traffic controllers who were on duty that day. a former falcon now, an eagle quarterback michael vick spent most of the past two years in prison for running a dog fighting ring is back in the nfl. alina cho looking at vick's deal with the philadelphia eagles along with reaction from fans and animal rights groups. pointed questions and heated tempers from town to town. the health care debate rages on. the road for members of congress. the town hall meetings have been taking place. the president steps back to the fray. he's headed to montana for another meeting on health care reform. correspondents are fanned out across the nation tracking every side of the debate. we begin with major developments in the deadly midair crash over the hudson river. for this morning, for the first time, we're seeing the moment of impact. the tragic collision caught on home video by an italian tourist and obtained by nbc news. the images offer incredible insight to what went wrong. a warning that some of you will

find the images incredibly difficult to watch. oh, my god. oh, my god. >> nine people die in that crash. when you slow down the footage, you can see the aircraft attempting to turn and climb at the last second only to clip the helicopter with its right wing. this morning, nearly a week after the crash, the faa is taking a very close look at two air traffic controllers on duty that day. our susan candiotti has been working the story all night. she joins us now. a couple of people are in serious trouble here with the faa? >> right, john. one employee wasn't even in the building where he was supposed to be. the other on the telephone. this alleged bad behavior came to light in the ntsb's crash investigati investigation. >> reporter: as investigators studied the amateur video to find out what led to the terrifying midair crash over the hudson, there's more stunning information. an air traffic controller who

was handling the piper airplane was on the phone with his girlfriend at the time with the crash according to a source with knowledge with the investigation. what the faa calls in a statement, "inappropriate conversations." and there's more. the faa says the air track controller's supervisor was not in the building at the time as required. >> put in the tower to do the job. if they're not doing the job, people can die. and in this case, apparently they weren't doing the job. >> reporter: our source says the air traffic controller had cleared the plane for takeoff from teterboro airport in new jersey before talking to his girl friend. the ntsb says the plane had been handed off electronically to the next tower down the line in newark and then the plane disappeared from radar. the faa calls the conduct of the controller and his boss unacceptable. but says we have no reason to believe at this time that these actions contributed to the accident. >> we have someone missing in action.

someone else not doing their job. so the negligence is there. the only question is whether that negligence had a role in this accident. the faa is saying, well, it didn't. but the faa stands to lose millions and millions of dollars, or the taxpayers do, if the faa is wrong. >> reporter: the faa says two employees are now on administrative leave. the investigation is not over. ultimately, the two could be fired. and the national air traffic controllers association supports the association but no one rushes to judgment. these are two employees on the job for a long time. >> to make it clear, this is something discover in the course of the investigation and not necessarily related to the accident. it could just be coincidental. >> that's what they're saying at this time. again, the investigation is not over yet. >> susan candiotti. thank you very much. michael phelps was involved in a car accident in baltimore last night. phelps' suv collided with another car but he was not

seriously injured. officers interviewed phelps at the scene. alcohol is not believed to be a factor. the accident is investigated. the woman driving the car that phelps hit was taken to the hospital as a precaution. now to a story that's sure to generate plenty of conversation and opinions today, michael vick returns to the nfl. the former star quarterback is hoping that his career will soar again as a member of the philadelphia eagles. but there were plenty of questions this morning about vick's new deal and how fans and the animal rights crowd will react. alina cho is working the story for us. very interesting. we know he was reinstated by roger goodell saying he can play if the team picks him up. the people were saying, what team is going to pick up michael vick. >> 26 teams denied that they were on the list. i think a lot of people thought this would happen eventually. but i think a lot of people are surprised it happened so soon. who could forget the dog fighting conviction in 2007. he served 18 months out of a

23-month prison sentence. but, guys, the big news did come late last night. michael vick did sign a two-year deal with the philadelphia eagles worth a recorded $6.8 million. now, vick will report to philly today. we could see him back on the field in as little as two weeks. vick's agent had been shopping the former pro bowler to what was said to be a very short list of interested teams. the eagles had originally denied they were on that list. but last night, the team's head coach said he thought about it for a long time and finally decided to give vick a shot. >> i also feel that he does deserve a second chance. i felt like he had learned some valuable life lessons here. and he seems very focused. and he wants to get his -- his career back on track. he understands the wrong and he's -- he's out trying to change that and right the wrong. >> now, vick is a quarterback,

but the eagles already have a star quarterback in donovan mcnabb. he's likely not going anywhere. so what will vick do? well, he could see action in preseason games -- starting august 27th. he's not eligible yet for regular season games. the nfl commissioner will decide whether to fully reinstate vick to the nfl by no later than mid october. that's week six of the regular season, by the way. in an interview before all of this broke, vick told "60 minutes" he regretted the brutal dog fighting that forced him to bankruptcy and cost him a year and a half in federal prison. >> i should have taken the initiative to stop it all. and i didn't. i didn't step up. i wasn't a leader. >> so for the cynics who will say, you know what, i don't know -- michael vick might be more concerned about the fact that his career was hurt than dogs were hurt. >> i don't -- football don't even matter. >> you can imagine what kind of

reaction we're getting from fans and animal rights groups. the society for the prevention of cruelty for animals said it hopes vick displays more compassion and better judgment than the first time around. people for the ethical treatment for animals said it's disappointed. one writes -- i'm firmly in the vick should be allowed back camp and, yes, i have a dog. the moral self-righteousness surrounding so much of that debate is repugnant. i like that the eagles are, for the most part, good dudes too. i wouldn't want my vick on my team at all. no way i want to root for him. one thing that got my attention is one we found on a new york giants blog. the eagles and giants, big rivals. quote, in case you didn't hate the eagles enough now, they have signed a dog killer. in 2001, vick was the number one draft pick. he was once the highest paid

player in football. he's millions of dollars in debt. e's eager to get back on the field. certainly he's eager to get paid again. >> a sifsympathetic ear with co andy reid whose sons were -- >> some say he's done his time. he deserves a second chance. some will say dog fighting is the most horrible crime. never be allowed back on the field. >> you ask what team wants to take on the controversy. now we have the answer. talking to ryan smith, a sports attorney, a host on b.e.t. he happens to be an eagles fan like most people in our family. >> the eagles will be holding a news conference at 11:00 eastern time in philadelphia. waiting to see if vick will be there. i'm sure he will. >> why they call it the city of broad shoulders. >> alina, thanks so much. we want to know what you think as well about michael vick getting signed with the eagles. give us an e-mail or a tweet. go to our show page, c nrks nr s

cnn.com/a.m.fix. the government sweetening the pot for folks looking to take the cash for clunkers program. they can use the rebate to order cars out of stock and have to be reordered. the rebated had to be spent for the cars on the lot. that was making it difficult for people to get their hands on the top models. >> this is tough for jay -- a o aerosmith is cancelling the rest of the summer tour a week after front man steven tyler fell off of a stage in a concert in south dakota. the band's statement says the doctors are recommending the singer take time off to recuperate. he broke his shoulder. he had to get stitches on his head. exactly what else happened or how he's doing, not giving a lot of detail on that. >> keeping it quiet for now. some people dream of making $1 million in a lifetime. that's chump change for this man. a new survey shows steven

schwartzman who heads up the blackstone group made, you're ready for this, $702 million last year. the majority of that money came from stockton, vested after the company went public. seven of the highest-paid ceos on the list worked for oil and gas companies. >> everybody is going crazy around me right now, that salary, $702 million. >> they're not going crazy around me. >> no, it's alina. >> no, they kind of fell down. it was silent. going to take a quick break. come back and talk healthcare once again. a town hall meeting. this time, a blue dog democrat getting an earful from some of the constituents. ten minutes after the hour. so what do you think?

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♪ when you see my face hope it gives you hell hope it gives you hell ♪ >> he tried to reform health care in the 1990s. now former president bill clinton is blasting the gop saying republicans are trying to scare people in the debate over overhauling the health care system. he also said it was, quote, crazy to suggest that promote livings will and end of life planning is somehow promoting death. he's speaking in a conference in pittsburgh for progressive bloggers and on-line activists. president obama takes the make or break push on health care reform to a montana town hall. but the president and lawmakers will likely hear more tough questions today. one house fiscal conservative and blue dog democrat mike ross says he's okay with taking the heat. brianna keiler is following the

senator. she's in arkadelphia, arkansas this morning. what are you hearing? this is an interesting place politically. in the last election, voters went overwhelmingly with john mccain. they don't see eye-to-eye with democratic leader in congress, but at the state level, governor, senate, house members here, voters go overwhelmingly democratic. in the healthcare debate, mike ross finds himself in these political cross hairs. >> reporter: hope, arkansas, the hometown of the last president who tried to reform healthcare and of congressman mike ross, a prominent member of the conservative blue dog democrats. ask folks here and they'll tell you, it's not easy being mike ross. >> he's in a horde spot. >> reporter: concerned the house of representatives was rushing healthcare reform and it was costing too much, ross and others forced democrat leaders to pair down the bill and slow

down the vote to september. >> i'm the guy that led the charge on standing up and stopping this thing from a floor vote before august 1. >> reporter: that move put him at odds with democrats. the support for much of the democratic plan makes him a target for republicans. the rnc is running this radio ad. >> mike ross did exactly what nancy pelosi wanted him to do. >> will caved in, he buckled. >> reporter: feeling the squeeze, ross says he's where his constituents want him to be. >> it's rare to get the extreme right and left mad at you at the same time. that tells me maybe we've found the right balance here. >> reporter: the balance, he tells more than 6,000 people on a telephone town hall is simple -- slow down, get it right. >> we've been trying to get it done since harry truman. >> reporter: an hour and a half on the phone, no outbursts.

the next one, taking questions face-to-face. that's what we're waiting for here today. mike ross will hold that town hall meeting at henderson state college this afternoon. the capacity, john, of the room where he'll be holding this -- 900 people, although the congressman tells me, he doesn't expect that many people will come. we'll see, john. >> if, as he says, brianna, both sides are angry at him, that could make for an interesting town hall today. my goodness. >> definitely. we're going to watch for that. we're going to get a little bit from both sides. he had this teletown hall last night. and you heard questions coming from both sides as well. but he says he feels right in the middle and most of his constituents are right there with him, john. >> looking forward to it. you're reporting on that. brianna keiler in arkadelphia, arkansas thanks so much. kiran? the cnn truth squad is fact checking some of the latest claims about questions on health care reform. today's question comes from david morris who asks --

the truth squad verdict. true. you will be covered. the president's health care proposals would give insurance to full-time students who under law would be dropped from their parents' plans when they turn 25. there is still no final bill. so we're fact checking some of the proposals right now. but we don't know if those proposals will become law. we know you have a lot of questions about health care reform. we sorted out fact from fiction, put together the answers for you. it's all on-line at cnn.com/healthcare. on-line social networking, facebook, twitter, what i went to bed, when what i had for breakfast. oops, my water just broke. how much is too much? bicycle, i've missed you.

