cnn.com/thelead for video blogs and extras. i turn you over to wolf blitzer in "the situation room." thanks for watching. wolf? happening now, a massive storm, one of the most intense in recorded history, strikes with catastrophic force in an area where hundreds of thousands of people are very vulnerable. we'll have an update. steps to prevent thousands of deaths each year from heart disease. your popcorn and doughnuts may not be quite the same. and the nfl hall of famer tony dorsett says this hit was like a freight train hitting a volkswagen. now decades after getting pounded on the football field, he's been diagnosed with signs of a brain disease and is struggling with some of the routines of daily life. tony dorsett opens up in my one-on-one interview coming up this hour. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room."

it's a monster, one of the strongest storms ever recorded. a super typhoon, like a category 5 hurricane just slamming into the philippines with sustained winds close to 200 miles an hour. that country desperately trying to prepare for a catastrophic assault just a month after an earthquake displaced hundreds of thousands of people. cnn's andrew stevens is standing by in the philippines but let's begin with chad myers right now. chad, how bad is this likely to be? >> probably the worst storm they have seen in decades, if not longer, wolf. 195 miles per hour. now, they don't fly airplanes into the storms out there like we do and i'm not sure i would want to be in that airplane at 195 miles per hour, slamming into the east coast now of the philippines. making landfall as we speak, as what would almost be a category 6 hurricane if we had such a thing. so we call it category 5 or super typhoon. winds are gusting to 235 miles

per hour in that eye. one more thing, wolf. a lot like sandy, which was a wide lumbering storm, this, too, is a big storm, half the size of the country. that's going to make a tremendous storm surge. we already know from buoy data that there are winds out there over 50 feet high. those will be crashing onshore, making a tremendous storm surge, then going through the entire country of the philippines south of manila by a couple hundred miles. still, they will have damage there and then over here, the next stop, vietnam. wolf? >> is it going to pick up steam as it heads towards vietnam? will it calm down? what do we anticipate? >> it's going to get a little bit churned up over the philippines. there are some mountains there. hurricanes don't like mountains so it will get slowed down a little bit but probably category 3 or 4 for its secondary landfall with winds about 125 miles per hour there not that far -- and just south of where we think about vietnam itself.

a very big storm and it will turn to the north and head up toward just to the west of hong kong. the size of this, just taking in many, many countries. >> a tragedy in the making right now. awful, awful storm. chad, stand by. andrew stevens is in the philippines and is joining us now live. what does it look like from your vantage point? >> reporter: at the moment, in the last hour or so, it has significantly picked up pace here. i've just been talking with a storm chaser just then, he's come down and is standing close to me. he was saying the last gust we had just before we started this live was about 80 miles an hour. now, this storm is predicted to get a lot, lot stronger than this. the latest we're getting from the philippines national weather center now is gusting up to 380 kilometers. that's 235 miles an hour. now we're just at the beginning here. the storm as we know has made

landfall about 400 kilometers from where i am, but is expected to move its way down towards here. we are expecting at this stage at least to get possibly a direct hit here. i don't know how much you can see behind me, but we're about one mile or so away from the waterfront. very, very windy. people have now basically hunkered down and are getting ready to ride this storm out. >> do they have precautions there? are there secure structures where you are in the philippines? >> reporter: yeah, wolf, we actually moved. we were at a strong looking hotel on the waterfront but we decided just with the storm surge, potential storm surge, to pull back in so we came back into town to what appears to be a pretty strong structure. on the way to this hotel we are at now, we went to the main shelter which is the basketball

stadium in the center of town, a big strong concrete structure. but it does have a metal roof. it's enclosed but has a metal roof. whether that will be able to withstand 200 mile an hour plus winds, not known. 5,000 people there, which is not many people at all. there have been evacuations, thousands evacuated, but in the storm's path, there are millions of people and it's not just the low-lying areas, too. not just the storm surge. it's the hillsides. it's the potential for flash flooding, for mudslides, landslides, it's all that as well. you can't take too many precautions other than evacuate. what we've been hearing so far, and the information is quite patchy, is there hasn't been mass evacuations. the president of the philippines has been on national television last night to say that we are doing all we can and we are standing by and we will help those affected in every way, but certainly no news of mass evacuations at this stage. >> good luck to all the folks in the philippines. we will check back with you, so be careful over there.

a massive, massive storm heading your way. thanks very much. let's move on to some other important news we're following. including news involving stuff we eat. doughnuts, fried chicken, french fries. we all eat them but guess what, they may never taste exactly the same. the fda now says that the price will be paid to prevent thousands of deaths from heart disease every year is a change in these products. it took a big step forward today, eliminating or moving the process forward, the process of eliminating transfats. let's bring in our senior medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen, to explain how this impacts all of us. >> i'll tell you, some people say that this change or proposed change has been a long time coming, getting a dangerous ingredient out of our food. many of these foods will likely need a makeover, from margarine to pecan pie to quiche to

microwave popcorn because they contain trans fats. today the food and drug administration took the first steps towards saying no more. >> trans fat has long been recognized as a significant cause of heart disease. we are taking this action because we think it's time to address and really phase out the remaining uses of trans fat in the diet so we can reduce the incidence of heart disease and deaths resulting from heart attack. >> reporter: it used to be thought that trans fat, which comes from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, was healthier than animal fat. but now scientists know that trans fat is terrible for your heart. trans fat raises bad cholesterol and lowers good cholesterol. the fda estimates that getting trans fat out of foods will prevent 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths each year. the fda is actually a little late to this game. new york city, the state of california and many other places banned trans fat in restaurants years ago, so wendy's took it out of their frying oil.

so did mcdonald's and many other big chains. the grocery store, that's a different story. in the grocery store, you can find pies that have trans fats, margarine, cookies, biscuits, and one of the biggest culprits of all, microwave popcorn. trans fat won't come out of foods immediately. it will take at least several months. the fda has yet to set a definite timetable. now, a consumer group petitioned the fda to get trans fats out of foods ten years ago. so while many people applaud the fda for what they did today, some say they could have saved tens of thousands of lives if they had done it earlier. >> elizabeth, thanks very much. just ahead, are we about to see the next big showdown between the white house and congress over obama care? lawmakers demanding to know how many people have actually signed up. i'll interview the nfl hall of famer tony dorsett, who is now suffering from signs of a major brain disease, likely brought on by those devastating hits he took on the football field.

