>> saturday, 1:00 p.m., sunday, 3:00. have a great weekend, everybody. after 18 years, a grim mystery solved. we finally know what happened to the american navy pilot who disappeared in the first hours of the gulf war. and three americans detained in iran after reportedly wandering over the border from iraq. swiss diplomats are trying to find out what happened. i'm fredricks whitfield and you're in the cnn newsroom. the remains of the first american lost in operation desert storm have finally been found.

the pentagon today confirming that remains recently found in iraq are those of michael scott speicher, the navy pilot shot down on the first night of the war in 1991. pentagon correspondent chris lawrence is tracking these developments. he is joining us from los angeles. chris? >> reporter: frederica about a month ago, an iraqi citizen came forward and told the u.s. military about the possible location of captain speicher's grave. and it was in an area very close to where the military had found pieces of his shattered airplane way back in 1993. now the marines went to that part of the desert where another iraqi citizen told them he remembered an american jet crashing and told them he was there when the bedouins found captain speicher's body near the crash site and buried him there. so the u.s. military went out to that site and it took several days over the past week, but they did find captain speicher's

remains. they found bone fragments, skeletal fragments, multiple skeletal flagments, actually. and then those were flown to dover air force base where the military medical examiner was able to match his jaw bone with captain speicher's accidental records and that's how they confirmed his positive identification. the family spokesman tells us just a few minutes ago that they are expecting a classified briefing from the military either tomorrow or tuesday and they hope to get one last question answered, the one question that's still out there, how did captain speicher die after he successfully ejected from the crash? >> and chris this really puts an end to a very lengthy investigation, an on and off investigation. but how comforted, i guess, is the u.s. military that there was this cooperation from ordinary iraqi citizens who fessed up and said, you know what, i know something about this man and this is what we understand took place? >> reporter: again, talking about a very remote part of iraq. you are not talking about

ramadi, fallujah, baghdad, the areas that we're normally concentrating on. you know, these are shepherd bedouin tribes that live out in that area. and again, it has just been years and years of back and forth to on this case, him being identified as missing in action, killed in action, very, very tough for the family. there are even reports along the way that he had scribbled his initials on a jail cell in baghdad. that was later proven to be false but again, over almost 20 years, a lot of stories have come out about this, this finally is some sort of closure. >> chris lawrence thanks so much from los angeles, appreciate that. so today's announcement ends years of uncertainty for captain speicher's friends and family. his fa-18 hornet was shot down on the first night of the gulf war. >> as of 0900 this morning, washington time, there's been a single american aircraft lost. >> as clearly today as if it

just would have happened. i remember on the recovery, commander anderson getting down from his jet and telling me that he thought we had lost speicher. >> reporter: for more than 18 years, the fate of u.s. navy captain michael scott speicher was unknown. there were many false leads. in 1993, the wreckage of speicher a's plane was found, but no body. after the u.s. invaded iraq in 2003, speicher's initials "mss" were found carved into the wall of an iraqi prison, leading to speculation speicher might have survived the crash. nothing panned out, but family members and friends worked to keep the investigation alive. >> we are here in washington, d.c. trying to not to let him be forgotten, trying to make sure that the search never stops until he is found. i think we to owe him that and much more. >> reporter: finally, last month, marines spoke to an iraqi

in anbar province who said he saw speicher buried. based on that account, speicher's remains were recovered from the iraqi desert and flown to dover air force base in delaware for positive identification. captain speicher is survived by two children, toddlers when he disappeared, but now, in college. and some people never gave up demanding a search for speicher. u.s. senator bill nelson is among those who kept pushing. i talked with him earlier about this development. >> after all of the false leads and the ones who were making up stories and giving the family hope that he was alive, even those initials "mss" that i went to that prison cell and traced that with a pencil. >> and what was your gut feeling about that at the time? >> well, i mean, it was incredible. it looked, actually, like some of his writing. but the fact is that when it

never turned up any evidence, we always figured it would be the bedouin that had participated in the burial. they just needed to find that -- >> you really did feel that -- so this is an unusual, i guess, revelation that they had located the body and actually gave it a respectful burial. somewhere deep down inside, do you feel that that might have been the conclusion? >> well, at one point, they actually found a body and had a graveside service, that they thought that that would be him, but the dna did not match. but that was years and years ago. we knew that you had to find the bedouin tribe that had actually buried him. and since those bedouins roam throughout the desert, finally it took this long to find them and we've got a positive i.d. >> for the family members, two

