been flying from wales to wexford was disappearing under his feet. thanks to the relatively calm conditions, the winchman was able to pluck him from the wreckage. the pilot escaped with a few scratches to his head. if the rowers hadn't seen the crash, it could have been a very different story. [ inaudible ] the rowers' hopes of making the round-britain record have now been dashed, but they say they didn't give it a second thought when it came to saving a man's life. phil ray smith, news at 10. and we are pushing forward now with the next hour of "cnn newsroom." it is -- >> they put us together. >> -- go time. >> this is trouble. see you, pal. see you on the courts today. >> yes. pushing forward on record

foreclosures, actually, reap poe, bank auctions, defaults through the roof even while the recession seems to be bottoming out. if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the town halls. we're all over them in a make-or-break month for health care reform in america. if someone were looking for a place to get away with murder in north carolina, edgecomb county's seven bridges road might -- >> a small town with a terrifying mystery. who is killing the prostitutes of rocky mount? we hit the mean streets and country roads for clues. 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 chad myers might disagree, but if you have a stake in the health care debate -- and all of us do -- this feels like the hottest august ever. today's hot spots are new jersey, oklahoma, kansas, wisconsin, and oregon.

all sites of town halls with local members of congress. the jersey forum is just getting started with democratic congressman steve rothman front and there in secaucus. and it gets hot and heavy, you'll definitely see it live. we're keeping an ear on the white house briefing due to start in ten minutes. the president returns to the town hall stage tomorrow in montana. now, ali velshi has been on the road all week long holding his own version of the town hall meeting listening to what people are saying about health care reform and he's not running for office. not trying to keep his seat. he's just in search of real people with real concerns. ali's found his way to sedalia, missouri, not too far from kansas city. ali, from your perspective in talking to folks on the road trip, how effective are these town halls? what do you think? >> reporter: well, everybody's heard of them or seen them. it has been the talk of the week. in fact, we've been talking to people about the economy all week generally, but somehow every conversation makes its way back to health care. and i think people have been

influenced by them in some fashion because they've heard things being said. they've heard people talking about the government lying or the fact that it will be government control or they won't have choices about their doctors. or their health care. there's definitely been -- there have been things that have been picked up from these town hall meetings. now, when i don't talk about the town hall meetings and i just ask people what they think of health care reform, what they'd like from their health care, what questions they have, it sort of narrows down into a few categories. people are concerned, number one, about cost. what's it going to cost me? number two, they're going to be concerned about the quality of health care. what will the government option do to the quality of health care across the board? and number three, the big one is choice. people are worried that some sort of government involvement or intervention is going to result in people not being able to choose their doctor or their health care provider, their hospital or their procedure. the reality is that a lot of people can't choose those things who are insured. but that's a lot of the concern that i'm hearing. people would like better explanations about what this health care program or these proposals are and less about what they're not, and those fears.

that's the sort of feedback i'm getting. but, again, one of the things that's very interesting about these impromptu town hall meetings and these conversations i'm having with americans, kyra, is that everybody's receptive to the conversation. disagreements take place on our camera, right in front of me. they're civil. they're not yelling. people want to discuss this. and they want that discussion to be thorough. >> well, ali, you're right there in my home turf and the place to get real people and the real discussions are the county fairs. >> reporter: that's right. >> what's the highlight so far? have you tooled around? >> reporter: well, i've had several corn dogs. and i am sort of deciding on my next piece of -- right over there, there's nobody there, but under the blue-and-white tent, there's a pig race going on and then there's another shed over there that you might be able to see, it says polish sausage, but on the side it said extra large breaded tenderloin. as i was watching the sign, a cow walked by, and i thought, there we are, we are in missouri. missouri. >> there you go. missouri. candy crowley and i will be very

proud of you. now, wait a minute, i can't see you when you do that. can you lift the brim? it sort of loses the light on your face. >> reporter: you like that better? >> it's perfect either way. >> reporter: i get in trouble from the bosses whenever i wear this hat. >> well, you do love getting in trouble. >> reporter: but for you? it's worth it. >> anything. i'll hook you up with my relatives, then you'll definitely get in trouble. see you again soon, ali. >> reporter: excellent. you may have heard talk of an economic rebound or the recession on its way out. well, 360,000 u.s. households don't want to hear that. that's how many foreclosure filings actually went out in the month of july, and it's yet another record. the online marketer realtytrac puts the exact number at 360,149, that's up 7% from june, and 32% from july of '08. on average, 1 in every 355 american homes is in some sort of stage of default. now, we want to show you

another website. this is actually cnn.com. we have been able to put together a map of the united states, where it actually tells you what the foreclosure rate is -- actually, this the unemployment rate. let's see if we can get over to foreclosures. here we go. you can look at unemployment and jobs by industry and also foreclosures. and you basically click on to the state. washington there, for example, in july of 2009. foreclosure rates 0.196%. filings, 1,370. nevada is the worst. the filings 19,535. to texas, you got about 12 -- a little more than 12,000. then you come over into areas that haven't been hit so bad like new -- let's see, i think it was vermont. yeah, vermont there, foreclosure filings, 11 at this point. but it's a pretty good map where it just lays out from state to state the rate of the foreclosures, how many so you're able to check and see what the status is, how it's gone up and

down during these hard economic times here in the u.s. once again, that's on cnn.com. now, just imagine losing your home? that's bad enough, right? well, alina cho actually takes us on a story where we meet a young couple where not only did they use their home, but they might even face jail time. she explains. >> reporter: hey, kyra, this is something that frankly surprised a lot of us around here. people whose homes have gone into foreclosure are finding out months, even years, later that the very banks that seized their homes are walking away from them. it's leaving the homeowner confused and, worse, stuck with thousands of dollars in bills. when deleon and valley sharp found that the bank was taking possession of their home after they defaulted on their mortgage, they thought it was the worst day of their lives. they were wrong. >> we could spend 45 days in jail over this housing issue. >> reporter: does that seem ridiculous to you? >> it does to me, because we don't own the house. >> reporter: they do own it. in november of 2006 the judge

agreed the sharps' home was the bank's property and should be sold at auction. the couple moved out. but a year later they learned that bank of america never followed through on the foreclosure. in a statement b of a told cnn the bank has not foreclosed on the property, and the customer still holds the title. the sharps are shocked, and the practice is perfectly legal. >> a number of the foreclosed properties have very little value left in them by the time they're reaching the foreclosure process. and if it's going to be more expensive to follow the foreclosure all the way through and take the property, they just won't do it. >> reporter: it's happening in cities across america. banks walking away from so-called toxic titles. the sharps are facing thousands in fines from the city of buffalo, new york, for property violations and unpaid taxes. that's on top of the thousands they've already paid in court fees. daniel benning works as a housing court mediator. he calls the vacant homes vulnerable targets.

>> these are attractive to persons of criminal intent. >> reporter: because they're empty. >> they're empty. the bank refuses to allow anyone to move in, but they refuse to do anything to the property, as you can see. and it affects not only this property, but the properties next to them. >> reporter: the city of buffalo even filed a lawsuit, alleging 37 banks that walked away from foreclosed homes are responsible for the city's loss in property tax revenue and an increase in police and fire costs. as for the sharps -- >> when you look and you find that something you thought was gone is still there, okay, now it's -- what's next? >> reporter: well, what is next? >> we have no idea. >> no idea. >> we have no idea. >> as i mentioned, this is happening across america. but hardest hit, result belt cities like detroit and flint, michigan, and buffalo, and cleveland, ohio. places that have older housing stock with declining value, so the banks essentially don't think it's worth their while,

kyra, to pay all of the fees that come with foreclosing on a home, so they are simply walking away, kyra? >> alina cho, thanks so much. well, it's big and bad and out of control. high winds have tripled the size of a wildfire raging in california's santa cruz mountains. it's posing a major threat to the town now of bonny doon. about 600 people have been ordered to get out, and this is why. check out the smoke and the flames. about 2,300 acres have already burned and 50 homes and other buildings are being threatened. no word on what sparked that blaze which fema is calling a major natural disaster now. no word on when firefighters might bring this monster, i guess, fire under control, right, chad? >> yeah. and, you know, it's very topographic there. let me get you to a google earth map. and the topography, the up and down of this area is rugged. going to need air support to get this under control today. and the good news, it's sunny outside. we don't have a marine layer in. it's not very windy today, so i

believe we will be able to get. but i want you to just notice. watch up in here. watch when this map spins. look at the mountainous area here. there you go. this is the topography. there's a big valley, there's a big valley right here. i'll rotate it around and notice the canyon here. another canyon right through there. so, it's very difficult for the firefighters to get down into the canyons to stop the small little fires. and then all of a sudden you start running a fire up a hill, and it really is like turning a match and turning it upside down. it starts to burn even faster. fires burn slower up a hill like taking a match and turn it right side up, it will burn slower than upside down. and the fuel is up the hill and it goes up the hill to it. the only good news really the winds are not bad. there's san francisco and oakland. 8 miles per hour. out near fresno, 7 miles per hour. i think i can even get you santa cruz. san jose that's a pretty good gust, 5, 6, 8, i thought i saw a double-digit gust there, but maybe not.