>> it's a freight train hitting a volkswagen. ch protein does your dog food have? 18 percent? 20? new purina one true instinct has 30. active dogs crave nutrient-dense food. so we made purina one true instinct. learn more at purinaone.com see who does good work and compare costs. it doesn't usually work that way with health care. but with unitedhealthcare, i get information on quality rated doctors, treatment options and estimates for how much i'll pay. that helps me, and my guys, make better decisions. i don't like guesses with my business, and definitely not with our health. innovations that work for you. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare.

i got this. [thinking] is it that time? the son picks up the check? [thinking] i'm still working. he's retired. i hope he's saving. i hope he saved enough. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. whether you're just starting your 401(k) or you are ready for retirement, we'll help you get there.

wiped out on the football field by brutal hits like these, now the hall of famer tony dorsett is suffering from devastating consequences. he's opening up to me about his recent diagnosis. and our giant idaho potato truck is still missing. so my dog and i we're going to go find it. it's out there somewhere spreading the good word about idaho potatoes and raising money for meals on wheels. but we'd really like our truck back, so if you see it, let us know, would you?

thanks. what? i have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't? alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant. [ inhales deeply ] oh. what a relief it is. [ inhales deeply ] store and essentially they just get sold something. we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. before you invest in a mattress,

discover the bed clinically proven to improve sleep quality. the sleep number bed. once you experience it, there's no going back. for five days, c4 queen mattress sets are $1299-our lowest price ever! plus 36-month financing on qualifying purchases. only at one of our 425 sleep number stores nationwide. sleep number. comfort individualized. nthat's why they deserve... aer anbrake dance. get 50% off new brake pads and shoes. so another showdown brewing between the white house and congress over obama care, as the administration struggles to defend the program. lawmakers are now demanding to know just how many people have signed up. let's go live to our senior white house correspondent, jim acosta, who is standing by. what's the latest, jim? >> reporter: fair to say the

white house did not answer the question today on whether the administration will comply with the subpoena issued by house ways and means committee chairman dave camp for those obama care enrollment numbers. camp wants those numbers by the end of tomorrow and asked whether the agency issued that subpoena, the center for medicare and medicaid services would deliver those numbers, white house press secretary jay carney accused republicans of trying to score points but carney reminded reporters that the white house has already pledged to release that information next week and echoed what the president said last night in dallas, that they believe the website will be fixed by the end of the month, but as for those numbers, yes, they will be underwhelming. >> if the purpose is to point out, which i'm sure it is, that enrollment numbers will be low for october, take it from me, they will be low in october. >> reporter: and i did talk in just the last few minutes with a spokeswoman for that committee who said that they have not yet heard from the white house as to whether or not they are going to be receiving those numbers tomorrow. meanwhile, republicans are keeping up the pressure on the

president's pledge, if you like your plan, you can keep it. house speaker john boehner released a web video today showing the various times the president repeated that vow but white house officials are standing by that pledge. wolf? >> yeah. that's not going away, this debate. all right, jim acosta at the white house, thanks very much. it's not only republicans who are putting the pressure on the white house when it comes to obama care. let's bring in our chief political analyst, gloria borger. there are a bunch of democrats now who are nervous, they are worried, and they are putting some pressure on the president as well. >> they are putting a lot of pressure on him. it's why the white house invited 15 democrats, senators who are all up for re-election, to the white house yesterday. they did it because they need, these folks need to be able to go back home and say to their constituents you know what, we're putting pressure on the white house to get this thing fixed, but these senators are concerned about a lot more than the website. they are concerned about the people who have lost their insurance, what's going to happen to them.

they are concerned about the security issues. they are talking about the potential increase in prices people will pay, and they also believe quite frankly that the white house has not focused enough on these potential land mines down the road on the affordable care act so they're trying to keep the pressure up. >> do both parties basically need to go back and reassess where they are, where they've been, where they're going, go back to the drawing board? >> obviously, the democrats realize they've got some problems on obama care beyond the website. they also know that coming down the road, they might have their own little civil war cooking over the question of spending cuts which is going to be another issue we'll be dealing with around christmas. but republicans are clearly trying to figure out what happened in this last election. it didn't settle any arguments for them but i think overall, when you look at the virginia race, the social issues loom large, the question of immigration looms large, and i think these are things

republicans understand now that they better have one single game plan or they can't get elected to the white house. so nothing's settled. >> listen to a little clip. this is the president last night in dallas. >> nothing drives me more crazy than the fact that right now, there's great insurance to be had out there, choice and competition, where people can save money for a better product except too many folks haven't been able to get through the website. >> he's obviously frustrated, as we all know. probably no one is more angry about this than he is. he didn't mention the line about if you like your plan, you can keep your plan. he did on monday, he added a conditional clause -- >> that didn't go over so well for him, did it. >> he avoided the whole subject yesterday. >> he avoided it because he was trying to thread the needle. that didn't work out so well. what i'm told was the president was originally going to go out and kind of try and push traffic

to the website, drive young people to the website. obviously, that plan has changed, because if you're driven to the website, you are going to be driven to distraction at this point. so what he's trying to do is say to people don't give up on the policy because they understand more than anybody that if you don't get those young people who might be discouraged right now to log on and to sign in eventually, then the whole risk pool is a problem for them, and then the whole paradigm collapses. so they really need to get people eventually to sign on. so what he's trying to do now is not sell the website, but sell what you will get from the affordable care act. >> gloria, thanks very much. coming up, the nfl hall of famer tony dorsett, after years of head trauma on the field, he's now been diagnosed with a debilitating brain disease. he talks to me about how it's impacting his life. a candid interview coming up.

