>> yeah. those are shame glasses. they're shame filled. and they're for private time. they're what you call your indoor glasses. let me tell you something, ryan see crest would not be caught with those glasses on. >> so on behalf of everyone but ryan seacrest. with frames as big as our dream, wolf, welcome, enjoy the view. that does it for this edition. "erin burnett outfront" starts right now. tonight teachers in the nation's third biggest school district are on strike. do their demabds add up? and were navy s.e.a.l.s on a specific drug the night they killed be eed osama bin ladin? let's go "outfront." good evening, everyone. i'm erin burnett. is mitt romney raising your

taxes? well, mitt romney and paul ryan say they're going to cut individual income tax rates for everyone without increasing the deficit. so in order for that math to add up, the campaign has said they will close tax loopholes. in a moment, we're going to show you how many of those there are, but there are a few problems with this logic, like which loophole and for which taxpayers. >> an example of a loophole you will close. >> well, i can tell you that people at the high end, high income taxpayers are going to have fewer deductions and exempti exemptions. >> don't voters have a right to know? >> so, mitt romney and i based on our experience is to show the framework, the outlines and then to work with congress to do this. >> their plan is to work with congress after the election to determine which loopholes to close. now, chris christie famously campaigned on that in new jersey. i'm not telling you what i'm going to cut.

when i get in office i'm going to do it. he won and went in and cut, but this is politically dicey since voters like to know. a new poll found 51% of voters think president obama would better handle their tacks. the obama campaign has been out aggressively saying mitt's plan will raise taxes on the middle class. now, they're referring to an august study from the bipartisan tax policy center which concluded that eliminating popular deductions for the wealthiest americans won't generate enough money to make up for their tax cut, so as a result, middle class families will get an increase, in order to keep revenue the same. which mitt romney has promised. the truth is, is that the math is really hard to do without knowing more of mitt's plans. when you see these numbers, you'll say there has to be a way. here's the bottom line. in 2011, the united states took in about $1.1 trillion in income taxes. these are individual income taxes. but look at the bottom number below it.

i mean, this makes my jaws drop. total tax break, credits, exclusions, your mortgage interest deductions, state and local taxes. more money than we took in. okay, whatever you think about specific deduction, this screen is everything you need to know about how our tax system is really broken. so ending the state and local deduction alone would be $862.2 billion according to the cbo. the mortgage interest deduction, $214.6 billion. now, those are exactly the deductions mitt romney said he'd cut at a closed door fund-raiser back in april. a reporter at the event wrote quote mitt romney said i'm going to probably eliminate for high income people the second home mortgage deduction, romney said. adding he would also eliminate for state income and property taxes as well. he made it clear it's for higher income people he wants to get rid of some of these deductions

and mitt romney's defenders are saying, they can make the math work. can they? one is doug holtz eakin, also joined by tim honor and john avalon. let me start with you and just go through the math with you and then bring in tim and john. go through your math as to why you think mitt romney can make this work. even though the tax policy center and others say he can't. >> the tax policy center has to be wrong because we know from the bowles-simpson commission, he can have the structure like mitt romney's proposing and raise revenue. the example, preserve some of the savings investment incentives and look at the revenue losses that would prevail. that's about $145 billion for those households making more than 100,000. then you get rid of all their exemptses. so go to the limit. and as you pointed out, there's an enormous amount of itemized deductions out there.

get rid of those, raise $200 billion, so you're in the black on this. and then there's the real goal of having the economy grow better. that's the main reason of doing this tax reform. my guess is, from the growth this tax reform would produce, we would get 125 billion from high earning americans. there is no question that you can do the kind of reform that the governor's proposing, without raising taxes on middle income americans. in fact, you could give them a bigger tax cut. >> a couple of things some are going to say, what kind of growth are you assuming? what is the growth you're assuming? >> a bump to 3%. we just need to grow, we're growing at 1.5% right now, so it doesn't take much to grow better. the second point is you know, can this really get done. it's important to recognize that next february, the u.s. income tax will be 100 years old and in those 100 years, we have less than one handful of genuine comprehensive reform, so as a going in proposition, tax reform

