in the audience. to "essence" magazine, of course, our partners. and all of this, and all of you watching on television as well. i'm with roland martin at the "essence" festival in new orleans. the new continues now here on cnn. hello, everyone, i'm don lemon. breaking news. this has all of the makings of an explosive international incident. three american hikers arrested and detained inside iran. tonight cnn has confirmed the name of one of those detainees, joshua fatal in his mid-20s from elkins park, pennsylvania. just within the last few minutes, we heard from his mother. in a phone call she says, quote my husband and i are only concerned with the welfare of joshua. the americans reportedly strayed into iranian territory while hiking on the iran/iraq border. live to the middle east and arwa damon with the details. >> reporter: hello, don. we have also confirmed

that shawn mcfessle, according to his grand mother, he is a fourth american traveling with the other three, is in the embassy in baghdad. this is what happened, the time line as we do know it. the four americans, four of them started out in the beginning left from syria and then traveled to turkey, crossing into northern iraq on july 28th. and then on july 31st, they ended up in suey ma knee, where three of them, including josh went to an area near where the iranian border. shawn mcfessle stayed behind because he wasn't feeling well. this is a beautiful tourist destination but it's right up against the border with iran. so tourist police who ran into the three had actually warned them about the proximity that they were into iran, told them to be careful saying, look, you're american. you're not iraqi. and these are very tense times.

the last that shawn mcfessle, who stayed behind heard from his three friends came in the form of a phone call at 1:30 on friday, where they said we are surrounded by iranian military personnel. that is the last that anyone has ever heard from them. obviously, there have been ongoing diplomatic efforts to try to gain access to the three. the u.s. state department saying that it has asked swiss diplomats in tehran to try to confirm iranian's press tv reports that the three have in fact been detained by the iranian border guards to try to seek counselor access to them, don. >> cnn's arwa damon. we appreciate it. more reaction tonight from the state department. senior state department officials say while they have not had access to the americans they have no reason to doubt the reports of their detention on iranian state tv. as if u.s. relations with iran were not complicated before, the unknown fate of the three american hikers inside iran now makes it even dicier. with me now is the president of

the iranian american county sul and author of "the secret dealings of israel, iran and the u.s.." you talked with me about this at the beginning and said this has all of the markings of an explosive international incident. >> just when you thought things couldn't get more complicated, they just did. i don't have any particular information about these three individuals, but one of the patterns we have seen in the past is the iranian government has been much more keen on, for instance, arresting iranian-americans who also are u.s. passport holders because it's a bit safer for them to do so. we have not seen any particular incidents in the recent years in which, for instance, they targeted american citizens who have no other type of connection to iran. and also just a couple years ago, when the iranians arrested british sailors that had strayed into iranian waters, a lot of people concluded at the time that had there been american sailors, the iranians probably

would not have done it. >> all right. also, trita, in iran now, more than 100 people are on fire for the protests following the disputed election there. many of them high-profiles politicians in iran and also a foreign journalist, canadian journalist as well. they can face some very stiff penl fis if they're convicted in that court. >> absolutely. and this is something i think has taken the entire country by shock because these are not the opposition figures from outside in exile but rather these are people who just a couple of years ago were vice presidents, who were ministers for the government, who were heading the iranian parliament's foreign relations committee. these are individuals who are well known to the masses and now they are being put on trial in a prisoner's clothing and they are giving these confessions that sound quite astonishing and quite fabricated, to be frank. >> we appreciate you helping us

out through both of these stories happening tonight in iran. it has been a deadly day for u.s. and nato troops in afghanistan. three american service members died when two roadside bombs struck a patrol in the southern kandahar province. meantime the french government says one of its soldiers died in a battle with insurgents. two french troops were wounded in that attack. did al qaeda infiltrate the british secret service? one british lawmaker said it might have, and he is demanding an investigation. the lawmaker claims the country's elite mi-5 intelligence agency mistakenly recruited up to six men who might have been involved with terrorist activity. the lawmaker who heads the parliamentary subcommittee on terrorism said the men might have been in a rush to beef up intelligence following the 2005 suicide bombings in london. and tonight they are responding telling cnn it's not aware of mi-5 recruiting extremists of any kind. a new york judge has ordered a psychiatric evaluation for a man who allegedly brought a