we're still talking 5 or 10 miles per hour. so, the helicopters and planes can fly. they will get it under control today, i believe. it's not a santa ana event, not going to see winds 30, 40, 50 miles an hour. it's not that kind of day today. but your fire line is getting quite big, kyra. >> we'll keep checking in, chad, thanks. the tent filled with homeless people, not the digs for a big politician. but sacramento's mayor called this place home for a time. he'll be live with an update. we've got a town hall meeting this hour in secaucus, new jersey, and if we see fireworks, you will. but that night at the bowling alley... where's alice? oh, there she is! she seems a little confused. that's when i knew... i couldn't wait. our doctor told us prescription aricept... is the only treatment proven effective... for all stages of alzheimer's.

studies showed aricept slows the progression of symptoms. it improves cognition... and slows the decline of overall function. aricept is well tolerated but not for everyone. people at risk for stomach ulcers... or who take certain other medicines... should tell their doctors... because serious stomach problems... such as bleeding, may get worse. some people may experience fainting. some people may have nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bruising, or not sleep well. some people may have muscle cramps... or loss of appetite or may feel tired. in studies, these were usually mild and temporary. we really love this place. talk to your doctor about alzheimer's treatments... including aricept. don't wait. alzheimer's isn't waiting. they say imports always get the best mileage. well, do they know this malibu offers an epa estimated 33 mpg highway? they never heard that. which is better than a comparable toyota camry or honda accord? they're stunned. they can't believe it. they need a minute.

i had a feeling they would. there's never been more reasons to look at chevy. oh, yeah. two bosom buddies vamping it up in an ad. mild by today's standards, but i tell you, germans are just scandalized. they've never seen this view, or this side, of the chance lore before. reading about washington these days... i gotta ask,

what's in it for me? i'm not looking for a bailout, just a good paying job. that's why i like this clean energy idea. now that works for our whole family. for the kids, a better environment. for my wife, who commutes, no more gettin' jerked around on gas prices... and for me, well, it wouldn't be so bad if this breadwinner brought home a little more bread. repower america. i hope our senators are listening. another piece of camelot lost. thousands of peel are saying good-bye to eunice kennedy shriver at the public wake.

the kennedy matriarch is being remembered for her human touch. she founded the special olympics and it's helped to change the way people view people with disabilities. she died tuesday. she was 88 years old. it's a journey 18 years in the making. the remains of navy captain michael scott speicher headed home to florida today for burial. the pilot was shot down on the first night of the first gulf war in 1991. he was listed as killed in action, even though his body was never found. ten years later, his status was changed to missing in action. then 11 days ago, the pentagon confirmed that bones found in the iraqi desert had been positively i.d.'d. his casket will stay at a chapel on base overnight, and then tomorrow, hometown honors. people expected to line the streets as his funeral

procession passes important places within his life. among them, his family church and his old high school. u.s. and afghan forces are in the heat of the battle right now, and taliban militants are battling back. southern afghanistan, about 500 marines and afghan soldiers trying to wrest control of the strategic town from the toll ban. they are also fighting 120-degree heat as they try to bolster security ahead of next week's presidential election. this is the first time that nato troops have entered the town which the taliban has controlled for years. from afghanistan to gaza and all over the muslim world, if you really want to understand what's going on there, you can watch christiane amanpour's "generation islam" tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern. we'll give you a peek at actually summertime in gaza, but for the 700,000 kids living there, there's not much to do. they can go to summer camp, but as you're about to see, it's a long way from campfires and canoe rides. >> reporter: the hamas government runs religious and

recreational camps for more than 100,000 children. the boys participating in this one call it boy scouts. but it's more like boot camp. 12-year-old mohammed is honing his skills, without boy scouts, he says, there wouldn't be much to do. >> translator: we'd be bored, not having fun at all, and hate our lives. we'd be sitting at home, reading the koran. >> reporter: mohammed and many of the other boys here lost friends during the war. this may be a welcome release for him. but even at this young age, he's absorbing a message. >> translator: we come to the camp to have fun. and train for boy scouts so we can build up our bodies, have power, so we'll be able to fight the israelis. >> reporter: the camp leader insists that they're not

teaching violence. but in war torn gaza, they are teaching self-defense. >> translator: we are trying to change their perspective from one that is vicious or war related. to one that encourages them to be kids, to play. >> reporter: when they are older, he says, they can then join the fight for a palestinian homeland. >> translator: after you grow up, you can be recruited to liberate the land. >> reporter: when we asked the boys what they wanted to be when they grow up, not surprisingly, they all said the same thing. >> translator: i want to be a defender of the country. >> translator: i want to be a policeman and defend the country. >> translator: someone who is disciplined and a defender of my country. >> well, again, if you really want to understand what's going within the muslim world, watch christiane amanpour's special, "generation islam" tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern only on cnn.

lockerbie, scotland, a jet airliner blown out of the sky. more than 20 years later old wounds are being reopened. the one person who is paying for the crime might get out of prison.

august is a make-or-break month for health care reform in the u.s., and we're also looking at how other nations stack up. you've probably heard people say your body is a temple. well, in thailand, preventive medicine is taken to the people -- taken to people at places of worship. dan rivers has this report for us. >> reporter: in thailand, the buddhist temple was traditionally at the center of all aspects of life, including health. so, it's natural that even today, some temples house health clinics which ensure the elderly and the poor who can't get to hospitals still get looked after. it's mainly staffed by volunteers, who work about 20 hours a week. this volunteer says they can reach people in places where doctors and nurses can't, and help volunteers bring a personal touch. thailand's health system is not as good as europe's, but it's not bad for a developing

country. a universal health care system was introduced in 2001. this is a tv ad promoting the scheme. it provides those with low incomes with free basic health care paid from general taxation, but that only covers the very minimum. spending is capped for certain treatment, and critics say there are long waiting lists where not all drugs are available. the volunteer system complements the basic safety net of universal health care, the very poorest get volunteers coming right to their homes to check on the elderly and infirm. >> there are 987,000 poor here in thailand, nearly 1 million. this is the biggest in the world, i think. >> reporter: the great thing about this volunteer system is that it brings preventive health care right into the heart of the community, and the kind of thing they do is testing for diabetes and cholesterol and so on. so, i'm going to volunteer

myself for a quick cholesterol test. she is going to -- ow! test me cholesterol. you think my cholesterol level's okay? okay. and my blood sugar's okay? not going to die? yet. volunteers encourage patients to keep fit and give free advice. information on everything from malaria to breast cancer, pregnancy to diabetes. >> translator: it is much better we all can be taken care of, and we don't have to get crammed in the hospital. i can come here instead. it is me in my home. >> reporter: doctors are also available twice a week here at the temple. those who are part of the universal coverage plan can get free consultations, and some of the medicine is free, too. he says "health volunteers are an important mechanism in the public health care system. they take care of people in their area, and they also

support disease prevention." >> hello. >> reporter: thailand has some of the best private hospitals in the world, attracting medical tourists who come here for elective surgery. but this five-star luxury is beyond the reach of most thais. the vast majority of the people here are poor and live in remote rural areas. for them, universal coverage and the volunteer system is their only option, and many are grateful to have any help at all. dan rivers, cnn, thailand. so, are we so bad off in the u.s. that living in a tent is a decent option? we're going to ask the sacramento mayor, who spent some quality time in that tent city. plus, we're waiting for the white house briefing to begin. we're monitoring that to update you on any major developments, specifically focusing on health care. so what do you think?

