you're on facebook. you're on some of these social networking sites, what do you think? >> i think people should have a right to say what they want to say but, you know, if she was already suing them, then maybe she was kind of digging a hole for herself. >> reporter: the tenant has since moved to a new neighborhood. we tried to get ahold of her, but were unsuccessful. and her twitter account has been closed down. experts say while this might be one of the first few cases of its kind, it certainly won't be the last. jessica gomez for cnn, chicago. and we are pushing forward with the next hour of "cnn newsroom" with kyra phillips! >> tony, thanks so much. too many clunkers, not enough cash. huge demands for a government program designed to boost car sales and clear the nation's air. well, it sent lawmakers scrambling. health care takes a back seat for at least another month, except in one house committee which appears to have cleared its final roadblocks. we're live on capitol hill.

and we're outraged by the death of devon bailey. you there remember, too. he was 6 years old and the brutal beating that killed him could have been prevented. hello, everyone, i'm kyra phillips, live in the cnn world headquarters in atlanta. you're live in the "cnn you're live in the "cnn newsroom." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com your health, your car, your money, your congress. we're pushing forward on the unfinished business that's keeping lawmakers in overdrive, right up to the start of their august recess. they knew they'd be dealing with health care reform, but the crunch over cash for clunkers snuck up on everybody. now we're about to find out just how fast they can come up with $2 billion. and we're waiting to hear from the president as well. he's due to talk issue number one in the "cnn newsroom." to get an idea how tough it is to get a bipartisan health care bill in the senate, look what it takes to get a

democratic bill through a key house committee. the energy and commerce panel was stuck while blue dog democrats xaned about the costs. now, though, committee chair, henry waxman says all is well and a long-awaited vote will happen sometime this afternoon. in the senate the so-called group of six and the finance committee, three democrats, three republicans, is giving up on the goal of finishing a bill by the end of next week, but it's not giving up on the bill. so, you have all of that? cnn's brianna keilar is watching and waiting. brianna, is the house vote still on track for today? >> reporter: were, it is on track today as far as we know, kyra. that's expected to come here in about the next hour or so. meantime, this is the scene, before the house of representatives leaves for its august recess. these doors over here, members here in the next hour or so are going to stream out of them. they're going to stream down these stairs over here, and they're going to head home to their home districts without

ever having voted on health care. and that means that this august recess is all about trying to win the fight over the debate on health care and who is going to win. what you have is some democrats and conservative democrats, kyra, who are very vulnerable during this time. they're going to go back. they're going to listen to their constituents, and they are certainly going to face big attacks from republicans who are against the democrats' health care reform plan that is being pushed in the house of representatives right now. so, what you -- what you see with democrats is they're trying to circle the wagons, as these members head off into the district work period. they've put out this memo that says, to members, that this is going to be one of the -- this is possibly the most consequential work period we have ever faced. and this is chock-full of ways to counterwhat republicans are going to say, which is right here in the memo that they have given out to members, talking about hitting democrats not only on what they see as a government takeover of health care, but also on where are the jobs, for instance? hitting on the national -- what

they call the national energy tax, the energy legislation that -- that the house just passed through. so, this is going to be a tough fight, even though all these members aren't in washington, kyra. >> real quickly. the big sticking points in the senate negotiations, how to pay for reforms. there's a new idea getting some bipartisan attention, right? >> reporter: yeah. this is a new idea. on a tax on what's called those cadillac plans. really expensive health care plans that don't have co-pays. they don't have deductibles. this is a plan being put out there by senator john kerry as a way to break up the logjam over how to pay for health care in the senate. it's got some bipartisan support, or at least some bipartisan interest, because it would tax insurance companies instead of the people who have these plans, kyra. it's also got some bipartisan opposition. i've spoken with people from -- who say that this is going to hit some of their union members who have some of the plans. and i've also spoke with orrin hatch, republican senator from utah, who says it's not just these union members. it's not just people with these big plans, where the costs will

be passed on to them by the insurance companies. he said if insurance companies have to pay a tax, they're going to pass it on to all people who get insurance through these companies, kyra. >> all right, we'll keep tracking it. thanks so much, brianna. >> reporter: thank you. let's get back to the clunkers. who knew that clunker owners and new car wannabes would burn through the money in a week. the cash was expected to last through november, but as of yesterday it wasn't clear the funding would last through the weekend. the white house is promising it will. meantime lawmakers are racing to pass another $2 billion to grease the wheels for thousands more sales. >> we have agreed that we're going to work to try to continue this program. first of all, it continues as-is today, until otherwise notice, until dealerships are told otherwise. and the house intends to pass a bill today that would add an

additional $2 billion to the program. it would come to the senate, and then next week we would vote with colleagues to try to pass that. >> and how do you pay for the $2 billion? where does that money come from? >> it would come from unused recovery funds that the obama administration has identified, working with appropriators of it, as a source of funding. >> all right. and you heard the senator mention that vote, the vote that's taking place right now on cash for clunkers. and we're following with our brianna keilar there on the hill. we'll bring you the latest. and our coverage doesn't stop there. the clunker crunch may come up when president obama also talkings about the economy in a few minutes. and later our gerri willis will talk about the deals in progress as well as deals waiting to be made over the weekend. and we're going to meet a new car dealer in florida who's actually holding up deliveries until he gets his government rebates. we're also putting your questions on clunkers and health care, you name it, to jared

bernstein, economic adviser to vice president biden later this hour. keep the tweets and e-mails comesing, we'll toss them to jared. senator chris dodd expected to spend time in the hospital as congress takes its august break. we've learned he's been diagnosed with an early stage of prostate cancer. there is a report that he plans to have surgery early next month. dodd's office said he plans to discuss his health at a news conference next hour. we'll be sure to monitor that for you. and remember the lawmaker with a fortune in his freezer? we're also waiting for a jury to reach a verdict in his corruption trial. former congressman william jefferson is accused of taking bribes after federal agents said that they found $90,000 in a freezer in his home. his federal trial in alexandria, virginia, got under way six weeks ago. the democrat from louisiana is accused of taking more than $400,000 in bribes and soliciting millions more in exchange for his influence to broker business deals in africa. if he's convicted, he could face up to 235 years in prison.

now, a week after he vowed to stay in office, the mayor of hoboken, new jersey, has resigned. peter cammarano cook office three weeks ago after a runoff election. he was snared last week in a federal corruption investigation. dozens of other people, including public officials and rabbis, were also arrested. he is an election law attorney. he's accused of accepting $25,000 in bribes in exchange for his help on a high-rise building project. well, a lot going on today, and we're just getting s.t.a.r.t.ed in the "cnn newsroom." stay with us. are enjoying the new palm pre from sprint. its revolutionary web os allows multiple applications to run at the same time. - ( thunder and rain ) - millions are using the simply everything plan. - each is saving $1200 over an at&t iphone plan. - ( cash register dings ) together that's billions of dollars. enough to open a dunkin' donuts in space. from america's most dependable 3g network. bringing you the first and only wireless 4g network. get the palm pre. only from sprint. only on the now network.