children, once toddlers at the time of his crash and now in college, any idea what the family is feeling? have you had a chance to speak with anyone? >> i spoke to buddy harris at length this morning. and he is -- the whole family is just so grateful that the navy stayed on this. admiral roughhead, the cno, personally called the family last night. the navy has been very responsible in this, because after all, a mistake was made. we walked away from a downed pilot. it was done by mistakingly declaring him dead and then they didn't go and search for him and that was a mistake and that is very important, that we never repeat that mistake again. >> senator bill nelson there from florida, jacksonville, joining us today. we have been asking you to comment on this story on cnn

blog as well as my facebook. and this is some of what you have been saying. john wrote on my facebook, i think we just identified another brave american whose ultimate sacrifice deserves our greatfulness. and earnest says, it's a great thing for his family. i'm a vet from the gulf war. and hamid says both his family and legacy are brought closure with this discovery. richard, how we as a nation to care for our long lost military personnel let the world know what we value and sets a noble example. and norma saying this is wonderful news for his family. may he rest in peace. thank you so much for some of your comments there as we ask about your thoughts and feelings, now 18 years after his vessel was shot down there. now we know the remains have been identified of captain michael speicher there. post your comments on our blog,

cnn.com/frederica or cnn.com or call us, the number here, 1-877-742-5760. we may be using your comments on the air. all right. detained in iran, the fate of three american hikers is uncertain at this hour. they were hiking in iraq's kyrgyzstan region when they strayed into iranian territory. our correspondent breaks down the details of their arrest. >> reporter: iranian press tv is reporting that three americans have been detained for straying across the border from northern iraq after failing to heed border guards' warnings. among them, one has been identified as joshua fatal by his mother. and the other one, a fourth american who was traveling with the three, has been identified as sean mcfef land, to be at the u.s. embassy. the four started out in syria, traveling to turkey before they crossed into northern iraq on

july 28th. on july 30th arrived and then the 31st the three traveled to an area near the iranian border known as ahmed awa. shon mcfefle stayed behind because he was feeling ill. the three at the border were said to have been worned by local tourist police that they were very close to iran and they should watch out. the border in this area isn't a fence, a natural border and they should pay attention because these were very tough times. the three were last heard from when they placed a border back to shon mcfefle at 1:30 on friday saying we are surrounded by the iranian military there have been ongoing efforts to try to secure specific information about what happened after that point and gain access to the three that are believed to be in custody in iran. the u.s. state department saying that it has asked swiss diplomats in iran to try to

verify reports that the three are being held there. and if that is, in fact, the case, try to gain counselor access to them. the great concern here is that this could potentially escalate into an international incident given the three-way tensions between the u.s., iran and iraq. arwa damon, cnn, baghdad. all right. pleasant economic news, but is it the word on the recession that every american is waiting to hear? what the president's top money team is now saying. it's the chevy open house. and now, with the cash for clunkers program,

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president obama ease top financial advisers are pushing toward a positive economic outlook. nobody is saying the recession is over but they are focusing on the light at the end of the tunnel. our kate bolduan is at the white house, where the president returned earlier today from his weekend trip to camp david. kate? >> reporter: hi there frederica. administration officials say they are confident the economy is no longer on the brink of collapse but we are not out of the woods yet. president obama returns from wand at camp david, his administration touting the week's positive economic news as evidence their efforts are succeeding in turning around the economy. >> most private forecasters

think real gdp growth will turn positive before the end of the year. >> people are talking about whether the recession is going to turn into a depression, they are talking about when it's gonna end that is the real accomplishment -- a real accomplishment. >> reporter: while republicans agree the economic signs are encouraging, many say it's no thanks to the obama administration or the stimulus package. >> but i really believe it is in spite of the prescriptions of washington, d.c. i think what we are seeing in the economy now is the inherent resilience of the american economy and the american people. >> reporter: as the white house tries to paint a rosie economic picture, they are also carefully trying to manage expectations. treasury secretary timothy geithner says americans face tough choices ahead in order to reduce the federal deficit now at more than $1 trillion. and larry summers, the president's top economic adviser, wouldn't rule out a middle class tax increase down the road.