i think i'll go with the basic package. good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. well, living in a tent, it sounds like an awful and sad fate, but a california mayor says it might be a viable, short-term option. as a matter of fact, sacramento mayor, kevin johnson, spent part of the night at a tent city just

like this one on the outskirts of his town. long term he wants permanent housing for homeless people, and in a couple of months his city will get millions of dollars in stimulus money. but for right now? let's go right to the source, kevin johnson joining me live from sacramento. can you really call a tent city a viable, short-term option for people? >> well, our ultimate goal in sacramento is permanent housing. we want to be a model city when it comes to dealing with our homeless population. however, there's always going to be a small group of people who do not want to go into shelters or permanent housing, and we as a city have an obligation to make sure that no one lives in third world conditions. there's a group of people right now that are living illegally along the river. and a viable option perhaps can be is something we call safe ground, where it's temporary housing that people who stay there will be there for a period of time, and then secondly, it's about empowering them. us understanding what their issues are and getting them into permanent housing, which is the

ultimate solution. >> and tell me what you learned. did anything surprise you as you mingled with folks there? and also, you know, a lot of people stereotype homeless people, oh, they're vietnam vets or there are people with drug issues, alcohol issues, and i understand there was quite a diversity of people in the tent city. >> kyra, you're exactly right. there's a new face of homelessness. there are people and families who lost their home or their jobs and are down on their luck. it is the new face of homelessly, numb one, the people living along the river illegally, they have more of a sense of community than most american families. they make sure that they look after each other. they want to make sure that their grounds are governed properly, they're cleaned, they're sanitized to the best that they can do. and what touched me more than anything, they took their food stamps, went to the grocery store, and bought groceries where they were able to cook a hamburger, buns, ketchup,

arizona iced tea, to feed me when i was out there that particular night and that was really heartwarming. >> okay, that just totally made my heart sink. my producer actually told me that right before i came up here and i wanted to ask you if, indeed, that really did happen. they're looking to you for help. you just realized that these are good people who obviously want to do something within this bad economy, so can they count on you? i mean, there you were with them. you've talked about using stimulus money to modernize shelters. do you think that's truly a good investment? because a lot of people would say, no, take that stimulus money and put it into infrastructure that's going to create jobs immediately. >> well, i think when we think about the stimulus and the obama administration has shifted a focus from spending dollars on just shelters, going toward permanent housing, so our ultimate goal is permanent housing. but i want the people that live along the river in sacramento, to know that the mayor of the city of sacramento is going to be a huge advocate for their

needs. my campaign slogan was a city that works for everyone. and that was really what the homeless population in mind. and certainly this has been a dirty little secret that our city has not wanted to talk about. we've kind of swept under the rug. it's existed for at least ten years or longer, and i think we have an excellent opportunity to win this war on homelessness. the people out there, they want dignity. they want respect. they want nothing more than the rest of america wants, and i think they're certainly entitled to that. >> well, they're sure counting on you. and i'm glad you actually got some time to go out there and really get to know these people face to face, people like the young woman sitting next to you. i know that she wasn't living in this tent city, but she's been staying at the st. john's shelter there in your area, stacy rukeer. and, stacy, i guess, first of all, what do you think about the mayor's effort? i mean, you are dealing with this right now. you've got five kids. you're homeless. do you think this will make a difference? >> i think that a difference can be made, yes.

i don't think that everybody knows about these programs out there. and just getting the word out would help quite a bit of people around the homeless people -- >> sure. i mean, and you can see that that's happening. i mean, what he did is obviously received a lot of press. it caught our attention. now, for you personally, what happened? tell me how you and the kids ended up being in this situation. >> i was a loan officer for a mortgage company. a week after i gave birth, i was laid off. i went to go to apply for unemployment. and where i worked, they told unemployment that i had quit, and so i wasn't eligible for unemployment. i lost my apartment. i stayed two nights in my car, and i called st. john's, got on their wait list. they told me it would be two to three weeks. they called me two days later and i got into st. john's june 3rd. and i've been working the program. and it's looking really good for

permanent housing. we applied at quite a few places for me. and i'm hoping to get into the save work apartments. >> well, that, i mean, it's great to just hear that you've had the -- well, you've received help. you're focused. and we were telling you about this segment that we have here on cnn called "30 second pitch." and basically as we meet people like you and find out their stories, we want to give them a chance just to at least give a resume on the air. and see if there's any types of hits that could help you. now, i know you used to have an e-mail, but you don't anymore. but we did create one for you, and i know we've talked with you about how to access that through the public library system. so, are you ready to give your "30 second pitch"? >> i sure am. >> okay. i love it. all right. stac

staceyrooker@ia ya.com. >> i have experience with restaurants and i did do child care for about five years. i'm looking for more of an office position, maybe administration. i'm available 40-plus hours a week. my pay is negotiable. >> there you go, full-time availability. and you know what, you've got six more seconds. anything you want to add besides the fact that you're showing a lot of courage coming on and doing this, stacey? any other thoughts? >> i'm reliable. >> yeah, i heard you were. the mayor, too, let us know what happened, stacey, want to follow-up with you. and, mayor, interesting effort that you have made. we haven't seen this type of move boy a politician in quite some time. keep us updated on your efforts, please, because we'd really like to see what happens, not only with stacey but those within the tent city, too, that really touched your heart. >> thank you for the exposure and thank you for giving a voice to those who are homeless. >> well, i appreciate you both.

thank you. we'll take you live to the white house now, listening in to robert gibbs. apparently talking about a number of issues, taking questions from reporters. trying to talk more about health care at this point. >> -- if you ask straight up, here's health care reform, here's what it is, what it costs were the number was 58/38, something like that. >> theoretically, what you say you're pushing, but they're not with the president. >> but go ahead. >> the polls are not where you wanted them to be, would you quibble with that? >> with those questions, i would not quibble with that. we're just stuck on word polling. >> why not? why aren't they working? >> why do i not agree? >> no. if the president is pushing for something that the american people when you poll independently support -- >> right. >> -- why are they not with the president? >> i think part of it is some of these misconceptions. i don't doubt that. i do think people have questions. the president isn't out doing town hall meetings just for his health, i mean, he wants to -- i

think he understands the need to address concerns or misconceptions out there. i think, again, i think the president, whether it's the nbc poll, certainly other polling will demonstrate that people want to see health care reform this year. they want to see legislation that cuts costs. they want to see legislation that provides accessibility of coverage, that has insurance reforms, and that's what the president will continue to talk about. >> the fact that the american people are not with the president right now, does that indicate that this pushback, whether it's the viral e-mail you guys sent out today or the reality check website you set up or whatever, does it indicate that your pushback is late? >> i don't think so. again, i -- largely because your

question was based on polling. the polling is a snapshot in time. it's -- the debate continues, and we'll see whether numbers move or change as a result of the continuing debate. >> doesn't the fact that you've started pushing back indicate that you realize that the initiative is in trouble? >> well, one of the reasons we've pushed back is because of those misconceptions. some of those misconceptions contributed to the poll numbers? i don't doubt that. but at the same time, i mean, there's a little cause and effect here, but we're not going to stop pushing back on the misconceptions, whether or not the polling shows one thing or another. the president, again, strongly believes that, and has for years, that it's -- it's better

to address what people's concerns are and take them on head-on. >> i just have one more question, i'm sorry. the pharma deal. there's been some confusion, i think, about what exactly the white house has agreed to with big pharma, what they've not agreed to. can you clarify what it is exactly the white house signed off on, whether or not you feel that the senate finance committee and senator baucus were up front with you guys about what he agreed to? and also do you think this was done, whatever deal this was, was this done that was done within the transparency that then candidate obama promised? >> we had a deal -- let me take the last part of that. i think a question a few days ago, something similar to this, which was, we discussed bringing people to the table. we discussed making sure that stakeholders that are involved in health care are part of an agreement. look, you can't -- you're not going to get health care legislation without involving

the hospitals, without involving those that provide medications, without talking to groups that represent doctors or patients or seniors, nurses, what have you. and we've talked a little bit about the pharma deal, you know, the finance committee and pharma agreed to $80 billion in cost savings, part of which goes to fill the doughnut hole for seniors as part of medicare part "b," which i think we all know is at a certain point coverage -- coverage for the purchase of those drugs stops until you basically reach a catastrophic level, and the coverage kicks back in. then some of the -- some of that additional savings would be used for health care.