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save up to thousands of dollars... on potential out-of-pocket expenses... with an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan... insured by united healthcare insurance company. call now for your free information kit... and medicare guide and find out... how you could start saving. and we just want to remind you that in just about five minutes or so, we're expecting the president of the united states to step up to the mikes, make some remarks about the economy. looking forward to see what he has to say. and then we'll also be talking with jared bernstein, the economic adviser to the vice president. he'll actually take your e-mails and your tweets. so, say tuned for that. 8-year-old robert manuel missing for a week from his apartment.

days of search failed to turn up anything, now the search is stepping up. police and hundreds of volunteers are in the midst of their most exhaustive search for robert. police were hoping that nearly 1,000 more people would help and show up in the search. meanwhile cops have been looking through the boy's apartment complex, his mom's place last night. we're learning more about an alleged family history of abuse as well, citing court papers. "the idaho statesman" actually said that robert's mom is on probation for fracturing his infant half-brother's skull. also the mom's boyfriend has a criminal record including burglary and battery. more u.s. troops may be getting a call to war, maybe a lot more, citing military sources. the associated press says that the point man for the war in afghanistan might request extra boots on the ground and that might not go over well with the white house, which already agreed to boost u.s. ranks by 21,000 earlier this year. general stanley mcchrystal plans to put out his assessment of the

war next month. he might request anywhere from 4,000 to 20,000 more extra forces. right now there are 62,000 u.s. troops in afghanistan, along with 35,000 allied soldiers. the british are leaving iraq. britain officials -- or britain actually officially ended its military presence today, with no real fanfare. the last of its troops heading across the border to kuwait. at the height of the war, about 46,000 british troops were deployed in and around iraq, but gradual pullouts whittled their numbers down to about 150 in recent weeks. meantime, in baghdad today, nearly 30 civilians are dead and dozens wounded after bombs went off near five shiite mosques. and a program short on cash, long on clunkers. we'll ask our personal finance editor what it will take to finally unload that rattle trap, that gremlin, that delta 88, and

so on and so on.

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well, that heat wave in the pacific northwest has turned deadly now. an older man with heart disease died yesterday in the seattle area. heat is believed a factor in a death in tacoma might be heat related. temperatures across the region have been way above normal since tuesday. finally, though, some relief in sight for the pacific northwest, with a surge of cooler air hopefully headed that way soon. chad, you're tracking it for us. what do you think? >> better today along the coast. and in seattle, portland itself, because of the small onshore flow. but, kyra, what the problem is, all of this inside the intermountain west, that is not cooling down today. still spokane, 77, and yakima in the 80s. probably almost up to 100 degrees just like they've been the past couple of days. we did get the shuttle to land today. we got the shuttle to land because we haven't had any showers around cape canaveral. there we go. there's the video of it coming

on down. took, six, seven, i don't even remember how many attempts with weather to get it off the ground. the good news is it didn't take that many attempts to get it on the ground. you can't land this thing. this thing is thousands of degrees right now. you can't make that drive itself through a rain shower. so, literally, the landing restrictions are almost worse than the takeoff restrictions itself. but there's your weather there. it is now moving in. the good news is it tried to land, and did land, in the 11:00 hour. not the 6:00 hour, when there were showers everywhere. showers in atlanta slowing down the airport. 90 minutes right now. on up toward the northeast, showers. now a new thunderstorm watch. see this last little parallelogram right there? one, two, three, pop! there it is. there's the parallelogram. that right there is a severe thunderstorm watch. it's for new york city, for philadelphia, for atlantic city, most of connecticut all the way down to almost d.c. yeah, i guess into d.c., but not quite into richmond. there's going to be a potential today for wind, for hail, and even for a tornado or two for

some of these supercells that sit there and spin all by themselves, those spinners could put down a tornado or two today. i know it's unusual. i know it's rare. but i worked with -- i worked on a story last night, just in the past five days alone, from buffalo to new york city, down into new jersey, there have been four tornadoes on the ground. in five days in new york and new jersey, that's pretty rare. the system today is the same kind of configuration, kyra? >> all right, keep tracking that. and, of course, you've been watching all the shuttle stuff for us, the weather, the landing, all that good stuff. did you hear about this one, the japanese astronaut who caught a ride back to the earth on the shuttle, bringing back pretty dirty underwear? >> no, but i can imagine. >> can you imagine that scientists want to get their hands on them? >> no, but thank you for bringing it up during my show. >> they've been talking about the japanese astronaut who has been on board since march, he's been testing out

high-techsivevihigh-techsivevy scivvies during the close quarters. i don't think his colleagues complained. all fellow astronauts seem to be all smiles about it. go underwear. the special, i guess, undergarments are made of a high-tech material, chad, and it's meant to actually repel bacteria and prevent odors, good thing to have up in space. >> you can turn them inside out 40 times. >> well, you know, the whole tang thing worked out really well, so maybe the spacey underwears might be coming to a hamper near you, what do you think? >> or a 4-year-old soon to you. >> your little grant doesn't need to worry about things like that. he's very good. all right, chad, thanks. >> you're welcome. the big heaps keep on coming, huffing and puffing on their last legs. we'll find out how the auto dealers are trying to an all of this and whether the cash for

clunkers program is helping.

all right. we are waiting for the president of the united states to step up to the mikes there, make some remarks about the economy. we're also taking your e-mail questions. we'll direct these to jared

bernstein, economic adviser to the vice president. so, we're staying on top of all things economy today as well. as well as what had happened yesterday. the big beer summit. i doubt anyone had a love hangover this morning. but by all accounts last night's white house get-together went pretty well. senior correspondent, candy crowley, has more on the beer gaggle. all right, let's go to the president first. then we'll go to the brews. >> i want to talk about the economic numbers we received this money. the gross domestic product, or gdp, is the measure of our overall economic growth as a nation. this morning the gdp revealed that the recession we faced when i took office was even deeper than anyone thought at the time. it told us how close we were to the edge. but the gdp also revealed that in the last few months the

economy has done measurably better than we had thought. better than expected. and as many economists will tell you, that part of the progress is directly attributable to the recovery act. this, and other difficult, but important, steps that we've taken over the past six months, have helped us put the brakes on the recession. we took unprecedented action to stem the spread of foreclosures by helping responsible homeowners stay in their homes and pay their mortgages. we helped revive the credit markets and opened up loans for families and small businesses. and we enacted a recovery act that put tax cuts directly in the pockets of middle-class families and small businesses, extended unemployment insurance and health insurance for those who have lost their jobs, provided relief to struggling states to prevent layoffs, and made investments that are putting people back to work, building bridges and roads,

schools, and hospitals. now, i realize that none of this is much comfort to those americans who are still out of work and struggling to make ends meet. and when we receive our monthly jobs report next week, it's likely to show that we're still continuing to lose far too many jobs. as far as i'm concerned, we won't have a recovery as long as we keep losing jobs. and i will not rest until every american who wants a job can find one. but history does show that you need to have economic growth before you have job growth. and today's gdp is an important sign that the economy is headed in the right direction and that business investments, which had been plummeting in the last several months, is showing signs of stabilizing. this means that eventually businesses will start growing, and they'll start hiring again. and that's when it will truly feel like a recovery to the american people. this won't happen overnight. as i've said before, it took us

many more months to fully dig ourselves out of a recession that we now know was even deeper than anyone thought, but i will continue to work every single day and take every step that's necessary to make sure that happens. i also intend to make sure that we don't return to an economy where our growth is based on inflated profits and maxed-out credit cards, because that doesn't create a lot of jobs. we need a robust growth, based on a highly educated, well-trained workforce, health care costs that aren't dragging down businesses and families, and clean energy jobs and industries. that's where our future is, and that's where the jobs are. now, one of the steps we've taken to boost our economy is an initiative known as cash for clunkers. basically this allows folks to trade in their older, less fuel-efficient cars for credits that go towards buying fewer, more -- newer, more fuel-efficient cars. this gives consumers a break,