is hard. it's not that governor romney's tax reform is hard. tax reform is hard. the only way to get it is to run on it and tell the voters you're going to do it. >> when you say and this is the crucial thing when we get to which loopholes. you say we're going to lose $145 billion for the tax cuts and just get rid of loopholes for the wealthiest americans, which you've defined is over 100,000 for singles, right? when you get that 200 billion, what are you closing? what are you eliminating for the wealthiest americans >> itemized deductions, soup to nuts. and so the lesson there is you don't have to eliminate. you can cap some. pick ones you want to preserve, but the whole notion of tax reform is to say boy, we have to stop micro managing people's lives. let's have a broad base that doesn't pick among activities, then we lower the rates.

that's how you get growth. >> so, tim, let me give you a chance to respond. what do you think? >> well, look, a couple of things. first of all, what the tax policy center said is that the math from some of these studies that doug is referring to or talking about doesn't include all the romney tax cuts. you're not necessarily including things like the estate tax which benefits the wealthiest americans. if doug's position is also the romney campaign's position, he's just laid out a clear choice. what he said is getting rid of things like the mortgage interest deduction or tax deductions for health care benefits, you are going to raise taxes on middle income earners. >> he's saying he's only getting rid of them for the wealthiest americans. >> right. not for middle income americans would keep them. it's different than what you're saying, right? >> no tax increases for people making under 250,0$250,000 a ye. >> but how are they going to get -- i'm not, get to keep the deduction they have and he's giving them a 20% tax cut, how is that a tax increase? >> what he's saying is that the

mortgage tax deduction and other deductions are going to go up. >> for higher income americans. >> yes. >> which what that means is the average middle class american, their taxes are going to go up. that is the math. now, you can get rid of those if you want, but you're effectively paying for wealthy tack tax deductions on the backs of middle class earners. >> that's how you're defining middle class. >> doug, to tim's point, though, when you say over 100,000, you're not talking about families earning over 100,000, you're talking about individuals. so families earning double. >> this is a calculation that is strictly focusing on the reported incomes and the irs data for those over 100,000, $200,000, and as a result doesn't say anything about eliminating those deductions for middle income americans. this is addressing the assertion that you cannot have a tax reform that lowers rates by 20%

and eliminates enough deductions that you will lose revenue. that's just not true. >> and john avlon, let me bring you in here. separate from this conversation, let's just say you were going to get rid of all the loopholes for the wealthiest americans. how is that going to happen? some of these are not going to be reasonable to get rid of, and that's why the math doesn't work. >> and of course, that's the reality we've seen with this divide and dysfunctional congress, we can't get anything through. let alone a comprehensive reform. we've seen this before. 1986, reagan worked with democratic congress. and the only way you can lower rates, but you've got the close loopholes and that can help generate some revenue. part of the problem here is this is a political document. mitt romney wasn't initially campaigning on a 20% tax cut. that came during the primaries, he was getting moved on by the right, so he came up with a new plan. >> he felt pushed to get a new plan. >> absolutely. he's had also to be consistent, he said it had to be revenue neutral, so he's in a box. bottom line.

a seriouslan requires specifics, and that's why talking about specific loopholes is frankly necessary. you can't kick that can until after the election. >> thanks very much. we appreciate it. this is a conversation that is going to continue around this country for the next couple of months. next, new polls just out, plus third party candidate gary johnson outfront. who could he hurt more on election day? and later, a navy s.e.a.l. tells the story of the night his team killed osama bin laden, but did he reveal an unknown drug issue in the military? and should jesse jackson jr. return to congress following his battle with bipolar depression. his close friend gives a surprising answer. why not take a day to explore your own backyard?

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the president gets a bounce. our new cnn orc poll shows president obama with an edge. john king at the magic wall. some amazing results. he did get a bounce, right? out front tonight, john king at the magic wall.