>> there is a lot that could happen over time. but the priority right now, never a good idea to absolutely rule things, rule things outing, no matter what. >> reporter: but an economic recovery may be further away than the white house hopes. this nobel prize-winning economist and adviser joseph stilling lites. >> a little premature to be confident about a recovery and i think it is very premature to be confident about a robust economy by early next year. >> kate bolduan back with us now. so republicans, democrats, obviously at odds as it pertains to the economy and everything else these days is there anything we can say they do agree upon? >> reporter: freed rica, following reports that more than 1 million americans by the end of this year could lose their unemployment benefits,

administration officials say they are carefully looking at extending those unemployment benefits further, working with congress to do so. and republicans today seem to signal their support around that idea. around that idea there seems to be some agreementle. >> good to hear. thanks so much kate bolduan can he white house. have the second 100 days of the obama administration been days of change, days of frustration? what do you think? we want to hear from you. cast your vote at cnn.com/report card. then get the results on the national report card thursday night, 8 p.m., right here on cnn. a death at a canadian music festival. we will tell you what caused this outdoor stage to collapse. having to go in the middle of traffic and just starting and stopping. having to go in the middle of a ballgame and then not being able to go once i got there. and going at night. i thought i had a going problem. my doctor said i had a growing problem. it wasn't my bladder. my prostate was growing.

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all right. two people are still in critical condition after a stage collapsed at a country music festival in western canada. one person was killed and at least 15 more hurt yesterday after an intense thunderstorm blew down an outdoor stage at the big valley jamboree after kevin costner was just about to take to the stage when his band, modern west, was about to perform. he was unhurt.

but two of the band's crew members did suffer some minor injuries a woman in the audience says she thought she was going to die. >> we get access to the show on stage. the next thing i know, we are running off and for 20 feet off on the stage and the wind comes out of nowhere and literally the whole deck crashes, like a midway ride. next thing i know there's concrete and something to on top of my back i can't. see a thing, all i'm doing is yelling for my sister, children on the deck with us. it was awful. i thought my life was literally ending because it was completely dark and black. and i can honestly say if i wasn't as thin as i was i would never have gotten out, because it was a tiny hole that i crawled through and probably, i don't know, a good 50 feet down i had to jump. it was a serious part of my life. >> very scary moment there is, 15,000 people were attending the festival in alberta about 60

miles southeast of edmonton. jacqui jeras is in the weather center to give us ideas when you go to big public settings like this outdoors what do you need to do to stay safe, especially, you know, if you were somewhat aware of bad weather that could be percolating? >> really one of the most dangerous places to be when you're outdoors. there's no shelter around, talking hundreds of people, large crowds you have to move. most venues have some type of emergency plans in place. a couple things you can do of course, make yourself aware of the weather. before you go check the forecast, get on the computer, cnn.com whether ever you like to go and find out if that threat is there. then as you are walk nothing that place, like maybe say an arena or a stadium, you know, you go up the stairwell, you notice a little sign where it says tornado shelter, places like the stairwell as well, if they are covered or the bathrooms some of the safest places to be. if you are out in the open, need to find the closest shelter and

probably better off in your car than the open field, severe storms are trying to move through your area. so something to think about. yeah. >> everybody has a plan at home. >> that's true, you forget that false sense of secure that you are going to a place, there are going to be a lot of people and don't think about something going wrong, especially weather-wise. >> absolute lachl a lot of different companies, too, have those automatic alerts you can get them on your pc device and things like that. if you know what county you are in, certainly you will get those warnings. >> very good. >> yeah. well we have some stormy weather to talk about here across some parts of the northeast. for some reason it -- there we go there we go. across the southeast and the northeastern corner we have been dealing with heavy showers and thundershowers, isolated severe storms but tough going if you are trying to have beach plans in the carolinas, the biggest issue in the northeastern corner, even though the worst of the storms passed through the area, yeah, the damage has been

done. a lot of delays at the airport, can't take off to get into atl, delays of over two hours at jfk and laguardia, three hours, newark and similar issues there, philadelphia, washington, d.c., it is going to be some time before we start to catch up a little bit. temperature-wise, the weekend is trying to balance itself out a little bit and make things more comfortable but the heat still stays strong across the south and into the southwest, excessive heat warnings once again, talked about this earlier, frederica, everyone is complaining about your summers, too hot or too cold. >> nobody is ever happy. >> chances are, actually right. so many records and a quick peek, the hottest july temperature ever, places like phoenix, austin, san antonio, portland, then the coolest july average temperatures ever, madison, wisconsin, down to huntington, west virginia. yeah, 65 your average temperature? >> no. >> not average high by the way, it is the mean between the high and the low.