replaces dangerous carbon pollution and our dependence on foreign oil and strengthens the american auto industry. not more than a few weeks ago, there were skeptics who weren't sure that this cash for clunkers program would work. but i'm happy to report that it has succeeded well beyond our expectations and all expectations, and we're already seeing a dramatic increase in showroom traffic at local car dealers. it's working so well that there are legitimate concerns that the funds in this program might soon be exhausted. so, we're now working with congress on a bipartisan solution to ensure that the program can continue for everyone out whether who's still looking to make a trade. and i'm encouraging that republicans and democrats in the house are working to pass legislation today that would use some recovery act funding to keep this program going. funding that we would work to replace down the road. thanks to quick, bipartisan responses, we're doing everything possible to continue to program and to continue

helping consumers and the auto industry contribute to our recovery. so, i'm very pleased with the progress that's been made in the house today on the cash for clunkers program. i am guardedly optimistic about the direction that our economy is going, but we've got a lot more work to do. and i want to make sure that all the americans out there who are still struggling because they're out of work or not having enough work know that this administration will not rest until the movement that we're seeing on the business side starts translating into jobs for those people and their families. thank you very much, everybody. all right. ali velshi, our chief business correspondent, also listening to the president's comments there. ali, he was mentioning the gdp, close to the edge. >> yeah. >> when he first took office. then he said because of what he's done and what the administration has done, that they have put the brakes on the recession. why don't we go ahead and fact

check his bragging rights there. what stood out to you? yea, nay with regard to what he was praising the administration for? >> bottom line, presidents get blamed for recessions and presidents get credited with recoveries and it's not the same one. the gdp is the broadest measure of what is created in our economy. we're looking at the growth in the economy, the value of everything we produce and make, from january, march, through the end of june. so, it's the second quarter of the year. it was still negative, which means our economy was just shrinking but just by a little bit. he's saying we've turned a corner. part of that is when the stimulus money started to kick in. government spending came in making up for consumer spending which was still declining. so, yeah, there's growth in the economy. look at the other things that are going on, kyra. the stock market up 45% since march 9th, which was the low point. housing prices starting to stabilize, and housing beginning

to pick up. there's definitely a different mood out there than there was six months or three months ago. and i think the president is tapping into that. >> ali velshi, appreciate it. we'll talk more about it and also take your e-mails and tweets to vice president joe biden's, economic adviser, jared bernstein. also we've got news about the cash for clunkers bill. apparently it has passed the house. we'll have more from capitol hill. all this developing right now for you. introducing the all new chevy equinox. 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.

all right. time now for mail to the chief, your questions answered by people in the know at the white house. jared bernstein, chief economist and economic policy adviser for the vice president. we haven't seen you in a long time. from the north lawn at the white house. great to see you. >> good to see you again. >> we heard the cash for clunkers passed the house. we heard big rumblings that the program was out of money. we will talk to a dealer who is afraid he won't get the money. he told his clients, you won't get your car, until i know what the heck's going on. so, what's going on? >> no, the dealer and his or her customers need to be reassured -- and, in fact, yesterday robert gibbs made the point that all transactions will

be honored. this has been a program that has obviously been even more successful than we'd hoped. the nething that needs to be appreciated, you are accomplishing two goals, the environmental program and restoring much-needed demand to our american auto sector. the fact that is moving as you said in the congress is very positive. we very much would like to see the program extended. >> so, right now, you're saying the money is available. because i believe the dealer i'm about to talk to has made 48 deals, and that's, what, $4,500 per car. is he going to get his money for sure? >> well, i can't speak to any individual dealer's deals. what i can tell you is that we've been very clear on the point that transactions made thus far will absolutely be honored. >> okay. all right, let's get to a twitter now. this one comes from quirky me. you got to love nethese names.

how about a federal public health care option allowing states to opt-in so voters can battle it out on the state level? >> first of all, this is not -- we don't come out here to make policy especially in health care. but what i will do is tie that question to this notion of a public option. if the president has been clear about one thing in health care reform, it's his desire to see a public option in a reformed health care system. and the reason -- and i think that the twitter's question gets to this, and the reason is that it really does incentivize the type of competition between insurers that been missing and that will very clearly, ask any health care economist about this, we're down to the benefit of the health care consumers, the american public, who face a pretty disorted insurance market right now. >> as you can imagine we're getting a lot of questions about health care and the economy and cash for clunkers today, it

seems to be the three things on everybody's minds. >> those are great topics. >> bear with me. this one is coming from alonzo. i want to know if the american people will have to pay for the care of 12 million to 20 million illegal aliens in this health bill? >> there are different provisions -- you know, this health bill right now is actually a number of health bills. there are different provisions, as -- as referred to are undocumented folks. when we hear numbers like the most comprehensive plans cover something like 97% of the uninsured, in many cases, that difference, that 3% is because some undocumented folks would not be covered. but -- but we've got numerous plans on the table, and they don't all handle it the same. >> got it. and this one from sasha 2,000. it comes via twitter. when will we see specific growth in green jobs in this economy. i know this is something you've been all over.

>> all over. the middle-class task force under the vice president, we've had a couple of meetings, public meetings, about green jobs, because we think they're so important. by the way, in the spirit that the president was just mentioning in his talks, about laying the foundation, the groundwork, for -- for strong, good-quality jobs that can't be exported in this country, i think that's a good definition of green jobs. now, the recovery act has $500 million set aside for training, for weatherization. we have extensive programs for retrofitting, and so we're -- we're all over -- all over this in terms of incentivizing the creation of green jobs. not unlike cash for clunkers. you solve two problems, job growth and helping to build a cleaner environment for the future. >> jared bernstein. thanks, appreciate it. always glad when you can take e-mails and twitter for us, appreciate it. trade the clunk in for cash

from washington. it was something that thousands of us couldn't refuse. that's why the program came close to running dry in its first week. that's why we hear the house has passed a a $2 billion extension. the senate will likely do the same. in the meantime what do the prospective clunkers people need to know? jergerri willis will tell us. and the auto dealer who sold cars in the hopes that it would continue. i want to start with you, earl, you sold clients the cars, and you want to make sure you will get the money. the vice president's economic adviser said they will honor the transactions. does it make you feel better? >> it makes customers feel a lot better not to mention the employees. we were real nervous last night after the cancellation of the program. it was panicsville. we were really concerned.