suspicious backpack to laguardia airport, the checkpoint there. the main terminal was evacuated. the bomb squad later determined the bag contained a phony device made of batteries connected by wires. still, air travel was disrupted nationwide and tonight cnn has learned the suspect, 32-year-old scott mcgann, has been homeless for at least a year. he faces multiple charges and up to seven years in prison if convicted. the house has adjourned for august break without taking any final action on health care reform. that means no vote until september. but they do have some health care homework from the president. he is urging lawmakers to keep up the momentum and encouraged by a last-minute thumbs up from a key member in the committee. in a statement, the president says, this historic step by the house, energy and commerce committee moves us closer to health insurance reform than we have ever been before. the bill that has passed will strengthen consumer protections and choice while lower costs and

improving care. meantime, the senate still has a few days before leaving on summer break and republican leaders are standing firm against the president's plan. >> in this difficult recession, americans and our government are already overextended. the democrats who control congress have been spending money and racking up debt at an unprecedented pace, and their plan for government-run health care will only make things worse. once implemented, the democrat plan will spend more than $2 trillion and further increase our exploding deficit. their plan would pile up higher costs, create new washington bureaucracies and burden every state through new requirements on medicaid. >> what is the best way for millions of uninsured americans to get health care? our conversation is just getting started. we will talk to dr. peter thomas, who advocates for uninsured black men. and we want to hear from you as well. has the president's second 100 days been better than the first? it is your chance to weigh in. starting tomorrow, vote at cnn.com and be sure to tune in

on thursday 8:00 p.m. eastern to see the president's final grade. it's part of cnn's national report card, the second 100 days. new information to report this weekend about the motive or motives in the murder of a florida couple. plus gunfire sprays a crowd outside a chicago church. police are pointing to gang violence. two chicago activists join us live. and new fuel to keep the federal cash for clunkers program alive but for how long? plus, we want to know what's on your mind tonight. twitter, facebook, myspace or ireport.com is how you get on the air.

robbery has been the presumed motive for last month's brutal home invasion in pensacola, florida. they were killed in the attack. as the investigation unfolded, police hinted at more than one motive. i spoke earlier with cnn's susan candiotti. susan, what are you hearing about the possible motives, with an s? >> don, we're now hearing from a

source familiar with the investigation that the state attorney there in pensacola, florida, now has a working theory. under this working theory both robbery and a contract hit are the motives involved here. now what we are hearing is that the suspected ringleader in this case, identified as leonard gonzalez jr., who's been identified by other suspects as the sole gunman, may be the person behind the contract hit and possibly others and then those involved in the robbery would be those below him, other people who could be involved. now, for the first time at a news conference yesterday, the sheriff of pensacola, florida, escambia county, acknowledged for the first time that he has had some uncorroborated information, as he put it, from the very start that would lead, as he put it, a reasonable person to believe that this is something that the authorities should look at. but, he adds, we're not excluding any other possibilities and the state attorney's office issued a

statement as well to say on the record that robbery is skill considered the prime motive, but that the office is looking at all over motives as well. >> that was cnn's susan candiotti. and a developing story out of chicago tonight. six people shot outside a church on the city's west side. chicago police say a man approached a, quote, intended target in a group of mourners and started shooting off rounds. one of the victims is listed in serious condition tonight. the rest are in good condition. police have no one in custody. they say the shooting is believed to be gang related. what is going on here? we're going to talk to t.o. hardman, the director of the gang mediation and community organizing for a group called cease-fire. we will talk to him in a bit on cnn. in the meantime, a story that has caught the nation's attention. a government program a victim of

its own success. so many of you signed up for cash for clunkers rebates that, well, the pot is almost dry here. yesterday the house approved another $2 billion for it. but until the senate approves it, some dealers are becoming wary. earlier, i asked the car expert. her name is lauren fix. she's the author as well, if people should turn in their clunkers this weekend or should they wait? >> if you owe money on this vehicle, just so you know, you can't trade in that car unless it's a clean title. it can't have a loan against it. that's another thing people aren't aware of. so if you still have a loan on your car, some sort of ucc filing, you're not eligible. another thing to find out if the car is eligible, go to the cars.gov website. be forewarned, hundreds of cars that's were eligible when this program started are no longer eligible. that's the other thing -- >> that's the next -- maybe -- brother grimace says, don, what is a description of a clunker? if my clunker's paid for, what is the incentive to get a meager down payment for a new car? >> right.

