and the problem right now is, is that the drug companies want -- after they've come up with a drug, they want to keep that patent for 12 years, and there's a debate can we lower that to seven years before it goes generic so that people can enjoy lower prices on those drugs. those are some of the debates that will be taking place alongside the health care reform debate. but overall, there's no reason why we should not be able to at least pay in the ballpark of what other countries are paying for the exact same drug, and that will be a major focus in this health care reform legislation. all right? it's a woman's turn. young lady right there who's on the rail.

>> good afternoon, mr. president. >> good afternoon. >> first i wanted to thank you for your supreme court nomination. i mean, appointment. >> she's going to do well. >> and all the hard work that you've been doing on the economy and with the health care reform. i had the opportunity to with my family last year to meet you in bristol, virginia. my father gave you the cane to help you out during the health care reform. but my current question is, i consider myself an average american. i work for a corporate 500 company for 25 years and been unemployed for the past two years. and i'm prepared to teach mathematics in the middle school system in my hometown in virginia, which i haven't gotten an opportunity to do that yet, but i volunteered in the school system and on your campaign. so, my question is, i believe that most average americans are for the health reform, but they are afraid of change. so, what -- what would you say

to the average american, what do you believe the impact or the cost impact is, to the average person that needs health care? >> all right. if -- if you already have health care, if you've already got health insurance, then i can't guarantee that immediately you'll have -- you know, your premiums will go -- be cut in half. but what i can guarantee is, is that your costs will be lower than if we don't have reform. i believe that strongly. so, if we can just get to the point where your premiums are going up as fast as your wages or your profits or your income, that would be a pretty good deal. most people would take that. and i think that we can start bending the curve on our costs.

i can definitely guarantee if you've already got health insurance, that you won't be barred from getting health insurance because of a pre-existing condition. you won't lose your health insurance if you change jobs or you lose your job. you'll have more security in the health insurance that you have than you do now. that will be written into the legislation. that will be part of the overall reform process. i can also say with some certainty that if we pass this health care reform proposal that not only will millions of americans who don't have health insurance be getting insurance, but it will be much easier for small business owners to provide health insurance for their employees and to get health insurance for themselves. because a lot of small businesses, it's not just a

matter of getting insurance for your employees, it's also just finding insurance yourself. if you're self-employed, good luck trying to find insurance right now. and by being able to buy it through a health insurance exchange, you will then be part of a broader group that has leverage over the insurance companies and will be able to get a better deal for you. so, bottom line is, your costs certainly will not go up, and they very well could go down depending on the kind of insurance that you have right now. and if you've got health insurance, we're not going to ask you to change it. now, it is true, just, you know, full disclosure here, that remember i said two-thirds of this can be paid for through savings in the system already? if we're going to cover have been, then we still got to pay for that one-third. and that's not an inconsequential amount.

that's, you know, somewhere around $30 billion a year. over the next 10 years. and there are a bunch of different ways of paying for it. i've suggested that we could pay for it just by reducing the itemized deductions on people who make over $250,000 a year, like myself. and that right there would -- that would pay for it. there are other suggestions that are out there, and we are still debating those in washington. the one thing that i've said is, we're not going to have middle-class folks bear that burden. they can't afford it right now. so, for the -- for the average american, you stand to gain significantly. if you don't have health insurance. if you do have health insurance, you will have more security. if you're a small business, you

will be in a better position to provide health insurance for yourself and your employees over the long term. all right, i've got time for one more question. and this gentleman right here has been waiting a long time. >> how you doing, mr. president? >> i'm good. >> thank you for everything you're doing. >> thank you. >> really, from my heart. >> thank you. >> this is more a political question than a technical question. i wonder, i hear a lot, especially oppositions, complaining that they don't have time to read the thousands of pages for your health plan. and i was wondering, on one hand we've been in this system for a long time. what difference does a couple of months we allow them to read it. and we just, you know, we just don't hear that anymore. >> let me just say this about sort of the politics of health care reform.

first of all, this bill, even in the best-case scenario, will not be signed -- we won't even vote on it probably until the end of september or the middle of october. we're just trying to get all these different bills out of committee. so, that means that any one of these senators, if they wanted to take this bill home with them during the august recess, they would have more than enough time to read it. so, second point. we've been debating this for 40 years now. so, some of the folks -- some of the folks -- that sincerely want to get it right, and we want to give them enough time to get it right.