>> too chilly. i know probably very refreshing, but you know -- summer for me, i want it warm. >> stay in the southwest, my friend. >> okay. sounds good. thanks so much, jackie, appreciate that. all right. this sad story and now a recovery, a story may bring relief to the family in a strange watch he was the first american to die in operation desert storm. that was 18 years ago. but until today, his family didn't even know what had happened to him. "what do you mean homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods?" "a few inches of water caused all this?" "but i don't even live near the water." what you don't know about flood insurance may shock you. including the fact that a preferred risk policy starts as low as $119 a year. for an agent, call the number on your screen.

the remains of the first american lost in operation desert storm have finally been found. the pentagon today confirm reed mains recently found in iraq are those of michael scott speicher, the first pilot shot down on the first night of the war in 1991. to our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, has been working on this story and earlier, they

talked with cnn's it v holmes. >> at this point, what the pentagon is telling us is they were acting on information provided by an iraqi citizen in early july. and that led the u.s. marines stationed out in western iraq to go to a location in the desert which was believed to be a crash site of captain speicher's jet. the iraqi citizen said he knew of two iraqi citizens who recall the a jet crashing in the desert and the remines of a pilot there burr blighted bed wins. you ask, tj, how much they followed up, every time they got a hint, every time they got a report. and you know, once the iraq war started in 2003 there had been a lot of hope actually with the military vet that would open upper rack and they would find him. of course, over the years, the

iraq war, they did not. >> that was barbara starr earlier. captain speicher's family can now find some cloche be sure but for hundreds of families, the wait continues. joanne shirley heads an organization that fights for the rights of families of missing troops and pows. her brother was shot down over vietnam. that was 37 years ago. his body has never been found. she now leads this organization, national league of p.o.w./m.i.a. families. good to see you, ms. shirley. >> thank you. >> all right a couple of things here. we spoke with senator ben nelson earlier who said he and others helped keep the investigation alive so that 18 years later, the remains would be found and identified. for you it has been 37 years, give me union who had how you are able to relate to this family that closure still hasn't come for you? >> there's always hope. i think what -- the capabilities we have now and what our government has achieved, the national league of families has

really pushed for the technology, the personnel, the capabilities to get into these sites, to do the investigations to interview witnesses like the -- the guy to who gave us the information about this gravesite. >> similar to this investigation that senator nelson helped keep going, you're helping to keep going of this investigation to find your brother to find the remains. it is your understanding that he has been missing in action all these years, not a p.o.w., correct? >> no. >> the differences of the organization you are supporting? how do you keep the investigation going? is it a matter of keeping the pressure on the u.s. military or is it some other entity? it is keeping the pressure on the u.s. government to keep pressure on the governments we deal with. in this case, it is vietnam, laos, cambodia, give the information, give us the archives to give us what we need to go back in find the witnesses, like we did in this case and be able to read us back

to crash sites or gravesites, not only for vietnam, but for we are getting significant accountability for world war ii and korea now as well. so to me, there is hope for anybody who has someone missing and unaccounted for. >> this is your brother. when you look at this image and when you hear about the news of the family, speicher's family getting this news that remains have been positively identified, you don't know the speicher family but you know the agony the family has been through because you experience it had for your brother. give me an idea what the family has been going through for 18 years based on what you have been going through for 37 years? >> we made a decision early on to be involved. i want bobby to be proud of what we've done. i want him to know we did everything we come i'm a housewife from georgia but i worked very hard. i have taken four trips to southeast asia, lobbying on

behalf of the families and our own government, bringing the family perspective to the governments of laos, vietnam and cambodia. i think doing something has made me feel like we are not just sitting around waiting. the national league of families has layed that foundation for us to pressure our own government, particularly technology like dna capabilities, the dental records, the forensic an throb poll gists that now work our site. it is amazing the changes we've seen since my family got involved 37 years ago. and the league just celebrated its 40th year, 40th meeting last week in washington, d.c. the biggest challenge we are facing now to keep the league in business, keep the issue moving forward. >> this is an incredible emotional journey too for you personally. what do you suppose -- what did you feel this morning upon learning news that the speicher family would learn that remain

