"cnn newsroom." a disgraced quarterback returns to the nfl. michael vick joining a new team. the announcement live soon. more manpower joins the firefight and 1,000 homes at risk south of the san francisco bay area almost a week after a devastating typhoon ravaged taiwan. victims are still waiting for rescue and resources. good morning, everyone. i'm tony harris and you are in the "cnn newsroom." so, let's begin this morning in philadelphia where michael vick is signing up to play for the eagles. the team plans a news conference any moment now. while we wait, let's go to cnn's sports correspondent larry smith

and the eagles training center in south philly. larry, good to see you. look, a couple things here. it seems to me that one of the surprises here is that it's the eagles that we're talking about because so many teams have been mentioned as being in this michael vick, i don't want to call it sweepstakes, but a number of teams were considered to be in the picture for possibly signing him. you know, there seemed to be little doubt that someone was going to sign him, do i have that correct as we see andy read and michael vick stepping up to begin the news conference. maybe you can take that question on quickly and then we'll get to the news conference. >> very quickly. the eagles are one, certainly, and keep in mind donovan mcnabb lobbied to have michael vick here and andy read knows about second chances and both of his sons have had arrests on drug charges and the eagles will use him in a lot of ways, not just

quarterback. >> let's take you to the philadelphia eagles training facility and the head coach, andy reid is speaking. >> questions and answers here and, again, all three of us are available to answer the questions that you present us. so, the philadelphia eagles' organization is, obviously, very excited to have michael vick on board with us and not only as a football player. we all know what kind of football player michael is and was. and will be. but, also, the fact that michael is aggressively attacked the issue that he is presented with and done it in a manner that is not only proactive, but sincere.

and he's got a great supporting cast and not only with his family, but also with coach du i ngy and the commissioner of the national football league. with that, i will turn it over to coach dungy. >> thank you, andy. i still appreciate him referring to me as coach, even though i'm not coaching him any more. it's an honor to be here. i got involved in this process a couple months ago just by going in and speaking to mike when he was in leavenworth and we spoke for a long time about things that went on in his life and we talked more about what he wanted to do in the future and that is what i was concerned with and really got the sense that he wanted to do some great things and he wanted to be a positive

role modal for young people and he wanted to get back to his family. and with that in mind, we kind of made a commitment to stick with each other and continue to talk through things and continue to bounce things off each other. and commissioner goodell found out about that conversation and when he talked to mike he asked if i would come onboard as part of the league in a formal role and i was happy to do that. i was excited to see what would transpire when he got reinstated. several people called me and several coaches wanted to ask about my dealings with mike and my thoughts and andy was one of them and we had a long conversation about where i felt mike was and i'm just really happy that things turned out this way. i'm proud of the philadelphia eagles. i know they didn't do this as a

charity measure, they feel like mike's going to help their football team and be a weapon for them, but they also stepped out to give a man a second chance and i think that's important. i've done a lot of work with inmates and ex-offenders in tampa for the last 13 years, the last project i was involved with in indianapolis was getting together with baler there on a reentry program. we have roughly 4,000 inmates every year that come back into the city of indianapolis and marrion county there and we want some structures and things to make it easier for those young men who midmistakes to come back and be productive. i'm proud of the eagles and i think it will work out great. i told mike i didn't think he could be with a better organization from my dealings with andy and i know they're going to have a great support system here in place for him and i'm also very proud of donovan

mcnabb. you know, he went out of his way to tell coach reid, we should make this happen. this guy can help us. but also he's a friend and i want to make it good for him. so, i think you just see a symbol of some great leadership and christian forgiveness. so, i'm excited for mike, happy for him and just want to be helpful in any way possible. i told andy, you know, i don't want to overstep my bounds but i'll be there to help them in any capacity and that's why i'm here and why i'm involved. with that, i'll turn it over to mike. >> first off, i would like to express my gratification to jeff lorry and coach reid, andy reid, for making me a part of this organization and giving me the opportunity. i know, as we all know in the past, i made some mistakes and i have done some terrible things and made a horrible mistake and

now i want to be part of the solution and not the problem. i'm making conscious efforts in the community to work with the humane society and hopefully i can do that locally and continue with my goods and efforts and bringing awareness to animal cruelty and dog fighting in the inner cities and in our communities. i want to send a special thanks to donovan mcnabb. he's a great friend. and for reaching out to andy and giving andy the time to think about the decision he made and the decision to bring me in. i want to do whatever is necessary and be the best ambassador in the community.

