presents i get. >> reporter: how many of us will feel guilty and how many retailers will feel relieved when the 2009 snowfall really comes around? jim boulden, cnn, london. >> snow in august. the "cnn newsroom" continues right now with kyra phillips. >> don, thanks so much. pushing forward, ever try to push an rv? it's a little like trying to push elkhart, indiana, the rv capital of the world, out of recession and into recovery. we're talking about that economic jump-start from president obama today. recessions are one thing, but birmingham's in a full-blown budget disaster. a flap over taxes means deep cuts, long lines, and a bombshell from the county sheriff. he'll talk to me live. and burbank never looked so beautiful. euna lee and laura ling home in california after months of captivity in north korea. it's the story of their lives. hello, everyone, i'm kyra phillips, live at 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 the last time president obama went to elkhart, indiana, he was stumping for the stimulus. today he's all about the payoff. as you just heard live from the president's appearance at an rv plant, the stimulus is helping fund dozens of projects aimed at building the next generation of electric cars. this is mr. obama's fourth visit to greater elkhart in 15 months. the area that calls itself the rv capital of the world has been devastated by the recession. unemployment there is almost 17%, more than 7 points higher than the national average and 10 points higher than a year ago. cnn's ed henry is there, pushing forward on the politics. and ali velshi peers down the road to recovery from his post in new york. ed, let's go ahead and start with you. is the president wearing out his welcome as jobs stay scarce there? >> reporter: well, i can tell you, he is pretty popular here. i spent the last 24 hours even before he got here on the ground

speaking to rv owners. speaking to the mayor here, and they're pretty high on the president, because they are saying that they think he is at least trying hard, pushing hard to not just help them in the short term, but rebuild the economy in the long term. and that is really what those electric cars that you mentioned are all about. trying to say, look, there's going to be some assistance in the short term. already elkhart, indiana, has gotten $14 million in stimulus money. but he also said you can't just be building the same vehicles over and over. you need vehicles of the future. more renewable, better gas mileage, et cetera. he also said that's going to be all about bringing more jobs right here to america and making sure that we're not giving in amid a recession. take a listen -- >> even in the hardest times, against the toughest odds, we have never surrendered. we don't give up. we don't surrender our fates to chance. we have always endured. we have worked hard, and we have fought for our future.

our parents had to fight their forefuture. our grandparents had to fight for their future. that's the tradition of america. this country wasn't built just by griping and complaining. it was built by hard work. and taking risks. and that's what we have to do today. >> reporter: now, there has been improvement here, as you mention, unemployment got as bad as 19%. now it's just over 16%. so, it's gotten a little better. but obviously that's much worse, as ali will tell you, than the national average of 9.5%. that's why we see the president as he pushes back on republican attacks, that this stimulus has not done enough. he's walking a fine line. he can't cheer lead the stimulus and say everything is great just yet, because a lot of people are still hurting, kyra. >> that's a good point. ali velshi, a lot of people still hurting. is it going to work? >> interesting, you know, that this administration is really big on the idea that the future driver of this economy's going to be green energy of some sort. and one of the biggest

impediments to electric cars and, of course, the batteries. the navistar, you might know it as the old international harvester, the big maker of international brands, big rigs, big trucks. it's the area that the president and his administration feel very strongly about investing money in. navistar is saying this will actually end up saving hundreds of jobs once it's actually in place. so, it doesn't work for the immediate future. you see ed standing there with rvs in the background. rv sales took a major hit when gas started going up to $3.50, $4 a gallon. just as it started to pull back, we hit the big recession, so people stopped buying them. it's not a big turnaround to elkhart, but it's the metro area with the highest unemployment rate in the country. so, they need to think of short-term solutions. this is more of a longer-term solution. it will probably help in the long run, kyra. >> and my guess is he might make a couple more trips. ed henry, ali velshi, thank you very much. in birmingham, it could

happen again after sudden and devastating budget cuts. the sheriff said he needs major help. a court ruling has cut off a major source of county tax revenue, and he's being forced to cut his force. state lawmakers are scrambling to pass a new tax, but until then, the sheriff says he could lose 188 deputies and 300 civilians out of a workforce of roughly 700. sheriff mike hale joins me now live from birmingham. so, sheriff, put this in perspective for all of us. if you are forced to cut like that -- and you're saying you need the national guard -- how could this impact crime in your area? >> well, jefferson county is just like the rest of this country. we're dealing with the recession. this is not the time to cut law enforcement. i believe the jefferson county commission has broke a contract with the people of this county by failing to fund jefferson county law enforcement. look, they've cut my budget over $4 million. that's over 40% for the

remaining two months of this year. and they had -- they didn't -- they cut it. it's up to me to have a plan, and my plan is this. our first responsibility is to keep neighborhoods and communities safe, and i'm going to do it by any means possible, that's why i called the governor for some financial help. and if he can't do that, then i need the force multipliers by having the national guard come in to partner with my deputy sheriffs. >> and tell me -- just to make full disclosure. we tried to get the governor to come on, and he wasn't able to make time for us in his schedule to today. i don't know how to take that. but he didn't give us an interview, because we wanted to ask him why he's doing this. but put it in perspective for me, if you lose all the deputies, does that mean less detectives to solve crimes? does it mean less guys and gals on the streets to prevent robberies, rapists, murderers, tell me how bad this could get. >> this will wipe out my enforcement divisions.

i'll have just enough deputies left with me paying -- i have funds allocated to my office. when the county funds run out, that i can write a paycheck for, and i'll have just enough funds to take care of the jail and a very minimal amount of law enforcement. not enough for detectives. instead of running 35 beats throughout the county at any one time, it will be barely enough to cover about five beats. look, on the night before this court decision that the court ruled against me, i had a homicide in two -- in two cities, two homicides, and i had a burglary in a very sleepy little town. so, criminals don't -- criminals are watching this, and it's my job as sheriff to have a plan to protect citizens of this county. i need funds. the jefferson county commission wants to not take care of the citizens of the county, i'm calling on the governor. i believe he will. i really do. >> so, you think he'll come through. meanwhile you have a police force there. is that not enough?

>> i do not have enough deputies. this will wipe out over half of my deputy sheriffs. birmingham is an area that has, of course, the city of birmingham. they have their police department and there are 27 other police departments. but i cover the unincorporated areas and assist the smaller police departments, really and truly, there are a lot of police departments that turn the lights out and go home at night. the sheriff covers that -- >> now your -- >> but -- >> go ahead, i'm sorry. >> i just believe governor riley who has deployed the national guardsmen in natural disasters, even though this is an unnatural disaster created by the jefferson county commission, i really believe he will partner with the citizens of jefferson county, alabama, and i believe we'll get some help with him. i really believe that. he wants me to call him today after meeting with the commission. >> meanwhile, you are getting creative. you are taking drug money, about $700,000. you think you'll be able to do that and keep salaries going? >> i have about $1.5 million of

condemnation money, state condemnation money, and some seizure money that's under my control that i am willing to write for the salaries of deputies. i can do this. the county money runs on out in september. that's it. 1st of september, no more county money. i can -- i have enough money to pay the deputy sheriffs at about half the number that i need for the rest of the month. and then that's it. so, i'm committed to use all my resources, all the planning that i have, and plan to use every bit of money that i have under my control. look, the citizens expect it. they don't want excuses. we've got to pard -- i've got to either partner with the commission, they failed on their contract with the community. now i'm asking to partner with the governor to take care of the good citizens of jefferson county, birmingham, alabama. >> and if you bring in the national guard, you got the issue of posse comitasus. i appreciate your time, sir.