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♪ shut up and put your money where your mouth is that's what you get for waking up in vegas ♪ >> 20 minutes past the hour. christine romans is here minding your business. she has a status check for us when it comes to our stocks, homes, and jobs. >> the stuff that matters to us. the s&p hit the highest level

since october of last year. i mean, another nine-month high here. the s&p is up 12% this year. you know, any year you would get a return on the s&p 500 of 12%, you'd say, hey, that's a good year. let's call it a day. you look at this. up 49% from march. you know, that's an incredible rally. i want to give you perspective. that's down 35% from the all-time high. it's still down a third from where it was before the crisis began. so if you're clawing back from those big losses, it's been a year that's seen gains but putting it all in perspective, many of you are still hurting and it means that people close to retirement have a couple more years they'll be working at least or trying to figure out how to make up for that money. >> it's different if you got nervous, spooked, and out. >> it sure is. >> your house is the other big thing you feel and care about. probably your largest asset. you have a home price number yesterday showed that home prices in the three months ending june 30 sell by the largest in history. 15.6%. but they increased a little bit

from the beginning of the year. so, many of the economists, the people who track this are telling me, what about the price declines for your biggest asset? probably the worst of that is behind you. coincidentally, looking at this report, the cheapest housing market, the lowest price, saginaw, michigan, most expensive, honolulu, manhattan, san jose. maybe the big, big price declines we've seen in housing might be behind us. in terms of your job, you're going to be seeing a lot of i would say conflicting data coming out about the job. we ought to be braced for that. some companies in areas going to talk about stopping the hiring freezes and all that stuff. that's going to be trouble for the next year or so. >> another word of a possible big bank failure? >> colonial bank. >> big bank. >> 340 branchs, mostly in the southeast. according to a federal judge who yesterday ruled this company is on the brink of collapse and granted a temporary restraining order to borrow asset transfers

in response to a bank of america lawsuit. we'll be watching this this morning. the fdic insures your deposits up to $250,000. you're fdic insure in this bank. we always say, this is a big one. we're watching the health of this bank. there have been troubling signs for this one for sometime now. we're watching this morning to see what happens next. >> thanks, chris deep. >> christine romans, minding your business this morning. are we too plugged?

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welcome back. social networking is so popular, people are sharing their virtual lives with virtual strangers. >> in a world gone wireless, have we gotten too tied to technology. a few years ago, we would never be talking about whether there would be a law passed that you can't text and drive, right? things have changed. >> yes. they're changing more and more each and every day. imagine, you're in the delivery room, the baby is coming -- but before the doctor can shout, push! you say, hold on, i've got to tweet. twittering in labor is becoming a trend. just saying -- have we finally crossed that line? are we too wired? >> come here! >> caller: tara carmichael is part of a growing trend, new moms tweeting their way through labor. sending out word with every contraction. every -- >> my husband was laughing at

me. i would reach over and say give me my iphone, i have to tweet or i have to post a facebook status. >> reporter: not just tweeting to loved ones but hundreds of people to pay rapt attention to tweets like -- on the way to the hospital. if they try to send me back home, i just might punch them in the throat. six centimeter but with complications. c-section bound. >> she's not the only woman sharing the process. on youtube, there are women showing off stages of pregnancy and giving birth to their babies. some with dolphins. i'm just saying -- have we crossed the line? are we too wired? >> there was a famous supreme court decision that says -- i know it when i see it. about pornography. i think we will collectively rise up and say enough is enough. >> reporter: john able who writes for "wired" magazine says it hasn't happened yet, at least

on line, some psychologists see it differently saying some things like childbirth ought to be sacred. some who have used facebook and twitter argues we share too much on line. facebook could be a marriage buster because couples share information with virtual friends instead of each other. >> the internet is an escape hatch where they don't have to be intimate with one another, you can be intimate with the world, but not a real intimacy. it's superficial. >> carmichael disagrees, asserting she didn't share the most intimate details about childbirth via tweet. only the superficial. it helped. >> people writing, you're doing a great job. just having that kind of interaction as a social person was helpful. i had my own kind of cheerleading squad. a virtual cheerleading squad. >> there's an interesting book out there now on tmi on-line.

it's called the peep diaries. if we don't participate in this sort of peep culture, we'll certainly disappear. you'll be a living ghost. you'll move amongst the rest of us. but if we can't access your profile, we won't notice or care about you. i want to know what you think? are we too wire? where is that line? is nothing sacred? i'd love to know where you think that line is. post your answer on my blog at cnn.com/amfix. read some of your responses later on on "american morning". >> i was just tweeting about "you're just saying" to tell our people. i said it's not that strange because there is nothing to do for 17 hours of labor, right. you're on the blackberry? >> i know. but shouldn't you be sharing this -- this great moment with your husband? you know, the guy who got you there? the guy who's having a baby with you. what about him? >> i don't know. maybe it's just the stuff of movies, but in terms of sharing

with your husband in childbirth, it's grab him by the lapels and say why did you do this to me. just saying. >> maybe you're saving your husband by tweeting. >> channel your energy somewhere else. >> cnn.com/amfix. >> thank you, carol. half past the hour. checking the top stories. the white house launching a new healthcare offensive to counter criticism circulating on the internet. asking supporters to forward a chain e-mail to david axle rod that gives reasons to reform an overhaul. robert gates says defeating al qaeda and the taliban and afghanistan will not happen anytime soon. acknowledging it will take, quote, a few years of combat. gates said the security in the country is a, quote, mixed pictu picture. more afghans will be able to vote in next week's presidential election but the taliban have clearly established a presence in areas like southern

afghanistan. and the musicians around the world are paying tribute to les paul. he was a musical pioneer, the father of the electric guitar. it's been the trademark for some of the biggest stars in rock 'n' roll. rolling stones' keith richards says all musicians owe les paul an unimaginable debt. he loved music so much, he played every week in new york city. the last gig was the first of june. he played right up literally to the end of his life. amazing. >> true guitar hero. he will be missed. that's for sure. we're turning to politics. one of our favorite segments, wingnuts on the week, it's built on a simple premise, the far right and left can be equally insane. each friday, john avalon calls out someone from each side who he says has taken political name calling too far.

the author of independent nation joins us with the picks. who tops the list? wingnut on the right? >> sarah palin, hands down. this is one people have been mailing in for weeks suggesting she should be picked. i think she's unfairly attacked sometimes in the past. this week she jumped the shark in my book with a fear mongering facebook post which solidified her reputation as one of the most polarizing persons in politics. look what she wrote -- the america i know and love is not one that my parents or baby with down syndrome will have to stand in front of obama's death panel so his bureaucrats can decide based on subjective judgment of their level of productivity in society whether they are worthy of healthcare. such a system is downright evil. >> she's referring to the pages they're talking about. she's talking about the end of life counseling as well as other situations.

at first it appeared she looked like she was backing off the comments. get back to civil debate. then she posted another op-ed. she doubled down. >> she doubled down. the first provisions in the books would indeed back up her claim. this is the substance when her claim called for slidty earlier. they gave her the pants on fire rating. there's nothing about judging the worthiness of an individual. what's being proposed may not even make it in the final bill is the question of optional end of life counseling. republican johnny isaacson said it the best, this claim is just nuts. >> all right. there we have that. and meanwhile, we talk about the wingnut on the left this week. who's got the distinction? >> linden larush. old-time crazy cranks, conspiracy theorists. he and his creepy little cult

back up with posters proliferating on town halls and street corners showing president obama as adolf hitler. bearing the legend -- i've changed, on the bottom. this obviously deeply offive, totally insane, a sign of the times, la rusch, no question. >> why have we been seeing so many of the comparisons. we've seen the hitler comparisons, the swastikas spray painted on one congressman's sign. what's going on with that comparison? >> there's not only the hitler comparisons but obama as communist comparisons as well. it's a sign that the accusations are unhinged. people have lost any sense of perspective about this debate. it's offensive and demeanoring to the country to equate the president of the united states in any way, shape, or form to

dictato dictators who murdered millions of people in their name. this has got to stop. this is not points scoring. this is running down america. >> the interesting thing is these town halls, not that -- you're talking about the fringe elements on either side. but are the town halls going to change and shape the way the congress people vote as they come back from that recess? could we see health care reform in any way change because of all of this noise? >> well, we will see. people are coming under a lot of pressure. what i do think is -- there is some credible frustration and concern out there. i think you need to distinguish between the substantive concerns and the crazy town cranks. and i think one of the things you may see is the public option pushed by some liberal democrat is given way by something like a nonprofit cooperative which will take away a lot of the slippery slope to socialism argument that some folks are making. i think the focus should be a more bipartisan approach to the bill. that would defang a lot of the

french festival crazy town folks causing problems and disruption in the heart of american democracy today. >> you're trying to do our best to fact check the claims on our show as well. john avalon, great to see you as always. check out our blog at cnn.com/amfix. with all of the arguing back and forth over health care reform, some folks are trying to do something to help people. we'll introduce them to one of those coming right up. 90s slacker hip-hop. ♪ singer: buckle up, everybody 'cause pu're taking a ride ♪

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welcome back to the mowe news in the morning. with all of the fury and finger pointing at the town hall meetings, it's easy to lose sight of the people falling through the cracks of the system right now. our family doctor set up a special place to help those people. they call it the chemo closet. wait until you meet the people inside. right now, everybody is talking about health care reform. we came to las vegas because we heard about a doctor because he's doing something innovative to treat underinsured patients.

>> he's the director of the women's cancer center of nevada. when the outpatient cancer center at the county hospital was closed down earlier this year because of state budget cuts, he found a solution in his storage area. he converted that space in the back office to a chemotherapy room. >> that's an incredible picture of your mother. >> this is her wedding day. >> she died of cancer when she was 18. she has advanced stage ovarian cancer. nowhere to turn because her insurance doesn't cover chemotherapy and she makes too much money to qualify for medica medicaid. >> when i found out, i was working and making good money. they wouldn't pay for it. i was making a little bit more than whey they recommend. >> how much are you making? >> $8.76 an hour. >> $8.76 an hour. >> what did you do? >> cash year at a toys r us.

>> christina is lucky. she is employed. >> if uh you ear recently unemployed, you don't qualify for any of the public aids. the people working and supporting the system, the moment they're out of work, they don't fit in any of the round holes, they're square pegs. >> so he's created a place for them to fit in. he convinced the partners to take on the patients pro bono. then they arranged for clark county to pay for expensive chemotherapy drugs. >> if christie yeah were not able to come here, what would happen to christina? >> over time, her cancer would progress and she would pass away. >> now he's trying to cure her in what used to be a storage room, converted to a place of hope. >> the great part about this is christina's hair will grow back. mine won't. >> selma gutierrez. cnn, las vegas. good news, though, for the chemo closet crew.

next year the chemocenter and nevada cancer group will bring back the oncology service after receiving its $3 million donation. >> great news. >> we're sending rob some place you think will be interesting for him. he's at a yo-yo show. this is a world yo-yo competition that takes place. these people are so good. there's rob. he got it -- he got the -- the string -- he got the yo-yo back up to his hand. so that's. >> a plus. there you go. some of the other guys, though, look at them. two handed. >> wearing a t-shirt that tight, doesn't matter what you do with the yo-yo.