also been found? what do you suppose that feels like? you haven't had a chance to enjoy that kind of news thus far but what do you expose they experienced? >> it's huge relief. you know that they were not a p.o.w., they were not tortured, they were not captured and mistreated. i think all of that really helps you to just breathe a sigh of relief. just to know you're going to get him back, bring him back to this country, we have an obligation to those who serve us and i'm probably the most patriotic person in the world. i think, you know we do have an obligation to those who served this country to never leave them on foreign soil to always do whatever we can to bring them back. >> you feel pretty hopeful that eventually at some point, some answers will rise to the top, remains found on your brother? >> we just got information within the last year, they went back to my brother's crash site last summer, found what's called a blood chip there with a number on it that was in the flight vest he had on the day he became

missing and that number correlates to the one that bobby had on his person when that plane went down so, we at least know that that is -- >> close. >> that is his crash site and they are hopefully within a year will go back and do a reexcavation on that site. they are very optimistic they can find remains. >> remarkable. >> if we can just keep this issue alive and moving forward, the public needs to step up and get involved and understand the families can't do it alone. >> keep us posted on how that goes on for you and your family. >> thank you. >> joanne shirley, thanks so much, the national league of p.o.w./m.i.a. families, i appreciate your time. >> thank you, yes, ma'am. well, nine u.s. and nato troops have died in afghanistan this weekend with. now, there are concerns about security for upcoming elections. cnn's ivan watson has details from kabul. were rap bloody weekend in afghanistan for american and nato forces. a u.s. military spokeswoman says

that six troops were killed around the country on saturday. among them, three american troops killed in the southern province of kandahar by two roadside bombs that hit their patrol. also, a french soldier killed and two unidentified nato troops as well. meanwhile, on sunday, another three american soldiers killed in eastern afghanistan by a roadside bomb followed up by a taliban insurgent ambush. this comes after the deadliest month yet for american and nato forces in afghanistan since the start of this war some eight years ago, july. some 75 troops killed across this country, the chief enemy, the chief threat to these forces on the ground, those deadly roadside bombs, improvised explosive devices. now, a campaign is under way right now for presidential elections scheduled to take place on august 20th here in afghanistan. the incumbent president, hamid karzai, is believed to be the front-runner. he was out campaigning over the

weekend in northern baghram province. he was speaking to supporters. this is what he had to say. >> translator: we passed the journey of success we passed the journey of happiness, but all our joys were mixed with sadness, we could not bring complete peace to our country, terrorism is still bothering us, killing of our people, destroying our country. i promise that when i become president by winning your votes, my first priority will be to bring peace to our country. >> reporter: karzai is competing with some 40 opposition candidates, a crowded field, and many of them are heaping criticism on him and his government. he has been in power since 2001. here is dr. abdullah abdullah, a former foreign minister, accusing hamid karzai's government of failing to provide security around the country. >> unfortunately, the government of afghanistan has failed to provide security for its

citizens and also to utilize the opportunity, which was the business of the foreign troops, international troops, as well as billions of to the construction assistants in afghanistan. to stabilize afghanistan to the extent that eight years down the road, we would have been able to say, less troops rather than more. >> reporter: there are big questions now whether or not even with the additional troops, some 101,000 american and nato forces in afghanistan, whether or not they will be able to keep the country safe, particularly in the taliban-ridden south and east of the country, to allow voting to take place on august 20th. ivan watson, cnn, kabul. in this country, president obama's week ahead, he is planning to keep health care in the headlines. we have got a peek at his schedule. (pouring rain)

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health care reform, what is it in for you? reform bills stalled in the house and senate of. and david gearingson pointing a finger at the white house. were. >> reporter: the white house has to lead a very concerted effort to help persuade people why it is moving in the right direction. its handicap is that not only is

this complex, but it does not have a coherent plan to take to the country and sell it. >> on cnn's "state of the union" today, republican senator john mccain took a shot at blue dog democrats. when it comes to controlling costs, he says the blue dogs always bark and they never bite. >> the passage of the stimulus package and the huge deficit i think associated with that i think harmed their ability to move forward with health care 'cause that's another $1 trillion in the cb to o that gave them a certain handicap. but i think the other thing is, other aspect of it is that the president has laid out some idea s but i think the president has got to be more specific in the -- when we come down to exactly what these proposal are and i don't think he has done that. >> all right. so, what can we expect from the obama administration on health