and a lot of customers were calling. we feel a lot better now. i hope it passes the senate and another $2 billion will be a fantastic stimulus for the economy. >> let's put it in perspective, because you had, what, 48 deals on the table. so, that's $4,500 per car that you were going to wait for. and then 48 people, waiting to get their new car from you, correct? >> that's correct. we're up to 61 now. the showroom's packed. overflowing. we're having better month than we had in the entire year. as a matter of fact, this june -- or i should say july, thanks to cash for clunkers, it's been the first time we've exceeded 2008. so, july of 2009 is actually a better sales month than 2008. we're just extremely happy. and every car dealer i talked to feels the same way. >> so, let me ask you, then, for you, because we've been talking so much about car dealerships going under and major car industries going under. you have a program like this. when you heard about it and you

started to partake in it, was this sort of a saving grace for you kind of looking back, oh, great, it's something that will save me at a time i might lose my business? >> i was very hopeful when they announced the program, but, frankly, i was a bit skeptical. it exceeded my expectations and i believe everybody's expectations to see how many clunkers were out there, especially clunkers that were being driven by people with good credit. normally you have to get credit approval, in today's economic climate, it's not easy to get done. but we're seeing an awful lot of people driving older cars that have excellent credit and can afford and can get financed to buy a new one. >> so, what are you going to do with the clunkers? >> well, they've got to be scrapped. we have -- we're getting bids from five different salvage yards. we take the high bid, and we pass the extra credit for what we get for salvage along to the customer off the price of the car, along with the government $3,500 or $4,500 credit. >> earl, stay with me. i want to bring in gerri willis now. gerri, just now we found out

that it passed the house. you're hearing earl's story. he was pretty nervous about the 61 deals now. he didn't know he was going to get his money and if indeed the clients were going to be able to get the new car. what should prospective clunker traders consider now -- >> right. >> -- the fact that we heard, oh, it's out of money, and now apparently it's going to be okay. what are your thoughts? >> to start with, the money's been doubled. the original program was $1 billion, now it's $2 billion. if you want to take advantage with this, here's what to keep in mind. don't sign the waiver that some dealerships are forcing you to pay the voucher if the deal does not go through. and then have the dealership wait before they destroy your old vehicle until they're absolutely sure they're getting the voucher money. you don't want to be stuck without a car. and, remember, you're going to want to act quickly. kyra, one expert we talked to at "consumer reports" said it's entirely possible that congress could tighten the requirements on mileage in the future to get even better results out of the program. the demand has been so big they

could ratchet down the people who are eligible for it and still do very well indeed. and one big thing here, and i don't know how happy earl will be to hear this, but don't forget to negotiate the deal. yes, you're getting help from the federal government, but that's okay. you should get the best price possible. check out websites like edmunds.com, consumerreports.org for strategies on negotiating. if i could ask earl one question. i'm curious about his business. how much more demand was there out there? was it a one-month thing or could it be six months of huge sales for? >> i think it could be six months. there a lot of people that don't understand the program, or believe it or not, people that don't know about the program. every day i'm talking to people that are not aware. i think this thing could easily run another six months. by the way, i agree with all your suggestions for the buyers. we have one other suggestion. dealers are forced to offer an estimate for the salvage value. find out what they sell the

salvage car for. because i hear an average of $75. we're getting $250 to $800 in salvage value. >> wow. >> i can see even more. be sure you nove the salvage value. that should be taken off the price of the car. >> that's good advice. that was news you can use. i appreciate you both. thanks so much. >> my pleasure.

well, space shuttle astronauts celebrate a mission accomplished. a laid-off nasa employee is on a personal mission. it's a stretch of road outside of kennedy space center. every day this week michael matz, the graphic artist and media developer, has set up a roadside stand offering free coffee and resumes, and while his approach to getting a job may be a little, well, let's say, out of this world, well, michael matz is today's "30 second pitch" and he joins us via broadband from his roadside

stand from merrit island, florida. good to see you. we've got a little bit of a delay. because of the broadband connection there. >> thank you. how you doing? >> okay. we've got a very long delay there. good, michael. tell me how you came up with this idea. why are you doing this? >> you know something, it's like anything else. you've got to think out of the box. and this is kind of just my way of thinking outside the box. i was just kind of bored with going to companies, posting my resume over and over and over like thousands of other people right now. and i was kind over it. so, i might as well think out of the box and, you know, get right out there, directly with people. >> well, you are definitely thinking right out of the box. and you do incredible work.

just taking a look at some of the full screens here. you're an amazing graphic artist. so, why don't you go ahead. put your thoughts together, as we're looking at some of your amazing pieces of work here. go ahead and start your "30 second pitch" when you are ready, michael. >> thank you. thank you. my "30 second pitch," well, you know something, billy mays was a great pitchman. michael marks, he's coming to be your next man. either from oxyclean, tree hugger, anything, you name it, michael marks is there. i'm definitely a good media personality. i'm -- [ inaudible ] as you see, if you go on ahead and go to my website, www.michaelmarks.net. and just kind of check my site out. forgive me for a little bit of nervousness here being on camera. but definitely go there and check out what i have to offer.

>> short and sweet. i love it. we apologize. we have a horrible signal for you via broadband there, michael. so let me bring up your work and your e-mail. if you see him outside of nasa passing out the coffee and doughnuts, take his resume and get this man a job. michael, thanks. straight ahead. okay. do you remember this? >> we're here today at parkwood avenue for -- >> boo! >> we have a situation in toledo where there's -- >> boo boo! >> you wouldn't believe how many clicks this has gotten on youtube. the mayoral wannabe and his heckler. these guys could really use a beer. well, guess what?

. pushing forward to our next hour, a face you will never forget. he told his teachers he was

abused. his teachers told child welfare. no one came to his rescue. why did everyone fail little devon bailey. wounded veterans struggling to recover their loved ones, giving up their jobs, their insurance, their homes. is there home on the horizon? follow-up time, one of our favorites, a mayoral candidate can't get a word in edgewise because some dude just kept booing him. >> boo, boo, boo, fillth, slime, muck, boo, boo, boo. >> okay, so it wasn't that bad but you get the idea. we showed you the boofest earlier this week. we have learned that toledo's candidate and his heckler drank up and made up. yes, beer summit number two. boos turned to bud.

>> reporter: this video is nothing short of a viral internet sensation. >> well, we are here today at arcwood avenue. >> boo, boo. >> reporter: trying to hold a news conference is 33-year-old ben con know, toledo mayoral candidate. >> boo, boo, boo, ben. >> reporter: the man booing, 31-year-old maxwell awe stins, a landscape architect. austin is on his front porch. the video shot by 13 abc photographer is grabbing headlines on cnn, msn, even comedy central. it happened one month ago. in light of the president's beer summit, we thought we should bring ben and the brewer together for a brew. >> how are you? >> i feel like a bond, you know what i mean. >> a little bit, yeah. we have had something. thank you very much. >> reporter: turns out, both of them can look back and laugh.

>> it is kind of funny. i have to give you credit. we were on parkwood for a very serious issue. >> reporter: austin says he mispronounced his last name on purpose. he said, before the cameras were rolling, someone from his campaign trampled his flower bed. >> no apology, i'm sorry or my bad or oops. >> reporter: so, tonight, the two talked tout and shared their views and found some common ground. the only boos was the beer. i think it was a very productive evening for me at least. i hope it wasn't too bad for you. >> got a free beer. >> got a free beer, if nothing else, budweiser, cheers. >> we are here to see if he wins the mayoral campaign. beer, the new olive branch, maybe the trojans and greeks should have gone to the bar before that whole horse

incident. their story was the inspiration, the professor and the policeman that arrested him and had beers on the president's tab, a drink and a think at the white house.