we just don't want to do it quickly, we want to do it right. but some folks have specifically said on the other side, the more we can delay, the better chance we have of killing the bill. because what happens in washington is the longer it takes, the more the special interests can start getting in there and trying to knock it down. but -- well, we did give them a deadline, and sort of we missed that deadline. but that's okay. we are going -- here's -- here's my promise. and, by the way, i've been keeping my promises since i got into office. we will not sign -- i will not sign -- a health care bill that is not deficit neutral, that is not paid for. i will not sign a bill that does not have all the reforms that we need to lower health care

inflation over the long term. we will not sign a bill that isn't right. for the american people. and i'm for the public option. so, i just want everybody to know, congress will have time to read the bill. they will have time to debate the bill. they will have all of august to review the various legislative proposals. when we come back in september, i will be available to answer any question that members of congress have. if they want to come over to the white house and go over line by line what's going on, i will be happy to do that. we -- we are not -- we are not trying to hide the ball here. we're trying to get this done,

but the american people can't wait any longer. they want action this year. i want action this year. and with your help, we're going to make it happen, north carolina. thank you very much, everybody. god bless you. well, summer school seminar in health care. otherwise known as a presidential town hall at broughton high school. yes, you see right there, in raleigh, north carolina. it's one of many such events in president obama's campaign to make health care a right and an obligation for all americans. but, first, back in washington, big signs we're finding out now of progress on both sides of the capitol. on the house side, cnn has now learned that the logjam arising from resistance by so-called blue dog democrats is easing. while over in the senate, behind closed doors, the so-called group of six, three democrats, three republicans, don't have a done deal yet, but we're being

told they're pretty pleased with what they've done so far. >> okay. we have some good news. last night we received a preliminary report from the congressional budget office. the cbo has reviewed a draft of the health care reform bill we are currently negotiating. keep in mind, the current draft does not include resolution of several key issues. nevertheless, the report is encouraging. the current draft of the bill scores below $900 billion over 10 years. it covers 95% of all americans by 2015, and is fully offset. in fact, according to the preliminary cbo report, the bill would actually reduce the federal deficit in the tenth year by several billion dollars. okay. and republicans and quite a few democrats say that reform plans pitched by the white house and pending in congress would do more harm than good. we're going to talk more about that, as our ed henry joins us

live, as he's been following the president's town halls for the past couple days, getting both republican and democrat response. and presidents don't spend a lot of time in grocery stores, as we now know, but that's where president obama is going next, believe it or not, to the produce department of a kroger's supermarket in bristol, virginia, right on the tennessee line. and i mean that literally. part of the store is actually in tennessee. our ed henry is there. >> reporter: they're rolling out the red carpet in rural virginia. but the president could get a chilly reception in the frozen food aisle. where we found clerk phil younce, a mccain voter who fears health reform is being rushed, just like the stimulus. >> like the last package that he pushed through, i think it was too hurried. and a lot of mistakes. a lot of things that shouldn't be. >> reporter: but kathy mont gomgomery, assistant produce manager, voted for the president, and is pumped up he's

getting tough with congress. >> i like the fact that he's stepped up and is being aggressive. i really do. i think -- i'm all for that. >> reporter: thousands in this region showed up at a health expo offering free medical care this past weekend. exposing a problem all too familiar to doctors here. >> clearly, we all recognize, any physician in the hospital would recognize that it's a system in crisis. >> reporter: but like most employees, back at the kroger's supermarket, produce manager, steve shiplet, gets generous health benefits. despite being an obama voter, he's nervous those benefits may be taxed to cover the uninsured. and is demanding more specifics from the president. >> he's going to have to spit out some numbers. and -- and let the public know exactly what it's going to cost them and what they're going to have to give up. >> reporter: shiplet says if the president steps up and says it, then he's willing to step up himself. >> we've got to do something, and if it means me paying those taxes to get this reform through, then -- then i'd begrudgingly do it, yes.

>> reporter: and back in the frozen food aisle, this republican is ready to do his share, too. >> no matter what kind of plan you're going to come up with, somebody has to pay for it. so, eventually it comes down to us, the people that's working and paying taxes, we're going to half to pay for it one way or the other. i just hope we can come up with a plan that's worth paying for. >> i think there's a lot of people hoping that a plan that comes forward. and our dana bash is following all the fast-moving developments right now. she's got more on the house deal. dana bash joining us on the phone. dana? >> hi there, kyra. that is definitely the news now, that we first brought you, and that is, coming from our crack congressional producers, and that is that the rebellious conservative democrats who have been holding up the president's priority, they have struck a deal with house leaders and the white house that allows this process to move forward in a committee that has been stalled.

however, they also, as part of this deal, have gotten, you know, confirmation that the full house will not vote on health care until the fall. th there will not be a house vote on health care until the fall. however, having said that, that is both something that democratic leaders and conservative democrats are touting as important movement, because it has been delayed. and we have just a few more details about part of what they -- the conservative democrats got, and that is, for example, they have been able to reduce the total costs of the near trillion dollar health care plan by about $100 billion. the other thing that they were very concerned about, these conservative democrats, is the impact on small businesses. there has -- there's a mandate that employers must have health care for their -- for their employees. well, what these conservatives were able to do is get a compromise that small businesses with payrolls under $500,000, they would be exempt. so, they think that they're going to be able to protect small businesses a bit. and there are some other details

that we're still waiting for. but those are some of the initial headlines out of this deal. now, what's going to happen now, kyra, is the full energy and commerce committee is going to start to meet and begin to actually hash this out and put pen to paper. that's going to start at 4:00 today. and they are hoping, at least in the committee, they'll be able to finish it by the end of the week, but in terms of the full house, the president's initial deadline of getting the house and the senate to actually vote on his top priority, we now know that is not going to happen. because neither the house nor the senate will vote now until the fall. >> okay. so, bottom line, there will be no movement until the fall. and this is basically what republicans wanted, dana, right? i mean, i remember talking to rnc chair steele and also yesterday eric cantor saying the same thing, that they wanted more time, they wanted to delay this, and that rushing to a vote would be detrimental. so, republicans very much getting what they wanted with regard to a later vote.