♪ norfolk southern what's your function? ♪ ♪ hooking up the country helping business run ♪ ♪ trains! they haul everything, safely and on time. ♪ tracks! they connect the factories built along the lines. and that means jobs, lots of people, making lots and lots of things. let's get your business rolling now, everybody sing. ♪ norfolk southern what's your function? ♪ ♪ helping this big country move ahead as one ♪ ♪ norfolk southern how's that function? ♪

how old is the oldest person you've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed much is the official retirement age. ♪ the question is how do you make sure you have the money you need to enjoy all of these years. ♪ to enjoy all of these years. i started part-time, now i'm a manager.n. my employer matches my charitable giving. really. i get bonuses even working part-time. where i work, over 400 people are promoted every day. healthcare starting under $40 a month. i got education benefits. i work at walmart. i'm a pharmacist. sales associate. i manage produce. i work in logistics. there's more to walmart than you think. vo: opportunity. that's the real walmart.

became big business overnight? ♪ like, really big... then expanded? ♪ or their new product tanked? ♪ or not? what if they embrace new technology instead? ♪ imagine a company's future with the future of trading. company profile. a research tool on thinkorswim. from td ameritrade.

direct talks resumed today in geneva as the united states

and other world powers are trying negotiate with iran about its nuclear program. we're also learning that potentially a major step may have been taken and big step could be imminent, in fact. joining us now, the "new york times" columnist, nick kristof and bill kristol, editor of the weekly standard. thanks for coming in. christiane amanpour spoke with the foreign minister of iran today and he said this. i'll play the clip. >> i believe it is possible to reach an understanding or an agreement before we close these negotiations tomorrow evening. >> wow. a deal between the u.s., these other powers and iran on nuclear, potential nuclear program there. you must be thrilled. >> it's kind of easy to make a deal if you give up on most of your negotiating positions. iran is not going to stop enrichment, of course. it's not even going to reverse anything they have done. they may stop parts of their program allegedly, not even all

of it, and nothing gets moved backwards. so this deal is a collapse, really, by the united states and by the west in these negotiations. >> i have a different take, not surprisingly. look, we don't know what the terms will be but it looks as if iran will stop enriching at 20% which is the most dangerous kind of enrichment and would also slow down a plutonium reactor which are the two things which most threaten us and would lead most to some kind of nuclear hardened iran. at the end of the day we have three options. we can do a deal or have a military strike which is disastrous for many reasons, or we can watch iran go ahead and continue toward a nuclear state. of these, some kind of tentative deal is so much better. >> say they do this deal. say they do what the united states wants them to do. under the nuclear nonproliferation treaty they are allowed to enrich but only at a certain level per civilian nuclear power, if you will. so they are allowed to have some enrichment if they want to do

that. what's wrong with doing what ronald reagan used to say, trust but verify? >> given that they have cheated and lied for so many years, the u.n. security council, not just the u.s., agreed they shouldn't be allowed to enrich. in any case, they don't need 19,000 centrifuges enriching at 3.5% which gives them breakout potential, even for civilian nuclear power. nothing here reverses their progress towards nuclear weapons and i don't believe therefore that it's worthwhile. incidentally, we are giving up something. >> what is the u.s. giving up? >> we are apparently relaxing sanctions. >> they haven't agreed to that yet. >> we haven't agreed to that yet? >> you think they will. >> yes. >> immediately make these kind of sanctions -- >> they will say it's reversible. turn off the sanctions, we can always turn them back on. dream on. >> is it worth the risk? >> absolutely. bill is right that it doesn't reverse iran's progress. it does freeze its progress. in this context where we have seen iran steadily develop its capacity, freezing it as we work out a deal. >> should we ease the sanctions if they agree to freeze where we are right now?

>> i don't think we will get a deal unless we suspend some sanctions. i think that is the only way we will get that deal. >> there is strong opposition in congress to that. >> there is strong opposition in congress and that would be a real problem with the administration. there is also strong opposition from hard liners within iran. in a sense, we have some reciprocal structure here and moderates on each side have to convince the others to bring them in -- >> you wrote an article in the weekly standard, the first sentence jumped out at me. watching the obama administration at work this week, a friend offered this judgment. under obama, iran keeps its nuclear program and americans lose their health insurance. you're the only one who made the link between iran and the affordable care act. >> just a factual statement. the obama administration is tougher on americans who want to keep their health insurance. iran has a whole nuclear program going, maybe they will freeze or suspend some of it. we don't freeze the sanctions. we reduce the sanctions. that is not a good deal.

>> for the last ten years, we have had this progress both with iran and frankly north korea as well, and there are more problems in international relations than there are solutions. here we have for the first time a chance to actually freeze progress in time to work out a deal. compared to the alternatives of a war or watching iran become nuclear, i think this is a huge step forward. >> if the president of the united states manages to end iran's nuclear program, eliminate syria's chemical weapons, maybe that nobel peace prize he got will have been worth it, he will finally deserve it. >> the last agreement, the end to the north korea nuclear program which he proudly proclaimed. >> that was during the clinton administration. >> two or three years before they exploded a nuclear weapon. >> you're skeptical about iran. syria, too? >> yes. >> chemical weapons? >> yeah. >> you're hopeful about the chemical weapons in syria being destroyed? >> i'm hopeful. i think there is some possibility of some cheating but i think that there has been real progress in syria.

>> thanks very much. see you later tonight. big dinner here in washington honoring some really courageous young journalists who are being brought to the united states. thanks very much. up next, my very personal interview with a former nfl star tony dorsett. he talks candidly about the brain disease he's now suffering from after years of head trauma and why he says league owners didn't do enough to prevent it. farmer: hello, i'm an idaho potato farmer. and our giant idaho potato truck is still missing. so my dog and i we're going to go find it.

it's out there somewhere spreading the good word about idaho potatoes and raising money for meals on wheels. but we'd really like our truck back, so if you see it, let us know, would you? thanks. what?

up next, a hall of famer tony dorsett suffering devastating hits on the football field, he's suffering devastating consequences right now. he's opening up.

we still run into problems. that's why liberty mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness if you qualify, and new car replacement, standard with our auto policies. so call liberty mutual at... today.