that's the other thing, your car is worth more than $4,500, you're better off trading it in or selling it on your own. it would be silly to take $4,500 on a car worth $6,000. but if you can trade that in and get that $4,500 voucher before this weekend is out, it might be a good idea because the senate still has to pass that $2 billion additional insertion of cash. if they don't and policy ends if this program ends, you will have missed your opportunity. if you're in a position to do it, i would absolutely get in line, look at the details and take advantage of it. the problem is, you know, if you need that car for somebody else, you might be better off giving it to them because that car will be in a salvage yard. >> that was lauren fix from earlier. for more advice go to cnn.com/newsroom. cnn's jacqui jeras, working on very soggy weather across much of the south and also a drought in southern south central texas. jacqui? >> hey, don. too much and too little really in terms of rainfall this weekend. of course, that's been going on

for months really across the lone star state. there you can see that across texas. just south of dallas. we have been getting this rain along the i-20 corridor. if we can scootch further down to the south, that would make a lot more people happy. unfortunately, a real heavy rain has been here across the arklatex. it's been pushing across the tennessee valley and into the deep south as well. many of you got between one and three inches of rainfall. quite a bit of widespread flash flooding. look out for the heavy rain for our drive, don, going home into the atlanta area and flash flood watches have been posted all the way into the virginias. now, tomorrow we will see more of the same unfortunately. there you can see pretty much everybody east of the mississippi river has a chance of showers and thunderstorms, as some of these could be severe from the delmarva extending down to the carolinas here. a cooler-than-normal conditions across parts of the north and then into the west, we will continue to see some very warm conditions. let's go ahead and show you some of the temperatures. look at this with that drought ongoing. we are still looking at plenty of triple digits in south

central parts of texas. it's 94 now in san antonio, 94 degrees in the austin area. there you can see your high temperatures for tomorrow pushing the triple digits again. in phoenix, you're under that excessive heat warning. you're cooler in the pacific northwest but still way above average. and then a quick peek at the tropics. we just want to let you know we are continuing to monitor that for you. right now it is possible towards hawaii but it's continuing to weaken. as of right now, surf's up for the weekend. don? >> jacqui, thank you very much for that. it's a relationship that for too long has been strained, police officers and the black community. tonight a frank and honest conversation with your input. plus, it is not a story from the 1960s. claims of separate rest rooms for blacks and whites on the job.

earlier we told you about a developing story happening in chicago. six people shot there today. police believe it was gang related. earlier in the week, 15 people shot there. t.o. hardman is director of the gang immediateuation and community organizations for the group cease-fire. alongside him, t.o. -- alongside t.o. is gary slukman. the executive director of cease-fire. t.o., i'll start with you. what is going on with this uptick of gang violence in chicago? more importantly, what is happening to solve it? >> first of all, there's the subculture, there's the working class culture. a lot of guys that participate in the violence in chicago, it's learned behavior, passed down, generation to generation. 70% of the young men in chicago are on the defense.

what cease-fire does is we hire credible messengers who have access to the subculture i'm talking about who can go in and disrupt the transition of violence spreading to somebody else. as a matter of fact, we have mediated over 220 conflicts this year already on the front end where somebody wanted to shoot somebody and we talked them down. >> how do you get to -- how do you get to someone? if someone is raised in that environment and raised on the streets and doing that in gang activity, it's very hard to get to them. gary, how do you get to them? your organization is called cease-fire. how do you -- how do you get someone to know who has been raised in that environment that they shouldn't be there and make it stick? >> well, t.o. can explain that to you better than i can because he's really working with the hard-core folks. the main thing in chicago right now is the cease-fire intervention is i know you know, don, and i know you know chicago, which has been shown together 40% to 70% drop in shootings in the neighborhoods where it is, is really at a low

coverage now. and we lost about 100 workers. hopefully, we will be able to put those back on the street in the next few weeks or a month or so. but that particular shooting is also in an area where cease-fire ordinarily would be and has not been able to be recently. >> and not been able to be recently. explain again why not? >> well, for one thing, the coverage of cease-fire in chicago at its best is in the range of 20% to 25%. in other words, the amount of workers that we have had, that we had to cover between 16 and 17 parts of neighborhoods. the amount of chicago that requires the intervention is about four to five times that amount. where cease-fire is the shootings drop by 40% to 70%. in the areas where it isn't, these kinds of events continue to occur.