>> republicans, and not just republicans. we're hearing that more and more from democrats, it's these conservative democrats who have struck this deal with their leadership, they were the ones who told us over and over again, what's the rush? we want to do this. we agree. many of them got elected to try to reform the health care system. but they said, we want to do it right. and that's why they are, as part of this deal, getting an agreement from their own leadership that this won't happen. at least there won't be a full vote until the fall. however, they are still trying to chip away at some of the problems that they've had with their leadership's health care plan. the impact on small businesses, the overall costs. they feel at least in the short term, they've been able to do that, and that's why at least in this key committee that has been stalled that's really been holding everything up in the house, they're going to move forward today. >> got it. dana bash, appreciate you calling in. >> thank you. the wife of daniel boyd tells cnn her husband isn't a terrorist plotting holy war overseas. the federal government?

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terrorism grown in the homeland. a manhunt under way this hour for one of the eight alleged terrorists based in north carolina. he may be hiding in pakistan. a new twist in a story that we told you about yesterday. the wife of the alleged terror group mastermind defends her husband, daniel boyd, in an interview with cnn. also homeland security secretary, janet napolitano, speaking out about the obama administration's new strategy for preventing terror attacks right here at home. so, just who is daniel boyd, a law-abiding drywall contractor, as or the feds claim, a terrorist determined to kill people in foreign countries? cnn's jeanne meserve is in raleigh with the latest. >> reporter: kyra, prosecutors say daniel boyd, a u.s. citizen, the son of a marine, conspired to wage jihad overseas. they say he recruited, among others, two of his own sons. now, the mother of those boys, daniel boyd's wife sabrina, is offering explanations for the

accusations being made by the government. will low spring, north carolina, seems an unlikely place to find terrorists. but on monday, a s.w.a.t. team swept down on this house to arrest daniel boyd. two of his sons and four other suspects were also picked up. >> they had all sworn to be martyrs. they had all sworn to be -- carry out jihad operations. and they had all sworn their hatred of the united states. >> reporter: in the early 1990s, daniel boyd fought against the soviets in afghanistan. more recently, the government alleges he used his street cred and experience to recruit young men in the raleigh area to wage jihad overseas. according to court documents, they amassed a cache of weapons and trained with them in rural north carolina. >> i would compare this potential in this case that they could have conducted another mumbai-type attack. they could have traveled to a more populated area in the united states, and in using that

tremendous arsenal could have killed hundreds of people before being stopped by the police. >> reporter: but they did not target the u.s. the government alleges members of the group traveled to gaza, jordan, israel, kosovo and pakistan to wage violence jihad without success. a friend of boyd's wife, sabrina, read a statement on her behalf. >> charges have not been substantiated. we are ordinary family. we have the right to justice. and we believe that justice will prevail. >> reporter: authorities are still looking for an eighth suspect in this case. law enforcement sources say, he may be in pakistan, where he allegedly went to wage holy war. kyra, back to you. >> jeanne meserve, thank you so much. now, the eighth terror suspect is a mystery, at least based on what the feds are saying, and that isn't much. what we do know he is a u.s. citizen, resident of north carolina and might be hiding out in pakistan. he went there a year ago allegedly to engage in violent jihad. and a dire warning from the nation's homeland security chief, janet napolitano says that almost eight years after

9/11, the country needs a lot more public involvement to fight terrorism. and, she says, the federal government needs to do a better job sharing information. her comments during a visit today to new york city. and among her stops, ground zero and a meeting with the council on foreign relations. >> while the terror threat is ever changing, it is critical to reiterate that the threat remains. the consensus view of the intelligence community, of which dhs is a member, is that the terror threat to the homeland is, quote, persistent and evolving. in my daily briefings and as a member of the president's national and homeland security councils, this is something i discuss with the president and the rest of the security team on a regular basis. >> and as part of the obama administration's anti-terror plans, napolitano plans to expand a pilot program to train police to report suspicious activity and she wants better

cooperation between her department and state and local governments. straight ahead -- a sad and shocking story in massachusetts. a fetus that might have fsurvivd after being cut from a mother's wome. with an epa estimated 32 miles per gallon. and up to 600 miles between fill ups. it's the most fuel efficient crossover on the highway. better than honda cr-v, toyota rav4 and even the ford escape hybrid. the all new chevy equinox.