and if you switch, you could save up to $423. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? a wrenching revelation from one of the greatest nfl players of all time. the hall of famer tony dorsett says he's been diagnosed with a

debilitating brain disease known to affect football players, some of whom went on to actually commit suicide. it was so bad. i'll talk to him about all of that in just a moment. first some background. cnn's brian todd is here in "the situation room." this is such a heart-wrenching problem for so many of these veteran players. >> it's getting a lot of attention now. the nfl has just told us it's going to look at a new test, a new brain scan, that tony dorsett and eight other former nfl players have just taken to determine whether they have symptoms of that disease. for dorsett and others, this may offer hope to possibly treat the disease that comes from years of vicious pounding. >> at the 10, at the 20, tony dorsett. >> reporter: this hit in 1984 against the philadelphia eagles was the worst one tony dorsett ever took. >> tony dorsett is still on the ground. >> reporter: dorsett now says hits like that have left him with some menacing symptoms. memory loss, outbursts of temper and depression. dorsett doesn't know how many concussions he got in his

12-year hall of fame career or during his four seasons in college, but he's one of nine former nfl players who have had a new brain scan that may help identify chronic traumatic encephalopathy or cte, a brain disease caused by head trauma linked to dementia and depression. dorsett says he's tested positive for symptoms consistent with cte. previously, the only way to find out if someone had cte was after their death, with an autopsy on the brain. now -- >> this test involves a tracer which is injected into a vein and then it will bind to these abnormal proteins that we see in cte so if you have them in your brain, it can diagnose this in the living person. >> reporter: neurosurgeon julian bailes, former physician for the pittsburgh steelers, is part of a team that devised the new brain scan. he acknowledges it's too early to tell if this test is reliable. the sample size is too small, he says, and the results need to be peer reviewed. it's believed cte played a role

in the deaths of former nfl players dave duerson, junior seau and others. but some say the nfl brushed aside early key research. >> each one of those steps from 2005 through 2009 was met with a response from the nfl that this evidence did not really mean anything. one of the doctors on the lead committee called an important study virtually worthless, that's a direct quote. >> reporter: but the nfl changed and in late 2009, acknowledged some of the lingering effects from head injuries. it also recently settled a lawsuit by thousands of players, former players, for $765 million. contacted by cnn, an nfl spokesman wouldn't comment on tony dorsett's case, but did say the league will review that new brain scan devised by dr. bailes and his team and says the nfl is

committed to making the game safer for players of all levels. >> brian todd, thanks very much. the great nfl hall of famer tony dorsett is joining us now. tony, thanks very much for coming in. >> wolf, it's good to be visiting with you. >> when did you realize you were suffering from what's called cte? >> well, obviously i have been having symptoms for maybe about a year and a half, two years, and this past month, i decided, we went out to ucla to get tested, and the results from that test were given to me this past monday and came to find out that i have cte. >> what are the symptoms? >> well, memory loss, more so than anything it's been my big deal. sometimes you can have, you know, sensitivity to light and

things like that. but my thing was, you know, not remembering. i've been taking my daughters to practice for years and all of a sudden, i forget how to get there. i have to ask my wife how do you get there. or i'm driving down the freeway and i'm forgetting where i'm going. things of that nature. it's becoming more and more frustrating to me. my temper, i was short-tempered, you know, flying off the cuff when it's really not a necessity. so it's just those things, obviously some more, but that were the symptoms that i had for quite some time, and then now it comes to the realization it's all because of cte. >> and it's changed your personality a bit as well, and not for the good, especially your relationship with your kids, right? >> well, not so much my relationship with my kids.

my kids at times were -- i guess you could say a little bit afraid of me because of the unknown, not knowing whether daddy, is he going to be in a good mood or is he going to be in a bad mood, is he going to just go off on somebody, go off meaning just lose my temper a little bit and maybe raise my voice. you know, my daughters understand that i love them and i would do no physical harm to them, but the thing is, just the fact that to have that mentioned to me that sometimes they're afraid of me, it really cut deep. it really touched me. it hurt and it made me look in the mirror, wolf, and i look in the mirror and i say who are you, what are you becoming. it's very frustrating to be a person that's been so outgoing and moving around and doing some of everything, then all of a sudden, you know, i'm like a couch potato. i'm sitting at home and i'm watching tv. i'm watching cnn, espn, you name it, and the tv's on, i'm just sitting in front of the tv not really watching it but i'm

listening to it. and it's like what's wrong, something is wrong with me. >> a lot of us remember when you played in the nfl, and you were amazing, but you did take some major hits, including a major hit at a cowboys/eagles game in 1984. we're showing our viewers some film from that hit, and there you're running right now and boom, right to your head. you remember that game. >> well, this is -- i don't remember -- to that point, i don't remember that. i don't remember the second half of that game. but i do remember being hit. the thing about it was when i looked at that hit after the game, my explanation of that was like it's a freight train hitting a volkswagen. ray ellis was the defender there. i didn't -- i didn't see him and when he hit me, as i explained before, it's like he blew me up is the terms we use in football.

he blew me up. in other words, he just demolished me. it was a devastating hit. >> what are your doctors telling you now about progressing, getting treatment? how do you deal with cte? >> i'm going to beat this. trust me, i'm going to beat this. i'm going to put it in god's hands and my doctors' hands. but my doctors are telling me that we can slow it down and we can stop it but someone asked me would i do it all over again. yes, i would do it all over again obviously but knowing what i know now, there's a lot of things that were unknown during the time that i was playing football so there's a lot of things, a lot more things that have come to surface. so we'll know how to get better attention and care for a football player, myself included. >> as you know, the nfl settled with players, i assume including you, for $765 million because of all of these head injuries. of that, how much are you going to get? >> i really couldn't tell you.

as far as i'm concerned, that's not nearly enough. you're talking about $765 million when these owners make billions. it's a lot of money, wolf, and you know, from the quality of my life, i can't put a price on my health. the owners knew this for years and they looked the other way and they kept putting us players in harm's way. that in itself was really, really hard for me to understand why one human being would do that to another human being, to keep putting them in harm's way when you knowingly know that there's a possibility that down the road, they are going to have real serious issues like i'm experiencing right now. >> tony dorsett, we are all praying with you. good luck to you. thanks so much for what you've done for all of us over the years, all of us nfl football fans. we love you, tony. good luck. >> thank you, wolf. >> great guy. just ahead, take a look at

this. this is the palestinian leader yasser arafat. when i met with him a decade ago on the west bank, that was a couple years before his mysterious death. now scientists have come up with evidence that may, repeat, may support his widow's claim he was murdered. and one of the most massive storms ever recorded slamming into the philippines with terrifying force. we will have an update from the scene. stay with us. ♪ nothing says, "you're my #1 copilot," like a milk-bone biscuit. ♪ say it with milk-bone.