>> t.o., i will get back to you in a second but i want to ask gary, what is the police department's involvement in all of this? how are they helping you out? >> well, i mean, the police department is doing all that it can, and i think the chicago police department is doing an excellent job. they can provide an additional presence in areas in which things are extremely hot. however, they may not be able to always know what's going on when one person is mad at another because of someone having looked at someone else's girlfriend at a party or because someone owes some money or something like that, and that's where the cease-fire intervention comes into play because the violence interrupters and outreach workers have a very good pulse on what's going on in the streets and then the workers can come in and cool people down. as t.o. pointed out, there's been over 200 of these events that we were able to stop this year but really over 1,800 events in the last 4 1/2 years that cease-fire intervention has been able to cool down. >> t.o., gary said you were better equipped to answer that

question. how do you get it through someone as my parents say, thick skull, that they don't need to be involved in gang activities or shooting? >> we have people who come from that lifestyle and they drive the message home to them that violence is not normal. last week on the west side of chicago, two of our violence interrupters were sitting on a front porch. two guys walked up, about to throw a cocktail bomb through the house. when they saw the violence interrupters, they knew the guys. they engaged in a dialogue with the two guys and talked them down. then they invited the guys in the house and they resolved the conflict. it takes a whole lot of work, a lot of babysitting individuals and making sense out of the madness. a lot of the violence in chicago is senseless violence. because you had six people shot at a funeral today. the guy shot his intended target, then shot people in the crowd because people feel it's okay to be violent.

so we talk them down all the time. we weigh our consequences. as a matter of fact, the outreach workers in chicago and in illinois also work with over 900 high-risk individuals throughout the state. >> the important thing is people have to start, along with the police, taking back their communities and getting involved in their communities and getting help from you guys as well to make this stop. we appreciate you spending your saturday night with us. >> thank you, don. the black community and our nation's police officers. tonight, a frank and honest conversation about the tensions between the two. plus, how about this image of the past? a restroom for whites only. not from the 1960s, but it's happening right now. that's the accusation. black city workers in philadelphia claim segregation, harassment and humiliation on the job. after you pass the joint, make sure you pay your taxes. will that be the new slogan in california? we'll talk about it. others buy the car of their dreams.

during the lexus golden opportunity sales event, you can do both. it's an opportunity today. it's a lexus forever. special lease offers now available on the 2009 is 250.

try to wrap your mind around this one in 2009. a white's only bathroom in the

city of brotherly love. how about a white's only water fountain? that's what two black workers claim it has been for more than a decade at a philadelphia sanitation plant. they are filing a lawsuit against their boss. they say john gill, the superintendent at the northwest transfer station kept a very close eye on who was using what bathroom. >> he has a water cooler in his office that he uses and whites go in there any time they want to but we can't go in his office when we want to. >> blacks can't go in there. >> no. you just don't walk in his office. >> there's a difference of going to one flight of stairs to the bathroom where all of the white employees down to five flight downs where all of the black employees go. that was very degrading. >> the city solicitor's office, which is depending the case, denies the allegations. here's what they're saying to cnn tonight -- the city does not discuss active litigation but believes these claims are meritless and their lack of merit will become apparent as

the litigation proceeds. the workers claim they have been harassed, picked up and discriminated against since 1996. why did they wait until now to sue the city? their lawyer talked to us earlier tonight, and he says the lawsuit was a last resort. >> the gentlemen have raised other protests with city officials, but i would say that the real reason that they filed the suit now is they just had too much of it. it was just too much for too long, and for many years, they were frightened, and now they found their own humanity and asserted their rights. >> we're continuing our discussion tonight on america's issues on race. one red-hot controversial issue in particular is the sometimes strained relationship between african-americans and the police. warren valentine is the host of "the warren valentine show," and he's also a former prosecutor. he's joining us live. he's in atlanta. thank you very much. you're usually by satellite. good to see you. >> good to see you, don. >> we have been discussing one of the comments i have been hearing from african americans