well, the pacific northwest northwest, another brutally hot day, so when's the cooldown coming? hopefully soon, right, chad? >> hopefully this afternoon, but i don't see it. 93. 93 degrees right now in seattle. okay. if you're on the east coast, you say, all right, it's 1:00, 1:30. no, it's only 10:30 in the morning there. temperatures will still go way up here well west of the divide. the continental divide, you're east of there, montana and so on, you're in great shape. you're in the 60s and 70s. but back out here, seattle you're 98, 97 for the next couple. a cooldown although still relatively tongue in cheek. 88 and 87 for the weekend, as we do see showers and thunderstorms possibly popping up there. big storms, though, giant storms

here with hail, in the new york city area. not so much manhattan right now, but that right there, that would be about, i'm going to go wimay with wayne and wicough and south of paterson. princeton, new jersey, a lot of hail coming down, one-inch hail hitting the ground in some spots. there's ridgewood, it's heading northeast not right now getting to new york city. but there will be more cells today. this is actually quite a distinguished day across parts of the northeast. this is what it looks like, kind of. what you can see, which would be right there the northern edge of central park, this is the south edge of central park, so only a couple miles. you can barely see all the way across "c" park there in parts of new york city there today. the thunderstorms will be with us all day long, some of them could contain hail, some could even rotate, which means there may be small tornadoes around a very populated area. we're not talking west texas. where only three people can see them and they're all storm spotters. you get hail and big storms

across 15 million people, you're going to see some damage. kyra? >> okay, we'll keep tracking it with you. thanks chad. >> you're welcome. texting while driving, you know you do it. and do you know just how dangerous it really is? well, we've got oneye-opening demonstration that might convince you're playing with fire. but, first, grabbing a bottle and picking up a pencil could be tough if not impossible for some amputees. but a new type of prosthetic arm could change all that. gary tuchman looks at a new technology that you'll have to see to believe in today's "edge of discovery." >> reporter: chuck hildreth lost his arms 28 years ago in an electrical accident. he hadn't used a drill since. now, he can. and unlatch a door chain. and even play jenga. he can do all these amazing things thanks to his new arm, a sophisticated prosthesis invented by the segway inventor.

it all started when the pentagon's defense research project agency, called darpa, wanted something new for troops that lost an arm on the battlefield. >> the first time we met with darpa, they described, we wanted an arm that can do this and this and this and this, we told them they were nuts. >> reporter: but he delivered. >> until we started this project, most people would have said this was the state of the art. basically a plastic tube with the hook on the end of it. and our goal was to replace that technology with something that was a full hand with an opposed thumb and all the fingers. >> reporter: the arm is still in development. the most recent design weighs about the same as a human arm and can lift up to 20 pounds. the wrist and fingers are controlled by electronic monitors worn on the user's shoulder, and sensors inside the shoes. cayman thinks he's only a few years away from delivering the device to veterans and other amputees. and, of course, cayman's most valuable volunteer, chuck hildreth. >> okay. you can let go now.

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a shocking crime in massachusetts. a baby who might have survived after being cut from the mother's womb, a woman's body was found in her apartment. she'd been dead for several days, and police don't know who committed the crime. details now from dan housely with our affiliate whdh in boston. >> reporter: two small dowels are hung in the fence. neighbors say the shaken investigators left the dolls there for the missing fetus and the murdered mom. >> i think it's horrible. yeah, a revengeful crime. it's horrible. >> reporter: police say 23-year-old darlene haynes was last seen thursday, eight months pregnant. monday the landlord found her body in a bedroom closet wrapped in blankets. investigators say the mother's fetus was cut out of her and may still be alive. >> i think it was planned out, i mean, no one heard her cry. no one heard anything?

i mean, someone -- someone took that baby. i mean, i just don't know who it could have been or why they were doing it. >> reporter: liz hipson said haynes was being evicted and had a restraining order against her boyfriend. but she said she could see haynes coming in to contact with strangers. >> she was so kind hearted, though, she would let anybody into her home. she was very lonely and very depressed and anybody that was willing to sit and talk with her she'd let into her home. >> wow. police say the infant would have needed immediate medical attention in order to survive. we'll stay on top of this story. and she won't be joining the boys for beers tomorrow at the white house, but i'm thinking lucia whalen is fine with that. it was her 911 call about a possible break-in at professor henry gates' home that set a national controversy in motion. the reporters staked out her home. she was called a racist and even framed her. she made her first public comments. she addressed the 911 call, the incorrect report that she

pointed the finger at two black men and the very painful backlash for bad information. >> i am proud to have been raised by two loving parents, who instilled in me values, including love one another, be kind to strangers, and do not judge people based on race, ethnicity, or any other feature other than their character. when i was called racist, and i was a target of scorn and ridicule because of the things i never said, the criticism hurt me. >> just to point out, if you heard that 911 call, you would have understood what she was talking about, that she never said there were two black men