>> he sure did. republicans are howling in protest, questioning on numbers. the president did get a bounce out of his convention. first, straight up at the horse race. likely voters, those likely to vote in november, a t president with a six-point lead. 52 to 46 over governor romney. coming out of the republican convention, we had a tie. going in, we had a statistical tie, so the president now ahead after several weeks of it being a dead heat and a tie. you ask what's driving the numbers? here's one error that jumps out at me if this one sticks and this one would be stunning if it sticks, but look at this. this is among men. democrat traditionally win among men. the president is now tied. one point ahead. but that's a tie with governor romney, who puts up a dozen points among men. watch that number. you mentioned issues. what drive the poll. remember the focus at the democratic convention. what was it on? one of them was who's most in touch with the middle class? the president now with a 20-point lead. that is whopping. a 20 point lead when voters are

asked which candidate is most in touch with the middle class. only a six point edge heading into the convention. into ohio, remember during the convention, a lot of conservatives were saying the democrats were overplaying their hand and yet, coming out, which candidate best shares your values, the president with a seven-point lead. heading into convention season, this is just before the republican convention, they were tied on that. the president wins on that one. and look at this report card. imagine a family torn around the kitchen table saying, who do we like on different issues? tie on the economy. romney can't win if he's tied on the economy. medicare, foreign policy. all big themes a t the democratic convention. and from time to time, we get complaints from people saying what about the third party candidate, so for the first time, we asked likely voters what if you had a chance between four? president obama, governor romney, gary johnson, the former governor of new mexico and the green party candidate, jill stein. you see a bit of an impact here. the president comes down one

point, jill stein gets one point. romney comes down three points, gary johnson gets three points. i think it's fair to say, some of those libertarians, maybe ron paul supporters, they may have a second choice in governor johnson. >> that's right. thank you very much. perfect guest right now. libertarian presidential nominee gary johnson is going to join me. he's on the ballot in 43 states. there are legal challenges taking place in three important ones which we've highlighted in red. michigan, pennsylvania and oklahoma. gary johnson swings both ways. while republicans fear he could have an effect on key states like michigan and pennsylvania. some democrats are worried he could hurt president obama in new mexico and colorado. in new mexico, recent polls show the president only leading by five points and among independents in the state, johnson gets 12% of the vote. of course he is a former governor. good to see you, sir. thank you for taking the time.

>> great to be on with you. thank you. >> so, some people saying look, you n come, make your point, but are you going to spoil the selection for one of the others? when they say that, what do you say? you laugh. >> the notion that a wasted vote is somehow voting for somebody you believe in. look, for all those people that care about the fact that we con tinnily militarily intervene, let's stop the wars, the growing police state, let's balance the federal budget now, earlier in the segment, you were talking about taxes. i'm advocating throwing out the income tax, corporate tax, abolishing the irs and replacing that with one federal consult shun tax. >> a vat? >> not a vat, a vat ends up to be just another tax. i'm talking about one federal tax that is the fair tax. fairtax.org. >> i'm sure some people will. last week it was written,

there's at least one politician at the republican convention this week whom the parties undoubtedly wish would stay away. that would be gary johnson. you take three points, mitt romney goes down by three, you go up by three. it is mitt romney on a national level. >> actually, put this to the question in four different states and in two state, i take more votes away from obama. two states more away from romney, then just get back to the issue. who's speaking on behalf of most americans, which i would argue are fiscally responsible and socially accepting. >> colorado was another state where you really get a vote and that, i mean this is -- this is pot. >> and it is on the ballot in november to regulate marijuana like alcohol. i think it might be the tipping point to 50 states, 50-state dominos that will fall and bring about rational drug policy. we'll have to wait and see on that. >> and now, what about your view overall when you said fiscally conservative, i'm not just

talking about pot, i'm also talking about your views on same sex marriage, you're for it. you also support a woman's right to choose. do you think some are coming to you as a result of the highly publicized republican platform, which would deny abortion in all cases. is that moving the needle for all voters? >> i think so. again, i think the world vilifies republicans for their social stands. i don't think the majority of republicans fall this that category. i think there's a turn off there. i really do. having run for governor of new mexico, having served in a state that's 2-1 democrat, i think it speaks volumes in a state -- i got re-elected as a penny pincher. i may have vetoed more bills than other governors, and i really took some stands when it came to civil liberties. >> thank you so much. good to see you. >> thank you. next, how politicians are getting in the way of the 9/11