i want to send a special thanks to my family, my fiancee and my mom, my dad. everybody who was influenced and helped me change as an individual. i want to say thank you to the commissioner goodell and i want to say thank you to tony, tony dungy. serving as my mentor, also being influential and helping redefine, you know, me as an individual and, you know, just giving me the proper advice and being there and having the open dialogue of me at all times. i want to say thank you to my agent, joe segel, who has been there through the ups and downs and through the hardest times of my life. judy smith, as well as, you

know, other people who have contributed and my comeback. once again, i know everybody is thinking why philadelphia. first off, i think it's one of the flagship organizations, a great tradition, great staff, great organization. have a great team in place and i just want to be a part of that great tradition and give this team every opportunity to win a super bowl. this is a -- i'm considering this my first year. first year back, you know, not trying to come out and not trying -- just trying to fit in where i can. get acclimated and, you know, just do whatever i can to help this team succeed and reach the super bowl. with that said, i know i probably left some people out who i need to send a special thanks to. sorry. but you all know who you are. and i will continue to, you

know, serve in our community, continue to do all the right things and continue to help young individuals out in this world from going down the same path that i went down. i'm excited about the opportunity and with that said, i open it up for questions. i will be willing to answer any of them. you know, i addressed that. i made poor judgment. you know, bad decisions in my life. you know, and i had to reach a turning point and prison definitely did it for me. but it was totally unnecessary and uncalled for. you know, it's a surreal feeling right now. i couldn't envision two years ago.

i was optimistic that it would happen one day, but i knew it was going to be a long process and, you know, we as the people we feel the unknown and i am just happy that i have the opportunity now. i'm glad that coach reid and the rest of the organization stepped forward. donovan was very instrumental in that. and i'm glad that i got the opportunity and the second chance and, you know, i won't disappoint. >> are you going to come back and do that? >> i've been away from the game for two years and i got to start somewhere. i got to crawl before i walk. you know, i can't imagine going out, you know, after two-year hiatus going out and trying to, you know, be a starter for a football team. i don't think it could happen with as much as god-given ability that i have, i don't think that i will be able to do

it. i think i could, but i wouldn't risk it and, you know, i just need time to get my feet wet and get acclimated like i said before. so, you know, i think, i thought this was the perfect situation. perfect scenario and i could come in and learn from donovan and one of the premier quarterbacks in the game. one of the best and everything he has learned and the way he is polished comes from coach reid. so, i want to get with those two and do as much as i can to become a complete quarterback. i have time to do it. >> what has been made of -- >> hold on one second, go ahead. >> whether it's fair or not, some number of people will always look at this as a guy -- how do you prove to those people that you treely have changed? >> i was wrong with what i did.

everything that happened at that point in time in my life was wrong and it was necessary. to this day i can't understand why i was involved in such pointless activity and why did i risk so much of the pinnacle of my career and i was naive to a lot of things, but i figure if i could, you know, help more animals than i hurt, than i'm contributing and i'm doing my part. >> ma'am, you go ahead. >> what has been said about given second chances. in your opinion, is there a crime no matter how many victims or how the victims have suffered that might not deserve a second chance? >> you know, i think everybody deserves a second chance. you know, we all have issues and we all deal with certain things and, you know, we all have our own set in our life and i think as long as you're willing to come back and do it the right

way and do the right things that makes you committed, then i think you deserve it. but you only get one shot at the second chance and i'm conscious of that. >> you are more remorseful now and what would you recommend? ever a time when you knew what was you were doing was wrong? >> i mean, we all use the excuse it was part of our culture. you know, i don't think that's an excuse. you know, i was kind of abiding by that rule at the time and as i grew older and things started to transpire and then i went to prison, you know, i had plenty of time to think about what i did. and i've seen people's reactions and up until that point i never really cared. i won't say i didn't care, but i never thought about it. now, i understand that people care about their animals.