(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. if everyone's covered, we can make health care as affordable as possible. and the words "pre-existing condition" become a thing of the past... we're america's health insurance companies. supporting bipartisan reform that congress can build on.

♪ guice like a yo-yo >> welcome back to the most news in the morning. road trip! every friday, rob marciano hits the road for what we call, rob's road show. >> that's right. he was in the world's longest yardsale in tennessee. today, the sunshine state. in orlando, florida today. the 2009 world yo-yo games. how's it going, buddy? >> you know, i found out one thing -- the older you get, the better you were at just about everything. i thought i was a yo-yo whiz. i don't have those kinds of

skills. but these guys do. and just a handful of them of the over 240 contestants will compete in this. this is the holy grail of yo-yo competition here in orlando going on for decades. these kids take it -- kids -- they're younger than me. they're awe shapes and sizes, all sorts of ages. from all over the world, 20 countries competing in this particular competition. and yo-yoing has become a long way since the old dunk and butterfly. but since we invited the old ball bearing, they can go off and do all sorts of things. quick check on weather. took us forever to get down here because of thunderstorms that rolled across northern and central florida. a similar thing today. generally speaking, seasonable temperatures across the northwest. cooler in the upper plains and western great lakes. travel delays, once again, the orlando area and the northern florida see some action.

and the northeast will see your usual delays as you did at laguardia. watching hurricane gugiermo in the pacific. at the moment, nothing to worry about too much. check out the kids we taped yesterday doing their thing. it's quite impressive. quite the impressive show. so i talked to some of them. and they actually go off of the string. that's the newest thing i learned. here's one one said about going off of the string. take a look. >> off string, anyone can tell that the yo-yo is going off of the string. it's just fun to do. easy to watch. >> going to help you pull -- >> most of the time they do like it, they really do. >> chicks dig going off of the string. i had it all wrong when i was younger, i guess. anyway, that's one of the many tricks they can do, over the

top, john, kiran, that's all i got. >> doing it to get chicks -- there. >>'s no women there. >> there's a contradiction. which is why it was funny. anyway, guys -- we'll be back in about an hour. and i took a bit of a lesson, obviously, because i have tangled it once yet live on the air. see what kind of skills i have later on. world's yo-yo championship here in orlando, florida. back to you, guys. >> all right, rob. good luck with that dunk and butterfly there. >> stand back, ladies, take it easy. everybody out. >> they're null the green room. they can't wait. they're standing there restless trying to get an autograph. thanks, rob. >> through the champagne fountain. >> right. exactly. >> where do you think rob should go next? don't -- >> don't say the playboy mansion either. >> all right. he's got a few fridays left

before we say good-bye to summer. head to cnn.com/amfish. >> to fridays, not hooters. >> all right. viewers sound off on the health care debate. also, michael vick, some of that coming up for you next. 49 after the hour.

>> you guys to join in a conversation at cnn.com/amfix. the news this morning that many of you woke up the that michael vick was signed with the philadelphia eagles. we asked for reaction. that comes after he served 18

months on a dog fighting con vic. mitch is from dallas. take this with a grain of salt because dallas fans, cowboys fans, eagles fans are arch rivals. he said i'll never watch them again even if they're in the super bowl. i plan to find out who their sponsors are and i won't give them business as well. they shouldn't get the millions of dollar. >> paula writes i couldn't turn my computer on fast enough to respond. i'm amazed how the rage persists with the michael vick case but you don't hear a peep about donte stallworth. what should outrage people is this player who was suspended by the nfl will be reinstated after the super bowl. are you kidding me? i'm a new york giants fan. i will be the first in line to buy a vick jersey. >> why is it we stand behind martha stewart and the crimes

against her, not michael. she served her time, came out forgiven, and jumped into her career. she says this is why racism is still a conspiracy in this country. >> felicia doesn't mince any words. vick should be banned from any recreational occupation. he should work under a strict hourly wage, should have a cap and should not have any celebrity status. he used all his good karma. i could puke that he's been reinstated. >> don't sugar coat it. mixed opinions. on philly.com, practically 50-50. slightly more people are against it. a lot of people writing in to me saying, you know, he paid his dues, a great football player, move on. >> a lot of people talking about it this morning. no question. new information in the midair collision that happened a week ago in the hudson river. the faa has suspended two air

traffic controllers on duty at teterboro on that day. we're getting incredible pick chirs of the moment that the collision happened. all that ahead for us. use? ( chirp ) oh yeah-- his and hers. - ( crowd gasping ) - ( chirp ) van gogh? ( chirp ) even steven. - ( chirp ) mansion. - ( chirp ) good to go. ( grunts ) timber! ( chirp ) boss? what do we do with the shih-tzu? - ( crowd gasps ) - ( chirp ) joint custody. - phew! - announcer: get work done now. communicate in less than a second with nextel direct connect. only on the now network. deaf, hard of hearing and people with speech disabilities access www.sprintrelay.com. she is the greatest thing ever. woman: one little smile, one little laugh. - honey bunny. - ( coos ) we would do anything for her. my name is kim bryant and my husband and i made a will on legalzoom. man: it was really easy to do. - ( blows raspberries ) - ( laughing ) robert shapiro: we created legalzoom to help you take care of the ones you love. go to legalzoom.com today and complete your will in minutes.

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back with the most news in the morning. the days are ticking down to a presidential vote in afghanistan. the polls show the afghan has a lock. they're looking to the mad dash to the finish line. chris? >> racing the clock to try to open more polling places an convince after afghanistans it's safe enough to cast their ballot. on one side, 17 million

registered voters. on the other, armed taliban fighters. between them, american troops, police, and their allies. >> they're holding an election in adverse circumstances. >> reporter: security rehearsals are under way. afghan positions will take up places closest to the polls. the american troops will hang back ready if there's trouble. >> there's a tiered security arrangement. the potential is there for a quite credible, quite creditable election. >> the taliban controlled much of helmand province. through intimidation or outright violence could excerpt huge influence over who votes there. one analyst who supports the administration strategy says the taliban are now being confronted. >> for too long we ignored it and we're trying to get the situation back urn control. >> u.s. marines have been in fierce battles this week trying to secure villages and convince afghans it's safe to vote. the political activity is

greater than it's ever been. >> the other thing you see now is one, candidates making speeches, having rallies. posters all over the place. >> reporter: violence severely limited freedom of movement for candidates tapd supporters, hampering their ability to campaign. the top envoy says security threats will keep some afghans from voting. how many, we won't know until election day. as for an actual winner -- that may be a longer wait. >> we're in the going to know on the evening of august 20, who won. cnn is not going to call this election. >> if none of the candidates get 50% of the vote, there could be a runoff election in the fall. that could mean several months where afghan and american forces are diverted from their normal security operations. john, kiran? >> chris lawrence for us. all next week. please join us for a special series of reports we're doing on

our soldiers. returning from iraq, afghanistan, the impact it's had on them and their families. >> back from the front lines in fighting the war at home. all next week here on the most news in the morning. coming up to the top of the hour. it's friday, 7:00 on the east coast. i'm john roberts. >> i'm kiran chetry. disaster caught on tape. brand new home video showing for the first time the midair collision of the small plane and the sightseeing helicopter over new york's hudson river. that crash killed nine people. you can see the pictures, plus new questions about two air traffic controllers on duty that day. pointed questions and heated tempers. that's what could greet president obama as he sneaks back to the debate heading to a town hall meeting in montana. hundreds of protesters expected to be there waiting.

ed henry in big sky this morning talking to locals ahead of the president's trip. the exfalcons' quarterback and exconsigning a deal with the philadelphia eagles. alina cho is joining us with reaction from philly fans and the animal rights crowd. we begin with new developments of the amazing midair crash over the hudson river. we're seeing the moment the two aircraft collided. it was caught on video by an italian tourist. and a warning for you that some of you may find this difficult to watch. here it is. nine people die in that crash. if you slowed down the footage, you can see the plane is attempting to turn and climb at the last second. still clipping the helicopter

with the right wing. a week after the crash, the -- faa is taking a close look at two air traffic controllers working on that day as well. susan candiotti has more on that crash. hi, susan. >> the ntsb talks to anybody with a role in that crash. they found out the controllers weren't doing what they were supposed to be doing. one wasn't even in the building. the other was on the phone. >> reporter: as investigators looked at this video to find out what led to the crash over the hudson, more stunning information. the air traffic controller who was handling the piper airplane was on the phone to his girlfriend at the time of the crash according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. what the faa in a statement calls, quote, inappropriate conversations. there is more. the faa says the air traffic controller supervisor was not in

the building at the time as required. >> put in the tower to do a job. if they're not doing the job, people can die. and in this case, apparently, they weren't doing the job. >> our source says the air traffic controller had already cleared the plane for take off from teterboro airport in new jersey before talking with his girlfriend. the ntsb says the plane had been handed off electronically to the next tower down the line in newark. then the plane disappeared from radar. the if, afaa calls the calls th conduct of the controller and his boss unacceptable. >> we have someone missing in action. we have someone else not doing their job. so the negligence is there. the only question is, whether that negligence had a role in this accident. the faa is saying it didn't. but the faa stands to lose millions and millions of dollars of the taxpayers do, if the faa -- >> the faa says the two employees are now on add minute

stralti -- administrative leave. the investigation is not over. the two could be fired. >> the air traffic controllers association supports the association that no one rushes to judgment. the faa says it has no direct impact on what happened that day. at the least, it appears to be bad behave your on the part of employees who should know better. >> also, this was a situation that happened. it calls in to question -- the job of these people to make sure we are all safe in the skies. it's scary to think about. someone may not take that so seriously. >> exactly. the ntsb, the faa, they'll both take a close look at this. >> the pictures are astounding as well. they were obtained from the home video. susan candiotti for us, thanks. president obama lands in montana in a few hours and we're expecting hundreds of protesters to be there waiting for hip. lawmakers are saying more hot

tempers and pointed questions in town hall after town hall. and now it could be the president's turn to take some heat. why? he's skipping over the democratic strong hall in butte and holding his town hall in a conservative suburb of bozeman, montana. this should be interesting, ed. it's almost like the president is back on the campaign trail. he did this a lot. ive last year about going to the mountain west. not just going to democratic strong holds. he came close here in montana. people here on the ground are telling me they're very concerned about government spending and they want to put the brakes on this health reform effort. spend a day in the tiny town of livingston, montana, and you quickly see why the president's health care push is facing big problems in big sky country -- even from those he's trying to help. >> we've got two kids. my husband is the only one

working. >> macdonald is uninsured so she gets discounted dental work at the local clinic, she voted for the president and agrees there needs to be reform but is worried about the details. >> i believe there's a health care crisis, i do. do i believe that the government needs to be more involved? no. i think when they get their fingers in the pot, it just kind of turns black. >> a common sentiment here where a second obama voter told us government is too big. >> we just spent so much money on the stimulus and the tarp. then add another huge entitlement in the form of the public option. >> the movie, "a river runs through it" was filmed near here. so people love their fly fishing, all part of the rugged individualism. >> i think the west is all about independence, do it my way. i don't need anybody to tell me what and how to do.