well, i doubt anyone had a love hangover this morning but by all accounts, last night's white house get together went pretty darn well. cnn political correspondent, candy crowley has more on the beer gaggle. >> reporter: on a humid summer night beneath the magnolia tree in the rose garden, the president, the vice president, the professor and the white policeman had a beer together. >> there was no tension. >> reporter: the president called it a friendly, thoughtful conversation and you will never guess what. sergeant james crowly said he and professor henry louis gates are planning their next meeting. >> i would like to discuss and listen to professor gates' perspective. certainly, he has the credentials to enlighten me a little bit and i think that the

professor, as he expressed to me, has a willingness to listen to my perspective as a police officer. >> reporter: ditto from professor gates. he said he and crowley need to offer greater sympathy for the daily perils of policing on the one hand and for the genuine fierce of racial prejudice on the other. >> three folks having a drink at the end of the day and hopefully giving people an opportunity to listen to each other. that's really all it is. >> reporter: not exactly all. it is also the president's attempt to get out from under headlines he held right. it was a rather routine cop call on a possible break-in at a home in cambridge. it turned into a national rorschach test on racial profiling and police minority communities. the story was elevated and propelled by five words at a

presidential news conference. >> the cambridge police acted stupidly. >> reporter: it fueled the fire and knocked the president's health care message off the front pages. the president had to explain, reexplain, call sergeant crowley to personally explain and then invited crowley and gates to the white house. now, the professor and the cop are working out details of their next meeting. >> i think meeting at a bar for a beer on the second occasion is going to send out the wrong message. maybe a kool-aid or iced tea or something like that. >> reporter: the president is dying to get back to his agenda and put cambridge on the back page. >> i will be surprised if you guys all make this the lead as opposed to a very important meeting we just had with one of our most important partners in the world. >> reporter: maybe tomorrow. candy crowley, cnn, washington. our top story this hour, no one came to his rescue.

everyone failed him. little devon bailey from los angeles, to say he fell through the cracks is a gross understatement. he said he was being abused. others said he was being abused. now, he is dead. the man suspected in his death, still on the loose. why was devon with him in the first place? how many more are out there right now. he had hopes, dreams, his whole life ahead of him. cnn's thelma gutierrez reports from los angeles. >> he wanted to be a police officer. >> devon was always known as jj. >> reporter: devon bailey was just about to turn seven. he never had a chance. last week, devon died a violent death. this is a tragic story about a 6-year-old boy who tried to save himself from abuse. somehow, this first graders cries for helps went unanswered. the polite boy with a big smile lived a broken life. his biological father hadn't seen him since he was a baby.

seven months ago, his mother said she was unable to care for him so she sent him to live here. neighbor, kevin davis, remembers the boy and saluted him. i said, hey, welcome to the neighborhood, little neighbor. he said, neighbor, that's what you are when you live next door to each other. he said okay. so i'm big neighbor, you little neighbor. so that's the way it is wa. whenever i come up, i would salute him and he would salute me back. >> reporter: on july 23rd, devon's battered body was discovered in the house. >> devon was in the bedroom lying on his back. >> he had bruising throughout his body and the top of his head down to his ankle area. >> reporter: mark fisher was nowhere to be found when the police arrived. authorities have issued a murder warrant and the manhunt goes on. >> he has a rap sheet that goes back 20 years. >> reporter: how is it that somebody with this rap sheelt wou sheet would have custody of this

little boy? >> it is a major concern how he did gain custody of the child with a such a violent background. >> reporter: what can you tell us about that? >> i can only say from viewing devon's body on night of the incident, that he had bruises from head to toe in different stanlt stages of healing. that's an indication it had been ongoing. his mother said she last saw her son a month ago and didn't see any signs of abuse. >> no, i did not know it was going on. >> reporter: devon tried to tell people. in april, the boy told his teacher that he boped had him in the nose and they reported the incident to the department of child and family services. dcfs investigated. according to internal documents, fisher denied any abuse. the documents also so that in june, devon told his teacher fisher punched him in the stomach. again, it was reported to dcff. doctor hager, the executive

direction tore of the l.a. county violence intervention program said what should have happened next was the social worker should have brought him to a special los angeles family clinic to be evaluated physically and emotionally. >> reporter: dr. hager, was devon brought into your network? >> no, he was not. >> reporter: nor was he taken to any of the six other pediatric coun county clinics that specialize in child abuse. according to internal dcfs documents, the doctor said she found no evidence of abuse. the social worker closed the case. hager said if devon had been evaluated at one of the county's special clinics, things may have turned out differently. all of the injuries would have been documented, x-rays would have been taken, then he would have had mental health assessments and somebody working with him from crisis and he would have sat there in the waiting room until somebody came

to take him to foster care. >> reporter: he would not have been taken home and could have been alive today? >> he would have been alive today. >> thelma joining me live from los angeles. have you heard from the child welfare officials and to be exact, it is dcfs. i want to know what family services had to say about this. it looks like the social workers within that program really failed this child? >> i can tell you that the director of the los angeles county department of children and family services declined and on-camera interview with cnn but issued this statement. our department continues to investigate the circumstance around this tragedy pending specific details of our investigation, i have increased the level of management oversight on child abuse referrals. the agency is also reviewing 500 emergency cases and planning on special training for their managers and social workers. kyra? >> that training is desperately

needed. meanwhile, do we even know why this little boy was living with marcus fisher. why wasn't he with his biological father? why wasn't he with his biological mother? why was he with this alleged killer who is on the loose. maybe you can update us on the manhunt for him. >> kyra, i can tell you that the boy's biological father lived in oregon. the mother said that she was going through economic hardship. she had some of her kids living with her mother. her mother couldn't take care of that child and so she asked her ex-boyfriend to take care of this little boy and his little sister as well. i can tell you there is a massive manhunt going on right now in los angeles for this man. the dea has said anybody harboring this man, they will also go after them. on wun once again, everyone take a look at this picture. this is marcas fisher. this is a man that has a

criminal record. on his criminal record, a number of crimes, including rape, as a teenager. police are looking for him, asking for your help. he is wanted in the murder of 6-year-old devon, who thelma has focused on in this piece in a much broader scale, what is going on within dcfs. that's a much bigger question. thelma, thank you so much. we really appreciate your reporting. as you heard thelma, she spoke briefly to doctor astrid hager. she heads the violent abuse program and has made it her mission to prevent cases lie devon. i understand you are just joining me on the phone because you are actually dealing with what happened in this case. did you meet with the supervisor yet today there in los angeles county to discuss what the heck is going on within family services? >> caller: no, not yet. i think the board of supervisors in the county of l.a. is outraged and certainly

supervisor molina is triply outraged. we are looking to meet on monday and perhaps go before the board on tuesday and they are all up in arms because the county of l.a., which makes this tragedy such a double, triple tragedy, is because we did build a system in l.a. county to make sure this exact thing never happened. >> so what -- why isn't that system working? it's so hard to understand. there were so many people that came forward, including 6-year-old devon saying, hey, i'm being abused. is there a problem with the program or are people just not doing what they are supposed to do? >> caller: well, the program is unique to the united states. it is absolutely a fabulous program. it is only fabulous when the kids actually get to the clinic. where there is a breakdown is that in this particular case, instead of bringing the child to a clinic staff with specialists

who identify the fact that the kid had scars everywhere. he was obviously being abused on goingly. he gets to go to a private doctor who may very well not have even undressed him to look at him. >> the fact that california is in a huge economic crisis right now where people are having to pay for things through vouchers, does that contribute to the lack of resources and maybe the monitoring that should be taking place within family services to make sure that little boys like devon don't fall through the cracks and end up dead? >> caller: that's a very interesting question. in ac tuality, looking at the economics of this system, this saves the county and the state money in two different ways. number one, obviously, it prevents ongoing morbidity and mortality in children and promotes a preventative model of health care which we are all trying to embrace in this country at-large. secondly, it is built on funding