they care about their health, the welfare, the protection of animals and now i do. so, that's why i say if i can, you know, help more than i hurt, then i'm contributing. i'm doing what i need to do. >> michael vick at the philadelphia eagles training facility. he's been signed by the eagles, i believe it's a two-year deal. i'll check that with larry smith in just a moment and i know everyone watching this will have an opinion of what they've seen here from michael vick and we'll answer the question for themselves whether there was enough contrition. did the apology that you heard feel sincere to you. couple questions now we'll take to cnn sports larry smith, who is outside of that training facility and had a chance to hear michael vick's comments and, larry, let me start with some basic stuff here and then we'll drill down a little bit more. remind us again, we heard some

of the reasons cited by michael vick from tony dungy and andy reid, but why the eagles? >> why the eagles signing him? as they mentioned before, the organization is a winning organization and they did their due diligence, including talking to the nfl commissioner roger goodell to get a sense of where michael vick's head was and tony dungy played an role and i was at the courthouse in richmond, virginia, in december of '07 when michael vick was sentenced on the dog fighting charges and what i hear today from michael vick is a lot more contrition than i did on that day when he was facing, again, at the time, it seemed almost two years in prison. now, i'm not a psychologist telling you what i heard today and what i heard in richmond back in december, but i'm just comparing the two. t the eagles said this is a team and head coach andy rid has seen both of his sons arrest eed

charges. this is a calculated risk they're taking and a risk is one they should take and be beneficial for both parties. >> this is perfect. the camera shot inside the training facility moved from michael vick to tony dungy and it's perfect because i was going to ask you about tony dungy. super bowl winning coach in the nfl, retired now. talk to us about tony dungy and his role in michael vick's life and the amount of credibility he brings to this entire situation. >> that's the word perfect, credibility. there are few men associated with the nfl that are respected more than tony dungy. he is somebody. i don't care, coaches, media, players who you talk to. here's what i see about michael vick. by having tony dungy in his life perhaps for the first time he has someone now that he a role

model and a mentor and a mentor that cares about him and michael vick s as a person and michael vick is going to need that. he has donovan mcnabb there, he is a close friend from back in his college days. andy reid i talked about what he brings to the table and the eagles organization and now tony dungy. michael vick is going to be facing, this morning's "philadelphia daily news" this was the headline on the front of the daily news. we know philadelphia sports fans have been very cruel over the years, even the players they like. michael vick, he has to understand and the team and the franchise and the players have to understand this is what's going to be out there for this year and possibly even next season and who knows when that will end. michael vick can't run from his past, but he can try to run and do successful things for the eagles. >> you mentioned the eagles fans and, man, they're tough. historically tough. they booed santa claus. look, there's no doubt that even

though he's playing for the home team that he's likely to face some demonstrations, some protests and some booing from members of that fan base, correct? >> sure. well, not just in philadelphia, but anywhere he goes. you know, peta -- >> you expect that on the road, right? >> yeah, you expect he'll get that kind of treatment. but with these fans, he'll get it at home, as well. >> you expect it from the fans, but at the same time, understand our society. we talk about when somebody falls from grace. we also celebrate when somebody rises from the ashes. if michael vick is extremely successful for this team and does great things, those cheers will be fewer from the home crowd and he'll have to then worry about when he goes out on the road. he even said, a long road ahead. >> this may be about second chances. this may be about personal redemption and giving someone an opportunity, a personal redemption. this may be a story, ultimately,

about a triumph over personal and discretions tragedy, but let's be clear here. how old is michael vick and how much does he still have in the tank? every bit of analysis i've heard on this young man suggests that he still has a lot of game in him. >> well, he does. he's only 29 years old. when he was the number one overall pick in the nfl by the atlanta falcons he was only 21 years old. he played two seasons at virginia tech and he is very young considering the number of years he's already played. it's conceivable he could play at a high level for six or seven years and he's a great athlete. you're going to see the eagles use him, not just at quarterback, but try to find ways to get the ball in his hands. i can tell you right now, if it's coordinators in the nfc east right now had a sleepless night last night and try to figure out late in the season how they're going to stop michael vick because it is that kind of player.