>> thank you. all right, well, the economy is just one of the ten categories that you can grade president obama on. what do you think about his second 100 days? cast your vote at cnn.com/reportcard. then get the results on cnn's "national report card" special, tomorrow night, 8:00 eastern, only on cnn. an exercise class becomes a shooting gallery near pittsburgh. who the gunman was targeting and why. we'll have the latest, along with a police update and news conference that's supposed to happen live this hour. if we don't act, medical bills will wipe out their savings.

if we don't act, she'll be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. and he won't get the chemotherapy he needs. if we don't act, health care costs will rise 70%. and he'll have to cut benefits for his employees. but we can act. the president and congress have a plan to lower your costs and stop denials for pre-existing conditions. it's time to act. are more than words here. it's personal. i have diabetes. rodney's kid too. so we're so proud to manufacture... the accu-chek® aviva meters and test strips... here in the u.s.a. plus, we've proven you'll waste 50% fewer strips... when you use our meter, which means greater savings... for people with diabetes, like me. now that's a true american value. accu-chek® aviva. born in the u.s.a.

love it or hate it, what's your opinion about the cash for clunkers offer from the obama administration? you can ask an administration senior adviser. send your questions now to mailtothechief@cnn.com. or twitter us. you'll get some answers hopefully in our next hour. ♪ wellbeing. we're all striving for it. purina cat chow helps you nuture it in your cat... with a full family of excellent nutrition... and helpful resources. ♪

purina cat chow. share a better life. ladies and gentlemen, please help me in welcoming home laura ling and euna lee.

>> wow. can you imagine? and you just saw it live on cnn this morning. the moment two young journalists, their families, friends, colleagues may have feared they'd never see. more than 4 1/2 months euna lee and laura ling were captured in north korea. tried and convicted of illegal entry and sentenced to 12 years of hard labor. they arrived in southern california in the company of the former president, who flew to pyongyang on a private mission to free them. cnn's thelma gutierrez was there. >> reporter: it was an emotional reunion that began with the dramatic entrance of a private plane, into a hangar at the crack of dawn. on the plane, 36-year-old euna lee and 32-year-old laura ling, both journalists for current tv, who hadn't seen their loved ones in 140 days. also on board, the man credited for negotiating their release, former president bill clinton. >> suddenly, we were told that

we were going to a meeting. we were taken to a location, and when we walked in through the doors, we saw standing before us president bill clinton. >> reporter: among those on the ground, eagerly awaiting their return, laura ling's parents and her sister lisa, a correspondent for national geographic, and her husband of 12 years, iain clayton. but one of the most emotional moments came when euna lee's 4-year-old daughter hannah saw her mother and then ran into her arms. >> it's what kept us going in the darkest of hours. it is what sustained our faith that we would come home. the past 140 days have been the

most difficult, hard wrenheart wrenching times of our lives. we are very grateful that we were granted amnesty by the government of north korea, and we are so happy to be home. >> reporter: euna lee and laura ling are now taking some private time, they say, to reconnect with their families. thelma gutierrez, cnn, burbank, california. and within the past hour, laura ling's big sister, lisa, talked with reporters just outside laura's home in l.a. she was asked about what may have led up to their capture. >> based on the limited knowledge that i have, i don't think that they used poor judgment. >> why not? >> because i -- i'm going to let her tell the story, because i think there's -- there's -- there's probably more that we don't know about. >> do you know was the release set up before bill got there? i mean, it all happened so fast, you know. >> we don't know if it was

actually orchestrated or not. we had a sense that the governments had agreed to send president clinton, for which we were grateful. but in terms of whether a release was -- was predetermined, we don't know. well, the pictures from pyongyang are amazing. the rarely seen leader of the world's most secretive state basking in the spotlight afforded by a visit from bill clinton. but for all the diplomatic star power, the u.s. secretary of state and wife of the former president says she doesn't expect a breakthrough on other issues divided pyongyang and the outside world. >> we have been working hard on the release of the two journalists. we've always considered that a totally separate issue from our efforts to re-engage the north koreans and have them return to the six-party talks and work hard a commitment to the full,

verifiable, denuclearization of the peninsula. rejection by women. that's what police in allegheny county, pennsylvania, may have motivated a gunman who went on a deadly shooting spree at a health club. three women were killed. another nine wounded last night before police say the 48-year-old gunman committed suicide. cnn's susan candiotti joins us now with the latest. susan? >> reporter: hi, kyra. we're trying to find out what made this man tick. now, police have not officially identified him as of yet, but a law enforcement source tells us his name is george sodini, 48 years old. he works at a local law firm as a systems analyst, and he was -- belonged to this gym here, la fitness center. and, in fact, we've been learning some interesting things, after finding out that he had created a blog for himself on the internet, and the opening date on it is november

of 2008. before we get into that, we can also tell you that after talking to some of his neighbors, apparently they say he stopped talking to them about a year or two ago. >> i'm blown away by it all. granted, he wasn't the most outgoing, friendly person in the world, but, i mean, definitely he had some behaviors that were different. >> reporter: now, from looking at this blog, he also talks about having trouble with women. he criticizes them. he talks about appearing normal on the outside and yet feeling troubled on the inside. and there seem to be indications that he had been planning this event for the past several months. the thing about this blog, we're not sure about the timing of it, whether the dates match up. i mean, it says that it starts in november of 2008 and that the last entry is monday of this week. but we don't know for sure

whether he wrote everything contemporaneously or dumped them in at the tail end to sort of create a diary for himself. in the final blog he talks about saying he's got only one shot at this thing, and then he talks about leaving a note behind. and it's okay with him that people read it. and we did discover that there was a note left in his gym bag, where he kept the guns that he pulled out to start shooting at people. in the note, according to a law enforcement source, he talks again about hating women. so, this is slowly starting to unravel as we try to figure out a precise motive for why this happened. quic kyra, back to you. >> all right, susan. we're expecting a news conference about ten minutes from now. susan will follow that, and so will we. any updates, we will bring it live to you. a follow-up in the murder of former boxing champ vernon forrest. atlanta police have charged 20-year-old demario ware in

forrest's death. he went before a judge this morning on charges of robbery, aggravated and assault and murder. police believe that forrest was shot to death in a botched robbery. two more suspects are being sought including the suspected triggerman. 40 years after the manson murders, charles manson and his followers still behind bars. will their appeals for freedom be granted? this is the aarp... medicare supplement insurance plan card. you know what's great about this card? wherever you go, nationwide, your coverage travels with you. and that's just one of the many reasons...