care this week? cnn's senior bill cal analyst bill shnider is in washington with that plus a look at exactly how this week just might play out in part. so let's talk first, bill. the white house as well as capitol hill have to identify certain people they have got to persuade on health care. how do they know who they need to sell this plan to? >> reporter: there are a lot of democrats in the house of representatives and some of the senate who are new, who come from districts that used to -- or states that used to elect republicans and those are the really targets of all the lobbying effort. you might think august is a time when everyone takes off, especially from politics, but no. this august is going to be the focus of a ferocious lobbying campaign targeted at precisely those swing democrats who have been a little reluctant to climb on board the president's health care plan. the democratic lobbying groups that -- the liberal lobbying groups trying to persuade them, they have to vote for this or else they are going to be faced with a threat and possible punishment. and of course, the republicans are saying if you vote for this,

we are going to come after you. >> does this mean there was a congress as well as the white house have now identify it had is health care that is the big issue that voters want to hear about replacing the economy? >> no, not actually to voters it is -- the health scare the top issue, of course, to the obama white house now, but the president will be out there in indiana this week. on wednesday, he will be talking about the economy this week. commit still ranks as the number one issue to the voters, the job loss, unemployment rate is still climbing, even though there are signs that the recovery may be almost at hand. there are some hopeful signs of the economy, it takes some time for those unemployment numbers to start to go down because employers have to feel secure that the recovery is happening before they start hiring people. so until that happens, the number one issue for the voters the economy. you know what the number two issue is? not health care it is spending and the deficit. >> oh, interesting. we talk about august being a pivotal month. so, if we are able to take a

stab at who might have the advantage in being able to really get the ear of americans, would it be congress or would it be the president? >> reporter: the president is still a popular man, his popularity dropping a bit in recent months because people are very worry about the economy and wondering why are the jobless numbers still climbing? they don't blame him for the bad economy but blame the previous administration but wish they could see evidence his prosecution plans are work. the white house says they are working. things would wab lot worse without the stimulus package. republicans are using the stimulus plan to say the obama maps are not working, health care won't be any better. so the president retains personal popularity even though his standing has dropped a little bit in recent weeks. he retains his personal popularity and out there campaigning the next entire month. >> camp pafrning as almost as if he is back on the campaign trail before the presidency but trying to push the policies he finds important. >> right, exactly, campaigning, raising money. there are some elections this

year, virginia, new jersey, electing governors. later this week, he is going to be in virginia at a fund-raiser for the democratic candidate for governor of virginia. that is a very hot race. the incumbent can't run again, he will be trying to raise money for the democrats for november. >> interesting stuff. bill schneider, thanks so much. appreciate that. president having a very busy schedule coming up, bill underscored, yes, be in indiana, elkhart, indiana, talking the economy as well as a little bit of health care and also be, on monday, marking the launch of the post-9/11 gi bill, which expands benefits for those that served on or after september 11th, particularly if they want to go on to school. we want to hear from you can the national report card. how do you suppose the president is doing in this second 100 days? you can already start to log in on cnn.com and voice your concerns. give a grade and we will be issuing that national report card on thursday, 8 p.m. eastern time right here on cnn. all right. debate over health care reform is playing out in television

ads. senior political correspondent candy crowly ey is tracking the messages. >> reporter: have microphone, will travel. >> if you like your doctor, you keep your doctor. if you like your health care plan, you keep your health care plan. >> reporter: nothing like the bully pulpit to push an issue, but there are other ways you play is noticed. >> you could end up with government bureaucrats taking away your choice, getting in between you and your doctor. >> now the republicans say congress should slow down? that's because when something goes slow enough, it's easy to kill it. >> reporter: so far, just about $50 million has been spent on tv ads related to health care reform, aired by 50 different groups, insurance, pharmaceutical associations, unions, nurses, the soft drink industry, republicans and democrats, all with two things in common, a vested interest and deep pockets. about half the buys are aired nationally. >> it is really trying to reach the most engaged sort of party