once he gets into game shape, which i doubt he is right now, by the time his suspension is lifted in the fifth or sixth week of the season, he should step right in and start doing some things for this football team. >> a lot of people watching who will say, you know, this may not be as much about second chances a it is about being a player who can help this football team win. let's leave it there for now. larry smith for us just outside of the eagles' training facility, michael vick holding a news conference at the news that he has been signed by the philadelphia eagles and that news conference continues right now. we want your thoughts on michael vick's return to the nfl. let's do this a couple ways. let's try it this way first. do you believe everyone deserves a second chance or do you draw a line here? should a convicted felon who tortured and killed dogs be give an second chance? pretty loaded, pretty

provocative. he's a provocative figure right now. we will share a few opinions on the arillatal bit later. the aimages are disheartening. entire villages washed away in taiwan following a devastating typhoon. many more victims to be found. we are live amid the devastation.

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president obuma back on the road and on the offensive today on health care reform. he is headed for a town hall meeting in montana during this make or break month in this push for reform. he could face a skeptical audience. ed henry reports from a region weary of big government. >> reporter: spend a day in the tiny town of livingston, montana, and you quickly see why the president's health care push is pushing big problems in big sky country, even from those he's trying to help. >> we have two kids and my husband is the only one working. >> reporter: sanja is uninsured so she gets discounted dental work at a local clinic. 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 just kind of 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. and 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 independents 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 gump at that local clinic, known as community health partners. taxpayers pick up 50% of the $4 million annual budget. >> we were able to provide health care to someone who walks through the door regardless of

their ability of pay. >> which brings us back to sanja mcdonald who wants more of these clinics around the country, even when we told her the fed picks up most of the tab. >> the government being involved is fine, but when they try and overstep. when they try to say, no, this is what needs to be done. >> reporter: a top white house aide told me that the president realizes after the string of federal bailouts this is a tough sell. nevertheless, the aides say the president is determined to make the case that a limited federal role can make a positive difference. he'll make that case, not only here in montana today, but tomorrow in colorado where he'll have yet another town hall. as you can see, president obama's town hall on health reform live on cnn is set for 2:55 p.m. eastern time. one of the so-called blue dog democrats mike ross of arkansas is holding a town hall meeting today. representative ross says he is being criticized by both sides in the health care debate. our brianna keilar is there for

that gathering. brianna, good to see you. you're in, let's be clear here. you're in southern arkansas following ross. we know he's important, tell us why. >> well, tony, a lot of conservative democrats are taking cues many of them are taking cues from mike ross when it comes to how to deal with the issue of health care. he's a conservative democrat, he's in a conservative district. for instance, this fourth congressional district in arkansas overwhelmingly the voters voted for john mccain and not president obama in the last election, but at the same time, for say the office of governor for u.s. senate and for the house of representatives, generally speaking, the voters here pick democrats. so, it's a really interesting political climate and this, these are the political crosshairs that congressman ross find himself in when it comes to the health care debate. hope, arkansas, the hometown of the last president who tried to

reform health care and of congressman mike ross, a prominent member of the conservative bluedog democrats. ask folks here and they'll tell you, it's not easy being mike ross. concern the house of representatives was rushing health care reform and that it costs too much, ross and other blue dogs forced democratic leaders to pair down their bill and delay a full house vote until september, something he frequently points out to constituents in his conservative district. >> i'm the guy that led the charge and standing up and stopping thithing from a floor vote before august 1. >> reporter: that put ross at odds from liberal democrats. his support of the liberal plan makes him a targt for republicans. the rnc is running this radio ad in his district. >> he caved in, he buckled. >> reporter: feeling the squeeze, ross says he's right where his constituents want him to be. >> it's rare that you get both the extreme right and the