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toward better hearing. that's 1-800-769-9112 call now! good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. all right. let's take a quick jaunt to montreal, shall we? where the new public transportation system is trading taxis and trains for two-wheelers. cnn's gary tuchman explains in this "edge of discovery." >> reporter: downtown montreal is the hustle and bustle of many modern city, but there's a new public transportation system

here that's taking an old-fashioned approach. it's called bixi, a combination of the word "bike" and "taxi" and the citywide system is gearing up in hopes of being a big hit. >> it's sturdy and easy to manage. it's perfect for getting through the traffic much more quickly than i could by car. >> reporter: users can buy a yearly pass for $78 or get one-day access for five bucks. then they just grab a bike at the conveniently located stations and pedal to destination. >> the customers are across the spectrum, we have casual tourists and business people are doing short trips. >> reporter: the stations run on solar power. officials estimate that in the two months since the bixi system rolled out, riders have taken over 300,000 trips, saving 40,000 gallons of gas. they are hoping montreal's strong start sets an example that catches on around the world. >> we have submitted proposals in the city of london and the city of boston.

we have given ourselves the objective to set the bar, and the reaction shows that we have indeed set the bar. >> reporter: gary tuchman, cnn. all right. if you're east of the mississippi, expect some rain. west of the mississippi, better chances of staying dry. chad myers tracking all the severe weather. hey, chad. >> and back hot again back out west. just when you thought you had relief, now the heat is building back again. finally louisville, though, no rainfall literally in the past, about, 24 hours. it is at least the water coming down. here are some of the pictures, though. we'll go to two pictures and i'm actually going to go to an i-report, too, where there is actually talking going on as well. this is what louisville looked like. just right -- you see the horses there? churchill downs, i mean, just a mess there. they were moving horses from one side to the other because the water is obviously a little bit lower on one side of the track than the other. the ground's a little bit lower. and so that was part of the problem. people were trying to move books out of libraries as well. and people were getting rescued.

there's one of the water rescues from w.a.v.e. literally the water was coming up so fast. some reports they had almost 6 inches of rainfall in 2, 2 1/2 hours and the water had nowhere to go. here's what one of the i-reporters had to say as she looked down at her feet. >> it's getting deeper! it's going to get my little -- my chic pajamas. my doggie pajamas wet. i'm telling you it's flooded like no tomorrow. thank god, i don't live down there. because i would have been a goner a while ago. look at that vehicle right there. oh, my god. >> reporter: and there were an awful lot of cars even deeper than that. some of them were actually floating away at times, which is why the weather service says, turn around, don't drown on some of these things. so, here we go. we will have some weather here today. the front has sagged to the south. that's where the severe weather will be today and the eastern part of the rocky mountains.

that is felicia, a very large and dangerous hurricane. now a major hurricane, a category 3 strength. what's it up to now? 115, gusts up to 140. it's still moving off to the west. here are the hawaiian islands. the forecast is for it not to hang together for a hurricane as it moves to the west, but we're going to keep watching it just in case, because at least at this point, as a cat 3, even if it loses down to a cat 1, it's still a big storm. now, the forecast is for it to get down to almost 50 miles per hour hen it gets close to the islands. let's hope that's the case. that's still six days away, kyra? >> all right, chad, thanks. >> sure. well, veterans' health put at risk by sloppy practices at three v.a. hospitals. colonoscopy equipment not properly sterilized between patients. it's a story that we've been following from the get go that just continues to develop. here's where we stand right now. 10,320 vets have been warned that they could have been exposed to hiv, hepatitis and other viral infections.

at least 9,141 of those patients have gone for follow-up blood work. now, according to the v.a., those tests have turned up eight cases of hiv, 12 of help titus "b" and 37 of hepatitis "c." well, now, attorney mike shep hard is taking action for about 60 veterans who have been put through this nightmare. thomas mayo is one of them. thomas joins us from chattanooga, tennessee, and mike is in nashville. tom, let's start with you. you're a vietnam vet, and you went to the v.a. hospital to get your colonoscopy. tell me what happened. >> i had the colonoscopy. then i get up -- pardon? >> i'm sorry, sir? >> go ahead, thomas. what happened when you got your colonoscopy? >> nothing happened when i got the colonoscopy. that was three years ago. when i had the colonoscopy. >> okay, so you got a phone call, right? you got a phone call that

something might be wrong. >> no, ma'am. i got a letter. >> you got a letter. >> yes. >> so, when you opened up that letter, what was your reaction? >> it was fury. it made me sad. >> i can imagine it made you sad and it was scary. so, did you go in to take another test? >> well, i done blood work. >> you did more blood work. >> in chattanooga. >> okay. and what did that tell you, thomas? >> well, they first told me i had help patitis "c" and i went back and did more blood work and they said it was hepatitis "c." >> oh, my gosh. what did you do? did you go home and think, what do i do next? how did you react? what did you do when you found this out? >> well, i cried at first. and then i just try to take it day to day. >> oh, thomas. mike, you hear thomas' story and

the fact, you know, that this brought him to tears, i can just imagine. first having one test and told you had one thing and then taking another one and told you got another issue. i mean, how can you help guys like thomas? i mean, we talked about this story months ago, and more and more patients were coming forward with the same story. and it's just heartbreaking that this is happening to our vets. >> well, it is heartbreaking, kyra. and it's basically -- mr. mayo is just an example of a lot of other stories that have come to our attention. some of them have involved being told that they have hiv, and then being told later that they don't have hiv. so, we have not only the contamination issue, but that has been quickly followed by some mishandling by the v.a. in doing the tests and miscommunicating some of the results. so, not only are they devastated

by the news of hiv, hep-b or hep-c, but they also have to live through the ups and downs, the emotional ups and downs, of being told one thing and then another. so, there's a lot of confidence that has been lost in the v.a. because of the way the tests have been handled. >> and we did get a statement from the u.s. department of veterans affairs, mike and thomas. it says that v.a.'s number one priority is the well-being of the nation's veterans. the department took aggressive action when a problem related to the reprocessing of endoscoppy equipment was discovered and all potentially affected veterans, regardless of risk or cause of infection, have been treated and will continue to be informed of their legal right to submit disability claims on account of v.a. negligent. we deeply regret this incident occurred and continue to use this experience to improve our services and quality of care. thomas, when you hear that response, is that enough for? does it make you feel better at

all? >> it makes me feel better that they did respond to it. but i'm still getting the runaround. >> and how about you, mike? i mean, guys like thomas still feel, you know, that they are getting the runaround and they're not -- they're still not being taken properly care of, even when they go back for another test and they're getting different results? you know, how do you prove something like this? i mean, yes, the v.a. came forward and said, okay, we had a problem, we used dirty equipment. but you really can't prove that they got hiv or hep-c or hep-c from us? >> well, we've actually had a couple of veterans that have come forward that were infected with hiv and hepatitis and they believe they were the origins. some of the names we can't

release at this point. but there's also genetic fingerprinting that can be done to establish the causation. but the veterans administration and congress -- and they've had hearings on this, as you well know -- they need to release the records. they need to study the patterns that have occurred. they need to isolate the veterans that have been infected and do a lot more in determining exactly the source of the infection. we do know that there have been contamination issues, sterilization issues and the wrong equipment being used. but they do need to do more in finding out exactly who was infected and when. and unfortunately, they only have -- they are the ones that only have the access to those records. >> well, we sure hope to see changes, because our vets deserve the best of care. mike sheppard, thanks so much. we'll follow-up on the lawsuit. thomas mayo, we sure are sorry for what has happened to you. we will follow-up on your case. and thank you for serving our country, thomas. >> thank you.