and the government gets too involved in our lives, it's some discomfort. >> but at the local clinic known as the community health partners. taxpayers pick up 50% of the $4 million annual budget. >> providing health care to someone who walks through the door regardless of their ability to pay. >> that bridges us back to sonya mcdonald who wants more of the clinics around the country even if the fed picks up the tab. >> too government being involved is fine, it's when they try and overstep. they try to stay, no, this is what needs to be done. >> so, that's the challenge, pardon me, for the president. he's got to try to convince people -- the federal government has a role in health care. it can be helpful with a clinic like that in montana, big program for the elderly. the white house told me they realize this is a tough sell after the string of bailouts. people are fed up with the size

of government. the president, though, is determined to keep pushing forward, not just the town hall here in montana but another one in colorado. i've got my hat. i've got to be ready for the locals. >> you make that look good, ed. i couldn't do that. listen, the other day, seriously in new hampshire, the president had a fairly friendly crowd at the town hall. are we expecting the same thing here or could there be naysayers in the audience? >> there could be naysayers. i talked to somebody who stayed up all night. a lottery on-line. you had to wait on-line. he was a big supporter of the president. he got them tickets to the town hall. a lot of people on-line who stayed up all night, conservatives who were saying they're unhappy with the healthcare reform effort and they're reluctant to let the president have it. they're not going to be presidential supporters there, i can tell you that, john. >> look forward to your coverage

later on today. we'd like to see you keep the hat on. >> during the white house briefings, no one would be i believe to see a thing. but a good look for you. absolutely. >> also new this morning -- thanks, ed. check back with you in a while. clinton lashing out at the gop saying republicans are trying to scare people about health care reforms. claims that a living will and end of life programs would promote death or, quote pray si. the government is sweetening the pot for people looking to take advantage for the cash for clunkers program. you can use the rebate money towards cars who are currently out of stock and have to be ordered in. until now, the cars had to be on the lot. that was making it hard for people to buy popular models they wanted. ford said it would build more of the popular models to help

dealers stock the completed showrooms. if you get by with six hours of sleep a night. you're fine with in a? the study shows you're kidding yourself or you may have a mutated gene. researchers identified a six hours of sleep gene. they say it's so rare that 3% of people have it. the rest of us actually require about 8 1/2 hours of sleep. what that means for the american morning staff, i have no idea. but it's interesting it could be ground breaking although they've identified it in a few people, could it lead to maybe -- maybe down the road all of us will be needing six hours. >> you were sending out e-mails at 9:30. you got the five-hour sleep gene. >> the two-hour gene earlier. >> anchoring and er serson coopd coming back to our show. >> it's better to stay up and not go to sleep. we've heard of debates in this -- death panels, health

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welcome back to the mowe news in the morning.

a rough and up ttumble week for health care reform. can the obama administration take the heat from the halls and stay on message. or will republicans capitalize on that anger and turn things around when congress returns from washington. joining us from washington, henready and democratic strategist. good to see both of you this morning. sarah palin is still hammering on this idea of death panels being in the health care reform bill. the president explained it's no such thing, voluntary end of life counseling. to which, the governor responded on the facebook page, quote, with all due respect, it's misleading to describe this section as a voluntary provision that simply increases the information offered to medicare recipients. do you agree with the former governor on this point? >> i think there's a lot of misinformation and confusion. confusion is the best word when it comes to the healthcare bill,

all 1,000 pages. is it going to cost $1 trillion? whether you've got -- is it voluntary, is it not voluntary. it really all started a few months ago. >> but it seemed like -- >> the comparative research. >> i'll get to that too. but is she right or wrong when she said there's a provision for death panels in this legislation? >> obviously there's nothing in the bill that says death panel. that's heated rhetoric. and, you know, i don't really understand why anyone would have a problem with going to your physician and sitting down with your physician and having a conversation about hospice and livings will. certainly, my parents have done that. >> right. >> and i think if you truly believe your physician is going to pressure you to make a decision to end your life early, you should get a new physician. >> so what's this all about then, on the republican side of the equation? >> i think it's very simple what it's about. it's fear mongering.

the republicans in the grassroots groups that are having a significant role in bringing these people out to scream and yell and spread rumors and misperception, and the statements is basically to stop health care reform. it really is that simple. the death panel lie -- that's what it is, is probably one of the most gross ones. and governor palin, you saw senator grassley echo this. this is just stunning that anyone would put something out like this that's a bold-faced lie. >> it's not stunning. >> it is stunning. a complete misrepresentation of the facts. >> but there are -- >> i don't want there to be an argument back and forth over what's stunning and what's not. i like to get points of fact. chris, sarah palin is one of the most vocal critics and she's turning to the topic of health care rationing. she turns to an article called

"complete lives system" what karen was referring to which talk about the allocation of scarce resources. president obama has not yet stated any opposition to the lives system which if anykted would refuse it to the elderly, infirm, or disabled who have less economic payment. does the president need to address this to clear up any confusion? >> i think part of the problem here is the one thing that the various groups and opponents have done effectively, i think, is push the president off message so we're spending more time with the misstatements and lies than we are hammering in the core message, which is health care reform has clear positives. the whole argument, the notion of rationing. the health care system is rationed.

50 million people do not have health care coverage and millions more who are rationing because they cannot afford to pay their deductible. >> you agree with that under the current private system, there is rationing. you have bureaucrats to get behind the patient and the doctor. >> the assertion that i think is false -- first of all, sarah palin is the voice of the republican party. >> i didn't say that. >> that's what you were insinuatin insinuating. >> never said she was the voice of the republican party. >> also a vocal critic, a democrat vocal critic who supports barack obama about what ezeki ezekiel emmanuel said what we'll approach is ed koch. >> with all due respect, ezekiel emmanuel is not a member of congress. >> he advises the president. >> it's a red herring. it's a complete red herring.

>> but he is an advisor to the president, correct? >> he is an advisor to the president. as there are many. is there anything in the legislation to suggest anything like this? quite to the contrary. the legislation law expand coverage. it will make coverage more affordable for americans. the notion of a ration is a falsehood. >> it will increase the deficit. which is where you saw a couple of months ago, real opposition out there prior to sarah palin, prior to the town halls which is why the moderate democrats refused to vote for any sort of health care bill. they're concerned about the costs, concerned about rationing. all they have to do is go slower. maybe it's time to go slower. do it in small pieces. they can have real reform. the american people don't want this. >> the debate continues. appreciate you being with us. good to see you again. thanks so much. >> thank you. for more details on the battle and everything you wanted

to know about the town hal debates, go to cnn.com/health care. nobody covers this like cnn. michael vick, after serving 18 months for a dog fighting conviction is now signed by the philadelphia eagles. . we'll be joined by bryan smith, b.e.t. talk show host and eagles fan. there are differing opinions about whether or not this is a good thing, football, michael vick, and dog lovers everywhere. ( siren blaring )

special interest groups are trying to block progress on health care reform, derailing the debate with myths and scare tactics. desperately trying to stop you from discovering that reform won't ration care. you and your doctor will always decide the best treatment for you. tell congress not to let myths get in the way of fixing what's broken with health care. learn the facts at healthactionnow.org.

welcome back too the most news in the morning. disgraced quarterback michael vick back in the nfl. a lot of people woke up to the shocking news he signed a contract with the philadelphia eagles. he spent the last two years in prison, 18 months, for running a dog fighting ring. to join us to talk about reaction is ryan smith, sports attorney, and b.e.t. talk show

host. you're an eagles fan. >> uh-oh. uh-oh. i don't talk about my allegiance. >> it's a tough thing. i'm married to an eagles fan. i have to hear about it. >> great move. >> a few weeks back, you said you thought mid season replacement. this is a bold move on the part of the philadelphia eagles. what do you make of it? >> his agent wanted him to go to a team with a great support system. that means a team that's winning. a lot of people thought michael vick would go to a team, start mid season, do great. i thought so. but i think this is one of the situations where the eagles are looking to diversify their offense. they don't want to replace donovan mcnabb. they have the wild cat system. he's a great athlete first and foremost. a good quarterback but a great athlete. >> use him in another position.

>> a lot of different things. >> andy reid said hi's a diverse quarterback but could be used on different positions. >> have donovan mcnabb come out, play wide receiver. that's the thing with michael vick. we're looking at a second phase in his career. not necessarily the drop back starting quarterback, but maybe doing a bunch of things on offense. >> hearing from michael vick. a lot of the reasons andy reid says he's for it. he believed he's a changed man. goodell, the commissioner, said he's a changed man. donovan mcnabb said people have to forgive. i'm a dog lover but people have to forgive. what does michael vick himself say? he did an interview with james brown. >> i should have taken the initiative to stop it all. i didn't. i didn't step up. i wasn't the leader. >> for the cynics saying, you know what, i don't know. michael vick might be more concerned about the fact that his career was hurt than dogs

were hurt -- i don't -- football don't even matter. football doesn't matter. it's about redemption. what do you think? >> you have to wonder about the timing, first of all. signed with the team today. go do "60 minutes" on sunday. i think he wants the change the way the public views him. i think he does feel remore or less. but there's an element here of really needing to show action. he's been touring, going to high schools talk about what happens, what happened to him and what could happen to you. he's been through it with the humane society. peta is very much against this. humane society a little softer. $1.6 million this year. club option nest year, $5.2 million. he does care about football. >> he lost everything. he had to declare bankruptcy? >> yeah. >> what do you think about people who say there's a racial element. people are willing to forgive. opinions mixed.

some people say, look -- i'm a dog lover. but it's dogs. and there are people who have been forgiven for doing worse things to human beings. >> nfl players right now convicted of manslaughter and got less time than michael vick got. people said, you know what, it's not a big of a deal. he served 18 months of his life. you'll find people to say, every life is important. dogs abused, beaten, electrocuted, never forgotten by a lot of people. i'll tell you about philly, if he goes on and performs, i'm not saying every fan will forgive him but he's a great player and that's what we care about. >> 13,000 plus people weighing in. 47% are for michael vick going back, 3% against it. there's no consensus on this one. but extremely passionate opinions on both sides. >> the most passionate sports town i believe in all america.

philadelphiians know their sports, if he performs, he might do well. if he doesn't perform, if things don't go well, this will be with him for the rest of his life. no matter what, an element is going to say, we're not going to forgive him. he's looking redemption. >> gone to the championship teams five of eight years but never won a super bowl. >> rest in peace. during the election campaign, 11-year-old damon weaver, the young student reporter trying to get an interview with president obama. the months went on, the cajoling went on. the negotiations back and forth. guess what, damon with the president. he got the interview. he'll be joining us to tell us what it was all about. got good questions out of him. also about school funding and education programs. the fastest, 24-hour allergy relief,