that comes down that's an entitlement funding to underwrite health care for these children and can maintain a budget neutrality of this particular system within l.a. county. there should not be any economic disincentive for having children like this have access to quality care. >> dr. hager, we appreciate your work, because we know you spent so much time trying to prevent instances like this. we hope the investigation continues into dcfs so this doesn't happen again. we were reading about the pattern within the system of these four children. i want to show you the mug shot of marcas fisher. this is the man that police are looking for. apparently, they believe he might be hiding out with friends or family members. he is wanted in the brutal beating of 6-year-old little devon who, as you see, and just heard through that piece and talking to dr. astrid heger has been one more child to fall

through the cracks of the social services system. we will stay on top of this story and hope that someone will come across him. so many clunkers, so many little cash, a billion dollars isn't a little cash. the government program designed to boost new car sales and save on fuel is so wildly popular shall the money is running out inside a week. just last hour, the house did rush through a $2 billion extension and the senate is expected to do the same. >> we have agreed that we are going to work to try to continue this program. first of all, it continues as is today until otherwise notified, until dealerships are told otherwise. the house intends to pass a bill today that would add an additional $2 billion to the program. it would come through the senate and then next week, we would work with them to try to pass it. >> how do you pay for the $2 million? where does ha money come from? >> it would come from unused

recovery funds that the obama administration had identified working with aproep yea tors as a source of funding. >> the senator also said that in this first week, cash for clunkers generated 200,000 new car sales. also in washington, a house committee that's been in limbo on health care plans to start its august recess on a high note. republicans may feel differently. it now appears that finally all the panel's democrats support the reform bill that's up for a vote this afternoon. in the senate, attempts to kraft a bipartisan bill are proceeding but no more committee votes until september. brianna keeler has the latest from capitol hill. >> reporter: hi, there, kyra. we have been watching in the last few minutes the last few members of the house who have been screaming out of the capitol coming down to these cars waiting to whisk them away

to the airport. it was almost like the last day of school. our intern, mike, was singing, school's out for summer. it certainly felt that way. this really isn't a vacation. this is called a district work period. this one is going to be critical for democrats who are pushing health care reform, because when all of these house members came out and they left for the month, they were leaving without voting on health care reform. so democratic leaders have been circling the wagons. they have been trying to unify their members with a very central message to defend this health care reform package that they are pushing but at the same time republicans are on the attack. they don't like this health care reform bill and they are going to spend their recess criticizing democrats, especially vulnerable in this case, those democrats who are in some conservative districts, swing districts that can typically go republican. they are going to have to explain to their constituents.

that could change their mind and impact what they think about health care reform when they come back here in the fall, kyra. >> also, too, if you don't updating us on the news we got about senator chris dodd. apparently, he just held a news conference about the early stages of prostate cancer. >> reporter: yes. we learned about a health emergency that he has had. i am not sure, kyra, if we have been able to see the press conference that he gave a short time ago. i know we weren't able to get it live in connecticut. what he was explaining was that he has early stage prostate cancer. as you know, i'm sure you have known someone who has prostate cancer. frequently, it is very treatable. this is early stage. what he said is he is going to, during his recess, he is going to get surgery and recuperate and then come back to work. he actually spoke a short time ago in connecticut. let's take a listen. >> stephanie, i am going to be fine in all of this. we caught this early. the great thing about the annual physical is if you get an early

detection of prostate cancer, it is very, very manageable. the good news is, i am going to be back out and doing all the things you have to do in order to represent my state and carry on the efforts we are engaged in. >> reporter: but this is still a significant development. chris dodd has been a very, very busy senator, sitting in as the top democrat on the senate health committee. the chairman of that committee, ted kennedy, is away as he copes with brain cancer. also, chris dodd is facing a really tough re-election in 2010 next year. full numbers have not been going his way. he has a lot of work ahead of him. you heard him there. he says he feels fine and he is going to be coming back to work. we understand this is not going to effect his seeking re-election. he will still be seeking re-election in 2010, kyra. >> all right. brianna there on the hill, thanks so much. diving into a stimulus proje project on pew jit sound.

$5 million to pull up old fishing nets. are the net losses worth the gross cash. your diarrhea symptoms, so you can get back out there. imodium. get back out there. a day on the days that you have arthritis pain, you could end up taking 4 times the number... of pills compared to aleve. choose aleve and you could start taking fewer pills. just 2 aleve have the strength... to relieve arthritis pain all day.

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as well sort of affecting the maneuvering. >> five times they tried to take off. sometimes canceled because of gases coming out. a lot of it was weather. you can't land a shuttle through rain. you know, you have landed in an airplane, watched it rain. you can't land something that's 2,000 degrees and run it through a rain shower and expect it to last. it is going to crack up. there is rain there now. they have already landed it. they tried to take the thing off at 6:00. they had so many troubles. you get showers in florida at 6:00 in the afternoon. we are going to watch some severe weather popping up. this is the bigger story for the rest of the day. from new york city back down through philadelphia, i am going to zoom in. something just caught my attention right here. this purple square right through here, this is a tornado warning here. that is just now to the west of baltimore washington. i can go in here and i can hit query and i am going to go ahead and touch that little box. that tornado warning is for carol in frederick county.

frederick, maryland, is here because of the storm. because of the way the box is oriented, it is going to the north and northeast. so not into the baltimore metro area. at least not right now. there may be more to the southwest that do drive themselves into baltimore and philadelphia. maybe into new york city as well. it is going to be a rough day across parts of the northeast. this yellow box is a severe thunderstorm watch box. it also means that some of those storms could still rotate even though it is not a tornado watch. not expecting a lot of tornadoes. it only takes one to be in your neck of the woo ds to make a really bad day. we will keep watching. one more thing i want to bring your attention to. tropical storm lana, 50 miles per hour, where is it you say? there is hawaii. there it is. not forecast to get to hawaii. it certainly could make some good as well as if you want to surf there on the big island. surf's up. i am not sure it is a good place to surf. >> san diego, quite a difference from hawaii.

that's a little more scary. >> hawaii with a tropical storm is differently. >> i get to play with the big board here is that right? we are going to roll it. how cool is this? we have these all-platform journalists and patrick oppman went out to puget sound and he did a piece. whose birthday is that? its stacia. back to patrick's piece. he went out there to take a look at what they are doing with these op meds to see if it is worth saving the money. >> there are 3,000 abandoned, lost nets in puget sound. there are fish, octopus, crabs getting caught in the old abandoned nets. nobody is pulling them up and checking them. president obama is going to spend $5 million to get these things out of here and save

crabs and boat moltors from getting into these things. 40 people are going to have full-time work because of this. >> patrick takes us on the inside. let's roll the piece. >> reporter: killer whales hunt in washington state's puget sound. they and this unique echo system are about to benefit from a sliver of the federal stimulus money. i am about to find out how. i am about 15 miles from oak harbor, meeting up there with a local group that's got $5 million in stimulus money to recover lost fishing nets. it's a much bigger problem than you think. the marine conservation initiative has struggled for years for funding. they will help recover an estimated 3,000 fishing nets discarded or lost in puget sound. >> we are taking something out of the water that is no longer going to kill fish or birds or propose a danger to humans. >> reporter: if this was such a big problem, how come it took

until now to clean it up? >> imagine if you had nets strung across the streets that were catching bunny rabbits and squirrels, we wouldn't be discussing whether we should be pulling them. when they are down under water, it is harder to know the impact they are having. >> diver, kenny woodside takes to the water. 80 feet below, he begins the painstaking task of cutting free a net bigger than a football field by hand. over the ship's communication system, he can tell me what he sees. >> there might be more than one net. >> reporter: how long do you think it will take to get the whole net up? >> maybe two days. >> reporter: the pieces of the net he cut free are pulled to the deck. so is their catch. this is a case in point for what we've seen out here today. this is a puget sound king crab, very rare crab. protected. you are not supposed to be catching them.