see, i knew testosterone could affect sex drive, but not energy or even my mood. that's when i talked with my doctor. he gave me some blood tests... showed it was low t. that's it. it was a number. [ male announcer ] today, men with low t have androgel 1.62% testosterone gel. the #1 prescribed topical testosterone replacement therapy increases testosterone when used daily. women and children should avoid contact with application sites. discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or signs in a woman, which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. men with breast cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are or may become pregnant or are breast-feeding, should not use androgel. serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer, lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body,

enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting. in a clinical study, over 80% of treated men had their t levels restored to normal. talk to your doctor about all your symptoms. get the blood tests. change your number. turn it up. androgel 1.62%. a visit to the operating room. details of prince william's unusual visit to a london hospital. ♪ ♪ stacy's mom has got it goin' on ♪ ♪ stacy's mom has got it goin' on ♪ ♪ stacy's mom has got it goin' on ♪ [ male announcer ] the beautifully practical and practically beautiful cadillac srx. get the best offers of the season now.

lease this 2014 srx for around $369 a month with premium care maintenance included. ♪

our breaking news this hour, one of the strongest storms ever recorded is now slamming into the philippines, packing winds close to 200 miles an hour.

the super typhoon has catastrophic potential. let's go live to the philippines right now. cnn's andrew stevens is on the ground for us. what's it like, andrew? i think he may have lost us. let me see if we can reconnect. andrew, it's wolf. can you hear me? unfortunately, obviously there's a huge weather issue there. we'll check back with him shortly. once we can reconnect. let's check in with chad myers right now. he's got the latest on what's going on. chad, what are you seeing? >> it is really honestly probably the strongest storm i have ever seen in my 27-year career. 195 mile per hour sustained winds and gusts to 235. now, in this area of the world, they don't fly planes in like we do to see what it truly is.

it's all satellite-based. but tremendous potential with this storm, not only in the winds around the eye like we had in andrew, but a tremendously wide storm like sandy coming together with waves offshore, i'm sure coming onshore now, because it is coming right on land here in the philippines, waves at 50 feet. if you push those waves on land, they will get higher than that. it's almost tsunami type waves hitting the eastern coast of the philippines. our reporter right there, the eye right there. he is 220 miles from the center of this very dangerous storm, and it is headed his way. we could see some very dramatic pictures in the hours to come. >> chad, it's heading towards really populated parts of the philippines, where hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people live. >> sure. this is a wide storm. you're not going to get missed even if you're in manila. manila will probably pass 150 miles north of the eye pass but you're still going to have winds of 100, so many of these places

that are built on land and on mountainsides and on the shore are going to get knocked down. there are very few homes in america that could withstand a 195 mile per hour wind. that's like an f-4 tornado. that's 30 miles wide, going to run right straight through the middle of the country, then an f-2 farther out, then an f-1 damage farther out. it will be a wide swath of devastation. >> we will check back with you and andrew in the philippines. thanks very much for that. moving on to some other important news. this question, was the palestinian leader yasser arafat murdered? his widow has insisted that's the case. now, nine years after his death, scientists have confirmed traces of what's described as a radioactive poison in his remains. what does that mean? let's go to our senior international correspondent, matthew chance, joining us from jerusalem right now. what are they saying? >> reporter: well, as you know, more than many people, if it were true that yasser arafat were poisoned with a radioactive

toxin, it would be earth-shattering, sending shock waves around the region. the forensic teams, though, in switzerland who carried out these latest tests, have made it clear their results are not entirely conclusive. they are saying there were problems with also, they said one of the problems was that the sample it is were taken from arafat eight years after he died. that may have influenced the results they got, but i'll tell you this, you speak to palestinians in the west bank, elsewhere in the territories as well, and they have no trouble believing whatsoever that yasser arafat may have been poisoned. in the palestinian territories, his memory still looms over the people he once led. few here, including nasr, the falafel maker, can believe yasserfat die a natural death. it's certain he was poisoned, he

says. there are mysterious hands involved. those suspicions have been heightened by the latest forensic report examination yasser arafat's sudden illness and death. in it swiss scientists say tests on arafat's tissue and personal effects revealed unexpectedly high levels of radioactive polonium-210, levels which moderately supported the theory, but not conclusively. >> would you polonium the cause of death? can we say with certainty that polonium was the cause of death of arafat? the answer, unfortunately is clearly we cannot give a clearly defined answer. >> reporter: it was the death of alexander lit ven yenno in 2006, a former agent turned kremlin

that brought polonium-210 before. police say mine news quantities of the highly toxic substance was administered to him in a cup of tea. moscow has always denied involvement. israel too denies any part in the death of yasser arafat, but for many kept scald palestinians, the forensic report, however inconclusive is a smoking gun. well, wolf, palestinians are calling for an international criminal inquiry. among them his widow. she says that the results have revealed a true crime and a political assassination. back to you. >> matthew chance reporting from jerusalem, thank you. coming up, very disturbing video raising questions about possible abuse, oar war crimes by troops in afghanistan. tickets to a lady gaga's -- that includes prostitutes, cash

and more. so i can reach ally bank 24/7, but there are no branches? 24/7. i'm sorry, i'm just really reluctant to try new things. really? what's wrong with trying new things? look! mommy's new vacuum! (cat screech) you feel that in your muscles? i do... drink water. it's a long story. well, not having branches let's us give you great rates and service. i'd like that. a new way to bank. a better way to save. ally bank. your money needs an ally. ♪ [ male announcer ] more room in economy plus. more comfort, more of what you need. ♪ that's... built around you friendly. ♪

prince william was in an operating room not once, but twice today. he was observing two surgeries, a bladder operation and a breast reconstruction procedure. the prince is president of the royal marsden hospital trust. his mother pretty sen diana held the post until her death in 1997. we'll be right back. i'm only in my 60's. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans,

it helps pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. to me, relationships matter. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him. [ male announcer ] with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and virtually no referrals needed. so don't wait. call now and request this free decision guide to help you better understand medicare... and which aarp medicare supplement plan might be best for you. there's a wide range to choose from. we love to travel -- and there's so much more to see. so we found a plan that can travel with us. anywhere in the country. [ male announcer ] join the millions of people who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an organization serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations.