>> all right. now, the war of words over three americans arrested on allegations of entering iran illegally from northern iraq. and an iranian lawmaker says authorities are investigating whether to charge them with spying. a u.s. security official says that the three were merely backpackers who got lost hiking in an unmarked mountainous region. the iranians are saying very little about what might happen next. in tehran, it's the day that iran's hardline president had been waiting for. mahmoud ahmadinejad sworn in for a second term amid continued protests over what the opposition contend was a rigged election in june. all three of the president's opposition challengers boycotted the ceremony, along with moderate lawmakers and other opposition leaders. on the streets, hundreds of protesters chanted death to the dictator. security forces moved in, striking people with batons and blasting them with pepper spray. in his inaugural address,

ahmadinejad minced no words about the protests. warning that he won't tolerate disrespect, interference and insults. this time tomorrow, or soon thereafter, sonia sotomayor could have a new job. senators are heading toward a vote on president obama's nominee to replace david souter on the supreme court, and for all the opposition coming from republicans in floor debate, the nominee's adding to her comfortable lead in the vote count. missouri republican, kit bond, is the seventh in his party to break ranks and announce that he'll vote to confirm. it's a procedure for the record books, involving 14 patients, but, more importantly, it may pave the way for thousands more on the waiting lists for potentially lifesaving transplants.

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♪ so you don't just feel better, you feel better knowing doctors recommend tylenol more than any other brand of pain reliever. ♪ medical history from our nation's capital, a record seven kidney transplants ku s conduct two d.c. hospitals. how did it go? you look and tell us. a heartfelt embrace shared by an organ donor and recipient. senior medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen, has more on the domino effect of this procedure -- or the domino effect procedure. hey, elizabeth. >> hey, kyra. kyra, usually when we think of donating a kidney to someone while you're alive, you think of a husband donating to a wife or a parent to a child. but in this case that's not what

happened. and let me explain why. first, take a look. here are our 14 people who were involved in this donation. that's 14 people. and these are the seven recipients down here at the bottom. all seven of these people down here at the bottom needed a kidney, but they couldn't wait the five years that it takes to get a cadaver kidney. there's 80,000 people on this list. so, some of them came up with a living person who was willing to donate, but here's what happened. this is larry and elizabeth. elizabeth needed a kidney, husband larry said, absolutely. but they did not match. so, what happened was that someone came forth and said, i'll donate to elizabeth. his name is jordan. there he is right there. that's jordan. and jordan didn't know anyone who needed a kidney, so he said i'm happy to give mine to elizabeth. and they matched. and what then happened, and this is the really important part, that, then, freed up elizabeth's husband to donate to somebody else.

larry didn't donate to his wife. he donated to someone he had never met before, and she now has -- and then the person who was going to donate to her then was able to donate to a totally separate person. so, and so on and on and so on and that's how they managed to get 14 people involved in this donation. >> and so what did they do? >> well, what they did was that they had everybody sort of come forth, and they looked at them, and they said, all right, who matches who best, and then they said, all right, you're going to donate to somebody who is not related to you. but in the end everybody will get a kidney. but they had to have two people like jordan. those are people who didn't come in with anyone. they just said out of the goodness of my heart i want to donate a kidney. >> all right, i notice that most of the kidney recipients are african-american, is that a coincidence? >> it's actually not a coincidence. african-americans are much more likely to be waiting for a kidney. and there's a couple of different reasons for this. one is that african-americans need kidneys more than white people do, and there aren't enough donors for them. and biological african-americans

for some genetic reason are more likely to reject a kidney. it's just harder to match them. so, as what we saw happened in here, it just so happened that a white person did donate to an african-american. let's hear from jordan, what he had to say after he donated his kidney to elizabeth. >> they say it's better to give than to receive. it's true, and i feel very humbled and honored to be able to do this. i know we'll have lots of reunions coming up. it's amazing what they can do. >> so, again, that was jordan brough who donated. and here are the seven donors. here are the seven recipients, and they didn't end up getting a kidney from the person they brought in, but they ended up getting it from someone else. >> well, obviously a pretty amazing day for the recipients. but does anyone have any concerns about this kind of arrangement? >> you know, kyra, there are some concerns. whenever someone donates a

kidney, you have to ask are they donating of their own free will. whether they are donating to a stranger or to somebody they know. and hospitals like georgetown do have psychological reviews and they make sure that these donors understand the risk of the surgery and understand that they're going to spend the rest of their life with one kidney. but some people wonder even if you're careful, might there still be some coercion for -- to get someone to donate a kidney. >> senior medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen, thanks. >> thanks. well, americans appear split over president obama's proposal to change the health care system. our new cnn/opinion research poll show 50% favor the president's plan. 45% oppose. the survey showed the plan most popular among younger americans. least popular among seniors. only 3 in 10 americans think the president's proposals will help their families. 44% feel that they won't benefit, but other families will be helped. 1 in 5 say no one will be helped. we want to know about what you think about the second 100

days of the obama administration. you can cast your vote now at cnn.com/reportcard. then get the results on cnn's "national report card" special tomorrow night, 8:00 eastern, only on cnn. and saying no to the cash for clunkers deal would be like throwing for up to $4,500 out the window. that's for those trading in the clunkers. for dealers it's a different matter. waffling on about this' that. gecko vo: i mean, i am easy on the eyes - but don't let that take away from how geico's always there for 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. based on the deal they get. others buy the car of their dreams. during the lexus golden opportunity sales event,

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majority leader, marharry r, fired off a warning to colleagues, pass the cash for clunkers quickly or you might miss your vacation. the senate plan wa add money to the program, the same amount already approved by the house

for 300,000 cars and trucks have already been bought under that deal and demand is said to be surging. not everybody is sold on the program. >> we're going to make this decision for all of our dealerships, to stop the program as of tonight, until we hear further word that the senate is going to improve this thing. no, i'm not happy about it at all. >> one key republican predicting the program will be extended. minority leader senator, mitch mcconnell, summed it up this way, the matter will be completed. what's your opinion of the cash for clunkers offer from the obama administration. send your question to mail to the chief at cnn.com or twitter us at twitter.com/kyra cnn. some other stories with you are pushing forward. do it yourself funerals, for more and more folks, a financial necessity. digging loved one's graves to building their coffins to

burying them at home. this mangled star spangled banner has some neighbors seeing red. it has been 40 years since the maen son family murders shocked the nation. will their appeals for paroles be granted?

we're looking back 40 years now to a crime spree that shocked the nation because of it's brutality, carried out by charles manson and his followers, known as the family. cnn's ted rowlands has more on the manson family and their efforts to get paroled. >> reporter: they shocked the world, young, good-looking american kids in their 20s laughing about butchering their innocent victims. the manson killers are now in their 60s, tex watson, leslie van how ten, patricia kred

krenwinckle. some took part in all five of the murders. they came to this house about ten miles away, where they tortured and killed a couple. >> i stood in the hallway and i looked into a blank room that was like aden. i stood there until tex turned me around and handed me a knife and he said, do something. i went back in the bedroom and miss labianca was laying on the floor on her stomach and i stabbed her numerous times in the back. >> she was with them during the murders, holding down 8 1/2 month pregnant sharon tate as she pleaded for her and her child's life.

how manson convinced his flock to kill and torture without remorse baffled the world? manson family members say it was a combination of charisma, drugs and his knack for recruiting the right group of followers. >> we were like little birds with our mouths open to feed us. he would be saying the things we had been thinking. we thought he had an in to our thoughts and heart. >> reporter: they say they left broken homes. watson would turn out to be manson's right-hand man. the faces have gotten older. the courthouse smiles and giggles replaced with pleas for forgiveness. >> i'm appalled that i could even have been following something like that.