breaking in to a home. those words were never said, despite what reports had said that whalen had reported to 911. and despite all that has happened, if she had to do it all over again, whalen says that she would still make that 911 call. well, this case of the professor versus the police has folks from all walks of life talking about racial profiling now. even a former secretary of state, joint chiefs chairman and national security adviser, and she sa he said he's not been immune to this at all. here's colin powell with larry king. >> larry: have you ever been racially profiled? >> yes, i have. >> larry: have you ever brought anger to it? >> anger is bet controlled. sure i get mad, i get mad when as a national security adviser with the president of the united states, i went down to meet somebody at reagan national airport, and nobody recognized -- nobody thought i could possibly be the national

security adviser to the president. i was just a black guy at reagan national airport. it was only when i went up to the counter and said is my guest here that's waiting for me? they soeaid, oh, our general powell. nobody believed that. >> larry: what do you do? >> you suck it up. it was a teaching point for him. i'm a national security adviser and i'm black, and watch, i can do the job. so, you have this kind of -- there's no african-american in this country who has not been exposed to this inside of situation. do you get angry? yes. do you manifest that anger? you protest. you try to get things fixed, but it's kind of better course of action to take it easy and don't let your anger make the current situation worse. and if you'd like to watch more of that interview with general powell, you'll find it at cnn.com/video. the arrest of professor gates has set off a passionate discussion in the media over race relations in america, and we want to hear from you. have you ever been a victim of racial profiling?

if you work in law enforcement, what are the challenges that you face policing diverse -- yeah, diverse areas? you can share your personal stories on video, and you could be featured on cnn. police and dea agents hauling boxes of stuff from the office of dr. conrad murray, michael jackson's personal m.d. they spent nine hours going through his papers and another three hours searching dr. murray's las vegas home. the wants are sealed this time, so no official word. but murray's lawyers say they were after more of the singer's medical records. and as we reported monday, a source close to the investigation telling cnn dr. murray did administer diprivan to michael jackson. the drug police think caused his death. next hour an up close and personal look at how the strong sedative works. dr. sanjay gupta takes us right into the o.r. and new worries about the swine flu. when it comes to getting the vaccine, why doctors want to move pregnant women to the front of the line.

centers for disease control and prevention is holding a special meeting focused on the h1n1 virus, and a new study by the cdc that reveals some frightening information about swine flu and pregnant women. cnn's senior medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen, is here to tell us exactly what's in the report.

>> the report is frightening, because it shows that h1n1, or swine flu, seems to be hitting pregnant women harder than other people. let's take a look at some satistics that spell it out. when it comes to complications, in other words pregnant women getting more sick than other people from h1n1, pregnant women who are infected with h1n1 are four times more likely to land in the hospital than people who aren't pregnant. when you look at deaths, there have been 266 deaths from swine flu in this country since it began. of those, 15 were pregnant women which means that 6% of the total deaths were pregnant women. now, 6% doesn't sound like a lot, but that is more than the percentage of pregnant women in the population. so, in other words, they are dying at sort of a higher rate than nonpregnant people. >> why are pregnant women more at risk? >> a couple of reasons, one reason is when you are pregnant, the lungs get compromised, the baby gets bigger and bigger and

squishes the lungs and the respiratory system. the pregnant women, their immune system is more compromised, they are not as good as fighting things off. that's another thing. in addition to the pregnant woman being at risk, fetal distress is happening when women get h1n1. so, it affects not just the moms, but also the babies. >> so, where do we stand on the vaccine? >> they hope it will come out in october, it's possible it come out in september. a couple of interesting things came out of the cdc that kyra mentioned is happening today. what they are saying is pregnant women will be at the top of the list when it comes to getting the vaccine. because if there isn't enough for everyone, pregnant women will be among the first to get it. so, that's an important thing for people to know, if you are pregnant, you are supposed to get the swine flu shot, and you should be at the front of the line. >> i bet a lot of pregnant women will be resistant to the vaccine. >> i think they will. pregnant women, and rightly so, are suspicious about taking any kind of a drug when they're pregnant. and actually some studies have even show that even doctors are

hess tapt to give flu shots to women. i know, for example, when i got in line to get a flu shot when i was preg nant, i had to talk the nurse into it. it was a seasonal flu shot. you are supposed to get it if you are pregnant. the cdc has their work cut out for them convincing doctors and patients and nurses that patients should get the swine flu shot, especially since we learned today that the vaccine will contain the preservative that some people worry is associated with autism. studies have shown it is not, but still people are worried. >> that was another follow-up question, there's been so much talk about all the various vaccines causing autism, nothing's been proven, but, boy, there are a lot of strong arguments on both sides. >> right. there are still concerns out there. all you have to do is get on the internet and you can see that people are still concerned about what happens when you give a vaccine to a baby, so there is certainly some concern about what happens if you give a vaccine to a pregnant woman, even though all the studies shown it is safe and vaccines do not cause autism either in a baby or an unborn child.