remember, all medicare supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. call now to request your free decision guide. and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now -- and down the road. i have a lifetime of experience. so i know how important that is. this is one patient who decided -- to spread her wings moments before getting a double mastectomy, as she fights breast cancer, and she managed to convince most of the surgical team about to operate on her to move to the beat of beyonce. the zonal is "get me body." and for six minutes, the bodies

in operating room at mt. zion with the universal of california san francisco gyrated to it. how did a patient pull this off? she's affiliated with the hospital. deborah -- dr. deborah cohen is an ob/gyn who specializes in treating pregnant women with hiv. but now she was treating herself in what was dubbed deb's or flash mob. >> i was more nervous how the flash mob was going to go than the surgery. >> reporter: how can you be all smiles before a scary surgery? >> well, dance transforms me. >> reporter: but she didn't just asked her dance. she asked her friends and relatives to dance to the same. colleagues at san francisco general sent her a video. >> we're with you! >> reporter: so did friends. >> booty shaking is tough. >> reporter: a stranger did a hula hoop dance. this trio was watched by a very

calm dog. the kid risked hospitalization. their moves were no match for deborah's. check out how she swings that sterile sleeve. as the o.r. dance went viral. posters gushed what an inspiration, so uplifting. wow, you go, girl. beth onare you watching? she posted a link to the video say, deborah, you are awesome. but does shall el feel awesome before being released from the hospital on wednesday? >> i am doing great. >> reporter: the video ends with hugs and kisses. >> it's been an amazing flood of love. >> reporter: and boy, did that hospital gown del a pre-op workout. it takes nerve to dance across the table upon which you'll see be unconscious. said one poster, i want to know what's in her preop iv? >> i ooh el have what she's

having. >> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn. the breaks news, a new and very personal apology from president obama about the failures of the affordable care act. let's go to jim acosta. jim, what happened? >> well, wolf, what we can tell you is in an interview with nbc news, president obama did issue an apology saying he is sorry that people who are told, if you like your plan, you can keep it are losing their insurance. this is from an interview that the president did earlier today with nbc news' chuck todd. the quote says -- i am sorry they are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me. that's basically a mea culpa, maybe not for what he said or how he said it, we haven't see the entire interview, but it is

an apology. one other thing, as the president and the without is sounding contrite, they are still being very combative with congress when it comes to oversight. house oversight and government reform committee chairman darrell issa has issued some requests for appearances from top administration officials at a hearing next week. one of those requests went out to the chief technology officer of the white house, but cnn did obtain a her from the white house earlier today, bakley saying, no, todd park will not be appears, because basically he's too busy working on fixing that website at this point. while the white house is sounding apologetiapologetic, t president is sounding apologe c apologetic, they are still at their battle stations when dealing with congress. >> president obama saying i am sorry, you don't hear that every day. >> jim acosta, thanks very much. this also coming in, two

senators introducing a bill that would delay the implementation of the obama care individual mandate. joe manchin of west virginia, and mark kirk of illinois, they want to postpone the mandate for one year, one year, until january 1st, 2015. another important story we're following right now. a bribery and prostitution scandal in the u.s. military. it's growing wider and more sordid with the arrest of another high-ranking officer. barbara starr has been following the story. >> reporter: wolf, this is one of the most disturbing cases of flat-out greed by members of the united states military, a small number, but the number of arrests may be growing. tickets to a lady gaga concert, prostitutes, luxury hotel stays and thousands of dollars in paid travel are just the beginning of the alleged bribes in a broadening u.s. navy scandal

that now has three top officials under arrest. u.s. navy commander jose luis sanchez arrested in tampa, florida, now charged with accepting hookers, luxury travel and $100,000 cash from a foreign defense contractor in exchange for classified information about navy ship movements. >> it's a worrisome case. we're deeply concerned about this. we have indications that several naval officers, even some civilian employees have been taking bribes and appropriating gives. >> reporter: two other senior navy officials, a commander and naval criminal investigative service agent, and a contractor also charged in the scheme. according to the government, the way it worked in part, navy commander michael misiewicz provided port visits where service were provided. in return, francis, known as fat

leonard, and his company provided illegal benefits to navy personnel that literally steered ships his way. some of the other allegations, the navy was overcharged dlsh 500,000 for one port visit. fat leonard provided mercedes for transportation. according to prosecutors, at one month fat leonard was asked, quote -- should i ask more guys from the office if they want to go to the lady gaga concert? now, all of the defendants have pled not guilty, but the navy is pointing out this is beyond even the notion of these payoff scandals. future ship movements, the location of navy warships, that's classified, and disclosing that could have been a real risk to national security, they say. wolf? >> could have been indeed. barbara, thank glue let's take a quick look at some of the other top stores we are following in "the situation room." the senate has passed a historic bill to protect gale,

lesbian and transgender employees. it passed 64 in favor, it faces poor propecs in the house of representatives. a spectacular debut on wall street today for twitter. shares of the social media giants soared, almost doubled at one point before closing at $45. that's almost 73% above the initial offering price of $26. values -- and it values twitter at more than $24 billion. a southern california school is under pressure to change its mass com, an arab. the character has been part of the coachella valley high school for eight decades, but it's called gross, stereotyping and wants it roe placed. school officials will reportedly meet with the group later this month. still ahead, some shocking video. this prisoner is about to get

brutally beaten. it's raising more questions about possible war crimes in afghanistan, and now the u.s. army is launching a new investigation. and he won a second term in new jersey, but could chris christie actually run a caucus in iowa? tweet us your votes, the authors of the 2012 campaign tell-all "double down" they are here. we asked people, "if you could get paid to do something you really love, what would you do?" ♪ [ woman ] i'd be a writer. [ man ] i'd be a baker. [ woman ] i wanna be a pie maker. [ man ] i wanna be a pilot. [ woman ] i'd be an architect. what if i told you someone could pay you and what if that person were you? ♪ when you think about it, isn't that what retirement should be, paying ourselves to do what we love? ♪ paying ourselves she'and you love her for it.ide. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use

helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial.