that african-americans are too sensitive on racial matters but it's not always matters of race. >> it's not. with this situation in boston with sergeant crowley, i was one of the main people saying look, this is not racial profiling taking place. i said it on my national show and my local show in chicago. however, one of the things that's not being discussed here is what happened, and this is what is going on in black america. you have 2 million people incarcerated in this country. 1 million are black. when you look at officer crowley falsifying a police report, which if you and i had done that, we would have been arrested. >> let me explain what you're saying. you're saying and many people have heard it on talk radio and the african-american community saying why aren't you guys bringing this up? he's saying in the report that there was a call of two black men breaking into a house. and the woman says that she never mentioned race at all. so the police department has not responded to that. >> let me clarify it even more. what he says in the report is that he spoke to the woman, who called the 911 call at the scene and she told him at the scene

that it was two black men with backpacks. she came out and said no, i never spoke with him. he told me just to stay there. this is why she had to do the press conference. she was doing what every american should want to do, being a good neighbor, calling the cops when something goes wrong and she's crucified because this cop falsified a police report. >> beyond that, with what's happening, i know people have been wanting to bring that out. but instead of going back and rehashing what happened, we want to know how do you fix this? one person we had on earlier was a former police chief, who also sent us an i-report. i want to you look at it, warren, and then we'll talk about it. >> i'm dr. richard wineblat, a former police chief and full-time law enforcement officer. i've gone to many calls we've seen and i don't think professor gates handled himself very well but i'm not sure about sergeant crowley either. we get paid to deal with belligerent people. this is the united states. we have the first amendment.

he wasn't yelling fire in a crowded theater. he provided the i.d. the sergeant was satisfied. gates should have acted that way, granted, but we get paid to deal with belligerent people. we're supposed to take the high road, whether black officer or white officer. many officers have said to me across the country, black and white, that they hope we learn from this, this becomes a national dialogue. the police are a part of the community. >> that's probably what i hear most from people who write in to me about this story is how can you be arrested in your own home? since when is mouthing off a crime or disorderly conduct? and why didn't the officer, once he realized who it was, just let the situation go and move away? >> i said this on your show last sunday, this was contempt of cops. this cop arrested him because he was upset. this is how you fix this, don. you want to find a solution. this is how you fix this. we need to go to the standard we have when it comes to dui arrests. with duis, they are recorded, they are videotaped. cops should have to be videotaped or recorded when they do a stop.

>> but i do have to say this, the police officer -- i was always taught that the police officer is the person who is in power and if they say be quiet, then you shut the heck up. >> that's the case. but not in your home. >> even if it's in your home. my parents would say shut up and listen to the police officers and whatever repercussions that come after, deal with it later. >> don, that's what i'm saying the black community. the black community doesn't feel that way because when you have the cop in boston sending a racist e-mail, this cop falsifying a report. there's no trust there. the only way you can fix this is to put some parameters there where they're held responsible if they're doing something illegal. this cop fams fie -- falsified a report, he got to the white house. the kids in philadelphia, they couldn't swim and they didn't get an invitation. >> i feel one-sided here but police have really tough jobs. >> oh, yeah. >> cut them some slack. >> my listeners are cops. cops have one of the worst -- they have the worst jobs in america. they are the first on the scene when anything goes wrong and even the routine traffic stop, they have no idea what they're

walking into. >> i do think one of the gentleman brought it up earlier, we need to know how we can change police departments as well as african-americans. >> i think what we have to do is put the human element in there. we have to look at each other as human beings first and we will come to some solutions. and also mike up the cops. >> i love the talk. i wish we could have had a couple beers here as well. >> we can do it after the show. >> warren ballantine. thank you very much. how about medical advice with your haircut. you're about to meet a doctor who will do anything to get black men to take care of their health. and a rematch in the dramatic race in the olympics when michael phelps barely kept his quest for immortality alive by .01 of a second.