>> got it. elizabeth cohen. >> thanks. getting the healthy glow of a suntan by a machine could shorten your life. tanning beds are now being classified as dangerous as cigarettes, arsenic, even asbestos. scientists have said the fake and bake is a probable cause of cancer. but they are upping the ante and moving them into the high-risk, cancer-causing category. researchers it increases your risk of deadly melanoma by 75% and boost your chances of getting eye cancer. they melt in your mouth, but can they mend a broken back? researchers are excited about a new study using a chemical that's similar to the dye in blue m&ms. it's called brilliant blue "g." when injected into recently paralyzed rats, the critters could walk again with a limp. it blocks atp which keeps cells aleve, but in spinal cord injuries, it floods the damaged

area and brings blood to what was damaged. there is a side effect, the rats temporarily turn blue. tomorrow rick sanchez will help you ask your lawmakers about lawmakers. join him, rick will be joined by three people just like you and me, a small business owner, a student, and a woman with preexisting conditions and they will get face time with two u.s. senators during rick's national conversation. and, don't forget, rick always gets your comments and questions from twitter, facebook, myspace, and more. that's 3:00 eastern right here in the "cnn newsroom." a highway sign that will really make you do a double take. can you spot the problem? what the heck is going on here?

from san antonio, texas, come for the alamo, stay for the

toyota plant. the place where they make trucks. it is kind of like an "it's a small world" with parts and lug nuts, instead of singing children. >> to see up close and personal how a truck is made, it is a really great opportunity. >> keep on trucking. the tour is free, by the way. you have to wear a hard hat, safety glasses and no pictures. this wasn't just a highway sign. it was a train wreck. it greeted drivers along a wisconsin highway. get your red pen out. rothchild is misspelled and scofield is wrong and look at business. you would think the signmaker would find a way. at least they got the exit right. the private company that made the sign has fixed the errors. not quite like this.

do you text while driving? if you do, you might end up in the hospital or six feet under. we will show you how five seconds of texting behind the wheel could be the last five seconds of your life. with an epa estimated 32 miles per gallon. and up to 600 miles between fill ups. it's the most fuel efficient crossover on the highway. better than honda cr-v, toyota rav4 and even the ford escape hybrid. the all new chevy equinox. ( car door closes ) ooooch! hot seat!

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die-hard texas types omg. chuck schumer leading a drive for a nationwide ban on texting while driving. truck drivers who are texting as they are trucking are 23 times more likely to crash. last night on anderson cooper 360, tom forman gave an eye-opening danger open danger about texting. >> the six seconds before an accident is the critical time you might be able to avoid it. texting requires so much thought and action it takes up almost all of that time. researchers say that people who are texting routinely take their

eyes off of the road for nearly five seconds. that's not to complete it. that's just at a time. watch what happens. once again, here we go, 25 miles an hour, right here. i start texting, i do it for 4.6 seconds and by the time i hit the brake, look where i wound up. i effectively drove this entire way blind, anderson. there is the mark from where i was talking on the cell phone trying to dial the cell phone. back here is where i passed the one. right along in here is where i passed the one for loading the cd. so you get a sense of how terribly far you can go with this. that's traveling at 25 miles an hour. >> you are only driving 25 miles an hour. on the highway, you would be going much faster. >> at highway speeds, in five seconds, if you take your eyes off the road, look at this. it is just mind-blowing. if you take your eyes off of the roads at highway speeds because you are texting, and you keep going, in the five seconds that

you are not looking at the road, you could drive the entire length of a football field and both end zones and again you are essentially driving blind the entire time. think of how much could happen in that space. >> it is unbelievable. that's why these researchers at virginia tech are making some very strong recommendations, which we have right in the window of our truck. they think that there should be a ban on all texting at all times for all drivers more than a dozen states have already done this. they believe cell phone use should be banned for all newly licensed teens. i will tell you this, anderson. this was a simple test. it made a believer out of me. i thought before i could get away with flipping my eyes up. they said, everyone believes that but the statistics prove we all think we are better than we really are. >> any state that doesn't adopt the planned ban could lose federal highway funding. 14 states and d.c. ban texting

while driving. we begin now on capitol hill where the standoff pitting democrat against democrat may be over. the issue is health care. the dems in question are blue dog conservatives who defied party leaders and held up committee work on a reform bill that the white house wanted passed this week. they now say they will let the energy and commerce committee move the bill to a vote, though the full house won't take it up until after the august recess. here is arkansas blue dog, mike ross. >> there are some people that are never going to be for health care reform, and they like the role we were playing, because it was stopping health care reform. although i think i made it very clear from the beginning that we were never about stopping health care reform. we wanted to play a constructive role in the legislative process. having said that, those that don't want to do health care reform, they will use the rhetoric and say we have caved i

think i just announced that we got significant concessions in two weeks of very long talks that lasted day and night and allows us to move this bill toward reconciling five different bills. hopefully, at the end of the day, we will have a bill that provides health care that's affordable and accessible for the american people while holding down costs. >> now, on the senate side, the so-called group of six, three democrats, three republicans are inching closer to a bipartisan consensus. it is still a work in progress but their plan is said to be deficit neutral, that is, fully paid for while covering 95% of americans. president obama is in between town halls, neither of which is in a town hall. last hour, we wrapped up a health care rally at a high school in raleigh, north carolina. two hours from now, he will speak at a supermarket in bristol, virginia, right on the