>> but the question is what the white house agreed to, bypassing most members of congress. did you agree to impose importation of drugs? did you agree to oppose rebates in medicaid part "b"? did you oppose a repeal of noninterference and oppose the reopening of medicare part "b"? i just want you to know that some lobbyists are saying the white house has agreed to. >> yeah, and i think the same article that denotes that has denials from both pharma and us on that. >> but pharma said -- pharma said that the deal was $8 billion, that's it. no more. they can't give any more. yet, the president said that maybe you could get more. >> well, maybe you could get more savings as a result of health care reform. i do not believe that the president meant we could take an $80 billion agreement and make it $95 billion. i've been fairly clear on that from here. i think as a result of the change in health care, you can see health care costs and drug

costs driven down. that's not to say we were reopening this. >> so, just to be clear, you're denying that the administration agreed to any of those things that i just listed. >> i'm denying that the -- i'm reissuing the denial that i think is in the story that you're referring to our behalf and on pharma's behalf. yes, sir? >> robert, what is the president hearing from lawmakers out in the field from these town halls? is there a sense of frustration? do they feel like they're getting through to the public? in these town halls. >> well, i don't know that the president -- i don't -- i don't have a list of -- i haven't seen a list of calls that he's made recently. i know staff have talked to a number of -- of offices. i hate to break it to you. i don't think all the town halls are as you're seeing them on tv. >> so, tell us what the town halls are like, then.

what kind of feedback are they getting that the journalists -- >> i think people are getting the feedback that they're having very good discussions about what's in the legislation, what people would like to see, what options they want to have, why they think it's important. i said this yesterday. i'll say this again. i -- while i appreciate that you-all have decided that every town hall meeting ends in pushing, shoving and yelling, i don't think many of -- well, i don't know how many town halls you-all have been to. they're not completely indicative of what's going on in america. >> do you have a list, robert, of maybe some lawmakers who -- i mean, obviously -- >> i don't have it with me, but i certainly can. >> do you have a broader span of emergency of lawmakers -- >> i don't have as many reporters as "the new york times." >> but you're obviously

collecting information to say we don't have a representative sample. >> i can maybe direct you to attend a couple, since we sort of had this conversation yesterday. i don't know what your plans are next week. >> my plans are to travel with the president this weekend. >> excellent. save you a seat. >> -- something that he wants to tackle on 2010, but until then, what is taking mace in preparation for really jumping into this next year? >> well, look, i think the president discussed in mexico a more formal legislatively timetable, understanding, though, that that does not mean that work doesn't continue. i think you've seen secretary napolitano work on aspects of comprehensive immigration ref m reform. she will continue to do that and meet with stakeholders. and discuss along different

border communities the challenges and the opportunities and what has to be done in order to make comprehensive immigration reform possible. >> and are there any groups that are being brought in to sort of help shape whatever it is that will eventually -- >> i think there will be some meetings soon on all of that, yes. yes, sir? >> step back a minute on the pharma deal. are we to believe that pharma didn't get anything for their agreement on the $80 billion? they did not get anything in return from the white house, any pledges, promises, winks, nods, whatever? are we to believe that nothing was promised? >> again, i simply was responding to what the question was about a memo that i think both sides -- >> forget the memo a minute. can you answer that question? can you answer that question? were they -- can you say for sure they were promised nothing in return? >> i can assure you that we've come to an agreement to seek some savings from -- from the pharmaceutical industry as part

of comprehensive health care. >> at what point are you going to release, then, the facts of the deal with them and with the hospitals and with the couple of these stakeholders that have come here? maybe pledges and you guys have -- >> i think some of this will be written into legislation that we'll see going through congress relatively soon. >> should we -- why not release it now? why not say what it is? >> again, as i said yesterday, some of that agreement -- some of those agreements are up on the finance committee website. >> speaking of the finance committee, chuck grassley was at a town hall yesterday, and he brought up the issue of living wills. has the white house reached out to him and -- >> not that i -- >> -- asked him why he chose to do this? do his comments at all jeopardize -- in your mind jeopardize the bipartisanship that you're trying to put together? >> well, not -- >> did you see his comments? >> well, i watched your newscast. >> what is your reaction to his

comments? >> i would have him talk to senator mruczkowski, who said just in case -- i didn't see it. it wasn't on your newscast, but it does us no good to incite fear in people by saying that there's these end-of-life provisions, these death panels. quite honestly, i'm so offended at that terminology because it absolutely isn't in the bill. there's no reason to gin up fear in the american public by saying things that are not included in the bill. that, i think, would be my -- i'd paraphrase that response. >> what would you want to say to senator grassley? >> again, that's what senator mruczkowski said. >> does it in your mind jeopardize the bipartisanship now? >> no. i think we're continuing to -- obviously the president is continuing to talk to lawmakers and hope that this finance committee can come to some agreement. >> besides the town hall tomorrow, what else is he doing in montana? anything recreationally that you been --

>> hopefully he will be enjoying big sky country, but i don't have any announcements. >> hiking, fishing? >> i don't have any announcements on that today. >> any coverage? >> probably not. >> that would be more -- whatever it is -- >> at least i can lean on that side of it, yeah. >> whatever it is, we will see it, is that what you're saying? >> robert, i was going to follow-up on what chuck was saying about senator grassley. he's the top senator on the finance committee. the president has talked to him. the president wants a bipartisan bill. and yet senator grassley said no public plan option, no way, no how, he won't vote for a bill on it. and later to clarify the death -- >> the death panel. >> the death panel, sorry. people have a right to be afraid of it. can you still count seriously chuck grassley as an ally in

getting this passed? >> i think there is a chance of getting bipartisan agreement on a piece of legislation that can pass the senate, yes. >> does senator senator grassle >> senator grassley, indy and snow are the three republican senators involved in this. we, again, will hope to quell the misconceptions that are apparently held even by some in the senate about what the bill is and what the bill isn't. but we'll continue to hope that they can make progress. whether or not it happens, i don't know. >> it seems to be playing a role with the white house. >> well, i guess we will see about that. >> robert, senator grassley did yesterday specifically ask the

white house would the president say he is willing to sign a bill that doesn't have a public option. is that something the president is willing to say? >> the president is willing -- the president is willing and wants to sign a bill that has adequate choice and competition for those that enter the private insurance market. understand, again, the concept of this option was to provide exactly that. an option in an otherwise closed, private insurance market, that in some areas in different parts of the country that are dominated, might be dominated by only a couple or in some instances, only one insurance company that's offering the ability for coverage on a private insurance market. the option of an additional plan is to simply provide some choice in competition to a group of

people that can only get insurance that way, because their employer doesn't provide it, they don't work or what have you. >> so you are saying there needs to be a public option? >> i am saying there needs to be a mechanism that appropriately ins stuts choice in competition in a private insurance market that is normally or can be at times very narrow and closed in order for those concepts people's ability to impact quality health insurance. >> do you know if the president has ever consulted on health care with ezekiel emmanuel? >> i think he has talked to the staff and others about health care. i have not been in every health care meeting. >> you mentioned that back to

pharma, you mentioned some would be written in the senate finance? again, that's the panel if you are talking about getting different cost savings on the senate side. >> is he not binding on all of congress? >> that depends on what comes out of the senate and what's agreed to in a conference committee. >> is it binding on the senate finance? >> this is the agreement they entered into. >> yes. >> robert, a couple of things on public option. it wasn't listed in the e-mail that david axlerod sent out