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now tomorrow marks the 11th anniversary of the september 11th attacks. the day will be dedicated to the victims and our nation's emotional recovery. today most of the headlines focused on the physical recovery of new york ci. so over the past 11 years, we've seen a slow, but steady reconstruction of the world trade center that will, when completed include four skyscrapers, a transportation center, and at the base of the buildings, the national 9/11 museum and memorial. now, the eight acre memorial part of the site opened last year on the tenth anniversary and since then, more than 4 million people have visited it. the museum part was set to open

tomorrow, but apparently, that's not happening. which brings us to tonight's number, 2013. according to documents filed in july by the national 9/11 memorial, the museum will not open until quote 2013 or later. okay, that's a huge delay and a bad thing. just 15 months ago, the foundation said they were well ahead of schedule to open the museum in time to commemorate the 11th anniversary. so what happened? one word. bureaucracy. constant bickering between the port authority of new york and new jersey and the 9/11 foundation has brought construction to a halt and it's all about money. the current price tag of the memorial and museum is $700 million with another 60 million needed every year in operating costs. and barring a last minute deal which we're all rooting for, who's paying for it? you've got new york, new jersey, the port authority. lots of people fighting and nobody wanting to pay. so whatever you think of the price tag, we're way past the point of arguing about it. even if there is a last second deal, if our elected officials

let it get to this point on paying for the 9/11 memorial and museum, what chance is there they're going to be able to work together on other issues affecting our countries. issues like teacher strikes? still ahead, nearly 30,000 teachers are on strike in chicago. what specific demand is holding back a deal? and the drug at least one navy s.e.a.l. was on the night osama bin ladin was killed. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you've been years in the making. and there are many years ahead. join the millions of members who've chosen

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we start the second half of our show with stories we care about where we focus on our own reporting from the front lines. cnn has obtained video of the deadly shooting at the sikh temple in wisconsin. the camera inside lieutenant brian murphy's car, shows the officer exchanging gunfire with the suspect, wade michael page in the parking lot of the temp. we learned today the officer was shot 15 times with 12 bullets hitting him in his bulletproof vest stopping the other three. minutes later, another officer arrived, returning fire and bringing him down.

>> man with a gun. in the parking lot. >> shots fired, shots fired an an office. >> moments later, the medical examiner says page shot himself in the head after being shot by the officer. the shooting killed seven and injured four others. lieutenant murphy is at home now recovering. an al-qaeda group is calling the killing of six muslim preachers a declaration of war. a patrol opened fire on muslims this weekend. the government says it's investigating, but today, we spoke with a refugee we met. he told us that islamic extremists that have taken over

northern mali have been pushing further south and taking villages, food, money and supplies. he says his family and others are in desperate need of food. taxpayers, get ready to celebrate. you are on track to make money on aig. the u.s. government is close to shedding its stake in bailed out insurer aig, which would bring american taxpayer's stake from 20% from 53%. last week at the democratic convention, i said taxpayers were in the red. but the map looks better and better. right now if the government were to sell all of its stake -- they're not selling right now. right now aig is trading near $35 a share. as long as they sell above $28.73 a share, we all are making money. u.s. taxpayers put about $182 billion into aig at the beginning. a lot of people thought they'd never get that money back. now it most certainly appears that they will. it has been 403 days since

the u.s. lost its top credit rating. what are we doing to get it back? we got some bad economic news. consumer credit fell in july by nearly $3.3 billion. that's way off the $10 billion increase economists predicted. consumer credit had been a source of good news. today's number is a decrease in nearly a year. i'm going to give you the other side of that. when there's less credit, it means there's less borrowing and maybe there's a silver lining. and now, our third story. we have breaking news right now on the chicago teachers strike. nearly 30,000 public schoolteachers have walked off the job. that meant 350,000 chicago students were locked out of school and on the street. now, we had planned to bring you an interview with the president of the chicago teacher's union, karen how witness, but lewis just cancelled her appearance on our show saying she's in the middle of negotiations. ted rowlands is joining us. given what she said, is this an