another obama care embarrassment as carey underwood and brad paisley are mocking the troubled website. check this moment out last night. >> i think i need to see a doctor. >> hey, do you have that obama care? >> obama care?

what's that? what's that? >> oh, it's great. >> it's great? >> it's great. >> what is it? >> i started signing up last thursday, and i'm almost done. more on the obama care website fee ace ko, including a husband and wife, they claim they might actually get divorced because of what's going on. i have a 401k retirement plan. i started part-time, now i'm a manager. my employer matches my charitable giving. really. i get bonuses even working part-time. where i work, over 400 people are promoted every day. healthcare starting under $40 a month. i got education benefits. i work at walmart. i'm a pharmacist. sales associate. i manage produce. i work in logistics. there's more to walmart than you think. vo: opportunity. that's the real walmart. i love chalk and erasers. but change is coming. all my students have the brand new surface. it has the new windows and comes with office,

has a real keyboard, so they can do real work. they can use bing smartsearch to find anything in the world... or last night's assignment. and the battery lasts and lasts, so after school they can skype, play games, and my favorite...do homework. change is looking pretty good after all. ♪ change is looking pretty good after all. store and essentially they just get sold something. we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. before you invest in a mattress, discover the bed clinically proven to

improve sleep quality. the sleep number bed. once you experience it, there's no going back. for five days, c4 queen mattress sets are $1299-our lowest price ever! plus 36-month financing on qualifying purchases. only at one of our 425 sleep number stores nationwide. sleep number. comfort individualized. now allegations of war crimes in afghanistan. for the last u.s. forces, they are preparing to leave the country riling now, they may be leaving behind some ugly secrets. now the army reveals it's investigating the horror stories as a graphic video showing the beating of a detainee gets national and international attention. jim scuitto, what are you learning? >> this is a remarkable admission, particularly after months of denials. the c.i.d. now confirming to cnn

it opened a new investigation this past july into allegations of the kills and abuse of u.s. army special forces troop. the u.n. calls the act, if proven, potential war crimes. we took a close look. an afghan detainee aggressively beaten while what appear to be foreign soldiers look on and do nothing. it is this kind of abuse and worse that the u.s. army's criminal investigation command is now examining. in a separate investigation, detailed in a news story by "rolling tone" the u.n. as afghan mission documented two incidents of torture, three killings, and ten forced disappearances from november 2012 to february this year, with victims and witnesses plaming elite u.s. army green berets and their afghan interpreters. in a statement, the u.n. says, if true, the allegations, quote, may amount to war crimes. following angry local protests

and pressure from afghan president hamid karzai, the green beret unit withdrew from post in april. soon after, residents discovered human remains near the team's former base. if true, it could constitute one of the worst alleged crimes by deployed u.s. forces since american soldiering killed 24 iraqi civilian in ha deeta in 2005. u.s. military officials said the matter had been investigated, but not substantiated. that changed, however when the international red cross submitted new evidence, which it told cnn it received from families of victims and others. the army is now bringing it out of the afghanistan. how important is that? >> this is essential. having outside investigators means that the culture of impunity that been enjoyed for too long inside afghanistan is likely to be cracked here. >> reporter: the revelation comes at an extremely sensitive time for u.s. forces in afghanistan. in just two weeks, afghan

leaders will decide whether u.s. troops in country will have immunity from local prosecution, continuing sticking point in negotiations over the future of the u.s. military presence. >> certainly it's topical and it's right in the cross hairs of how well the united states can negotiate. >> reporter: the u.s. mill their has taken steps to reduce civilian casualty from reducing the number of air strings to setting up a tracking cell. the military credits those records of reducing -- but wolf, an alleged crime like this one, particular as these negotiations are going on, has the potential to be devastating. >> that video is brutal. thanks very much. a landmark vote in the u.s. senate, a big win for gay rights advocates, a reminder to republicans that their party is deeply divided, another reason to wonder what the gop may have learned from the election results this week. let's go up to capitol hill, or

chief congressional correspondent dana bash is standing by. the legislation to bar workplace discrimination passed with considerable republican support. >> that's right even john mccain voted yes, which was a shift, signaling perhaps a shift in cultural issues with the country, but if people think that also signals a shift from republicans, don't count on it. his toy in the senate. >> the yis are 64, the nays are 32. >> ten republicans joined democrats to pass a ban based on sexual orientation and gender identity. arguing protections already exist with other laws. some house republicans want leaders to reconsider. >> thank you all very much illustrates sake their loss in virginia's govern or race with a stanch candidate should be a warning to republicans to back off hot button social issues.

richard hanna telling cnn difficult we with women and minorities, that's something the party needs to reconcile. many sigh chris christie's landslide in new jersey including big wins with women and minority as a model for the gop. the reality is republicans won't attract that broad collision as loan long as republicans are more worried about a challenge from the right than a defeat from the democrat. >> voice of we the people. >> it's why conservative congressmen like ted yoho are considering a highly partisan move, and why lindsey graham introduced a bill banning abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy, which he admits has no chance of passing. >> the state has a compelling interest in protecting that unborn child. >> senator graham is up for reelection and has a challenger slamming him at home as too liberal. a high-profile stance against abortion helps. you also are getting challenged

from the right back home. >> did i wake up because i got a primary and say, hey, let's be pro-life? no, i am honored to do this. this is important to me. this is why i want to be a senator. >> will it wipe away all the other criticisms? no. >> reporter: it also won't wipe away democrats ease criticism. they think this will help them in some of those rare swing districts. >> dana, thank you. just ahead, cnn gets rare access to the site of a nuclear meltdown, the damaged fukushima plant as you've never seen it before. guess what? the authors of "double down" they are here in "the situation room" to talk about their 2012 campaign tell-all. there they are, mk halpin and john heilman are walking in. we're going to discuss what's going on in this book.

obviously you've got to hang out with a tall guy like that. what's your function? ♪olk n ♪ hooking up the country helping business run ♪ ♪ build! we're investing big to keep our country in the lead. ♪ load! we keep moving to deliver what you need. and that means growth, lots of cargo going all around the globe. cars and parts, fuel and steel, peas and rice, hey that's nice! ♪ norfolk southern what's your function? ♪ ♪ helping this big country move ahead as one ♪ ♪ norfolk southern how's that function? ♪