i feel terrible about it. i can't change it no matter what i do. >> i am very remorseful for that. >> reporter: first sentenced to death, the maen snson killers w given life sentences. charles manson remains in prison and has, over the years, attended his parole hearings. susan atkins has terminal brain cancer. last year, her request for compassionate release was denied. krenwinkle and watson are not expected to have a hearing until 2010. 40 years later, all four claim they are remorseful. the family of sharon tait don't

believe any of them deserve the mercy that sharon and her unborn child never saw. if presidential visits boost local economies, elkhart, indiana should be on easy street. president obama just paid his fourth visit there in 16 months. he came twice and carried the state. no democrat had done that since 1964. after taking office, he made elkhart his first visit outside the capital. he came back today. the president said more than $2 billion in stimulus money will help fuel electric vehicle projects in 25 states including indiana. >> the battle for america's future will be fought and won in places like elkhart, detroit, goshen, pittsburgh, south bend, in cities and towns across indiana and across the midwest

and the country that have been the backbone of america. it will be won by making places like elkhart what they once were and can be again, centers of innovation and entrepreneurship and ingenuity and opportunity. >> numerous folks hit hard by the recession, you might not consider this group. families confronting the high cost of a funeral. the average cost for the services of a funeral home is about $6,000. but there is a far cheaper alternative that's growing in popularity now. do-it-yourself funerals at home. they can cost as little as $250. you may recall the story we told of melvin stuart of louisiana after his 15-year-old son died of cancer. he dug his son's own grave just to save a few hundred dollars on funeral costs. >> everything was moving fast. i am digging this hole knowing that my son will go in this ground.

no, that ain't no pretty picture. >> that story broke our heart. whether you are trying to save money or not, why do a funeral home? those that have done it, point to the personal aspects, preparing the loved one for buriel, saying final good-byes, building the coffin and not having to go to the funeral home. joshua joins us, from the nonprofit watchdog group consumers funerals alliance. zi many looking at cutting funeral costs. you were giving us some numbers with regard to the casket, embalming, limousine and visitation. you kind of assume these are the things you need to do and this is the price that you pay but, actually, you were saying that embalming, i with is a huge chung of money is a myth. you don't necessarily need to do it. >> absolutely. this is what i like to call mortuary mythology, what most of us think we know but we are

usually wrong with. embalming is not required by law. some require if it isn't buried or refrigerated within a certain time. some states don't. most people don't know they have specific legal rights as funeral shoppers that are given to them by the federal trade commission's funeral rule. it is a purchase that we only deal with once or twice in our lifetime. >> you are talking about the ftc rights. that's what i wanted to ask you about. is that irere a code of ethics there. a funeral home will charge you almost $1,300. at wholesale, it is only $325. the casket retailer is $625. i don't think a lot of people realize how cheap these actually are. >> no, they don't. caskets have traditionally been one of the highest markup items at the funeral home. many of the service fees are starting to outstrip that.

if people want to have a dignified funerals that fits their taste and budget, the best thing to do is to plan ahead and shop around. almost everyone says they used a funeral home because it was the one they used before because it was physically close to their home. if you don't call, three, four, five, funeral homes ahead of time, you don't have any idea whether the funeral home you have been using is reasonably priced or has been taking you to the cleaners. funeral homes must give you price quotes over the phone. number two, they have to give you printed, itemized price lists at the very beginning of any funeral discussion. number three, they have to let you pick and choose only the goods and services you want. if you want a burial with an open casket viewing or without that and with a closed casket service, that's your option too. they have to allow you to bring your own casket or one that you bought from a third party retailer. this is very, very important.

a lot of people think that they have to buy the merchandise at the funeral home. not true. >> it is so hard. when you lose someone you love, the last thing you want to think about is all this stuff. people take advantage of you. you brought up an interesting point about don't pre-pay for the funeral. i think you have to do some sort of pre-pay. let's get down to an interesting part of this story. that is, home burials. that's what caught our attention in addition to all the numbers here. you are actually seeing more people doing home burials for two reasons, not only the bad economy but people are wanting to make this a little more personal. tell me about both and how they are leading to this popularity right now. >> sure. i usually use the term home funeral. home burial means you bury the person on your own property, which is an option in some cases. a home funeral is when the family acts as their own funeral directors, everything from filing the death certificate to caring for the body, having a wake at home, transporting the

loved one to the cream torey or the cemetery. traditionally, long before we had commercial mortuaries, people cared for their own dead as a matter of course. it is something we have forgotten about. a lot of people don't realize in most states, it is perfectly legal. most people who have asked us about home funerals in the past or told us about them said they have done so to make it a personal, family-centered event rather than turning their loved one over to strangers. we have been hearing more from people who are considering taking on some or all of the funeral aspects themselves who might not have done so in better economic times. >> you have a great website, funerals.org. i encourage everyone to go on line and check it out. no matter how much you spend or how little, it doesn't say how much you love somebody. that's for sure. >> absolutely. we say in this business, it

doesn't matter whether you spend $1 or $10,000 on a final sendoff, it doesn't make you love or miss that person any more or less and the things that really count can't be measured on how much money we spend on the funeral. pick something that fits your taste and your budget and whether that's a home funeral or something else, that's what's most important. >> joshua slocum, thanks for your time. >> thank you. >> appreciate you. >> i appreciate you. a link to the funeral, consumers alliance website, where joshua works is going to be on our blog, cnn.com/kyra. president obama is not the only one hitting the road to talk recovery. vice president biden and three cabinet members are holding events in four states. biden is actually in detroit. >> for michigan to recover and for our nation to recover, we have to build on detroit's rich past. i am not saying that because i am here. i am saying that because it is true. we also need to have a vision,

vision of what can be a richer, better future. then, we need to invest in that vision. >> ahead in our energy fix, poppy harlow shows us how detroit is banking on batteries. that's later this hour right here in the "cnn newsroom." ladies and gentlemen, please help me in welcoming home laura ling and euna lee. [ applause ] >> after four plus months of hell, a moment of pure joy. euna lee and laura ling arrested in north korea while on assignment for current tv, sentenced to years of hard labor for illegal entry. their home in california, near hours after former president

clinton paid a surprise visit to pyongyang to win their freedom and in an airport hangar in burbank. current tv found der, al gore and everyone who worked, and prayed for their release. >> it is what kept us going in the darkest of hours. it is what sustained our faith that we would come home. the past 140 days have been the most difficult, heart-wrenching times of our lives. we are very grateful that we were granted amnesty by the government of north korea and we are so happy to be home. >> we want to welcome laura and euna home. we want to thank president bill clinton for undertaking this mission and performing it so skillfully and all the members of his team who played key roles in this.