as they say, the net doesn't know that. this just got pulled out of the net and we are going to put it back in the water now. by restoring the environment, the divers are also earning a wage. the net's removal project will create 40 new jobs. >> we know we have got days of work anyway. >> reporter: many of them for fishermen who once sold sea cucumbers and urchins to japan. that work now gone with the economic decline. >> blue collar divers that taught themselves this profession. they depend on their own ability to earn a living. this is the place this money ought to be spent. >> reporter: your tax dollars at work under water. patrick oppman, cnn on puget sound, washington. they are headed out and not

coming back. the last of the british forces have left iraq. we will take you there, live. @@@

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let's take a look at the big board. dow industrials up 42 points. above, one of three american kids is overweight as we look at medical news. cnn's larry king is taking to the childhood obesity epidemic to heart. he is hitting the road with the "fit nation tour" in san francisco. take a listen. >> we've got to lead by example in moving, eating more at home is a critical part of the equation. really setting an example. i think we have to provide people with health thinkier choices, teach the kids how to make it fun. >> many schools are doing a great job with trying to improve the schools available in the cafeteria. there is still a real long way to go in terms of making fruits and vegetables highly available and highly attractive and making

the unhealthy foods less attractive and available. >> if you can educate schools and teachers and parents to in one of those meals skip the french fries and put up string beans. >> the simple rule is, whole grain. the closer to the producer, the better. the less manufacturing of it, the healthier it is going to be. so if we can make healthy, nutritious food readily available, people will eat it. we know that that is the case. >> i think it is really interesting to look at new york as a model for that. they recently changed legislation requiring large chains to actually put did shall-it's shocking when you go to new york and you go to the bakery to get a cup of coffee and see how many calories are in that chocolate croissant. the people that need it the most will not pay attention to that information.

it is interesting what healthy is. i'm sure everyone among us could debate what healthy is. >> we will a little issue. bottom line, our larry king is getting involved in our fit for nation. dr. sanjay cougupta has been involved in this series. when u.s. troops leave iraq, a cnn hero says he will stay behind. this civilian contractor is on a mission to keep iraqi children moving. this is one way of getting vitamins and minerals. this is another. new total blueberry pomegranate cereal gives you 100% of the daily value of 12 essential vitamins and minerals.

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a string of deadly attacks on baghdad mosques, police believe they were coordinated. roadside bombs went off killing

at least 29 civilians and wounding dozens more. those explosions happened after friday prayers ended. they appeared to target worshippers leaving those mosques. the british are leaving after six years and 179 troops killed. britain is officially ending its military presence in iraq. they look at the legacy that british troops leave behind. at first, british troops were welcomed in bosra, held as the area that saved the region's population from sadam hussein's oppressive regime. later on it changed. it became the opposite of what we were wishing for, a quick liberation and then withdrawal. hope soon became fear. by the end of 2004, extremist shia militia were gaining control of bosra. british force rs seemed to be sitting on the sidelines as the militia's enforced their own laos. in september of 2007, british

troops withdrew completely from bosra and the south was held up as the coalition's so-called success story. it was anything but a success. the british trained iraqi police were infiltrated by militiamen and the rocky army was incapable of keeping them in check. women wore the brunt of the militia's brutal rule. ex kulted from anything deemed unislamic, from wearing tight jeans, lipstick or living alone. >> reporter: they said, you don't have a husband? they came in and put a pillow on her face and shot her in the head. finally in march of last year, they launched operation charge of the night flooding the city with iraqi soldiers and their advisers. iraqi general was sent to bosra as part of the operation. the situation was awful.

mainly because militia as controlled the security forces. he told us back then. after this operation, the citizens started to trust the rocky security forces. the city began putting itself back together. this is the second time in a century that britain ends an occupation in iraq leaving behind a legacy of war dead. this is baghdad's north gate war cemetery where british soldiers that died in world war i are buried. in this latest war, john will says they did attain the results. >> we have left a solid base on which to build. we have left bosra in a better state than it was when we arrived in 2003. >> reporter: it came with a heavy price with many mistakes that caused blood shed that could have been avoided. the question still to be

answered is, were the sacrifices made worth it? with a withdrawal of british troops, america's so-called coalition of the willing now becomes a coalition of one. the concern as foreign troops begin to withdraw or draw down is that the iraqi security forces won't be able to fill the void they leave behind tharkts institutions they are leaving behind won't be able to stand up against an insurgent threat, kyra. >> thanks. still ahead, the battle facing many wounded warriors long after they leave the war behind. our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr joins me, with one family's story. >> when brad went to iraq, he found out that one in seven iraqi children live with a disbelieve. he decided to stick around, even though u.s. troops are withdrawing. he has a new mission now. meet our cnn hero.

>> disabled children, they are really the forgotten ones in this war. they are in the back rooms often not seen in society. i came to iraq as a civilian contractor. there were a lot of children that either drag themselves on the ground or have to be carried. there were so many kids out there with a need and so many people willing to reach out and touch the lives of these kids. in 30 days, we had 31 pediatric wheelchairs that had hit ground. my name is brad blos certificate. i bring pediatric wheelchairs to rocky children in need. people donate on my website. the wheelchairs are brought over and i distribute them to the different military units and help fit these children into the wheelchair. the experience for me on the first distribution was awesome, to see the smile come across their face and look over at the mothers and fathers. they have definitely been

changed. >> it is all about humanity. we wanted iraqis to feel there is humanity in america. it makes us happy to feel such a thing. >> there is no paycheck. it is not really safe here. this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity knowing that you have done something for someone that nobody else has done before. it made a difference in the lives of these families. definitely, the sacrifice has been worth it. >> you can nominate a cnn hero of your own on our website, cnn.com/eros. nominations close tomorrow. a child rape case in phoenix. some folks say it is a clash of crime, culture and communication. we will tell you how members of the community are trying to help now.