defining principal goals tore health care reform. i didn't see a public option. was that an oversight or was that -- >> i would have to go back and reread. >> are there other parties that take a higher for the president than a public option? >> let me be clear. i thought i was a moment ago but ile take another whack at it. this is an option that provides choice and competition in an otherwise narrow or closed insurance market. that's the president's goal. is to ensure that if you didn't get your health insurance through your employer, didn't have those type of options, that you would have something that might compete with the only game in town. i think that's in the agreement, choice and competition. >> speaking of the e-mail, how was the list for who would receive it determined? >> i believe it is for people that have signed up to receive e-mail updates from the white house. >> the reason i ask is i have

received e-mails from people who did not in any, way, shape, or form seek any communication, who have never registered on the web base, who have never -- >> hold on. >> let me finish my question. >> let's be fair. i am going to give you a chance to finish your question. you have done this a couple times and i want to be very clear. whether obama for america or organizing for america has nothing to do with or never has anything to do with if you sign up through white house.gov to receive e-mails. i want you to rephrase your question that doesn't continue to assume that somebody is violating the law. >> people have never, ever signed up for anything related to this white house, senator obama as a candidate or anything and have received e-mails from david axlerod. how could that be? >> i would have to look at who you said got the e-mail.

>> other pieces of information identifying who might be curious about health care outside of people who have asked for e-mails? >> i am sorry. say that again. >> do you in any way seek data bases or information about people that might be interested? >> i will certainly check. i am not under that impression. >> they would like to know how they got an e-mail from the white house when they have never asked for one? >> i would be interested in seeing who you got that e-mail from and whether or not they are on the list. let me finish. again, i want to be very clear. >> would you tell me if i need to give you these people's e-mail so you can check them on a list. i'm just asking. >> you are asking me if they are on a list. maybe you have a different way of checking without asking me to double check the names. >> they are telling me they can't be on a list because they never asked for an e-mail from the white house. >> what i am saying is, i would have to look and see.

>> you don't have an explanation for how someone who never signed up or asked for an e-mail from the white house would get an e-mail from david axlerod. >> i can't give you an answer because you might impun the motives of the answer. >> why do you say that? >> because of the way you phrased your follow-up. i would have to look at what you have got, major. i appreciate the fact that i have omnipotent clarity as to what you have received in your e-mail box today. >> i am telling you what i got. e-mails from people that say they never asked anything about the white house receiving something. >> let me go to something else that might be constructive. >> i have questions on the town hall. senator grassley saying the finance committee dropped end of life provisions from consideration entirely because of the way they could be misinterpreted and implemented incorrectly. i'm wondering, would the president support a bill that does not have these end-of-life

provisions in them? >> i have not asked him about that. i don't know the answer. >> in other words, is this something that he feels strongly about, that it is necessary? >> i would have to talk to him specifically about that. >> secondly, you talked a little bit yesterday about the town hall and how people sign up for them. i am wondering if you could give us a little bit more information. i'm curious how many people do try to get in. how far in advance do you put a sign-up list up on the website? how does it work if i was a citizen and wanted to come to a town hall? >> obviously, the size is determined by the venue an the capacity with which the venue can fill. >> how far in advance do you advertise? >> i don't know how far in advance the portsmouth one was. i know a lot is done through the local media outlets and the local paper that sends you to a website to sign up for. >> and does the white house find out that there are many, many more people wanting to go that

can get in? >> sure, always. >> and it is random. >> it was for new hampshire. >> is it that way always? >> different sign-ups for different pom layinpulations. that was the way it was done in new hampshire. >> is that the way it will be done this weekend. >> i'll admit i don't have clarity on how it is done this weekend. >> can we sign up? >> can you give us clarity how the montana works by the end of this? >> yes. >> first one on israel and one on afghanistan. the majority of senators and a larger amount of congressmen are pressuring the air rob countries -- >> we will continue to monitor the white house briefing there with robert gibbs. as you can see, it is not just town hall forums across the u.s. but the white house briefing getting a little heated with

reporters and the president. we will follow it. we will bring you morement health care and jobs, two closely tied issues of critical inimportance. we are pushing forward on both. this means conversations and sometimes confrontations. today's town hall stretch from new jersey and oregon. first-time claims for benefits are up again. economists expected a drop. our ali velshi is on a listening tour of the heartland today at the missouri state fair. br brianna keilar, tell us about mike ross and where he fits into the reform debate? >> reporter: well, we are here where a round table should be getting underway in the next hour. we are on the border of texas and arkansas. a lot of the folks who work here use this hospital and are in

mike ross's arkansas district. he is a blue dog democrat, the head of the blue dog democrat. he was key in that news making deal that happened right before the house of representatives left to go to their home district. he stood up to house democratic leaders and said, wait a second. i, along with some other blue dog democrats, are not going to let you go ahead and move this health care reform bill out of this key committee, unless we get some of the things we are demanding. a couple things we got, shaving $100 million off the price tag and the big one, delaying a vote by the full house until after recess. that is why all of these members of the house of representatives are going back to their home districts and getting an earful as we are expecting mike ross will get here in the next couple of days, kyra. >> you have been talking to people there. what do they think about mike ross and health care reform? >> it's a really interesting question to ask here because it is such a politically

interesting area. it is pretty conservative but party affiliation takes a back seat here. in the 2008 election, 58% of the voters in this district voted for john mccain and yet mike ross, a democrat, ran unopposed by 86% of the vote. there is mixed reviews. i spoke with a couple of people who said they consider mike ross to be a fence sitter. i spoke with someone who said, he is certainly stuck between a rock and a hard place. that certainly is the case. we are waiting to see what happens today at this round table. tomorrow, he has also got a town hall meeting. we are expecting somewhere in the neighborhood of 900 people to be at that town hall meeting tomorrow. >> let's turn it over to ali velshi. he is working his way through missouri and talking health care reform and the economy. no politicians, no shouting, just real people. town hall style. i guess you could say ali style. are you having fun?

>> reporter: i am. i switched hat and i got this one that says, put some cheese on it. on the back, it says, i love cheese. >> all right and you have sampled, i understand, the corn dogs. so you are making your way to all the important parts of the m missouri fair. >> reporter: we are having a great time. unlike the town hall meeting, people aren't coming here specifically to talk about health care. this is a largely agricultural fair. a lot of fun and food. we are corralling people every now and then. they are very willing to talk to us. we are getting people together in little groups and we are having great conversation. i have to say, it is the same as everywhere we have been in the u.s. since we started. georgia, tennessee, kentucky, illinois and now into missouri. there is disagreement. we are not finding people who are on one side of this issue. the disagreement i'm

encountering is civil, understanding, respectful. some people are very, very fearful of what appears to be a government option or what some people are calling a government takeover. they are fearful about the way this will impact their costs for health care, the quality of health care that they get and the options they have in terms of choosing their doctor or their health care provider. on the other side, there are people we are meeting who are unemployed and are concerned about their own payments of health care and they need some help. in the middle are business owners. they feel they might be mandated for health care workers. >> they are worried in a tough economic time where we might be seeing the end of this recession that this might force them over the edge. this might force some small businesses into bankruptcy. kyra. >> when you are talking about the new initial jobless numbers out for this week, they are up by 4,000 from last week. what are folks saying to you about the job losses and the recession? it looks like you've got a

mixture of reaction. >> yeah. you know, a lot of people have been telling me when i've asked them about whether they think we are at the end of this recession. 57 economists saying that the recession is over. the federal reserve saying it has bottomed out. when i talk to people about that, most people refer to jobs as the number one concern. how can we be coming out of a recession when we know we will continue to lose jobs for some time. some people also obviously sight the value of their homes that have come down and they don't think their home values are increasing very quickly. others are saying, at least the stock market is increasing. back in october of 2007, they feel it will be several years before they recover those. jobs are the top of people's list of concerns. they feel that until we start generating jobs, why would people be spending again, especially since so many people and small businesses are still having trouble getting credits from the banks. >> where are you headed to next? do you know?