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coming up on the half hour now. checking top stories this morning. pirates foiled by fishermen. the crew of fishing boats armed with machete and tools turned on their attackers, a gang of somali pirates. the story is coming out. the men say the fishing crew killed two of the pirates, took some of the guns, and sailed away from the somali town as they fell. >> ashes were falling on them as they fled. a wild fire is forced 2200 people from their homes. this morning, though. firefighters are getting help from the weather. fog and low wind hoping to make some advances on the plane that burned 44.5 square miles. if you have tickets to the aerosmith shows this summer, the band cancelled the rest of their tour after a week after steve

tyler fell down. the doctor wants him to take time to heal. he broke his shoulder and had to get stitches on his head as well. hundreds of marines have now taken half of it and they're getting major reenforcements this morning. cobra helicopters pounded hideouts with surrounding missiles. but the resistance was more than they were expecting. machine gun fire was coming at them from 360 degrees. the bloody fighting comes just as defense secretary robert gates says the war against the taliban will take, quote, a few years. barbara starr is tracking developments from the pentagon. give us a reality check. we're eight years in to this. things seem to be worse than ever. >> they do indeed, john. when robert gates says it's still going to take a few years, you've got to wonder what's going to happen next? what's going to happen in those few years. the next thing up to watch for, of course, is the big assessment

report. that's what they call it, about the strategy in afghanistan. is it working or not. secretary gates talked about that. a. >> general mccrystal is assessing and will submit the assessment to us and to nato before the afghan election. that assessment will not include specific recommendations or more requests for forces. we made clear to general mcchrystal he's free to ask whatever he needs to complete the important mission he's been given. >> gates has long been very antsy about the notion of putting more combat forces in afghanistan. he wants to hold a lid on that. here's the reality, john. look at the specifics we're about to show everyone. this is the latest statistic on the number of ieds those roadside bombs being laid in afghanistan. you can see there.

they have just skyrocket in the last several months. the reality is general mcchrystal is capable of asking for more troops, more specialists to dreel with the chart. john? >> how will the white house know if it's working. how there they define success. >> that' the next problem. if you want all of your firepower, how do you know if t it's all working. they came up with benchmarks. remember that word from iraq. 15 benchmarks, 15 measures of success all of the complicated analysis to tell them whether or not it's working. some people say the real measure is very simple. the rereal the is when the ap gan troops can look after their

own security. they'll know it's for them. they'll know it's working. it sounds like iraq, country it. and all next week here on "american morning," a special series for our soldiers returning from iraq and afghanistan. back from the front lines and fighting the war at home. it's all next week right here on the most news in the morning. talking about the surgeon general nominee. is she is right person for the job? new information about a correction she had to burger king. our brian todd will break it down for us. how? well, funny you should ask. you see, after i book 10 nights, i get a free one. say i spend 2 nights at a big name hotel, 3 at a boutique, and 5 at a beach resort... and boom! free night. ( dings, monkey chatters ) ( in a baby voice ) aren't you a smart one? ( monkey laughs ) accumulate 10 nights and get a night free. welcomerewards from hotels.com. smart. so smart.

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welcome back to the most news in the morning. with all of the debate over health care between the white house and the capitol hill, one person has fallen off of the radar. the nominee for surgeon general. >> dr. meng minute. she could have a huge impact if she's confirmed. but, as brian todd reports, some are now asking if she's the right person for the job. good morning, john, kiran. dr. regina's connections to burger king are now diverting

attention to what the obama team wants us to focus on -- her background for service and sa sacrifi sacrifice. her passion for better health traces% to a mother who died of cancer, a father who had diabetes. her impressive resume includes starling up a clinic for low-income people in rural alabama. dr. regina benjamin is president oba obama's nominee. >> i can be a voice in the move to improve our nation's health care and nation's health for the future. >> some observers are doubting that. she's also worked for burger king -- that's right. the home of the whopper. she's part of a nutritional advisory panel for the fast food chain. officials at the health and human services says she used that position to advocate for lower sodium items on the menu. one nutritionist isn't convinced

that the influence at burger king would change the culture there. >> in my experience, the bottom line, the amount of food gets sold that's what counts. public health doesn't matter, it's considerably secondary if not even lower on the agenda. >> burger king sid it's introduced several new items to the menu. what about conflict of interest? benjamin's gotten more than 30,000 to serve on the giant food label companies, conagra in addition to the burger king board $10,000 since last year. one medical ethicist says this. >> if she was being paid a penny for every whopper burger king sold and then she was sent out on a lecture tour of the united states where she would encourage nutritions and physicians and nurses and educators to try to

get their school kids to eat as many whoppers as possible. if that's the arrangement, i would say she's got a heck of a conflict of interest. i personally don't think she should have a problem at all. >> health and human services officials tell us dr. benjamin will resign from the boards of burger king and conagra as soon as she's confirmed by the senate and recuse herself of any matters with dealing with those companies for two years as part of the ethic commitment to the obama administration. back to you. >> brian todd. thank you so much. we introduced you folks at home to 11-year-old damon wheeler. this young fella from florida. a student journalist. >> he wanted to interview president obama. he had a chance to interview vice president joe biden. he was on our air asking -- saying anytime, i'll meet you. you say when, i'll be there. >> finally he managed to get through to the white house. yesterday, 11-year-old damon

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♪ makes you smile going to make you smile ♪ >> time for a road trip. every friday, rob marciano hits it road for what we call rob's road show. >> today, robb is in the

sunshine state for the world yo-yo contest. a long time since i've had a yo-yo in my hands. looking at what some of the young folks are doing with a yo-yo -- wow, things have changed in the last 50 years. >> i'm a lot scared. i should trust these guys. things have changed quite a bit in the last 10, 20, 30 years. these guys, these are my boys, they're my posse. i haven't learned much more than going over the top. that's the best trick i got for you right there. i've tried a few things. my buddy, ben. one of 240 competitors in this world yo-yo contest. 24 countries competing, seven different divisions. this is the holy grail right here of yo-yo competition. i was able to track down some of these guys yesterday and get a lesson. see how it went. make a muscle. stronger, stronger.

right form. totally optional. down at the ground. straight, as hard as you can. now take your left hand put it midway through the string. take your right hand over the top of the yo-yo. pinch with the left hand. pinch the front of the string and pull your right hand up so it goes like this. oh, my god, you almost had it. >> almost only counts in horseshoes. i don't think we have time for this. but ben taught me the around the world. what are the odds of being able to do this. >> you better watch this. >> get velocity. >> clear the room. >> clear the room. >> he's warming up. >> pick up speed. >> one, two -- >> one more. that's -- oh, that's right. >> thank you. >> thank you.

>> excellent, well done. >> let me see it. let me cheat real quick. i got it. i got it. >> rob has good health insurance. i wanted to point it out. >> turner does take care of us. >> thanks, guys. well done. that's it from rod's road show. next week we're doing some tractor pooling. that's open for discussion. >> you forgot to mention this earlier. when i was a kid playing with a yo-yo, two doughnuts and a piece of dowling. these things have ball bearings in them now? >> that's one of the reasons you can let it sleep, walk the dog. the guinness book of world records this kid's going for. going to let it sleep for 16 minutes. and all due to ball bearings. the dunkin' company invented it in 1929. been around a while but never

been better or more popular. >> the coolest thing is ours were glow in the dark. they had the glow in the dark ones. there you go. need to see how the judging works. everybody looks good. and yourself included. congrats on the around the world trick there. >> thank you. a lot of hard work. the tractor pull next week. if you have an idea for rob's next road trip, send us an e-mail at our website. cnn.com/amfix rob's road show. where should he go. a young journalist trying to get an interview with president obama. he went to the white house, sat down with the president one-on-one. he'll join us live, show a few clips from the interview and tell us how it went. i wasn't sure what i needed. i'm not sure what i need. tom showed me how to use mifi to get my whole team working online, on location.

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♪ it's my life >> good morning, mr. president. partly cloudy. 72 degrees outside. later on today. mostly sunny. high, 72, 85 degrees. a little bit of clouds floating around. but should be a beautiful day in washington. you're used to seeing my white house correspondence, suzanne malveaux and ed henry on the white house lawn. here's something you don't see every day. the most consistent reporter on earth. >> been trying to get an interview with the president since the early days of the campaign. came on the show a couple of times to talk about it. so guess what. he was able to secure the interview. take a look. hi, i'm damon weaver and i'm here at the white house to interview president obama about education. right now i'm in the room where

i'm going to interview president obama. right now i'm waiting for him to arrive so that i can interview him. >> damon weaver, 11 years old. he joins us live from the white house once again. look at you on the white house lawn. you'rering the leader of the fr world. how does it feel, damon? >> reporter: feels very good. >> how did you finally secure the interview? >> well, thinking because they were doing something on education and they were thinking damon weaver could do this. so they called me up and asked my schedule and i was available. that's how i got it. >> i know you've been trying for months as we have here. you managed to beat us to the punch. we haven't managed to interview the president since the election. so kudos to you, damon, for doing it. you managed to talk to him right in the middle of this heated health care debate. and he certainly is getting a lot of heat. let's listen to a little bit of the back and forth between you and the president. >> i know as president you get bullied a lot. how do you handle it? >> you mean people say mean

things about me, well, when you're president, you're responsible for a lot of things and a lot of people are hurting and having a tough time out there. the main thing i just try to do is stay focussed on trying to do a good job. >> damon, the president said that sometimes he gets worn down, as well. did you get a sense from talking to him that being president is a pretty tough job? >> well, yes. being president is a very hard job because you have a lot of paperwork to do and take care of america. >> you have a lot of paperwork to say the least. >> particularly these days. just signing the checks is a lot of paperwork. >> well, one of the other things you had a chance to talk to him about, education, and school lunches. and here's the exchange between you and the president. let's listen. >> and so what we want to do is make sure that there are more fruits and more vegetables in the schools now. kids may not end up liking that, but it's actually better for them. it'll be healthier for them, and

those are some of the changes that we're trying to make. >> i suggest that we have french fries every day for lunch. >> and if you were planning the lunch program, it'd probably taste good to you, but it might not make you big and strong like you need to be. >> so french fries and mangoes, that was the suggestion you gave to the president for your school lunch menu every day. >> yes. >> all right. well, that was a cute little exchange between the two of you. >> when it comes to french fries, we've got to take him up to new hampshire for the next primary where he can go to that restaurant and have french fries 15 different ways. seriously, though, on the education front. you also ask the president, damon, about funding for schools like schools in your district. you live in florida where you say is a fairly low-income district. did you get an answer from the president, damon, that he's got a plan to help you out? >> well -- let's see. yes. >> you think -- >> i did. >> you think he's got a plan to

help you out? >> yes. >> well, you got a good anxious from there. >> he talked about trying to make sure there's an equal distribution of some of the funding in the states for various schools and accounting, but you also had a little fun with him teasing him about a basketball challenge. >> you know a lot of people were trying to help you get this interview, one of them dwyane wade said he's plaid a little one on one with the president if he gave you the interview. let's listen to that part of the exchange between you and the president. >> my buddy dwyane wade promised me if you gave me the interview he would play you on one-on-one basketball game. but he's not sure if he would let you score. would be you be willing? >> i would play dwyane wade. dwyane was here, i'm sorry to hear he was trash talking about his game. i have to admit he's a little bit better than i am. i might rather have him on my team playing against somebody else than playing against him. >> i guess the question, damon, what are you going to do now to

put dwyane wade and the president together? >> well, i'm going to call him and tell him i got an interview with president obama. >> and what did he say? >> i didn't call him yet. >> oh, so you're going to call him today and tell him you got the interview and it's time for him to come to the table here? >> -- to score. >> what's been the reaction? have you been nervous about this knowing you were going to the white house and had all of your questions ready to go? >> nope. >> not nervous at all? >> the day that i found out, we had to write questions. >> excellent. all right. so you got the president, that's the big get for now. but for any journalist, you've got to look forward to the next big get. who's the next person you want to interview? >> i don't really know. >> i'm sure you're coming down off the high of being at the white house. >> right. >> damon, great to talk to you again and congratulations.

way to go, buddy. terrific stuff. >> thanks. >> the other thing he's learning when you're up early at the white house, sometimes construction gets in the way of your live shots. we heard some banging in the background. >> that was a lot of stuff going on at the white house. michael phelps in a car accident yesterday. how is he doing? we'll tell you coming up. (announcer) listening to you. it's how we save you money at nationwide insurance. my name is sandy garza and i am on your side. only nationwide gives you an on your side review. you tell us about your life and your insurance. sometimes you don't have enough coverage.