also, to president obama, laura mentioned this, president obama and countless members of his administration have been deeply involved in this humanitarian effort to secretary clinton and the members of the state department, several of whom are here. they have really put their hearts in this. it speaks well of our country. >> this signals a breakthrough in north korean relations, a kinder, gentler kim jong-il? i don't know if we can say those words. i guess we can only hope? >> a kind der, gentler, kim jong-il. let's not forget the fact that he did get something out of all of this too, right? it was the north koreans after all that said they wanted former u.s. president, bill clinton, to come to pyongyang and help negotiate the release of these

two journalists. they got what they wanted. kim jong-il also got a boost in stature with those photos of him side by side meeting with former president bill clinton. you know, is this a kinder, gently kim jong-il? it is interesting to note eve nn the characterizations of how this meeting went, north korea and the u.s. cannot agree. state-run media said that the former president apologized to kim jong-il saying that mr. clinton, quote, expressed words of sincere apology. the problem is, that's not what the white house says. it's not what secretary of state clinton said happened at all. the white house emphatically denying there was any kind of apology. kyra? >> what's the next move for the obama administration? >> reporter: what they are going to do is debrief the former president, clinton. we don't know when that will happen or where it might take place. members of the president's national security team are going to be doing that. they are going to be very

interested in seeing what the health of kim jong-il really was. there has been a lot of questions about that and the succession process in north korea as well. they are also very much interested in finding out whether or not the nuclear issue came up. the u.s. obviously does not want to see nuclear weapons in the korean peninsula. they say, look, they are obviously trying to get all of these answers. we tried asking robert gibbs, the white house press secretary, did this come up. he said, there just hasn't been enough time for our national security folks to really get with the former president to get that kind of information but, obviously, this will be a window into what has been a very difficult country to try and get any solid intelligence on. kyra? >> elaine, thanks. we want to know what you think about the second 100 days of oat obama administration. cast your vote this hour.

then, get the results tomorrow night at 8:00 eastern. cash for clunkers facing a make or break deadline. will the senate approve an extension to the program? what do you think about it. transportation secretary, ray lahood, will be along to answer some of your questions. a great. let us recycle your older vehicle and you could qualify for an additional $3500 or $4500 cash back on a new, more fuel-efficient chevy. your chevy dealer has more eligible models to choose from. more than ford, toyota, or honda. now get an '09 cobalt for under fifteen-five after all offers. and get it for even less if you qualify for cash for clunkers program. go to chevy.com for details. shopping online can help save. doing it with bank of america can help save a lot more. up to 20% cash back from over 300 online retailers with our add it up program.

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time is running out for the cash for clunkers program. if the senate doesn't vote on a $2 million extension by friday, the money now available runs dry. senate majority leader, harry reid, warned colleagues if they don't vote by friday, he may keep them in session until they do. that would mean they would miss at least part of their august vacation. ask your questions. joining us live, transportation secretary, ray lahood and chief business correspondent, ali velshi. mr. secretary, let's start with you. as you can imagine, we have a

lot of questions for you today. this was a very popular program as soon as it began. doug johnson said, cash for clunkers is nice for people with old cars. how does this not just cost the rest of us billions to buy the new cars? >> well, look at. the program was truly designed to get gas-guzzling cars off the road and to get feel into more fuel efficient automobiles and to be a life line for the automobile industry. both of those goals have been accomplished. the lion's shares of the cars being bought, the average miles are 25 miles a gallon and the older one thars bei older ones that are being traded in are ones that get much better mileage. those goals have been met. the program has accomplished what congress wanted.

>> rigsomeone asked with shoem r people that have no way to get a jb, how does the administration justify destroying all those cars? >> scrap yards are very, very happy. their business has been hurt dramatically. they haven't had the kind of cards being toed in there. it is a boon tore scrap yards and their ability to sell off parts. part of the economic recovery, 95% of the americans got a tax cut. this program was designed to get gas-guzzlers off the road, more fuel efficient cars and help people in the automobile industry continue to have jobs. that part has worked very well. >> ali, you got a thought? >> mr. secretary, good to talk to you. as a program, it has worked very effectively. it has actually had a better than expected result in pushing up fuel efficiency of the cars that are being bought. it is even working, as you say, as a stimulus program.

ford says it sold more in a month than over two years. here is the problem. this is having it held up in the senate. how do we pay for this? it's remarkably successful as a program. some of us were doubters. how will it be paid for? whose money is this that pay force this money that gets given to people who trade the clunkers in? >> the house passed a bill with well over 300 votes, a huge vote, by transferring money from the energy portion of the economic recovery. they transferred $2 billion from the energy portion over to this program. that's what we are asking the senate. i believe the senate will do that, which will be an identical bill that the president can sign. the money is being transferred from a bill that's already been passed by congress as a part of economic recovery. >> here is a good question. broken, you have to love that name, is running out of money an indication of a successor failure? mr. secretary? >> a huge success. over $700 million has been spent

on the program. almost 200,000 new automobiles, fuel-efficient automobiles that average 25 miles per gallon and the lion's share of vehicles being traded in are chux atruck and suvs. it helps many segments of our economy. >> here is somebody with a specific. allison wants to know why is it that your registration and insurance have to be current for the 12 months prior to turning the car in? we are inel vibl figible becausd an insurance lapse temporarily after i lost my hours at work. this polity prohibits some people from taking advantage of the program and for what? >> there are very few guidelines for this program. you have to show ownership so you don't have people bringing in cars off the street or something or where there is a lein against it and they don't own it.

you have to show proof of insurance. you have to have insurance on these automobiles. there aren't that many requirements. there is not that much paperwork here. >> let me ask you, why 12 months? that's kind of a long time. >> it's not a long time. i mean, if you haven't owneded a car for 12 months, it makes you kind of wonder who owned the car before and how you were able to purchase it. it was one of the metrics that was put in there by congress. it is not that big of a deal, really. if we sold -- look at. if we sold over 200,000 cars, it means 200,000 sellers have been able to verify three or four different things. >> we are trying to avoid a new market to buy scrap cars and turn them in and get purchase off a new car. you are trying to avoid it becoming a new business for people, am i right? >> yes, that's right. >> i want to ask you one other thing, mr. secretary. you know, we saw greater gain if

fuel efficiency when gasoline hit $3.55 a gallon than $4 a gallon. the spike in gas did more for energy conservation than anything congress had done in a quarter of a century. it makes you think that the low-hanging fruit seems to be working better in terms of saving energy and gasoline than complicated legislation? >> well, this legislation is not complicated. i don't know if that's what you were implying. >> yes. >> this is pretty simple. you take your car in. if you get 18 miles a gallon or less, you get $3,500 or $4,5 hundred. most of the cars get better than 18 miles per gallon. we know the average that's being sold of the over 200,000 cars that are being sold are averaging about 25 miles a gallon. this is a win/win for americans. it really is. >> that's what this one sweeter is asking. what is cash for clunkers going

to do for the economy? is it a long-term plan or just a short-term boost? can we really afford it? >> it has helped a lot of car salesman, mechanics and automobile dealers keep their doors open. it has helped americans buy cars. it has helped the car manufacturers. it has helped the american worker who makes the cars. this has helped an enormous number of people around our country keep their jobs, hold on to their jobs and in many instances, come back to work. in the instance of car dealers who have to call salesmen back to work. >> secretary, ray lahood. ali velshi, thanks, guys. good conversation. >> pleasure, kyra. >> thank you. >> appreciate it. sonia sotomayor is one day and one vote closer to a seat on the nation's highest court. they are heading towards a confirmation vote. for all the opposition coming from republicans in florida base, the nominees adding to her comfortable lead.

republican kit baum is the sevens in his party to break ranks and announce he will vote to confirm. >> there has been no significant finding against her, no public uprising againster had. i do not believe that the constitution tells me that i should refuse to support her merely because i disagree with her on some cases. i will support her. i will be proud for her, the community she represents and the american dream she shows is possible. i will cast my vote in favor of the nomination of judge sotomayor and i urge my colleagues to do the same. >> assuming no major surprises, sotomayor will be the 111th supreme court justice and the first hispanic. drawing out in the blue grass where sunny skies are welcome after flooding rain, chad myers tracking it for us.