indication that we're close to a deal? >> well, erin, it's a good sign because they have been at it for hours an there wasn't a huge gap leading up to today's discussions, so the fact that they're still talking into the evening, we just got off the phone with both parties. and nobody knows how long they're going, they're in a room, they're talking, they're still talking. the fact that she did cancel with you is likely a very good sign that they are productive at least and maybe coming to a solution to end the strike. >> and so, let me ask you about something else here. i know you had a chance to speak with the mayor, rahm emanuel. what did he have to say? i know he has been pretty angry about this whole situation. >> well, yeah, he's been the target of a lot of anger. i think that's absolutely sure to be sure. the teachers are in the street. some have posters with rahm emanuel's face on him. they feel betrayed by him. they feel he has gone anti union and anti teacher's union

specifically. he on the other hand, we talked to him and in a press conference, he said i don't care. if you're mad at me, you're mad at me, but this is the line i've drawn. he also criticized the teachers saying this was absolutely a choice by them. a strike of choice. there's a decent deal on the table. he urged them to keep negotiating while they ironed out these last details. and they didn't. take a listen to what he said today. >> this is not about me and anybody else. let's focus on what the education system is about. it's about our children. their learning, their opportunity. >> now, late this evening, paul ryan came out and said that he agrees with rahm emanuel on this and they're urging the president to weigh in. it will be interesting to see as the pressure mounts. teachers also want president obama to weigh in. we'll have to see which way the president goes on this.

does he go with his former chief of staff or go with something else that will appease the teachers. >> let me ask you something else. when we talk about the pay here, which is one of the issues, although not the only one. the average salary for a public schoolteacher in chicago, $75,000. national average, just about $52,000. that's a pretty big gap. i mean, has the mayor made the case for having to make more tough economic choices or no? >> well, i think one thing that is for sure when you also factor in the average salary for full time work is around 35,000, a 16% raise on that $75,000 average salary. over the next four years. the top end is $89,000, so i think the mayor does have people

has their ear, if you will, in terms of salary. people think teachers are paid fairly here. what the major sticking point now is this merit pay scenario and that's what teachers say they're totally against. even though the mayor says they have a deal in place. and they're backing off of that. that's really the sticking point. not money. >> thank you very much. this is going to be an interesting one. especially given the mayor of chicago taking a pretty hard line against the unions coming up on the election. our fourth story "outfront," ambien abuse? former navy s.e.a.l. is on top of the list now for his book. he's one of the s.e.a.l.s that kills osama bin laden. in the book, there was this revelation. the s.e.a.l.s team used ambien to function. he wrote, and i quoted, i popped two ambien, my head was still cloudy from ambien, it took me three times to get out. in his account, this man took at least six between the time he left the united states for the raid and the time he left from pakist pakistan, which is less than a

week later. always two at a time. military psychiatrist is "outfront" tonight. i think a lot of people were surprised when they heard this. does this surprise you that ambien use seems to be so commonplace? >> ambien use is common place, but in short doses in shorts periods of time, it's often used in the civilian world and the military to have people be able to sleep on the long plane rides so when they get to where they're going, they are awake and refreshed and alert. the fact that apparently, he was still groggy after taking it, that is a surprise because he should have taken it earlier. it should have worn off and he should have been at full functioning. >> he was saying in fact in his book, both he and the other s.e.a.l.s were taking it two at a time. you're not supposed to do that, according to the manufacturer. and he also said specifically on this case, the day he flew to pakistan, he tried to get