♪ [ male announcer ] united is rolling out global, satellite-fed wi-fi to connect you even 35,000 feet over the ocean. ♪ that's...wifi friendly. ♪ that's...wifi friendly. i have obligations. cute tobligations, but obligations.g. i need to rethink the core of my portfolio. what i really need is sleep. introducing the ishares core, building blocks for the heart of your portfolio. find out why 9 out of 10 large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus which includes investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. read and consider it carefully before investing.

risk includes possible loss of principal. a miletone in the cleanup of the fukushima nuclear pow are plant in japan. cnn's paula hancock's got rare access to the facility. >> reporter: you can't get much closer to the hearts of the fukushima disaster than this. this is why tepco has brought us here. we are in the reactor 4 billing, that suffered the hike roe gen blast. and this is the cooling pool. inside there are 1500 spent fuel rods. what the company is doing over the coming days is to remove them to a more stable location. they say. they insist it is a routine operation, they've done it many times before. >> nuclear power, the science and the myths, the focus of a document tear "pandora's promise" airs tonight 9:00 p.m.

eastern and pacific only on cnn. more news right after this.

the new jersey governor chris christie makes the rounds on the sunday's talk shows this weekend, extending his victory lap. the republican presidential prospect is getting enormous media attention. the new book "double down" about the 2012 campaign exposed some of the christie's vulnerable spots. we're joined by the authors, mark halperin and john heilman are here in "the situation room." you must be so excited to be here. >> we are. >> we're excited to have you guys. congratulations on this excellent new book. chris christie, on the cover of the new issue of "time." we'll put it up on the screen, but is he overexposing himself

right now? he's really coming out of this massive reelection very, very forceful. >> i don't know about overexposing. i think it was inevitable. it was a cliche as soon as he won, that the 2016 speculation would gear up. he seemed to braid it in the big bear huggy way. he has said in response to some of the things in the book he knows he'll have scrutiny -- >> hi sort of crashed the book, didn't he? sort of said, this is gossip, stuff like that? >> governor christie understands how the media works. people remember his speech at the convention. they remember in the aftermath his physical and literal and figure tiff embrace of president obama, but he was involved from beginning to end. he is now the man of the moment. i think a lot of people will read how he behaved in the last campaign. what he's going to try to do is go from basically a relatively unknown figure in the 2012 race

to try to get the republican nominee. that's a big leap in a party that normally good i was it to someone. >> was there anything in the vetting when he was a possible vice presidential running mate that the romney team found could hurt him if he runs for president of the united states? >> look, governor romney's attitude was between the things that were in the public record -- governor christie said all this was litigated before. governor romney looked at some -- most people in the world don't know he was a lobbyist. >> did the organization have an association with bernie madoff? >> not ideal. >> you look at that, there were a variety of things like that, litigated in new jersey in 2009, raised at the local level, but national figures don't. romney said, well, it's been aired already, and he said, no when you have a national candidate, it's a different level of scrutiny. that and the fact that he was hesitant and reluctant to

disclose details of the vetting team wanted, things about his other lobbying clients, things about his household help, health records, a variety of things e. he was not as forthcoming, and beth meyers, who ran the vetting team, if he's not answering, we have to assume the answers are bad. the accumulative dr. >> he does great in new jersey, but how would he do in a republican caucus? the caucuses in iowa, or a primary in south carolina or primary in florida, for that matter? >> that's some of the big questions about him. the establishment wing, the donor class as well as the grassroots. will they travel well? is he the guy that can play well? think about the last three presidents, president clinton, president bush and president obama. they would all do fine. >> christie is the same way. he's a magical figure

politically, he's a national figure, so i think there's a chance he could fall flat, but i think that grass-roots politics, people liking him, north, south, east, west, i think he'll be strong. >> you have a lot of nuggets, scoops on almost every page, but this jumped out at me. i'm going to read a line -- apart from congressman lieuies and jim clyburn of south carolina, obama had nearly as much contempt as he did for the tea party caucus. explain. >> well, look, there's -- third generation of politicians, a lot of them in congress, having products of the patronage system as there are in a lot of ethnic groups. there's italian patronage, i irish, he's from a different generation. he looked at them and thought they were kind of hacks. he derided them constantly.

people like jesse jackson jr. effectively -- and he thought of them as professional blacks. president obama really had no time for them. >> you want to add something to that nugget on the congressional black caucus? >> i think it's part of a larger -- he came to this town as a senator briefly, then as president is plays by his own rules, not subject to a lot of the manners of this city, the customs of this city. that includes as a democratic president, whether african-american or not, not automatically accepting every member of the black caucus. judging them as individuals. he does that with lots of people. it rubs some the wrong way, but that's barack obama. >> he just gave an interview to chuck todd, and apologized for the promise that he made, if you like your health plan, you can keep your health plan. he said i am sorry they finding

themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me. that's pretty unusual from a president of the united states to say i'm sorry. >> very unusual, but i think he found himself in the situation as pretty much the only thing left to do. as we've seen the reels it started to become impossible for him not to. there was no way to kind of explain his way out of it. the only thing to do was cut his losses and start fresh. >> a lot of friends saying, mr. president just acknowledge you made a mistake. >> this is certainly the beginning of trying to turn the page. the problem is there's a lot of skepticism about the mechanics of the plan. reducing costs, all the things he thinks it will do. this is a possible start to that. but there's still a lot of skepticism. guys, the book is entitled double down, game change 2012, you had to put it in the subtitle, right? >> we had to contractually. it's a good brand, like blitzer.

>> you told us to, wolf. >> good work, guys. that's it for me. thanks very much for watching. i'm wolf blitzer. in "the situation room." "crossfire" starts right now. tonight on "crossfire", is nuclear power the path to in independence, or a deadly danger? >> you can't get much closer to the hearts of the fukushima disaster than this. there are 1500 spent fuel rods. >> are we more frightened of nuclear power than we ought to be? on the left brian schweitzer. on the right, newt gingrich. in the crossfire ralph nader, a consumer advocate who opposes nuclear power, and michael shell enberger featured in the cnn film "pandora's promise." tonight on "crossfire."