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school starts soon, and many parents bracing for an onslaught of swine flu cases. one family is interested in how it will play out because they volunteered to be guinea pigs for the new vaccine. we're paging dr. sanjay gupta to find out more about why they decided to take part in those trials. >> reporter: it's a typical summer day for andrew and nathan stein. but what they plan to do for the rest of their school vacation is anything but typical. in a couple of weeks, both boys will enroll in a human trial of

a vaccine to prevent the h1n1 or swine flu virus. although both admit they aren't looking forward to being poked with needles, their decision to join the trials is personal. >> one boy that i knew at our school died from a type of the flu. so i wanted to prevent that as much as i could. >> the boy's mother, christy stein supports their idea. she was involved in a trial back in 1976. >> i trust the people who are running the study. and i'm not concerned about it at all. >> reporter: why enroll children into an h1n1 vaccine trial? well, it seems young people age 6 months to 24 years are more susceptible to the virus. and because young people are different, trials also need to be tested on youngsters. >> in the younger population, groups that may need a higher dose or two doses of the higher dose, et cetera, and these studies will answer those types of questions. >> the centers for disease control has also warned pregnant

women are at high risk, but for now, adults, young people, and those over the age of 65 will be tested in different groups to determine dosage. scientists say it's extremely important they complete their pediatric trials so they have a proven vaccine to protect kids if the swine flu begins to spread rapidly in the united states. even the steins' grandfather who happens to be a pediatrician believes his grandsons can make a dirvs. >> the h1n1 influenza has the potential to cause a severe pandemic. i'm interested in doing anything i can to protect my family, patients, and the general health. >> nathan stein agrees. >> like with any shot, people have been complaining with redness, soreness at the site. most of that seems to go away. there have been rare situations of severe allergic reactions, as well. one of the terms they are hearing is a term called informed consent, that's what you hear during a trial is that

you're consenting that we don't know exactly how this is going to work, but we're trying this out for, again for the betterment for the public at large. take a look at the sites around the country. 11 sites, 9 states around the country currently conducting the trials. they're looking at all sorts of different things. looking at the two dose vaccines, one shot followed-up by a second shot. they're looking at how h1n1 vaccine compares to the regular seasonal flu vaccine, as well, in terms of safety. john and kiran, back to you. >> sanjay gupta for us, thanks so much. meanwhile, 8:00 on the nose. here on this friday, good morning to you, it's august 14th. here's what's on this morning's agenda. the stories we'll be breaking down in the next 15 minutes. pointed questions and heated tempers could greet president obama as he takes his make or break push on health care reform to a town hall meeting in a conservative area of montana. hundreds of protestors expected to be there, as well. our ed henry tracking things on the ground in big sky this morning. also a former falcon, now an

eagle. quarterback michael vick who served 18 months in prison for running a dog fighting ring is back in the nfl. alina cho is looking at the philadelphia eagles, as well as reaction from fans and animal rights groups. plus brand new video obtained by nbc that shows last week's deadly midair collision over the hudson river. an air traffic controller and supervisor have been pulled from duty. susan candiotti will be here to tell you why. president obama lands in montana a few hours from now, and we're expecting protestors to be there waiting for him. lawmakers are seeing more hot tempers and more pointed questions at town halls, and now it could be the president's term. he's skipping over montana's democratic stronghold in butte and going to boesman. what do you think the president can expect today? >> well, good morning, john. there'll be protestors, and almost back to the campaign for

the president. last year he went out here in the mountain west to a lot of areas that were not always friendly for democrats. worked for him in states like colorado, nevada, where he won, democrats hadn't won in years, he came close here in montana, but what we're hearing from people on the ground here is they're basically concerned the government is becoming too big and may want to put the brakes on this health care reform effort. >> reporter: spend a day in the tiny town of livingston, montana and you quickly see why the health care push is facing big problems in big sky country, even those whom he's trying to help. >> we've got two kids and my husband is the only one working. >> reporter: she is uninsured so she gets discounted dental work, she voted for the president and agrees there needs to be reform, but is worried about the details. >> i believe that there is a health care crisis. i really do. do i believe that the government needs to be more involved? no. because i think that they just whenever they get their fingers

in the pot, it kind of just turns black. >> reporter: a common sentiment here where a second obama voter told us government is too big. >> we've just spent so much money on the stimulus and the t.a.r.p., then we're going to add another huge entitlement in the form of the public option. >> reporter: the movie "a river runs through it" was filmed near here, so people love their fly fishing, all part of the rugged individualism. >> i think the west is all about independence and do it my way and i don't need anyone to tell me what and how to do. and i think when government gets too involved in our lives, there's some discomfort. >> reporter: but they're comfortable with the federal government at that local clinic known as community health partners. taxpayers pick up 50% of the $4 million annual budget. >> we're able to provide health care to someone who walks to the door regardless of their ability to pay. >> reporter: which brings us

back to mcdonald who wants more of these clinics around the country, even when we told her that the feds pick up much of the tab. >> the government being involved is fine. it's just that when they try and overstep. when they try and say, no, this is what needs to be done. >> reporter: so that's a challenge for the president in part. try to convince people here in montana across the country that the federal government already has a big role in health care by helping people in the clinics like that, helping them with medicare, of course, for the elderly and a little bit more, as long as it doesn't overstep could still be good to improve the system. but top white house aides in private acknowledge that, look, this is a tough sell right now, especially after the string of federal bailouts. people just don't trust the government. the president is determined to push ahead on the sales effort. town hall today in montana then on to colorado. that's why i figure with those states, i better be ready, john. >> you have an interesting story to cover there, tex, appreciate it. thanks, ed. >> he looks good in it.

>> he does. also, boy, the beautiful sky behind him, they call it big sky country and there's a reason why. >> because there is. well, it's not just a town hall meeting where people are fired up about health care. we've been getting calls pouring into our a.m. fix hot line. >> i am 42 years old, i have six children, i work every day, and i cannot afford medical insurance. my children have to receive medicaid. >> i see a lot of ignorant ignorance. it's more fuelled by hate than actual concern. >> i support obama's health care reform. as a young adult trying to make the transition from school to the real world, i am no longer covered on my parent's insurance. >> caller: for all of these people booing and hissing at all of these meetings about the health care situation, i don't hear them giving alternatives. they seem to be against what is being proposed, but they don't have a counterproposal. >> so we want to hear more from you guys. call our show hot lines,

877-my-amfix. you can weigh in there, as well. and we know you have lots of questions about health care reform. we've been sorting fact from fiction as best we can and putting the answers out there for you, as well. all of it's online at cnn.com/health care. well, in just a couple of hours, the nfl's philadelphia eagles will hold a press conference to formally announce the signing of michael vick, the disgraced quarterback getting a second chance at stardom after he served 18 months in prison for running a dog fighting ring. >> so how are fans reacting? animal rights groups? alina cho is live with us this morning. mixed opinion, but passionate opinion on both sides. >> yeah, definitely is the water cooler story of the day, guys. good morning, everybody. you know the big news came late last night. michael vick has signed a two-year deal with the philadelphia eagles worth a reported $6.8 million. he's going to report to philly today. and we could see him back on the field in as little as two weeks.

now vick's agent had been shopping the former pro bowler to what was said to be a very short list of interested teams. the eagles had originally denied they were on that list. but last night, the team's head coach said he thought about it for a long time. finally decided to give vick a shot. >> i also feel that he does deserve a second chance. >> i felt like he had learned some valuable life lessons here. and he seems very focussed. and he wants to get his career back on track. >> he understands the wrong, and he's out trying to change that and right the wrong. >> vick is a quarterback, but the eagles already have a star quarterback in donovan mcnabb, he's likely not going anywhere. what will vick do? he could see action in pre-season games starting august 27th. he's not eligible yet for regular season games. the nfl commissioner will decide whether to fully reinstate vick

to the nfl by no later than mid-october. the season will be in full swing by then. in an interview before all of this broke, vick told "60 minutes" he regretted the dog fighting that forced him into bankruptcy and cost him a year and a half in federal prison. >> you know, i should have taken the initiative to stop it all and it didn't. i didn't step up. i wasn't a leader. >> so for the cynics who will say, you know what? i don't know, michael vick might be more concerned about the fact his career was hurt than dogs were hurt? >> football don't even matter. >> you can imagine what kind of reaction we're getting from fans and animal rights groups. the society to prevention to cruelty to animals hopes he has better judgment than the first time around. peta says it was disappointed.

and fresh reaction from fans. watch. >> it's good for him. i'm proud of him. >> i need something to be proud about. >> he's going to be terrible. >> yeah, definitely. >> he's back working, glad he's back with the team, glad he's on my team, and i think he'll bring something, you know, something to sign to it. >> i think it's really neat and i'll try to get his autograph. >> those fans, by the way, are from virginia where vick is from. as you just heard, mixed reaction from fans, the eagles, by the way, will make the official announcement at a news conference today. that's at 11:00 a.m. eastern time, guys, cnn will be there. but of course, this is the guy once the number one draft pick back in 2001, the once highest paid player in football. now he's trying to claw his way back into the good graces of the american public and football fans. i know you talked to somebody a couple of minutes ago who said philly's a huge sports town. if he does well, all may be forgiven. we'll have to wait and see.

>> he starts practicing with them on saturday. america loves a story of redemption. we'll see how this one goes. >> we'll be watching. >> and if his wins super bowls for philadelphia. your husband will be happy about it. >> you know what you just said. you said he's going to be the starring quarterback. >> no if he wins super bowls. >> the starting quarterback to win them. >> he's going to be the backup to donovan mcnabb, but he could be competing for the job down the line. >> we'll see how that goes. >> you know, not going to be there forever. >> look who's a fan. >> i'm not saying i'm a fan. certainly not, speaking strictly in football terms. a quarterback has a shelf life. we all know that. e especially alina. >> not brett favre. >> somebody did, i think. what do you think about the michael vick signing? we want to know. send us an e-mail or a tweet, we'll read them on the air and

go to cnn.com/amfix for all of the links. olympic swimming champion michael phelps involved inform a car accident last night in baltimore. police say phelps' suv collided with another car. officials say alcohol was not believed to be a factor, but the accident is being investigated. the woman who drove the car was taken to a local hospital as a precaution. also this crash that we all talked about, nine people killed after a plane and helicopter crashed over the hudson. well, now there is tape of the moment of impact it was shot by an italian tourist, ironically enough. the faa has also suspended two air traffic controllers. find out what they were doing that day when they were supposed to be on the job. it's 11 minutes after the hour.