through a gate and had to re-enter the code three times. >> well, it is used for people to get to sleep. it wears off fairly quickly, but it will make you sleepy. now, i don't know about the two at a time because it comes in five milligrams and ten, so i'm not sure how much he took, but it does sound like he was taking it to close to the time he needed to be able to function. now, i'll tell you, it's always a challenge and something the military wrestles with. how to get people to sleep across these time zones or when they get to a new place and have them be awake and refreshed when they get there? it's not easy, any traveler can tell you that. >> no, it's not, but it also raises the broader issue about prescription drug abuse among military personnel. obviously, that's not what he was saying was happening here. but there have been some other dramatically different stories that we have heard that seem to have involved some sort of substance abuse. how big of a problem is it in

the military? whether we're talking about ambien or something totally different. >> well, prescription drug use is very controversial in the military. there's been a lot of discussion on whether people should be on antidepressants. personally, i think it's better to have somebody treated as they should be treated, rather than say depressed and not getting treatment. on the other hand, all of these medications have risks, they have side effects, so it's really important to very, very carefully, if you're going to use a medication in a war zone, you need to be absolutely sure that it's the right one, and that it doesn't have side effects that might get people into trouble. >> thank you very much. appreciate you taking the time. next, congressman jesse jackson jr. is back in washington, d.c. after under going treatment for bipolar depression. we haven't seen him in months, but should he return to work on capitol hill? some advice tonight from his close friend patrick kennedy, our guest.

and another political meltdown in china. this is pretty stunning for the second biggest economy. the country's next leader is totally mia. you see us, at the start of the day. on the company phone list that's a few names longer. you see us bank on busier highways. on once empty fields. everyday you see all the ways all of us at us bank are helping grow our economy. lending more so companies and communities can expand, grow stronger and get back to work. everyday you see all of us serving you, around the country, around the corner. us bank.

we're back with tonight's outer circle where we reach out to sources around the world and we begin in vienna, where the head of the international atomic

energy agency is frustrated in talks with iran over nuclear weapons. the agency is demanding access to one of the country's military bases. abby chance is following the story from london. and i asked him what inspectors might find there. >> reporter: the nuclear chief today delivered a sharp rebuke to iran for failing to cooperate rate. speaking to ambassadors at the u.n.'s nuclear headquarters, the director general called on iran to grant u.n. inspectors immediate access to the military base near tehran. that's the place where experiments and nuclear weapons are suspected to have been carried out earlier this month. the u.n.'s latest report on iran, said the country had significantly increased its capacity to refine nuclear material, and was building up stockpiles of enriched uranium.

iran insists its activities are for peaceful purposes despite growing international concerns. erin? >> thanks to matthew chance. now we go to hong kong, where protesters have won their battle against controversial chinese education requirements that they say amount to brainwashing. i asked him how they did it. >> erin, i'm standing here at hong kong's government headquarters where for the past ten day, tens of thousands of protesters were here pushing back against a proposal for national education reform. critics have called it brainwashing. the reason for that is they say it glosses over key moments in china's history, perhaps most importantly, china's tiananmen massacre in 1989, when hundreds maybe thousands of people were killed at the hands of china's military.

this would have seen the subject -- primary and secondary schools by 2015, but over the weekend, the chief executive did a turn around and said it would no longer be mandatory. still, this is a victory for people power this weekend. >> all right. now our fifth story out front. jesse jackson, jr. is back in washington today after several weeks of treatment at the mayo clinic for bipolar depression. and though he hadn't been seen since may, it took some time for many to understand where he was. his staff said jackson hoped to be back on capitol hill today, but no sign of him so far, but his long time friend visited him in treatment and has been in constant contact with him. i spoke to him earlier and asked him how jackson is doing. >> he is with his family and he is dealing with a very serious issue that's life threatening. he got great care at mayo, but as anyone who's been in treatment like myself knows, the

world just begins when you start treatment and you start your new life in recovery. so i encouraged him to take it slow. don't rush into things. obviously, it's a transition he's in right now and that's loaded with stress and of course, stress is one of the inducers of mental illness, so he has to be careful about the environment he's in right now. but i know he's surrounded by friends and family and that's something that's very good for recovery. >> i've experienced depression in my family. it's hard for people to recognize it and hard for people to understand how severe and physically painful it can be. i know you have experienced this, you still fight it. when you were talking there, it made me realize how much you have in common. your fathers are both lions. you have incredible careers yourselves, but how much have you connected with him over that? the parallels appear a little uncanny. >> well, we were both elected the same year.