there is amazing work going on inside the woodlawn clinic on chicago's south side. they are saving lives one haircut at a time.

the clinic is run by dr. peter thomas, who is determined to use any tool, any place and any means he can to bring proper health care to the black men he serves. but first, dr. thomas has to get them through the door. my colleague soledad o'brien went along with him. >> frank wilson. >> right here. >> okay. >> hi, i'm dr. thomas. what's going on? >> how are you doing? >> all right. good, good. deep breath in and out for me. >> reporter: dr. pete thomas is a black pioneer. >> what sort of medical problems did you have before you got shot? >> reporter: he's committed to the health and well being of black men, whose life expectancy is eight years less than the national average. >> we're going to start to work with your diet. okay. what's going on with your leg? stop smoking. >> reporter: dr. thomas has found an innovative way to get

health care to black men and to get black men to the doctor. it's called project brotherhood. >> you had the courage to come in and see the doc. i appreciate you. we know how to get men to the health centers, and it's not by advertising free colonoscopies. >> it's free. you know what i'm saying? >> if i can get everybody to come down there. >> reporter: project brotherhood begins here in this and in many other chicago barbershops. >> this is a great thing to be able to share with people. >> reporter: why barbershops, why are they so critical to you? >> this is a staple in our community, so men feel comfortable coming into the shop and more importantly, they feel comfortable talking about whatever health issues that they may have. >> reporter: whether it's a fear of being exploited, going back to the tuskegee experiment, the economics of it all, either the lack of health insurance or the fact that most doctors don't

look like them, black men are notoriously reluctant to go to the doctor. so with clippers in one hand and an hiv testing kit in the other, the barber is project brotherhood's first line of defense against problems that plague the black community like high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and hiv. >> joining me now live is dr. peter thomas, founder of project brotherhood and the director of social service project brotherhood. thank you very much for joining us. i feel like i'm back home in chicago. i have been doing all of these chicago stories tonight. which barbershop was that? do you recognize that barbershop? >> that is league styles barbershop. >> there you go. been there. dr. thomas, since you started, since the "black in america" piece aired, what happened? has there been a big change in project brotherhood? >> yes, we have seen a big influx of men trying to access services.

a lot of men are trying to come in and see the doc now, so we appreciate that. we have also seen a reduction in the funding, unfortunately because of the government and what's going on in the state of illinois, our funding is also in jeopardy as well. so that's sort of another issue we have to deal with as well. >> as you talk about that, i read here mr. spivey, who serves as project brotherhood's director here, you're with danny davis health task force and cook county ambulatory and have you been working with people who have been disenfranchised by the medical community for a long, long time. what difference are you seeing now with these type of services, if any at all? >> well, a lot of men come in and they are actually coming in for therapy services. >> really? >> yeah. a wife coming in and asking, you

know, to talk to the guys. most guys who really don't have access to psychological services or anything. they basically -- one woman called from mississippi and said she wanted bring her -- come down and bring her husband to talk to me because he said he saw the show and that's the only thing he wanted to do is just come to project brotherhood. >> what is the big issue that you're seeing then when -- because you said that people come in and they want to have therapy. is it therapy, is it health issues, is it hiv, which is really hitting the african-american community hard? >> it's really all, but basically just men who have anger issues, men who just feel disenfranchised. i mean, the psycho social issues as far as like dealing with the police. that's a psycho social issue. the stress of that can raise your blood pressure, can raise the issues of your diabetes level and everything. >> dr. thomas, i see you nodding your head, what did you want to say? >> i just wanted to say that in many cases, what we found is

just that men have a variety of issues that involve some mental, some physical and in many cases, the mental issues and social issues are ignored when they access services from the traditional medical care. and so our approach to health care is more of a holistic approach and it includes a mental, social. we have a father's program. we have a manner development program. >> doctor, is this only in chicago? >> yes, it's only in chicago right now. >> are you going to go around? >> that's our intention. our intention is to go coast to coast. we hope to try to get african-american men and all men for that matter. >> that's what i was going to say, all men, men hate to go to the doctor. i would imagine the numbers are even worse in the african-american community. but i think all men, this needs to be at every barbershop in the country to get men just to go to the doctor and get it checked out. i'm sure the ladies out there, the wives, would agree with me. >> yes. the other issue is that these health disparities that exist that's got in terms of the life