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14 minutes past the hour now, welcome back to the most news in the morning. this morning for the first time, we're seeing the moment of impact in last week's midair crash over new york's hudson river. nine people were killed. that tragic collision was caught on home video by an italian tourist. this video could help investigators piece together what went wrong. a warning, though, it is difficult to watch. we are going to show some of that now. >> oh my gosh. >> nine people died in that crash, and when you slow down the footage, you can actually see the plane trying to turn perhaps climb at the last second, yet it clips the helicopter with the right wing.

>> and this morning nearly a week after that crash, the faa is taking a close look at an air traffic controller and his supervisor who were on duty that day. our susan candiotti here to give us details. what do you got? >> one of those faa employees was on the telephone, the other not in the building. all of this coming to light during the investigation. >> reporter: as investigators study this amateur video to find out what led to the terrifying midair crash over the hudson, there's more stunning information. an air traffic controller who was handling the airplane was on the phone with his girlfriend at the time of the crash. according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. what the faa in a statement calls "inappropriate conversations," and there's more. the faa says the air traffic controller's supervisor was not in the building at the time as required. >> they're put in the tower to do a job. and if they're not doing the job, people can die. and in this case, apparently

they weren't doing the job. >> reporter: our source says the air traffic controller had already cleared the plane for takeoff from teterboro airport in new jersey. the plane had been handed off electronically to the next tower down the line in newark and then the plane disappeared from radar. the faa calls the conduct of the controller and his boss unacceptable. but says "we have no reason to believe at this time that these actions contributed to the accident." >> we have somebody missing in action. there's someone else who is not doing their job. so the negligence is there. the only question is, whether that negligence had a role in this accident. the faa's already saying maybe it didn't, but the faa stands to lose millions and millions of dollars and taxpayers do if the faa's wrong. >> reporter: the faa says the two employees are now on administrative leave. the investigation's not over, ultimately the two could be fired. >> and the national air traffic controllers association supports

the investigation but asks that no one rushes to judgment. but you know, if faa says while this had no direct impact on the crash, at the very least, it's just bad timing and not the thing that any of us wants to hear. >> well, absolutely not. susan -- >> people on the job trying to keep everybody safe, right? >> supposed to be, supposed to be. >> thanks so much for that. 17 minutes after the hour. you might remember a couple of weeks ago we introduced you to a couple of fellows who have taken the news and put a completely different spin on it. they call it auto tune the news. they've got a new one of these out. we'll show you a little bit of it. we'll be talking to them in a few minutes stay with us. how? well, funny you should ask. you see, after i book 10 nights, i get a free one. say i spend 2 nights at a big name hotel, 3 at a boutique, and 5 at a beach resort... and boom! free night. ( dings, monkey chatters ) ( in a baby voice ) aren't you a smart one? ( monkey laughs ) accumulate 10 nights and get a night free.

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in idaho, police confiscated $20 million worth of marijuana being grown near a girl scout camp. it's true. yeah, police became suspicious after the girl scouts sold $20 million worth of cookies. yeah. >> well, christine romans is minding your business this morning and she joins us now and you want to talk about a salary -- or a take, a haul that will make your eyes go crossed. $702 million. >> the corporate library is a group that puts together the

assessment of how much ceos are making and look at the public information on this. this is their list of the highest paid ceos for last year. 7 of the 10 ceos were energy company executives. the top one, stephen schwarzman, he $175,000 salary, that's his salary, the rest of those millions, basically his initial investment in his company. that's the vested part of that. larry ellison, oracle, 32 years, $557 million was his haul, ray irani, john hesz, exercising stock options in there, the rest of the list i will point out, again, is pretty much energy ceos, some of those ceos getting big bonuses, multimillion dollar bonuses for cost cutting as they were anticipating lower energy prices. let's put -- millions, and millions and millions of dollars, let's put it in perspective. the average family -- the typical family in this country

median household income just above $50,000 a year. you know, how many years at $50,000 would it take to reach $702 million? how many? >> more than any of us could possibly live. >> 14,000 years. okay, so let's say you're rich as defined by the populous outcry against people who make this money in this country. if you make $250,000, it would take you still 2,808 years to make $702 million. i want to be clear, clearly he was a founder of this company, he took it public, that's what you do, you make an initial investment, take all of the risk on the early end and, you know, he got paid out handsomely. some of those others are energy ceos. >> risk and a lot of reward. >> it's the american dream, right? a lot of risk, a lot of reward and that's a good example of that. and larry ellison has been around for a long time. in a big recession when basically hardly anybody's making money, there are people making money. >> we ask people on twitter what

would you do with that money? and a lot of people said i'd buy an island and disappear. but then there were a few, i said i would probably try not to have my life change that much. i would have my parents move closer to me. but a few people agreed with me. >> with $702 million, i'd buy another planet and build a house for them on it. >> the kind of people that make this money, they're work-aholics. >> so maybe, is it the american dream? a lot of people said they would try not to have their lives change too much. you wouldn't change your life that much. would you buy an island and disappear? >> i don't know. it's not like the lottery. the lottery is all of a sudden you get all of this money. >> i think your life would change. i don't think you could stop your life from changing. >> well, you could buy 1,800 cars with $702 million -- >> who needs one? >> there you go. i just got rid of a stupid car. >> it was a cool one. >> stupid.

>> think about how much money you're bringing home this week in your paycheck and how much money other people are taking home. >> you make the rest of us feel so good. >> tgif. all right, well, again, we're going to talk more about this situation, as well. and we'd like you to weigh in on our blog. and also, how about this? an idea to curb an explosion in population growth in india. guess what the idea is. >> yeah, this is one that you wouldn't think about. we'll tell you what it is coming up. 24 minutes after the hour.

♪ well, could shows like letterman and conan be

considered birth control? well, india's health minister thinks so. he's out with startling advice about sex this morning. we'll let sarah take it from there. we're all curious, what's this all about? >> reporter: well, john and kiran, there are a lot of people laughing at this idea of using television as a way to keep people from making babies here in india, but the population issue is a big one here. just take an idea about this. listen, india has more than three times the number of people as the u.s. crammed into about 1/3 of the space. so as you might imagine, the population growth and population control are a big deal because of resources, the environment, and also just the standard of living. but let's just hear what people and how people reacted to this latest idea of using television to keep people from having sex. omar muhammad's idea on having children is an extreme example of what india's up against as it

tries to control the population growth. >> how many children do you have? >> reporter: now, you see, i have 24 children. so many, he says, he can't even name them all. >> why did you have so many children? >> reporter: this is just his wish. he believes only god should decide how many children you have. he's never heard of population control. on the other hand, there are the auroras, they are well aware of population issues. in 2000, their daughter was india's official 1 billionth baby. there's no need for people to have more. that's also the government's message. there are concerns that the population growth will exacerbate problems such as the struggle for resources. the government has long used education and contraceptive programs to encourage two children per family. government statistics show the birthrate is just that in 14 of india's 35 states and territories. but in the villages and among the poor, it's higher.

the latest idea on how to tackle india's population issues came from india's health and welfare minister. his idea, put electricity in all of the villages so that people will watch late night tv and fall asleep instead of making babies. what do you think of that idea? >> that's a stupid thing. >> reporter: the only way to change people's mind is through education, she says. before you write the idea off, hear this. >> is it a laughable idea? or is it an idea that really can work? >> it's an idea that can really work. >> reporter: he helped draft some of year end's population stabilization policies and now runs the population foundation of india. the idea goes, with little or no electricity in the villages, people don't have anything to do at night except procreate. but with electricity providing other forms of entertainment, maybe not. >> the message is loud and clear that we need to do something for the people, which is people friendly. and which in a way will keep

their minds off from taking irrational decisions about producing more babies. >> reporter: still, it's clear television cannot replace education and access to health care. as for the man who says he's fathered 24 children, the idea may backfire. after watching tv when we look at scintillating things, we'll probably want to make more children, he says. but at 80 plus years old, it's likely age, not tv will put a stop to that. now, we should give you a little idea about some scientific basis for this television instead of sex idea. actually in 2006 an italian sexologist came out with a study and basically looked at couples who had a television in their bedrooms and turns out they had sex half as much. john and kiran.

>> i'll tell you, sarah, every time i tune in for late night tv, i always fall asleep. but for me the evening newscasts are late night tv. i'm a little pathetic that way. sara, thanks so much for that. and at half past the hour, we're checking our top stories now. thousands of people expected to line the streets of jacksonville, florida today for michael scott speicher, the first american shot down during the 1991 gulf war. after 18 years, his remains were identified in iraq and he was returned home. giving his family the chance to finally lay him to rest. witnesses say ashes were falling on them as they fled more mandatory evacuations in santa cruz county, california, where a wildfire has now forced 2,200 people out of their homes. but this morning, fog and low winds are helping firefighters make some advances on the flames that have already burned nearly 4 1/2 square miles. if you have a ticket to one of aerosmith's shows this summer, we've got bad news, the band has canceled the rest of

their current tour more than a week after stephen tyler fell off the stage at the sturgis rally in south dakota. tyler broke his shoulder when he fell off the stage and had to get stitches on his head, as well. kiran? >> speedy recovery. 32 minutes past the hour right now. during his time in the white house, you didn't hear much from former vice president dick cheney, but sounds like that is going to change. he's writing a memoir, due out in 2011, and he's already been quoted as saying the statute of limitations has expired on many of his secrets. washington post reporter barton gelman says that the book will be a tell-all. gelman is also the author of angular, the cheney vice presidency. thank you for joining us. as we look to the release of our memoirs of our former vice president, what overall, is this book going to be? >> he wants this to be a record of 40 years of service and an

explanation of his world view and why it was right. there'll be inevitably a lot about the last eight years. >> when you talk about some of the sources for close to his inner circle and in his inner circle, what about the relationship between himself and our former president? >> look, i don't care anyone but cheney knows exactly what he's going to write, what he's talking about now is he's being more open about his disappointment in the second term. that bush walked away from the policies they shaped together. and the edge in that criticism is that he's saying bush did it for the wrong reasons. that he bowed to public criticism when for cheney, resolve in the states of unpopularity is a badge of courage, badge of honor. >> one of the most contentious is the scooter libby situation. vice president dick cheney was hoping that his chief of staff would get a pardon and the president choosing not to do that in the days before he left the office. let's hear what cheney said at the time to our john king about the situation. >> i believe firmly that scooter

was unjustly accused. and prosecuted and deserved a pardon. and the president disagreed with that. >> angry, tense? >> those kinds of details i think are best left to history. maybe i'll write about it in my book. >> there you go. he said maybe he'll write about it in his book. what do you think he will reveal as it relates to some of the major disagreements that he had with the former president? >> we know what some of those disagreements were. he believed that we're at risk of a terrorist attack with weapons of mass destruction, that it was right to take the gloves off in interrogation, that it was right to have secret prisons. that it was right to try to isolate iran and north korea completely in hopes of toppling those regimes. bush stepped away from each and every one of those in the second term. and i think cheney's going to make clear why he disagreed and what their conversations were like. >> do we have a window into what their relationship is like now?