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extreme weather and a tail of two countries, actually. our canadian neighbors have been dealing with wildfires in british columbia, the latest being this one, a 13 square mile blaze 100 miles northeast of vancouver.

they would love to see the six inches of rain that fell within an hour tuesday in and around louisville, kentucky. thanks for getting that video to us. >> it's an improving forecast for the blue grass. other parts of the south under severe weather still, chad? >> you are in the clear with rain for right now. that's not going to be the case for the rest of the southeast. we have showers already popping up here all the way from raleigh, you will see a couple showers to the south of you, wilmington, almost to charlotte and then columbia. this is where the focus will be. i don't believe we are going to get storms that sit in one place like louisville as we saw inches

and inches of rain come down. temperatures across parts of the upper part of the midwest in the 80s today. beautiful day, minneapolis. some parts of summer coming into the northeast. i do expect we will see -- a bug just flew by. it may pop through a cap, sometimes in the atmosphere. the clouds try to go there. it says, nope, we are too hot. you can't go up here and it comes back down and you get a couple of clouds. we will see if these get taller and become cumulonimbus. >> taking me back to grade school. a man who pleaded guilty to

raping a 4-year-old may not walk out of prison next month. we are talking about the rapist daughter and the attorney general who says he may have new cases against him to keep him off the streets.

new developments in an oklahoma rape case of a 4-year-old that drew national outrage. in june, david harold earl pleaded guilty to brutally raping a 4-year-old little girl. a judge accepted his plea deal. it created controversy so strong that a state lawmaker actually wanted the judge kicked off the bench. n now, earls is scheduled to walk out of jail next month. the little 4-year-old girl was too unstable to testify in court, they say. justice is apparently not finished with david harold earlies. his daughter and another woman

have come forward saying he sexually abused them too. so now, oklahoma attorney general, drew edmonson is convenienting a grand jury to investigate possibly new cases against earls. denise joins me live from tulsa. the fact that your father could get out in september, how does that make you feel? >> that outrages me. i don't understand why he got such a light sentence. i was, once again, so disgusted and disappointed. i am hoping that heel not get out. >> do you think he would rape again? >> absolutely. there is no doubt e has gotten away with this. there are others. absolutely. there is no doubt in my mind. >> drew, this is scary as hell.

this man could be back on the streets in a month? >> we agree on that assessment. our office began looking at the transcripts and legal pleadings to determine whether or not there was any action to be taken. as a result of the plea bargain. our investigators set about to find whether there were other charges or allegations that had not been disposed of that could be brought to the attention of a grand jury. >> i understand investigation took you to three other states and you feel confident you could have more charges here. can you tell me about that? >> we did go to three different states and interviewed neighbors

and other relatives here in the state of oklahoma. we reinterviewed two little children involved in the original allegations. we are confident we have the information we can present to a grand jiury as to crimes and offenses not covered in the original plea. we agree this is a serial child molester and cannot be released from prison. we will present sufficient evidence to bring an indictment. >> i know this has not been easy at all to talk about your father raping you. i know you have a mission behind this. tell us what that is. it is to prevent him from doing this again. i am curious if it has helped you in your healing process in. >> yes, absolutely. i want to be a voice. i want young girls and women to

know, don't ever think that it is your fault. you go to your counsel or or teacher, you know, someone that you trust, you know and absolutely knowing that i can help one person by telling my story, then absolutely. i just want to heal anyone else that's gone through this. this is healing for me. >> the big part of this outrage was that the judge accepted earls plea agreement. members of congress, a lawmaker called for him to be fired and taken off the bench. is he in any way, shape, or form going to be involved in this case as it moves forward. >> the sentence was shocking to all of us. it was distressing to denise and to me. it was within the range that's allowed by law for this offense.

so neither the judge nor the district attorney cann be sanctioned by the law for entering this plea agreement. if we can correct it, we are going to do so. >> attorney general, drew edmondson, appreciate your time. denise earls, you stay strong. you are doing amazing things for the sake of our little girls. former boxing champ, vernon forrest, they have charged 20-year-old mario wear in his death. he went before a judge on charges of robbery, aggravated assault and murder and was ordered held without bond. police believe that forrest was shot to death in a botched robbery. at least two more suspects being sought, including the suspected triggerman. a grim development for those three americans arrested in iran. iranian lawmakers say they could be charged with spying.

a u.s. security official rejects that allegation. he says the three were merely backpackers who got lost and wondered off the unmarked border into iran. the iranians are saying very little about what happened next. also in iran, protesters shouted out their feelings, death to the dictator. the protesters still content the june election was rigged and demand ahmadinejad step down. his swearing-inceremony was boycotted by all three of the men that ran against him and moderate lawmakers. to them and those in the streets, ahmadinejad said this is his inaugural address. disrespect and interference and insults will not be tol rated. taking you live to allegany county, pennsylvania, police getting ready to hold a news

conference following last night's deadly shooting at a health club. four people were killed. identified is 48-year-old george soldini. he detailed his plan, an attack only targeting women. that happens live. we will take it and bring you an update. today, signs that it is really finally shifting into drive. 've helped millions of families buy or sell a home. through good times and bad, including five previous recessions, re/max agents have provided the kind of experience america relies on to get the job done. today, in the worst housing market most of us have ever seen, that experience is more important than ever. find out what re/max can do for you. nobody sells more real estate than re/max.

job losses and the auto industry have made michigan's unemployment rate the highest in the country. advanced battery technology could be the key to detroit's comeback and today, help is on the way. poppy harlow has our energy fix from new york. she is staying on top of the detroit, michigan story. close to her heart and ours. >> reporter: it is, kyra. there has been so much talk from governor granholm, we want to be the green energy corridor. billions of dollars are going

into detroit. that is welcome news for the state. today, the obama administration announcing $2.4 billion in grants for building these electric cars and the batteries that power them. the biggest portion is going to michigan, over $1 million split between 11 projects. just announced this afternoon. name the winner. they include gm, chrysler, and ford. a host of smaller, start ysh -u companies. >> the goal, to create jobs, well-paying jobs. it is expected that they will be able to create 19,000, not jobs flipping burgers. 19,000 high-paying, decent jobs with benefits that will allow you to be able to live the way

you live. >> good lifestyle for folks. michigan has already set aside $700 million in tax credits to bring companies in to build batteries and set up shop in the state and hire local people. >> the electric car is going to catch on but americans have to buy them. the chevy volt that we are all waiting for is going to be about $40,000. where do you charge these? you don't have outlets on every o corner, you can't charge them all in the garage? we are seeing a paradigm shift when you look at the cars people are buying. that evidence is coming in this week. 80% of the vehicles traded in are trucks and suvs. 60% of the vehicles purchased