expectancy of african-american men being 12 years and in some cases more than that, less than caucasian men, 3 1/2 times the rate of cancer. 2 1/2 times -- >> more urgent in that community. thank you, guys. we're out of time here. dr. peter thomas and craig spivey, we appreciate it. thank you. >> thank you very much. you can call it reefer madness. california says if you got thome, smoke them. but the state might want in on that deal. welcome to our mcdonald's. yours? really? it's been our dream since we were kids. uh, that long, huh? why not? mcdonald's really supports entrepreneurs. they spend over $5 billion dollars... with businesses in communities like ours. you two really know your stuff. we've done our homework! time for breakfast. mom! not in front of the customers.

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hot! hot! hot! time to check your air conditioning? come to meineke now and get a free ac system check. at meineke, you're always the driver. okay, toke 'em and then pay the tax man. it could happen in california. marijuana is the state's largest cash crop and in the face of a big budget shortfall, a lot of people are saying legalize it and take a piece of the profit. the state tax board says that could rake in almost $1.5 billion in revenues. so state lawmaker tom ammiano is working to make all of that happen. >> there are a lot of very hard

second looks now, particularly with the economy the way it is here in the state. well, i think, you know, you would have some kind of retail outlet, and it could be -- it could be a walgreens, it could be a hospital. >> can you imagine going into a walgreens? right now lawmakers do not support it but advocates want to push it on the 2010 ballot to let the voters decide on it. here's some of the responses -- let's not forget people are killed when answering calls about a homeowner as well. who owns the house didn't matter. fwj says hopefully the hikers will be safe and released but u.s. citizens have to be very careful in these complex countries. musical qt says thanks for dealing with the issue of race. frankly, this is good stuff that needs to be discussed. the issue says chicago does not sell guns. guns are coming in from other places. chicago does not have enough

community activities for youth. alan y says if they are selling marijuana legally, of course, they ought to tax it like cigarettes and alcohol. twitter, facebook, myspace, ireport.com, we will get your responses on. one in seven iraqi kids living with a disability. one american contractor could not believe those numbers, so he did something about it. tonight is he our hero, and you're going to meet him. llll

when civilian contractor brad blosser went to iraq, he found out that one in seven iraqi chirp live with a disability, so he decided to stick around even though u.s. troops are withdrawing, and he has a new mission. take a look.

>> disabled children, they're really the forgotten ones in this war. they're 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 dragged themselves on the ground or they would 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 blosser. i bring pediatric wheelchairs to iraqi 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 wheelchairs. the experience for me being first distribution was awesome,

seeing the smile come across their face and look over at the mothers and faes. they've definitely been changed. >> it's all about humanity. he want iraqis to feel there's humanity in iraq. it makes us happy to see there is such a thing. >> there's no paycheck. it's not really safe here but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, knowing that have you done something for someone that nobody else has done before. i made a difference in the life of these families. definitely the sacrifice has been worth it. >> just amazing, brad blauser. amazing when people do stuff like that. congratulations to you. you can nominate a cnn hero of your own on our website. cnn.com/heroes. remember, nominations for this year close tonight. so get them in. get them in. creativity can be the key when it comes to surviving a recession. a lot of people are losing their jobs. some people are trying small businesses. you're about to meet a small business owner that found a way

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or have vision changes or eye pain. tell your doctor if you have glaucoma, problems passing urine or an enlarged prostate, as these may worsen with spiriva. also discuss the medicines you take, even eye drops. side effects may include dry mouth, constipation and trouble passing urine. every day could be a good day to breathe better. announcer: ask your doctor if once-daily spiriva is right for you. breaking story to tell you about out of canada. police say one person is dead and 15 are injured following a heavy thunderstorm at an outdoor concert near edmonton, alberta. witnesses say high winds caused the main stage to collapse at the big valley jamboree. an unknown people were trapped when that stage collapsed. our meteorologist jacqui jeras has been taking a look at the conditions when the storm hit this area. she's standing by. take it away.