i am kind of thinking about some food. i am thinking that four corn dogs in a day is inappropriate. i am trying to think about what else i am going to eat. were you asking me in larger terms where the cnn express is going? >> if you have had four corn dogs, i know where you will be going in two minutes. >> only three, crossing into four. four corn dogs is gluttonous. >> scotty wants to know about the funnel cake. >> that might be a nice chaser to a corn dog. in terms of where we are going next, the cnn express is going to take off in a few hours and headed for kansas city. >> get some good beef there. we will see you soon, ali. if you want more unemployment benefits, there is something you need to know. one group says there are some crazy rules, worse to deal with if you are trying to get the 20-week extension. i mentioned health care and

jobs closely related. here is why. 7 of the 20 fastest growing occupations are in medicine. can't stand the sight of blood, no problem. health administration is considered virtually recession proof, medical records management and pharmacy management. demand will only go up if tens of millions of uninsured americans suddenly get access to health care. don't forget, you have access to job opportunities in all sorts of fields any time you click on cnn.com/jobs. 2,300 acres burned. zero% containment. check out these pictures of a big bad wild fire raging out of control in the town of bonny doon. hundreds of firefighters are battling that flame trying to keep it from burning 250 homes and other buildings. no word on what sparked the flames. more disturbing, no word on when firefighters might get control of those flames, right, chad? >> right, except they will have

air support today. they don't believe the winds like we are seeing now, 7, 8, 9, 11 miles per hour around the region will be enough to keep the fire grounded. the fire there, north of santa cruz and the winds are blowing from a northwesterly direction out into the ocean. that also could help not make all the smoke in the valley so that the pilots can't see where they are dropping their fire. we do have something to show you, a satellite that looks down at the surface of the earth. when it finds a hot spot, a fire spot, it will show you on the map where those are. >> here is bonny doon right there, davenport right there. the whole system, from bonny doon seeing all the hotspots to the east of pcs, pacific coast highway. we are seeing a couple more not that far from davenport. we are seeing two separate names for the fire, the bonny doon

fire or the lockheed fire because there are a couple of lockheed martin plants out there. this is the same area that had a 1,500 acre blaze last year in the same zone. we were looking at some of the maps saying some of this land has already been torched and there is not that much vegetation left. this has been in a major drought for so very long. whether we are northern, california or southern, california, the entire state needs water. that's never in the forecast for august. >> it's tough. we will keep track of it, chad. more from the "cnn newsroom" straight ahead. (announcer) illness doesn't care where you live... ...or if you're already sick... ...or if you lose your job. your health insurance shouldn't either. so let's fix health care.

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you may have heard talk of an economic rebound. 360,000 u.s. households don't want to hear it. that's how many foreclosures went out in the month of july. the online market ter, realty track, puts the exact number at 360,149. that's up 7% from june and 32% from july of 2008. on average, one in every 355 american homes is in some stage of default. the recession is squeezing college students, squeezing some right out of the classroom, actually. cnn's sandra endo has today's money and main street report. we will take a look at that in just a second. on cnn tonight, 8:00 eastern, you can see more on our series

"money & main street" tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern. we have it for you now. let's roll it. >> reporter: sophomore zakia williams found a perfect fit at spellman college. when the tough economy hit her and her family hard, she packed her bags ready to drop out. >> i wasn't able to get loans. neither were my parents. >> reporter: it's a familiar story at colleges across the country but especially at historically black colleges and universities where in some cases up to 95% of students rely on financial aid to fund their education. president barack obama has moved to increase financial aid with stimulus and budget funds. still, many black colleges expect enrollment rates to keep shrinking as families and students struggle in the economic downturn. >> many students want to come. will they be able to afford to come? >> reporter: since 2004, $238 million of federal funding was earmarked for historically black colleges.

in the last two years, those institutions also benefited from an extra $85 million each year under the college cost reduction act which ends in may of 2010. so those institutions may feel the squeeze even more. >> we are underresourced. we try to keep our costs as little as possible. that means that our margins are always very tithe. >> reporter: in the atlanta area alone, more house college laid off 25 professors. bellman is eliminating jobs next year. the white house budget office says president obama's budget calls for a 5% increase in permanent funding for historically black colleges. >> we are saying you are moving in the right direction. unfortunately, in these tough times, not far enough. >> reporter: for zakia williams, a scholarship came through at the last minute. she says the struggle to stay at a historically black college was

worth it. >> i was completely relieved and now i am focusing on my studies. >> on cnn tonight at 8:00 eastern, you can sea more of our series "money & main street." that's our series tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern. you know, it makes me feel pretty good. we're offering a solution for a customer that maybe has to choose between paying their credit card or putting food on the table. our main objective is to reach out to the customers that are falling behind on their payments. a lot of customers are proud and happy that bank of america actually has a solution to help them out. i listen. that's the first thing i do is i listen. you know what, what happened? what put you in this situation?

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558,000 americans filed first-time jobless benefits. what do you need to know? poppy harlow has our breakdown. >> reporter: it is one thing to lose your job and have a hassle getting these benefits. a lot of people i have been talking to have been facing it. here is what you need to know. you get 26 weeks to start off with if you file right away when you lose your job. how much you are going to get beyond that depends on how long you have worked, how much you were made before you were laid off. two extensions you will be eligible for. up to 79 weeks in michigan with the highest unemployment rate in the country. you will get 46 weeks max in utah. getting that final extension, what we are hearing, it can be very difficult. the national employment law projects telling us that about half the folks that should be

getting these benefits are not. one example, you are going to have to prove every week that you looked for three different jobs to qualify for these benefits. you can do that on line, over the phone. if you've got a claim that's different and needs some explaining, apparently, folks we talked to said it takes hours to get through to someone. the situation improving a little bit. the state has $500 million in the stimulus package, kyra, so they can staff up those offices. with rising unemployment, you need all the staff there you can get, right? it's tough. >> what else can delay or jeopardize the benefits? >> a woman wrote into it us and said she got laid off. she said, i was able to accept a much-lower paying job but by the time i paid the health insurance, the taxes, the gas to get to work, i was actually making less than i was on unemployment. now, i'm worried i will be kicked off unemployment when i left that job. she is right. legally, she shouldn't be getting unemployment. you need to know your previous

employer is notified. he can't get unemployment if you have been fired or quit your job. be aware of that. experts are saying, kyra, about 25% of every unemployment claims that are going in, they are challenged. so it's a big process. those are the things you need to know. every week, we get these numbers. if you are one of the people that's lost your job, you are lining up for those benefits, you need to know all of that. >> thanks. new details emerging in a shocking story that we first brought you. a young girl allegedly gang raped by four boyce at this phoenix apartment complex. her family blaming her for the crime. now, we are learning more about the main suspect. it is no the what we have heard before. :::::::::##

health care is more than just medicine and insurance. it is overcoming obstacles in matter the challenges. bethany has a story about people living healthy lives as part of our photo journalist series. >> reporter: i am trying to be a photographerer too. this idea we had played around with needed to be there in the community. what i would like to do first is a local warmup. my name is suzy. >> we are usually pretty proud of the product. all of the actors tend to learn a lot about helping each other out. >> i am an actress and director,

artistic director of up in circle theater. i was born with osteogenesis imperfect peck ta, also known as briltle bo bri brittle bone disease, 20,000 to 40,000 people in the country that have it. i am the fourth of four children. i was expected to do what everyone else was but according to my brother, not as many chores. i had to have rods put in my leg bones to act as an infrastructure under the bone. having a family that was able to deal with it helped a lot. having really great medical care helps a lot. i am retired on disability because i am too sick to work. now, i'm back on medicare through social security. i still have a limit on how much i can make. so i don't own any property, because i'm not allowed to. my car is also my parents' car. >> let's get in place.