are the list of the small, fuel efficient cars. we are asking people on facebook if they would buy an electric car. great news for detroit, we will take it, kyra. >> thanks so much. a new poll number shows that americans divided over president obama's health care proposals. the cnn research poll, 50% say they support the president's plan. 45% are opposed. 30% say their family would benefit. 44% say the proposals won't help them but will help other families. 20% say the plans won't help anymore. we want to know what you think about health care, the economy, the president's job performance? give them a grade. see the results on c in. n's national report card. a prime time special. cnn's abbi tatton joins me from washington to walk us through

it. the obama's administration second 100 days right here on cnn.com/report card. the question is, the obama's administration is handling the health care reform in this instance. say you wanted to give president obama a "b" on that -- >> we have to go live to pennsylvania. more on the news conference following last night's deadly shooting at a health club. >> we want to let the families know that the prayers of everyone in allegheny county and southwestern pennsylvania are with them for the recovery of the individuals that were injured. i am also going to ask everybody to keep efrp that was affected by this shooting in their prayers over the next couple days, weeks, and months. this is going to be a long recovery for a lot of people. i also want to recognize a few people that are with us here today. you are going to hear from a few of them and then we will open up for some questions. as you know, last night, i want to change charlie for doing a

great job. the superintendent of allegheny police, charlie moffatt is with me. pat is with the allegheny department of human services, deputy director, office of behavioral health. gary is with us today. he is going to say a few words before we open it up for some questions. i want to thank you for being here today. i know tough times for you. a few things i want to go over. they are continuing to investigate this tragedy. the medical examiner is conducting autopsies today. the crime lab is processing evidence from the crime scene,

as we speak. the county has arranged for counseling for anyone who has been affected by this tragedy and would like to speak for a trained professional. there is walk-incounseling available at shartier's mental health at 437 railroad street in bridgeville. there is a number you can call. 412-221-3302. also, resolve crisis network is also providing walk-incounseling. that number is 1-888-796-8226. anyone who is directly witnessed the shootings or the aftermath inside the fitness center, can contact the center for victims of violent crimes, 24 hours a

day. there number is 412-392-8582. there is a press release that is handed out that will give all the numbers of the department of human services. all the contact information is on that piece of paper. anyone affected by the shootings in that area. there are several different agencies that are standing by to help you get through this tragedy. i have asked charlie moffatt, the superintendent to come forward and give the most current details of what we know, of what's happened and where the situation is today. we are going to ask the township to say say few words on behalf of the local elected officials and then we will open up for any questions you have for charlie moffatt or the chief of police from collier or any one of us. at this point, i will ask

charlie moffatt to talk about the most recent information. charlie? >> good afternoon. i am sure most of you have the details we went over last night at the two news conferences. is there anybody that don't have it from the beginning or you want me to go back through the whole thing? i'm assuming everybody has that. the other additional information we can tell you at this time, there was four handguns he had on his person. as far as we can determine, he used three of the handguns, two 9 mim millimeter semi-automatic. we believe it is wa a 34 caliber he used to take his own life. he has been positively identified as george soldini. from every indication we have had from the investigation thus far, it indicates to us that -- it shows us that he had this

intent to do this harm to these individuals. he had no relationship with anybody in that club that we know of. he went in the club and just opened up firing and ultimately shot 12 people. we have a listing of all the victims and him on the same list. we will provide that list of names to you rather than me standing up there reading it off to you. it gives you the name of the victim, the three that are deceased and the others that were injured by gunshot wounds. we just got off the phone with mercy hospital. there were several taken to mercy. one of them has just been released. there are three other ones. their condition has been upgraded to serious. hopefully, there is no one else that we are aware of with life-threatening wounds at this time. as i told you last night, there was a note found on mr. soldini

when we processed the scene. that note has some ramblings on it. i can give you some of the information that was on it. he complains he has never spent a weekend with a girl. he has never vacationed with a girl. he never lived with a woman. he has maybe had sex a few times in his life. he goes on like this. according to the note, the second note that we discovered, he had practiced at the l.a. fitness center. he had been there before. he came in about 7:00 something in the evening. he goes back out and comes in at 7:56. from the time he came in to the

time he committed the murder, just a few minutes. he started shooting at people as they were in the same room he was in. he goes in the room, shuts off the light. he says this in one of his notes that we recovered from his house he had planned to shut off the lights although he was a member of the l.a. fitness. in our opinion, nobody was in that club that could have did anything to prevent him from committing this terrible act. he shot 36 times and had clips of ammunition.

he had two extra rounds -- two extra clips in his bag. that's about it. anybody have any questions? >> i do want to ask gary, the collier township manager, to say a few words. then, we will get to the questions. >> thank you. >> it's amazing. these very difficult times really do bring out the best in people. i initially want to start out by thanking the chief who contacted me upon his call on the situation and the way we responded as well as and the county that came involved. it is like a lightning flash. in less than a half hour, there were calls from france and germany. our commissioner showed up.

they asked what they could do. they wanted to be very helpful. anything that we would want them to do or the chief would ask them to do, they would be happy to do it. today, they are involved right now in the community talking to the people. they wanted me to extend an invitation to all the collier residents, anyone who may have a problem, who wants to discuss this further before they would go to professional help. they want to stop by the community building. i will be hair, open door, not a problem. be happy to talk and give them the information we have that i can confirm. again, finally, it's something that was as tragic as it was. it was handled very, very well. i couldn't be more appreciative of that. i want to thank all those people involved. >> questions. >> the firearms he had -- >> he did.

yes. [ inaudible question ] >> we turned the information over to our computer crimes task force which is an agency headed up by the fbi. they are in the process of looking at that to see if we can come up with anybody who may have saw these readings and if they did, why did they not contact somebody. pardon me? [ inaudible question ] >> i have no idea. a mental health expert would have to say that. he had a lot of hey treatred in was hell bsh bent on committing this act and nobody was going to stoop him. [ inaudible question ] >> i think it might have been

the one wall is all mirrors. maybe he thought that he could do this without looking in the mirror. it is hard to say what's in somebody's mind when they commit those acts. for him to go in there and just pull the guns and have that many guns on him when he goes in the place. they were registered. three of the guns had been traced to him so far. the other gun was recovered at the medical examiner's office and that's in the process of being traced as we speak. two nine millimeters, a 45-caliber revolver and a 32 caliber semi-automatic in his pocket. one was in his pocket. the other one. the other 9 millimeter he used to spray some of the people. the 45 caliber -- he committed suicide with the 45 caliber.

[ inaudible question ] >> yes. [ inaudible question ] >> we will check the tapes to make sure there was nothing on there. [ inaudible question ] >> no. the first 911 call was dispatched at 8:16. we are in the process of pulling the tapes to review what time they came in. [ inaudible question ] >> you mean 911 calls? >>. [ inaudible question ] >> yes. >> some of the workers. he know that for a fact. i am sure you know, when the women who were in the aerobics class, they come into the

classes. they throw their keys in the corner along with their cell phones. so they didn't really have them. i would assume most of them, the first thing they wanted to do was get out of there. they ran out of the doors. >> how long -- >> he went in three times, 11:00 something in the morning. they don't have to check out when they check in. he went back in approximately 7:40. then, he checks back in at 7:56. we are thinking in between 6:40 and 7:56, he makes this call on his cell phone. we know it was made at 7:45. so we're assuming he went outside to make that call and went out and back in at 7:56. the police were dispatched at -- hello, everybody. i'm rick sanchez. we are going to be staying with this