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only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. rick sanchez working on a special week next week, afghanistan. >> that's going to be important. there is something else that will be important today that we will be checking on. congressman chris smith of new jersey. he says something interesting. all week long, we have been trying to drill down on what this health care proposal is. we have tried to find out some of the things that are being said, if they are true or not. some of the things the president has said, whether they are true or not. not all cases are people talking the truth. now, there is this. i am going to read you something. there is this congressman, chris smith, of new jersey, he says, the ugly truth is, this so-called health reform, if enacted will lead to millions of additional debts to children. he is talking about abortion. it's an interesting argument to make. it is certainly very strong

language. what we are going to do, the best way of finding out if something is true or what someone means, have him on the show. i am going to ask him what he means by that statement and he will try and make some sense out of this. then, there is another story we will be following all next week, about afghanistan. a lot of us know there is a war in afghanistan. a lot of us know there is a war in iraq. how many people are touched by it. how many people know somebody who had someone there die, soldier, or perhaps somebody who knows somebody actually affected themselves? i sat down with a woman who was just told that her son died. i had a conversation with her. here is a little piece of it, kyra. >> i cry every now and then at night. i don't get much sleep. then, sometimes i be thinking i be hearing somebody say, mom. >> i'll tell you. >> you know, rick, you have hit

a hot button issue for me, because it drives me crazy and we do it here at cnn. we read these scripts about numbers, five soldiers killed, six soldiers killed, seven airmen killed. you know, numbers, numbers, numbers. you know what happens, people just glaze right over it. they forget about the war. they forget about who is dying and the families that they leave behind. i am so glad that you are talking to the families and showing the pictures, because that's what we have to do. we have to name our fallen heroes. forget the numbers. we need to talk about each individual and tell their personal story. >> lvonne tells us when she gets the knock on the door and what the pastor says to her and what her reaction is and we will follow her along until tuesday. it will be a sensitive story. a story all americans should see. >> i think that's probably the first time we have ever taken it to that extreme, showing all those parts. it's tough, tough to get on the

inside and show all the levels of what these families go through when they lose someone in these wars. i really look forward to it, rick. i think it is fantastic you are doing this. >> thanks, kyra. >> something else that we have not wanted to lose sight of. that's the five young refugees from west africa linked by heritage and allegedly to a horrific crime. those four boyce, ages 9 to 14 charged of gang raping a little 8-year-old girl. the girls family apparently blamed her. we started talking about this two weeks ago. we have been following this story every day. when we interviewed the liberian president, you may remember, we interviewed her live. now, members of phoenix' liberian community are getting involved themselves as well. marissa win gait has been following the story from us. she is from our affiliate kppk. she brings us an update today. >> reporter: it was an alleged gang rape of an eight-year-old

liberian refugee inside this shed that started it all. >> it started here as an event in an apartment complex has now blown into a full international event. >> reporter: so the liberian community, including the victim's father and even the mother of one of the four young suspects showed up to meet with police and we did too. >> they are not prepared to issue a statement today. they are not prepared to issue a statement today. >> reporter: while community representatives did not want the family to talk to us or even those close to the family to comment, they did. what would you like to say? he is the family's preacher and now the father's interpreter. >> reporter: do you think the father wants his child back? >> of course. >> reporter: police have said all along the father was ashamed and disowned his daughter. they were mad at her and upset because she went out and rung out with the boyce. >> they got upset but they never

disowned her. we want the world to know that. >> reporter: did they blame her? >> oh, i can't tell. they were angry. >> reporter: we have video of the sister blaming her. >> you blame it on her? >> of course, she goes out. i'm blaming her because if she was not going to go out, this was not going to happen. >> reporter: the mom denied anything happened s. >> nothing happened to my daughter. >> it was probably a misunderstanding of communication. he doesn't understand english very well. >> reporter: the mom said no one touched my daughter, this never happened. >> a matter of miscommunication. >> there are some cross cultural communication issues here. >> reporter: what would you want people to know? >> we are loving people and doing our best to resolve the issue. in your hands... knees... and back.

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i saw this story and all i could think was thank heavens she didn't sink the battle shing. here is a story of mon op poly mayhem in michigan.

the get out of jail free dard, forget about it. hank winchester from wdiv, enlighten us. >> reporter: when you play the game monopoly, you take your chances. you could strike it rich or you could land in jail. this man, kenneth representky, landed in a real jail after what started as a friendly game of monopoly with his neighbor and ended in an alleged assault. you are about to hear the victim's call for assault. >> i was at my neighbor's house and we were playing monopoly. he hit me and slapped my glasses off my face. >> do you need an ambulance? >> i don't think so. >> the male subject who is the friend asked to buy boardwalk and park place. she refused. he got angry and slapped her in the side of the head, knocking her glasses off and knocking her to the ground. >> reporter: neighbors are all abuzz about the board game

battle. >> i thought that was real violent for playing a game that is supposed to befriendly. like i said, i guess he takes his monopoly pretty seriously. >> reporter: as for repke himself, he had very little to say about his apparently monopoly meltdown when we showed up. what happened with this monopoly game? >> i'm sorry. i have no comment. >> reporter: you have no comment? >> was there an attack or an assault. there is no reason for this right now. there is no concern to be here. >> reporter: did you hit the woman? >> no. >> what the name of parker brothers is going on here. are things so far down in the toilet in michigan that people have got to fight over the fake economy, over fake money? it's a game, not a contact sport. i have got a game for them now. oh, yeah, a little game of sorry, a sorry intervention. carol burnett and harvey core man really knew how to play that game.

>> there. >> now, that is what i'm talking about. straight ahead on a much more serious note, war is a team effort and so is recovery as we focus on our forces. we are going to meet a wounded vet and a devoted wife on his mission. been true since the day i made my first dollar. where is that dollar? i got it out to show you... uhh... was it rather old and wrinkly? yeah, you saw it? umm fancy a crisp? geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

american soldiers and their family are finding it harder and harder to get access to routine family care. a city provided by the army to usa today shows 16% of army patients can't get appointments with their primary doctors. so they are sent to doctors off base. the study also shows that 26 army medical facilities don't meet the pentagon standards requiring 90% of patients get routine care appointments within seven days. well, nonroutine care is another story, more than 30,000 u.s. troops have been wounded in iraq and afghanistan and recovery is a mission that they can't take on alone. our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, met one young couple struggling every day.

>> reporter: sarah married ted after he was grievously injured in iraq losing an arm and suffering a traumatic brain injury. he wasn't expected to live. >> i think everyone said that i was taking the conditions. >> reporter: teddy phied the odds and nearly five years later, sarah is ted's full-time caregiver. like other military families looking at a lifetime of financial strain to take care of a loved one. sarah has already loss the jobs, insurance, the young couple's financial security is vulnerable. >> ed and i were very lucky to be able to borrow money from family. a lot of people don't have that advantage. if we hadn't been able to do that, we definitely would have lost our house. there is no way we could have paid all our bills. >> reporter: this is part of an effort to push congress to act, training for family members on

how to care for their wounded and much-needed financial aid. >> what we have to understand, particularly in this economy, when family members have to give up a job or take on other expenses, it's important that things like this bill will help expand health insurance coverage and other needs for the family caregivers. >> reporter: sarah is pressing for the legislation she says could give caregivers the income they deserve for the work they do. >> a lot of parents have spent their retirement taking care of their children, spent their money. they have lost their benefits through their job. >> reporter: ted talks spargly by listens intently. they worry what would happen if sarah couldn't work. >> my gosh, i stopped paying into social security at a really young age. am i going to get any social security someday? >> reporter: ted is determined to make plans and move ahead. >> i would like to go work in a grocery store.

and perhaps start part time going to college. >> reporter: more than anything, this young wounded warrior speaks an eloquent wish. >> the first problem is actually getting recognition as being a human alive and being able to do something. >> reporter: this young man who once served in the 82nd airborne division in combat, still struggle to recover from his traumatic brain injury and families across the country struggling to try and take care of these young wounded over the many, many decades they have ahead of them. many of them again losing their homes, their jobs, their health insurance while they do this. last week, the house finally passed some of that legislation and now the hope from the veterans community is the senate wias