>> the environment in canada, thunderstorm outlooks in this area, and they did have what we would call a severe thunderstorm watch throughout the area at the time. you can see edmonton. cam rose is to the south and east there. and very strong thunderstorms that blew on through. so this was likely strong winds, maybe in excess of 60 miles per hour that pushed through the area. so very brutal conditions. we're trying to get some pictures and bring those to you. i've seen them on the internet and it looks like straight line wind damage rather than a tornado. to let you know where this is at, this is google earth. there you can see the united states and this is in alberta. camrose dozens of miles outside alberta. >> tornadoes also here in the u.s., right, today? >> yeah, we had a lot of severe weather, not so much in the pacific northwest. we've seen it in the south and throughout the east today. >> we get those pictures we'll bring them to you.

it sounds like a winning business. a place where you can drop your kids off and let them have as much fun as they want. but in this recession, even a place like that is struggling. so the owners got creative and active. reynolds wolf takes us to bounce-u. >> reporter: scott and julie borrowed money from family and the bank to invest in their dream. they opened a kid-friendly franchise in charlotte, north carolina, last year. an entrepreneurial strong city. then the economy took a nosedive. >> we knew we were going to have to get creative and proactive. >> reporter: that meant coming up with a strategy to get customers in the door. they focused on children's birthdays and smaller, less expensive parties and weeknight activities. >> we have friday packages that start at $150. we have from all different kinds of sizes, and that seems to really help a lot.

>> it's not just a weekend business, which it originally was we bought into it for. now it's something we have parties on the weeknights, summer camp during the day, open bounce as well. >> reporter: they're seeing a payoff. the business has increased by 20% with zero layoffs. it's a common story in charlotte. according to the chamber of commerce, more than 7,300 jobs have been created by new business so far this year. mostly small business. the hamiltons say tv and direct mail ads, online marketing and fund-raising partnerships have all helped. >> we have called every school and church and every youth group and scouting group, talking to them about our different programs. >> reporter: all part of the plan to get people through their doors and keep them coming back. >> it's real easy to play with the kids and see them laugh. but at the end of the day, you want to go home feeling like you got a good value. >> reporter: building their

business with every bounce. reynolds wolf, cnn, charlotte, north carolina. >> thank you very much. breaking news in here to cnn, three american hikers arrested in iran. we'll hear from one of the detainees' mothers moments away. i think right now it's a phenomenal time for somebody to buy a home. the first step in the process is to educate them. bank of america is highly committed. we do have a vast array of programs that will enable buyers to purchase a home and feel comfortable. for credit qualified buyers, the government will give you a tax credit up to 10% of the purchase price or $8000, and as long as they live in that home for 3 years or longer, they don't have to pay it back. due to the market guideline changes, fha has had a resurgence in the market place. va is also one of the things that's coming into vogue again.

there's more veterans out there that qualify for these programs, and they'll come back and they'll utilize these. everything starts with the first time home buyer and moves up from there. sometimes these are the first people in their family to own a home and it's hugely rewarding. we are doing everything that we can to take the opportunities that are available and help the people. be there for them, and allay some of their fears and concerns. we're in that process every step of the way. that creates a customer for life and that's what we're looking for. that's what we do here at bank of america. acar insurance company we'rein the nation. but, it's not like we're kicking back, now, havin' a cuppa tea. gecko vo: takes lots of sweat to become that big. gecko vo: 'course, geckos don't literally sweat... it's just not our thing... gecko vo: ...but i do work hard, mind you. gecko vo: first rule of "hard work equals success." gecko vo: that's why geico is consistently rated excellent or better in terms of financial strength. gecko vo: second rule: "don't steal a coworker's egg salad, 'specially if it's marked "the gecko." come on people.

we have an update on the breaking news we hold you about at the beginning of this news cast. we've confirmed the name of an american hiker arrested and detained inside iran. his name is joshua fatal. he's in his mid 20s from elkins park, pennsylvania. he's one of three americans who reportedly strayed into iranian territory while hiking along the iran/iraq border. within the last few minutes, his mother spoke with cnn radio. listen. >> my husband and i are eager for the best welfare and conditions for our son josh, and for the other two companions he's with.