>> i don't preport to know that. people closest to both of them, careful not to say too much. they talk every few weeks. limited mainly to mainly pleasantries and option observa. they weren't buddies, they were policy partners. they didn't fish together, dine together. when bush won reelection in 2004 and kerry finally conceded, bush had tears in his eyes and he was hugging all the people around him when it came to cheney he sort of stepped back, they had a firm handshake and that's kind of the essence of their relationship. >> i want to talk about what mary madeline, a former adviser to vice president cheney said. she called the source for your article quote a figment of your imagination and also spoke with john last night on "campbell brown." >> i was involved in the preparation for the book meetings, i'm involved in working on the book. neither cheney or any of his

confidants said any such thing as alleged in that story nor will they in the book or -- and they haven't privately. so it's categorically untrue. >> your response? >> i can't imagine what she's talking about. look, she also said nobody in his inner circle talked to me. well, she talked to me. she talked to me on the record. she didn't say all these things that i've said in my story, nobody said all of them, but she wasn't at the meeting that was described in my story. and the person who said what cheney said was there. has no motivation to invent it. >> and the bottom line, i guess we'll all know when the book comes out in 2011, right? >> i hope you'll save what mary said on tape and play it back then. >> we save everything. barton gelman, thanks so much for joining us this morning. >> thank you. >> television is forever. hey, to news june junkkys and so many who watch the news are junkies, politics is like news to their ears.

coming up in a couple of minutes, a couple of guys who make music out of politics. what are we talking about? take a look. ♪ it's painful, it's painful ♪ on top of the world, on my ankle ♪ ♪ wait, wait, wait so, what's the problem? these are hot. we're shipping 'em everywhere. but we can't predict our shipping costs. dallas. detroit. different rates. well with us, it's the same flat rate. same flat rate. boston. boise? same flat rate.

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♪ well, what do you get when you take real news makers on television and mix their comments with music and lyrics and actually tweak the pitch of what they're saying so it becomes singing? >> it's pretty funny. you get entertained and it's called autotune the news. and they're all over youtube. here's one of the seventh and newest version of autotune the news. ♪ ♪ 100% of the people wrote the constitution ♪ ♪ 100% of the people signed the declaration of independence ♪ >> michael gregory the creators of the, and they're with us now to talk about this.

>> welcome, good to see you. >> we know that you're 30 years of age and under, and many people in your generation don't look to television to get their news. they look at other places. i'm wondering, how did you become such junkies of tv news. obviously you are tv news junkies. >> we admit to that. guilty as charged. it's something we become more connected to. i think the whole thing started maybe in the fall when we were engaged in a lot of the coverage of the campaign, that sort of thing. and the very first videos that we did were part of the campaign coverage and we actually made music videos based on the presidential debates. >> right. saw that. >> eventually they evolved into what we're doing now. >> you know, you guys also, while you entertain, you certainly do a commentary sometimes about some of the ridiculousness that's out there in the news. and not necessarily what we're reporting on, but what some of the talking heads are saying from time to time. and the seventh one, you seem to -- you put a little bit of racial commentary in there, as well. why was that? >> yeah, so -- the piece that we

did was around the kind of racial issues that sprung out of the gates. crowley confrontation. and we found that grave and important issue sort of called for grave and important melodies in our case. and that's the piece that you'll see. >> let's take a look at a little bit of this. ♪ it's painful, it is painful >>. ♪ it's painful, i'm on top of the world ♪ ♪ wait, wait, wait ♪ don't say nothing ♪ wait, wait, wait ♪ head down >> you said you thought it required a very serious song here. but are you stretching off into branching off into social commentary here or that was a fun thing to mash up? >> i think it was just a fun thing to mash up. this is such a serious issue that we have to not only sing about it but start dancing.

>> i love it. autotune for people don't know was a software program that started to help with pitch correction, right? and we, of course, remember cher's song. >> could make even bad singers sound good. >> even horrific. i doubt you guys could do it for me. >> you should go into the studio. >> well -- kiran, you bury the honor of being the member of cnn's american morning that we have actually autotuned. >> actually you guys did. do we have that clip? do we have that clip? okay, fine, we had it yesterday. it's so bad. they had to get rid of it. >> we don't want to embarrass you. >> are some people better than others? for example, you autotuned the "i have a dream" speech for martin luther king. he did really autotune well. let's take a look. ♪ everybody, i have a dream ♪ everything will be made law ♪ i have a dream my children will not be judged by the color of their skin ♪ >> we should point out that some

people thought it was sac religious, others thought it was cool. >> he's the perfect example. he's a reverend, so he's speaking very lyrically. it's very easy to auto-tune. as you can see pat buchanan was also a voice made for auto-tuning, he needs a differe different different. >> something else you used katie couric and she played along with you guys. let's check this one out. ♪ people who are text messages are more likely to have an accident ♪ ♪ instead of typing just say no ♪ ♪ my thumb can't stop ♪ get a designated texter ♪ people on the road can turn an l.o.l. into a great o.m.g. ♪

>> that's amazing. >> now, that, of course, about was about the study that came out a few weeks ago from the virginia tech institute about the perils of driving and texting. katie's piece was made all the more incisive by the use of texting language to discuss texting itself. >> which led itself perfectly to auto-tuning. >> and also the background music is made up of themes from swan lake. when you think of the tragic outcome of that ballet makes that all the more tragic. >> you've got to be a thinker to understand the videos. >> you're creative to a fault here. okay, so that's number seven. what are you thinking about for number eight? >> we have a lot of interesting stuff going on. it's going to be hard to decide. >> we can't leak anything in advance. >> you've got to do some town hall stuff. it's been quite entertaining. >> it has. it really has. >> when you do number eight, can you commit to you bringing it to us, we can premiere it? >> we'd love to come back.

>> love to have you back. they look so young in person. >> shake hands so we've got a handshake. >> congratulations. newlywed for five months. one quick thing. the thing i laughed about, the songs these days, i sound old, they all sound the same. i mean, when you hear certain music. right, everything's auto-tuned now. shouldn't they just give it a rest? >> well, you say that now, but once you find yourself auto-tuned the record labels come calling, kiran, please, we need a contract, you may be singing a different tune. >> i'll be singing a different tune. >> you've got to do something with these guys. >> it was nice meeting you guys. congratulations, youtube hit and hit everywhere. so keep on producing. >> will do. we will. >> yeah. >> so these guys have very effectively used the internet to bring fame and fortune to themselves. but does everybody need to do that? like twittering while you're in labor? is that a bridge too far? what do you think? carol costello's just saying coming up next.

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more auto-tuning. can't get away from it. 49 1/2 minutes past the hour right now. there's a beautiful shot of the new york skyline on the west side this morning. it's sunny, 73 degrees, and a little bit later it will be

mostly sunny and 82. well, we're all tweeting, texting, facebooking. >> auto-tuning everything in sight. >> we're auto-tuning our facebook page. social networking as we know has been so popular that a lot of people are sharing the most intimate details of their lives, sometimes with friends, sometimes with high school buddies, but often time with strangers. >> sit a case of tmi in a world gone wireless? are we too plugged? carol costello in her "just s saying" segment. >> imagine you're in the delivery room, the baby is coming, but before the doctor can shout push, you say hold on, i've got to tweet. twittering during labor is becoming a trend. just saying, have we finally crossed the line? are we too wired? >> reporter: tera is part of a growing trend, new moms tweeting their way through labor.

sending out word of every contraction, every -- >> my husband was laughing at me while i was in labor because i would reach over and say give me my iphone, i've got to tweet or post a facebook status. >> reporter: and she wasn't just tweeting to loved ones, but hundreds of people who paid attention to tweets like on my way to the hospital. if they even try to send me back home, i just may punch them in the throat and -- six centimeters and complications, c-section bound. on youtube, there are women showing off stages of pregnancy and even giving birth to their babies, some with dolphins. just saying. have we crossed the line? are we too wired? >> well, there was a very famous supreme court decision that says i know it when i see it. about pornography. i think we will collectively rise up and say enough is enough. >> john able who writes for

wired magazine says it hasn't happened yet at least online, but some see it differently saying some things, like childbirth ought to be sacred. psychologist jeff gardere who has used facebook and twitter argues we share way too much online. facebook, he says, can become a marriage buster because couples share personal information with virtual friends instead of each other. >> the internet, if you will, becomes an escape hatch where they don't have to be intimate with one another, it's easier to be in some ways intimate with the world, but it's not a real intimacy, it's very superficial. >> reporter: but she disagrees saying she didn't share the most intimate details, only the superficial. and people were writing, sending great wishes, you're doing a great job. just having that kind of interaction as a social person was really helpful. it was kind of like i had my own cheerleading squad.

a virtual cheerleading squad in my followers. >> oh, but it does make you wonder what next. tweeting during conception maybe? we've been asking for your comments about where the line is, are we too wired, cnn.com/amfix, and people have been sending in very deep comments. i'm going to read you a few. this is from ann. for my husband and i, childbirth was a sacred moment where we shared and i had time between pains to reflect on the miracle that we were blessed to be a part of. sometimes we miss the most important parts of our lives by not turning off the noise. and this is my favorite from nancy. she says if it's a question of how you want to spend your time. i prefer reading and reflection to what can come across as shallow self-promotion. that said, it's a nice way to reconnect with your past. in the meantime, a shoutout to my facebook friends, sorry i haven't been in touch lately. people are definitely split on this issue and have conflicted emotions about it, as well. >> tweeting during conception,

carol, have you had to go there? >> well, what's next? >> carol, i just cut and pasted of your script and e-mailed it to my husband. and said is it getting in the way of our communication? >> what did he say? >> well, he hasn't written back, but i'm sure he will. >> tweeting during conception can put a whole new spin on that nail file joke, huh? carol, thanks so much. all right, well, we're going to take a quick break. you'll meet cnn's hero this week. new aveeno nourish plus. active naturals wheat formulas proven to target and help repair damage in just three washes. - building shiny, strong... - hair with life. announcer: new aveeno nourish plus.

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♪ welcome back to the most news in the morning. what do you do with your

outdated computer? well, one new york teacher spends his spare time shipping them to kenya where 98% of primary schools don't have them. meet our hero of the week. this is cnn heroes. >> i was calling that night, i see this computer. i found everything was perfect. so many computers are thrown out and so many are needed in kenya. i decided i must do something. i refurbish computers and send them to kenya. the children in kenya have very few resources, even a pencil, they're hard to get. any part that i can play to make their lives better, it's great. the computers are tested to make sure they are working. then we label the name of the

school on each box and then we ship it to kenya. the computers are saved from poisoning the environment, and they're going to be used for the schools. every school is going to plant 100 trees for every computer. we are planting a seed, teaching the kids to help the environment and be engines of change. it's like these are the kids a new life. computers are getting new life and trees are being planted and being a new life too. it's all connected.

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