activists, legislative, lawmakers, you know, reporters, bloggers, you know the people that sort of plugged in all the time. most americans right now are at the beach. >> barack obama's message. >> reporter: the ads fall into four basic categories, for and against an obama-style reform package, pro-health care reform in general. >> we may finally get health care reform. >> it's about time. >> reporter: and ads from stakeholders, autism speaks. >> call speaker pelosi and lead aer reid and tell them health reform that fails to stop autism discrimination is unacceptable. >> reporter: the soft drink industry. >> this is no time for congress to be adding taxes on the simple measures we enjoy, like juice drink and soda. >> reporter: in general, the ads are soft edged but as summer moves into fall and the kid goes back to school, congress begins debate on a health care bill, katy bar the door or turn off the tv. >> i think you will see some really distinct lines, get much more emotional in their lines of attack and become much more

politicized. >> reporter: it has already begun. here is what republican leader eric captor will see when he hits the remote at home. >> now i find out congressman eric cantor voted against health care reform that would stop insurance companies from denying coverage from pre-existing conditions like cancer. he want knows fight cancer and the insurance companies? >> reporter: this union ad is not about getting congressman can'ter to vote for the house bill this is a warning shot, count on health care reform as an issue for 2010, hard ball to come. candy crowley, cnn, washington. major upgrade for the u.s. military, not on the battlefield but in the classroom. we will tell you about the new gi bill. (announcer) introducing new tums dual action. this tums goes to work in seconds and lasts for hours. all day or night. new tums dual action. bring it on. of the outdoors for your indoor cat.

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all right t is not your grandfather's gi bill. the changes to the program give active duty and reserve members the same benefits. cnn's heidi collins reports. >> reporter: an historic change

in the gi bill now gives new incentives for troops serving on the frontlines in iraq and afghanistan. after they are done serving our country, their opportunities for education will be completely different. millions of veterans have used the gi bill to help pay for college since it was first introduced back in world war ii. but a lot has changed since then, so the gi bill is adapting for today's military. >> you could have two individuals, for example, patrolling the streets of baghdad, one individual being on active duty and another individual being a guard reserve member that was called up. when they return, they would have received very different benefits. now, under this program, because it's based on active service, those individuals can end up receiving the same benefits. >> reporter: the new bill will allow veterans who serve at least ten years to pass unused benefits onto their families. >> my daughter now who is 16 will get her first two years of college paid by this gi program. my daughter who is 10, veronica,

she will receive the second two years. >> when i have kids and comes their time to go to school, i will be able to let them use the gi bill and have it pay for education using the benefits from when i served. >> reporter: then there's joe gidding. he served in the army in world war ii and used the benefits to learn a life long trade, which he is still using now at age 82. >> a lot of veterans in all field of endeavor benefited from the gi bill. >> reporter: back then, veterans got only $500 a year at the most to further their education, via college or apprenticeship. today, the bill has a company of about $16,000 a year. the new bill can only be used toward a college or university education but it kicks the amount of money way up, matching the cost of some of the most expensive state schools in the country. overall, the director of the program says the major changes

will make it easier to get new recruits and keep the more experienced troops longer. heidi collins, cnn, atlanta. and despite some criticism, cash for clunkers turns out a big payoff for ford motors. so what do you think?

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all right. this information just in right now. our poppy harlow is confirming a "wall street journal" report that indicates that ford motors is actually celebrating right now its first increase in sales in the month of july, the first gain in about two years. and part of the credit is being given to the cash for clunkers program. in the past few weeks, people have taken advantage of this government incentive, which means you bring in your clunker to the car dealer and you get about $4500 in tax credit toward a new, more fuel-efficient vehicle and ford motors is saying that, in part, because of that program, it is now finally, after two years in a slump, enjoying an increase in sales in the month of july. we will try to get much more on this on cnn throughout the evening. if we get anymore information. meantime, i would say it is time for chat room with our jacqui jeras here, love to talk about the incentive here on ford but we have other things to talk

about as well. some fun stuff? >> yeah. fun today. >> fun and funny. >> impacting your pocketbook. >> expensive. right. >> always [ inaudible ]. >> going to disney? i can hear you fine, we will work on that we will talk first about disney. it is always very expensive to try to go as an individual or even take the family but from $75 for an adult, admission tickets now, a little more. >> yeah and they are raising kids prices by $5 each. under $10 extra for a family but disney took a bigger hit earlier this year, laying off employees and park attendance is down due to the economy, so having to raise their prices to help make your experience -- >> does make it confusing for a family, too. when the message is if it's hard on everybody, now is not the time to increase a ticket to, you know, take the family out and about but oh well. >> oh, well. >> if you're gonna go. i don't think 4 bucks is going to make a difference? >> probably not.