>> if i start doing well, i get nervous, because i might lose my benefits. i believe that people with disabilities, you want them to be at all a useful part of the society, you need to have medical care that you don't have to worry about having. clearly if you want people in general to be a part of society, they need to have medical care. i never know what's going to come up with my body. you never know what's going to come up with your body either. i think theater is the thing that has kept me sane, so to speak and that has helped a lot and just being able to express myself and help other people express themselves is really important. >> home again after 18 years. the city of jacksonville, florida, preparing to embrace a fallen hero. ( siren blaring )

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millions of americans are looking for jobs. we are doing our part to help with a 30-second pitch. many of you have gotten in touch with us through our blog about being a part of it. we got a touching e-mail from nicole burns, a mom looking for work. she is pictured here holding her son, aiden. she says, i have literally applied for more than 1,500 jobs. i have a nine-month-old and as a mother, i feel useless because i can't find a job to buy my baby diapers. nicole joins me live from north carolina. >> hi, how are you? >> thanks for joining us. i was reading the fact that you have applied for 1,500 jobs. that's incredible to me that nothing hit. what did they tell you? what seemed to be the problem? >> most of the time, it was

either i was overqualified, underqualified and most of those i never even heard a response back. i didn't know if the position had been filled or if they even received my resumes. i never heard a response from them. >> what amazes me too as i'm looking at all your qualifications, you are fluent in spanish, working on arabic and chinese. you were an assistant teacher with autistic kids. you have all this incredible experience and you are telling me that nobody would even give you a nibble? >> right. that is absolutely correct. the problem here is winston-salem is that most of the places are on a hiring freeze. so it is pretty much impossible to even go in for an interview since nobody is hiring. >> this is what shocked me too. you went over to wake forrest university human resources and you just walked right in thinking, okay, it is human resources. i'm going to get an interview.

what happened? >> i went in and i was just looking around. i saw they had jobs posted on the board. i went up to the recessionist and said, okay, can i have a job, please? i basically asked, how do i apply for a job. she referred me to their employment website, which is standard. she says everybody has to put their resume on there and apply. i told her, is there any way i can get around that, can i speak to someone? she basically told me, no, you have to go on there and apply. he so i went on there and applied and i haven't heard anything yet. >> i am calling out wake forest university now. the fact that you went in there and said, hey, can you help me out, it would make sense that they would be thrilled to see you. i love your courage, nicole. >> thank you. >> you ready for your 30-second pitch. >> i am. >> here we go. we are going to start the clock. nicole, take it away. >> all right. i am currently pursuing my master's of science in higher education. i would prefer to work in a

college or university but i'm not going to be picky right now. i actually have a lot of i guess a high-work ethic. i am very professional and not to sound con seated but if you hire me, you would not be disappointed in the work that i do. you will be very impressed with my professionism. >> i think our sound man, otis, loves you, because he gave you ten extra seconds on the clock. he screwed it up. he was dazzled by your brilliance. anything you want to add? >> no, not really. it's just that i don't have a defeatist attitude. anyone out there looking, remember, there is always somebody out there who is in a worse position. so you should not give up. >> of course, we can't get over the pictures of you and aiden and the family. we have to show one more. the folks there at wake forest will see this absolutely adorable little boo-boo. con grat lation ons the baby.

>> your e-mail, nicole.monique@yahoo.com.

tracking these pictures from los angeles. apparently this red beetle was involved in a high-speed car chase. the lapd was able to get the car to pull over. they believe a man is inside of this car and you can't really tell due to this helicopter shot but police are telling us they believe there is a man in there. you can see that they have used the robot to come up close to the car as a safety precaution to take a look inside and see if possibly there are any weapons in that car or if there might be a threat toward authorities.

we are just following it right now. we don't have many details. we know he is in westwood in front of the federal building, a red beating. involved in a high-speed chase. police believe the man is still inside the car. they are using robotics to look inside and figure out what might be in the car, any weapons and if that man could be a danger to anybody around him. we will follow it for you. stunning new developments today in the alleged gang rape of an eight-year-old girl in arizona. we are going to get to them in a moment. first, here is what makes this story so shocking and why we can never forget it. police say that the girl, a liberian rev f liberian refugee was rape de repeatedly. her attackers, four boys, ages 10 to 14. the reason she was taken from her mom and dad may be the most

shocking aspect of this story. police say that her family blames her for the alleged gang rape. in the meantime, friends and family of the chief suspect say he should not be charged as an adult. >> he does not speak english very well. he does not understand english very well. he did not go to school. he started going to school when he came to the united states. so we deduce that he cannot really understand what is going on right now. so everything that is being said to him, he has no choice but just to accept it even though he did not understand. >> he did not understand is what the relative says there. well, now, we are hearing that the 14-year-old rape suspect did understand and maybe all too well. marissa win gait from our affiliate ktbk is in phoenix. she has been following this story. what have you learned? >> reporter: in the newly released police report, all four boys admit to taking part in the alleged rape. they knew what they were doing

and it was wrong and the girl was screaming and they all say they should be punished. investigators say one of the most important things about the report is that it verifies the young suspects understood what police were saying to them during the interviews, never indicating any sort of communication problems, even though they are liberian refugees. the boys described what happened inside the apartment shed using actual words for body parts and sexual acts. some of the boys blamed the others for luring them with guns to take part in the alleged rape. they described the victim as crying and telling them to stop but admitting they didn't listen. they asked a couple of the boys how he should be punished. one said he should go to juvenile. >> when you have a little girl that was raped and four suspects that are also young. they are able to talk about what they did. it's very disturbing to read it and hear it. i am sure it was difficult for the investigators, as they told

me, to go through it. there was physical evidence and medical evidence that corroborated all of this. >> reporter: the victim is with cps where she is expected to stay for several months. the liberian ambassador was in town. he met with her. he said she was crying and begging to come home to her family. he is advocating that that happen but not not before the family receives some serious counseling and some therapy. because, if you remember, we have video of the family blaming the young girl, saying it was her fault for hanging out with the boys in the first place, even denying that it happened. the liberian ambassador says that was just a case of miscommunication. they didn't understand what was being said. they speak a different die lekt in liberia. we are told it will be an uphill battle for the child to get back with the family. police have been out there three times before, once for child neglect, one for alleged child abuse. to get that child back, it will be an uphill battle. >> you bring up a really good point. that's what was so compelling about your piece.

when we first heard about this and we actually heard the mother deny that anything happen and then we heard the sister say it was her fault. let's just take a listen to that one more time. >> nothing not happen to i moo daughter. nobody not touch my daughter. >> she always brings trouble. she always bring trouble. when she comes i'm going to tell her don't ever do that again because all of us, we are in the same family, we are from the same plays. now, she's just bringing confusions among us. now the other people they don't want to see her. >> what do you know with regard to child protech sieve ver is with regard to a timeline. you mentioned that they are working with her and they want to make sure she goes back to i asafe environment. do we have any idea when cps could make that decision? >> we are told that will be several months and police say it will be hard for that to happen. they have at least three police reports where the child was

wondering around the apartment late at night alone. one time they said she got lost and one time allegedly begging for food. these are all issues that cps will have to look into. >> marissa wingait, thank you so much. liberia president condemned that crime and urged counseling for the girl's family. today, president johnson sirleaf is meeting with secretary of state, hillary clinton. no word on whether the case will come up. we will keep following this story. marrying for money isn't ideal but it isn't illegal. marrying for money and a u.s. citizenship, no good. they have just busted one of the biggest marriage schemes ever. the payoff, cash and drugs. >> the investigation is appropriately named, operation honeymoon is over. this investigation has served to

represent a strong effort towards dismantling from top to bottom an organization which arranged fraudulent marriages. >> i say that all the immigrants involved here were from russia and other parts of the former soviet union. this next story about someone being punished for trying to help illegal immigrants. he wasn't convicted of fraud. he was popped for littering. more now from sandy rasman from our affiliate of kboa. >> reporter: supporters applauded him as he left federal force. >> i am proud of the work that i did and i think that i'm happy to go out and pick up trash. >> reporter: he was convicted of doing what these volunteers are doing. he says, he will stay out of the buenos aires wildlife area like the judge ordered but he will leave water for illegal cross certificates in other place and he will appeal his conviction.