we both sat next to one another for all of the 16 years i was in congress. we know each other well. we're good friends. and, of course, i obviously went to treatment and frankly at the same facility he just got out of, mayo. so i've been through this journey. and my role in life now is to share my experience, strength and hope with someone who's just starting their journey. jesse is starting his journey, but i believe he'll be successful because he's got his family as a priority. his friends and most importantly, his recovery as a top priority. >> what about his future? he's slated to win easily in november. what you're talking about is a wrong and painful process. i can only imagine what it's like what he's going through. people who have this in a somewhat severe fashion, it can ke many months. and it sounds like it will take longer for him.

does it make sense to be running for re-election, maybe he should be staying home and focusing on getting better? >> as i said, i share my experience as someone in recovery. i can tell you, i told him that my life out of congress has been the best time i've ever had in my life. because i got free from the daily grind and stress of living in the public eye. i still get to pursue my calls of mental health. jesse said he wants to pursue that as well. whether in congress or oust congress. i told him he'll have a platform and he'll have a mantle to advocate for the issues he cares about. >> one question congressman. i know this is awkward to ask. i want to ask it anyway, and that is the former fund-raiser for jackson, in exchange for immunity. congressman jackson said he directed him to direct millions of dollars to rod blagojevich in

exchange for barack obama's senate seat to go to jackson. that investigation is ongoing. it was heating up before he sought treatment. is that what brought this to a head, the stress of that? >> as you know, erin, these are physical illnesses but brought on by the environment that we live in. and certainly living in a stressful environment and of course, jesse is in an added stressful environment because of these investigations. clearly he's under that same environment. but being predisposed to mental illness. that mental illness got triggered. right now he's dealing with the physical illness he's dealing with. certainly that illness has been compounded by the stress he's had to live under. part of his recovery will mean trying to get away clear where he can live a less stressful life. now for an update on the

controversial drilling for oil off the coast of alaska. a day after shell announced it was going to drill, the company is suspending operations due to ice. miguel marquez has been there since the drilling began. what is the update miguel? >> the big update. shell just 24 hours after they announced they had begun drilling, the preparatory well they were so excited about, they had to suspend drilling. they actually took the noble discovery, this rig they had anchored down by several cables in the sea floor and began drilling into the mud of the sea floor so that they could prepare a blowup prevention to be placed in it. they had to stop all of that because of an ice flow, 32 miles by 12 miles long. it was -- the wind had changed direction there, it's begun to flow and move toward the noble discover. so they had to disconnect it from its anchors.

the spokesman for shell says the noble discover is absolutely fine, it's safe at the moment. environmentalists will not be happy to hear about this. people who live in the area will not be able to hear about this, because they see this as a sign of the weakness of shell's plan. you cannot be in this remote difficult environment and expect conditions to be as you might need them to be in order to conduct this sort of drilling operation. shell said this is what we prepared for. everything is working according to plan and at this point there's no danger to life, limb, property, animals or anything else. all of that said, this is preparatory drilling and shell at this point has to wait for the arctic challenger. a whole other barge, clean-up barge to make its way from washington to be okayed by the coast guard to make its way from washington into the area so they can begin real drilling below the 1500 foot mark which they're okay to do. erin. >> thanks, miguel.

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china is about weeks away from announcing a new government. it's another scandal that's captured their attention. china's vice president is literally missing in action. speculation is growing over the whereabouts of him. he's not just the vice president now. he's expected to be the next president of china. second biggest economy in the world and most populous country in the world. last week he cancelled a meeting with secretary of state hillary clinton and just today,ed president of singapore. just today, he miss aid meeting with the prime minister of denmark. now, chinese officials canceling appointments is not new but canceling them last minute is. where is the next president of china? there's some speculation he injured himself but gordon chang an expert on china told "outfront" today those rumors seem improbable. he thinks his mysterious absence is another sign of the instability of china. new troubles come on the heels of the spectacular fall from