16 games. she is absolutely thrashing her opponents here at flushing mados, looking very, very likely

to make the u.s. open final. she had a great summer. remember she won the wimbledon title. then she won two gold medals at the olympic. also played at wimbledon. she has been the best player on tour since the french open. i think she'd love to get to another final here and win it given that the last two tournaments she has played here at the u.s. open have ended in rather ugly exchanges with the chair umpire. i'm sure she'd like to forget those exchanges. i know all of her fans would. they just want to see america's biggest tennis star winning here again. the way she is playing, she's looking very likely to do so. >> so she has no reason to get angry at any of the judges. let's talk about the men's side. impressive showing for the defending champion last night. >> yes. a really tough match last night. of course the defending champion up against the 2009 champ del potro. it lasted over three hours. there were only three sets but

djokovic had to work so hard for it. 20 shots in that point. you thought it was over in about five different occasions but he held on and fought and fought and finally won that point. it was a crucial point as well coming in the second set tie-break. he is through to the semifinals to play farrar. he is looking absolutely brilliant on the hard courts and won the last three hard court grand slam tournaments. the way he is playing you wouldn't bet against him to do it again but andy murray is in the other part of draw having won against roger federer. >> an amazing match. just terrific. unbelievable. two others at the open making their marks, too. they're on the court but most of us have never really heard of them. >> well, none of us have heard of them before. but we're starting to see a lot of them. they're not players but are becoming celebrities. we're talking about two amputee

ball boys and ball girls. we have denise castelli a 26-year-old who lost her leg to infection after it was broken a couple years ago and also ryan mcintosh who used to serve in the u.s. military until he stepped on a land mine in afghanistan two years ago. both are proving that disabilities are something that can very much be overcome. of course we've got the paralympics going on at the moment, the athletes competing in london receiving the most amount of attention that paraians ever have. these two here are demonstrating you can really come back from these injuries. ryan mcintosh the guy that was in afghanistan and lost his leg has been talking to us about how he finds it bng out here. he was really saying you know what? having been through what i've been through fighting in war this is nothing. >> kind of like a ball person. what is that? and so i went to a tryout and at the clinic they were like all right. can you throw a tennis ball?

that's when i ed the word, you know, i have thrown a hand grenade so i think i can handle a tennis ball. >> you've got to remain cool under fire when you're a ball girl or ball boy. remember you are very much on display in front of 15,000 fans. you have to run out on to the court and grab the ball. you don't want to run into anyone or trip up and make a fool of yourself so i think he has a lot of experience and that will stand him in very good stead here. he says he'd probably rather people didn't notice his injury and disability but he will also admit he's quite pleased because it really is giving these guys a good profile. >> thanks for leaving us with a smile. lots of them. dave, thank you. we'll be right back. capella university understands businesses are trying to come back from rough economic times.

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whether it's supporting a delaware nonprofit that's providing training and employment opportunities, investing in the revitalization of a neighborhood in the bronx, or providing the financing to help a beloved san diego bakery expand, what's important to communities across the country is important to us. and we're proud to work with all of those who are creating a stronger future for everyone. texting behind the wheel. people know it's dangerous but don't want to put the phone down. now the transportation department calls it an epidemic and insists texting behind the wheel makes you 20 times more likely to crash. dr. gupta, i guess people just must think they're invincible. >> i think so. people are used to multi tasking in all different parts of their lives and forget sometimes when

you're driving a car exactly what's happening in terms of your brain energy. there was an interesting study. i've done this myself. i don't do it anymore because of what i've learned over the past several months but your brain activity as a simple rule decreases close to 40% in terms of your attention to driving when texting. the problem is even when you're receiving a text just looking at it on average takes about five seconds of your attention and if you're driving 55 miles an hour that is the length of a football field. even if you pay attention in front of you for the -- before you read the text you travel a long distance. so it's quite astonishing how many people are affected by this. >> you have a special report this weekend. >> 500,000 people injured. 6,000 people killed. there are some solutions as well. even apps we found in terms of disabling your phone when you go over a certain speed. sometimes that's what it takes to get you off the phone. >> that'll do it. can't wait to see it. >> thanks. >> thanks, sanjay.

we asked you to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the question this morning what did you take away from the democratic national convention? facebook.com/carol cnn. your comments next. jack, you're a little boring. boring. boring. [ jack ] after lauren broke up with me, i went to the citi private pass page and decided to be...not boring. that's how i met marilyn... giada... really good. yes! [ jack ] ...and alicia. ♪ this girl is on fire [ male announcer ] use any citi card to get the benefits of private pass. more concerts, more events, more experiences.

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talk back question today what did you take from the democratic national convention? this from cecil. zero. same old stuffing with the same old turkey. this from timothy. i came away with a whole heck of a lot more confidence in the