>> we are appealing because we don't think that walt committed any crime by putting out fresh just of human water. >> reporter: they asked the judge to fine him $5,000. they declined to discuss his punishment. the manager of the refuge did. with he hope it deters the others from doing the same thing again. we support and understand their humanitarian work and have sympathy for it but they have to do it within the law. we hope that they have finally gotten that message. >> reporter: both sides say they are committed to working together to find a way to deliver water to border crossers that doesn't litter the protected area with plastic jugs. in tucson, fanny rasman, cnn. what do you think about this one? shoot me a tweet and we will try to read some on the air in just a few minutes. this just in to cnn about that eighth terror suspect from

north carolina. this is number 8, the one investigators are looking for, the one they believe is in pakistan. they are hoping someone will see this picture of 20-year-old jude kenan mohammed and offer clues as to where he is. the other men are in custody and indicted of accusing to plot terrorism in a foreign country. the fight for afghanistan turning into a raging fire fight today. u.s. and afghan forces hitting hard at taliban militants. the militants hitting back. barbara starr takes us to the front line. >> reporter: up close with marines on the front line. part of operation eastern resolve two, the third major push this summer into the dangerous and lucrative center of afghanistan's drug trade. 400 u.s. marines and 100 afghan troops jumped taliban lines and

helicopters to take the town of dahana in helmand province, the first time u.s. troops have entered the strategic city. >> it is one of the key towns in the area. all the smaller towns depend on them. >> reporter: the marines are part of the 21,000 extra troops president obama ordered up earlier this year. their immediate mission, break the taliban's hold on the city and free residents to vote in next week's election. the taliban have called for a boycott and threatened to ruin the election, which the u.s. concedes is a challenge. >> holding an election in a wartime situation is always difficult but a gofvernment nees legitimacy. this election was called for under the constitution. >> reporter: in dahaneh, they

predict a few more days of intense fighting. for the marines, that means fighting the 120-degree temperatures and turning up the heat on the taliban. barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. afghanistan and beyond. if you want to really understand what's going on in the muslim world, wash "generation islam" tonight at 9:00 eastern. if you are hungry, one airline is hoping you will belly up to the buffet. you don't need to get a clean plate. makes you wonder. are we seeing a new standard here?

let's go over that deal for jetblue airline. $599 flat fee for one month and you can go anywhere that jetblue goes. 56 destinations. you have to buy the pass by august 21. you can book your trips up to three days before takeoff. the window for travel is september 8th to october 8th. stop right there. we don't want to make this a commercial for jetblue obviously. we do want to know what this deal is going to do to the airline industry. is this going to be a new model,

the airline version of unlimited local and long distance. peter greenberg is a travel expert. enlighten us. >> here is the problem. the airlines looking at their advanced bookings for september and october. it is day after labor day, september 8th. their bookings are dismal. that's every airline. at $600 with the airfares being as low as they are anyway, you would have to fly six or seven times to take advantage of the deal on jetblue. >> so really it is no the as good of a deal as you say it sounds like. >> well, it is no the a bad deal. you have to have the time to fly the flights, number one. number two, it is incremental revenue for the airline that was getting killed anyway because of nobody booking flights. i don't think a lot of airlines will match it.

the other business models like american, united and delta, they need money up front, in the front of the cabin. they are not getting that at all right now. so the last thing they want to do is offer unlimited deals where the business travelers would just jump on those. >> so do you think if other airlines thought, okay, let's do it like in europe. you can buy the train pass or the metro pass and, you know, go all over the place for a flat fee as many times as you want. let's say all the airlines kind of jumped in on this and started, you know, offering this deal, could it in any way, shape, or form help the industry or is it definitely a bad idea? >> it would end up with a lot fewer airlines. we define a successful airline these days by which can lose money longer. right now, this is one that sits out there as a defensive strategy to try to rise as many money as they can during a time where there is nobody booking flights anyway. i would be surprised if i saw other major, mainline carriers match this deal. >> final question.

let's say someone takes up on this andy sides we are going to go to places we have never been before and have a number of vacations and take advantage of this while we have it, could it mean any type of positive impact on local economy? >> oh, absolutely. years ago, eastern airlines had a deal for $800, you quo fly 21 days in the entire domestic eastern airlines system. i used to do it all the time. if you wanted to go from los angeles to san francisco, you still had to go via atlanta. those were the days. bottom line, why not? if people have the time, the flexibility in the month of september to do this, jump on it. >> while i have you, i'm going to take advantage of it. anything we should be looking at. i know i'm throwing this at you cold. anything travelwise we should pay attention to? >> one of the all-time great deals happening now is hawaii. even though there has been tremendous capacity cuts. they have lost two airlines in the last 12 months, ha and aloha. the deals are still there.

you are going to see a lot of bundling with airfare, hotel and in some cases, rental cars all thrown in at a very attractive price. it's the off season, because the kids are coming back to school. take advantage of it. >> our favorite travel expert, peter greenberg. thanks, peter. cash, clunk kers and criminals. the trade-in that backfired for one wanted man. ( car door closes ) ooooch! hot seat!

hot! hot! hot! time to check your air conditioning? come to meineke now and get a free ac system check. at meineke, you're always the driver. a journey 18 years in the making. live pictures where the remains of michael scott speicher will be arriving home any minute. the pilot was shot down on the first night of the first gulf war in 1991. he was listed as killed in action even though his body was never found. ten years later, his status was changed to missing in action. 11 days ago, the pentagon confirmed bones found in the iraqi desert had been positively

i.d. tomorrow, hundreds and hundreds of people are expected to line the street as his funeral procession passes important places in his life. his family church and his old high school among them and a private family burial. team shan chanchez working on tt hour of "newsroom." what you got there, rick? >> have you seen the video of sheila jackson lee? >> well, i have seen a lot of video of sheila jackson lee. what is this? >> well, we found some video. got that elvis hair. >> a hair cut might be nice. that would be one step in the right direction. >> sheila jackson lee is having a town hall meeting. she is sitting there talking on the phone. a person is asking her a question. this is like what seems like the beginning of this thing. believe it or not, we are watching her on the phone, right? there is a woman asking her a question about health care.

it seems on its face to be very -- well, yeah. thanks, angie. rude. i am trying to find the words. >> rude, awkward? >> it is not awkward. i tell this to my kids all the time, stop texting or get off the phone when your mother or father or an adult is talking to you. that's not something you want to do. at the very least, its improper telephone etiquette. >> what was the question? what's the full scoop? >> the question doesn't come into play. it was a fair question that was being asked of her of someone who wanted to know more about health care and was asking her a question about how much it is going to cost americans. rather than listen to the question, she was talking on the phone, which seems on its face to be inappropriate. now, she may have a perfectly good explanation for this, which is why we reached out to her and

she has been very nice in appearing on our show today at 3:45 to answer our questions. maybe she will be able to explain this very fairly. that's very nice of her to come on and explain this to us. a lot of other people want to know as well why she was on the phone. a lot of people are seeing it as a real problem for her and certainly not good politics. >> you make sure you keep paying attention to angie, your executive producer. >> i have 20 people in this room talking to me while i am talking to you. >> as long as you pay attention to angie. no proesh yur here. we will see you in a minute. >> all righty. cash for clunkers in the cleaning. a phoenix man went from the car lot to the jailhouse when he traded in his beat-up beamer. 23-year-old timothy kasida is suspected of hit and run, accused of killing a person on a bicycle last saturday. he reportedly traded in his 1992 bmw later that day, telling the

salesperson he had rammed a wild pig. police caught on, locked him up. so it could be a while before his wheels and deals happen again. immigration issues, always a talker. we will check your tweets on two very different immigrant stories in just a sec. 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... you need the card you can trust . because with aarp medicare supplement insurance plans,

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we want to take you to live pictures to jacksonville, florida, the jacksonville air naval air station where you can see the officers lined up to actually greet the aircraft that's going to be bringing back the remains of navy captain michael scott speicher. he should be arriving home any minute now. 18 years in the making. the pilot was shot down the first night of the first gulf war in 1991. there were all these theories whether he was alive or died in that crash. his remains just discovered recently. he will finally be coming home and laid to rest. we ask for your thoughts about two stories related to immigration. a big marriage fraud ring that was busted up and a man convicted of littering for leaving just of water for illegal