tennessee line. ed henry is there. what's new in the president's speech today and how do we expect it to be received there? >> reporter: kyra, what we saw in north carolina was a president trying to sharpen this argument that this whole debate is not just about the 46 million people without health insurance but about also the millions of people that have insurance and they are concerned about what's going to happen with them. they need some reassuring that they might be able to keep their doctor, keep their plan if they are happy right now and the president trying to make the case that it will actually make your health insurance more secure with reform by specifically spelling out, getting in personal terms talking about when his mother was drying with cancer many years ago, she was very worried that the insurance company was not going to cover those vast, vast expenses, because of a pre-existing condition. he is saying now, on this kind of insurance reform he is talking about, insurance companies won't be able to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition. he is going to sfel that kind of

details out. i can tell you, i spoke to a lot of employees here at the kroger in virginia. they want those kind of details. they are telling me, both democrats and republicans, who voted for obama and mccain, they want the president to spell out more specifics. i also tlaernd people on both sides are saying, they are willing, even though they have generous benefits here. they have health insurance. they are willing to pay more taxes if the president asked them. they do twoont try to help. they do think there is a crisis. they are willing to pay more, take more in, if you will, and step up to cover more people. a lot of the president's critics believe that people don't want to pay more in taxes. kyra? >> they didn't just pick bristol by accident. let's talk more about the significance. >> this is the birth place of country music in bristol, virginia. they count that. it is also the place where there was a little bit of rebirth of the obama campaign. when he finally finish off those long democratic primaries with

hillary clinton, he launched his general election campaign right here in bristol, virginia. of course, democrats carried the commonwealth for the first time in 44 years. maybe he is thinking about a rebirth in this health reform fight as well. maybe el get a victory there again. >> i was trying to track down your favorite country song before we revved up the live shot. otis, did you come to it? we will work on that for the end of the hour. maybe you can two-step for us, ed? >> i don't know if i can do that. the tennessee state line is right there. half of the supermarket, including the pharmacy, is in tennessee. the rest of it is in virginia, including the cashiers. i'm told that's because tennessee was trying to get the sales tax. they made sure to put the cash registers in virginia. that's how serious they got. >> not a bad move. okay. they enterprise. >> reporter: got to get that tax revenue. >> there you go. we'll talk to you later.

thanks, ed. don't forget president obama live from the produce section of the bristol, virginia, kroger's 4:10 eastern tichlt you will see it live right here. we are also pushing forward against an invisible enemy. u.s. troops fighting two wars are falling prey to something we all have to deal with, psychological stress, in big enough doses, stress can and does cause death, suicide, homicide, and washington is now on alert. a house arms services subcommittee is opening a hearing right now on battlefield stress and the pentagon's response. among the which ises army vice chief of staff peter chiarelli and lieutenant general rick lynch, who is starting a stress management program at ft. hood texas. now, troops don't have to suffer physical injuries to come home

with physical mental traum mass. sometimes they are connected in the life and unlikely death of ray rivas. barbara starr has his story. >> reporter: heart broken family and friends gather for the funeral of lieutenant ray rivas, whose invisible wounds finally became too much for him to bear. he had dedicated his career to rebuilding war-torn countries. war tore his own life apart. earlier this year, he made a difficult journey to capitol hill. >> i didn't choose to get blown up. >> reporter: ray had served several tours of duty mainly in iraq and afghanistan and had been in repeated bomb attacks. the blast of each incident causing injury to his brain. yet, he kept getting sent back to war, over and over. doctors finally realized his

brain was being slowly destroyed. the final blast, october, 2006. ray was med vacced to germany and convinced doctors he was okay. once again, back to the combat zone. a week later, ill and confused, he is was finally diagnosed with an initial traumatic brain injury and shipped home for good. he was sent to walter reed army medical center where the full extent of his injury still seemed to allude doctors. some thought he was just experiencing combat stress, one of his colleagues tells cnn. it finally became clear, ray was a soldier with a serious traumatic brain injury. >> this happens when a soldier has multiple -- is exposed to multiple blasts. their brain physically changes. >> at that hearing, his wife, colleen, did most of the talking, explaining the devastation of ray's brain

injury. >> he couldn't do simple things, just getting dressed, just feeding himself. he stuttered terribly. >> reporter: in his written testimony to congress, ray said, even when he was finally sent to brook army medical center in texas, quote, i was pretty much on my own for two, three months. ray said the only help he got with his personal needs was from other soldiers. >> when he first arrived, he just sat there in a room. >> reporter: finally, the military assigned a case worker and ray got massive amounts of therapy. he seemed to improve. on july 15th, he lost his battle. he died alone in his car here at brooks, an apparent suicide. there were prescription pills and notes he wrote to his family according to colleagues. ray's family declined an interview request. the military would not discuss

rivas' medical condition due to privacy issues. cnn was given an internal military message written by those directly familiar with his case. it says, at the time of his death, quote, ray was severely debilitated from his repetitive brain injuries. he showed signs of a patient with rapidly progressing alzheimer's. >> reporter: according to the army, as much as one-third of troops experience traumatic brain injuries from bomb attacks. >> if a soldier falls through the cracks and they are not diagnosed or treated, their outlook on life is going to be -- it's going to be terrible. >> ray was also upset that after everything he had been through, three decades of military service in both the active duty and reserve, he still didn't

qualify for a full military pension. >> i didn't choose to get blown up before i made sure and had 20 years of active duty. >> reporter: friends say ray knew his condition would only worsen over time. it is not certain what happened in his final hours or how he got so many prescription pills but revis' war ended here, steps from the front door of the hospital where he had been treated. a colleague says his friends believe ray simply was in pain and tired of fighting those wounds that so many thought were invisible. barbara starr, cnn, washington. we are just getting any kind of care. it can be a long road for vets. the v.a. is super bag logged on disability claims. some vets have filed and wait more than a year to be processed and approved and get that first

check. the senate veterans affairs committee has been looking into it. it is actually holding a hearing today. they heard a mixed review from the gao, the government's watchdog. more initial claims are completed annually. more pending claims at year's end. we will talk more about this tomorrow. it is bone dry and getting worse by the day. parts of texas coping with the worst drought there in more than half a century. we are going to find out what the situation is in hard-hit austin, texas.

parts of texas, even a few drops of rain would be a welcome sight. the central and southern parts of the state are coping with the worst drought in half a century. it is not looking like there is any relief in sight. this is one of the hardest hit areas, austin. >> reporter: kyra, it is extreme here in texas. the drought situation is just intensifying with triple digit temperatures and literally no rain in months for many people. behind me, you can see this is lake travis in austin. the lake level is down about 50% to where it should be. so the water is just evaporating. the agricultural community is in a state of crisis. farmers are having to sell off their cattle because they can't

afford to feed them and crops are at a near loss, producing a small yield of what they normally would, about $4 billion has already been lost in this state alone. unfortunately, they think those numbers are going to get worst. state agriculture officials say you are going to feel it in your pocketbook. >> the real consequence is not just today but it is long term. it means a reduction in farming families when that's one of the biggest threats to domestic food supply today is having our farmers and ranchers sustainable in the agricultural business. that's what really all american consumers should be worried about today. >> reporter: farmers are hoping they will get some help with insurance and also government subsidies. recreation is suffering too. take a look at this boat behind me here. this thing is dry-docked. normally, we are looking at very high lake levels in this area. some of the marinas have had to close. if you look over here, you can

see there is a boat ramp that leads to nowhere. the lake level is 54% of what it should be. a million people in austin get their drinking water from here. water restrictions are in place here as well as dallas and houston and san antonio. they expect those to stay in place. right now, they are saying, they should have enough for the water supplies. one other consequence, a lot of interesting things. this is a lake bed. this should be under water. all kind of weird things are being unearthed. we found golf balls and you see ropes and bottles are scattered all over the place. one other huge concern in the state is the threat of wildfires. with dry grass everywhere, that just provides fuel for those fires and, unfortunately, they are very concerned about what's going to happen in the coming months. the sky behind me turning a little gray. they are certainly hoping and praying for rain in texas. kyra? >> jacqui jeras, thanks so much. in the pacific northwest,

another brutally hot day. in seattle, the temps are past 100 degrees. the city's hottest day on record. in portland oregon, the high there yesterday was 106. feels more like phoenix, arizona. across the region, they are setting up cooling centers. fans are selling out. cold drinks, shaved ice. of course, that's a big sell in times like this. snow cones in new orleans. i remember that in city park. >> anything that will get you wet, inside or outside. >> running through the sprinklers. do you remember getting cut on those old sprinklers, those little nozzles would come up and cut your toes. >> how about the slip and slides? >> that was before my time. >> you are aging me. >> seattle, 98 degrees today. you are cooling down into the

80s by the weekend. the big story today, though, the immediate story is the severe weather threat and the tornado threat for the northeast. it is this significant area around new york city that i'm worried about. almost back out toward the delaware water gap too as well could see some big storms. this is a very large cell with hail moving right into the south, new york district, right into the bureaus of new york city. this is going to run through new york city probably with some wind damage. we know this smaller cell right there did wind damage in wayne, new jersey. then, there is another cell right there. strasburg, that's crandon lake storm. that tornado is rotating with a tornado warning. another storm that has a tornado warning, 10 or 15 miles south of mount pocono. this is unusual for the northeast to have this type of weather. we don't see severe weather

moving in new york city with hail and the potential for tornadoes any time during the year. it isn't like a storm, kyra that may affect 10 people in eastern new mexico. storms today could affect millions of people, putting down trees, power lines and maybe even some mail. make sure your kids and pets are inside as well. >> thanks, chad, good advice. the employee who