extreme left mad at you all at the same time. that tells me that maybe we found the right balance here. >> reporter: the balance he tells more than 6,000 people on a telephone town hall is simple. slow down and do it right. >> we have been trying to get this done since harry truman. >> reporter: an hour and a half on the phone, no outburst and his next health care event, answering questions, face-to-face. . and that, of course, is where we are today, awaiting congressman mike ross' town hall meeting and take place in this auditorium behind me here at henderson state university. this auditorium seats about 960 people. congressman ross told me he's not expecting that many people will come, but we'll see, tony, i think it will be interesting to see how many seats are full. >> pray for me at the town hall meeting. brianna, what is he expecting?

>> well, you know, he said that this is going to be his 37th town hall meeting on health care since april. so, he's given a lot of these town hall events and he's point out over and over that only one of them have turned rowdy and turned disruptive. certainly the folks here at henderson state university are prepared. they put signs up out of the auditorium saying no banners and no signs allowed inside and if people want to protest with signs, they'll have them outside here, at least that's the plan. we don't exactly know, but there are a lot of people, tony. i think with some of these bigger events we see some of the folks that are really upset finding this to be a type of venue that they can really voice this opinion. we'll have to wait and see. 3:00 p.m. eastern, that's when this event begins. >> brianna keilar, thank you, appreciate. cnn has comprehensive coverage of the health care debate and town hall meetings at

cnn.com/healthcare as part of this make or break month for health care reform and in-focus coverage. we added several features and you can learn where the closest town hall meeting is being held and the different plans and the controversial sticking points. it is all there at cnn.com/healthcare. and we are doing all we can in the cnn newsroom to cut through the rhetoric and the rumors to address your concerns about the future of your health care and where this debate is leading our country. do you fear a big government takeover does the prospect does the prospect of doing nothing scare you even more? most people agree something has to be done, but what? send us your comments and questions. send them to my blog at cnn.com/tony. to get your answers to your questions, we will pull together the really smart informed people in our shop from elizabeth cohen to the cnn money team and our capitol hill and white house correspondents. we'll go beyond, if we need to. our expectation is that most of your questions will take a

little time to research, so we won't be able to get back to you right away. once we put it altogether and we can answer your specific concerns, we will bring that entire package together on the air for you. once again at cnn.com/tony. take a look at this picture, boy, oh o, live pictures now of the wildfires close to bonny doon just south of san francisco. we're talking about the wildfires, of course. our meteorologist bonnie schneider following developments. (music playing) well, this is new... i'm working on my digestive health. whatcha eatin'? yoplus. it's a yogurt for digestive health. here... blackberry pomegranate. i can't find my hand.

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yes! there's no discount for agreeing with me. yeah, i got carried away. happens to me all the time. helping you save money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. more firefighters are headed to northern california santa cruz mountains today. the wildfire has forced thousands to evacuate. wind coming off the ocean are

pushing flames closer to the town of bonny doon. the fire is no where near contained. more than 3,000 acres have burned and the incoming firefighters will join about 675 or so now on the firelines. the fire about 60 miles south of san francisco threatening about 250 homes and bonnie schneider is following all of this for us in the weather center. you were telling me earlier that we're going to see some winds later in the day that will probably pose some problems for firefighters. >> that's right because even though the winds are fairly light now, tony. they will pick up later this afternoon and not just this afternoon, but tomorrow, as well. the winds a huge factor because they not only spread the fires closer to the town, but they also can create brand-new fires. take a look at this and you'll see what i'm talking about. watch the action of the flames as the wind pushes them up into the trees and then we see the trees kind of create little sparks and they jump on to a new tree. this is known as spotting and

firefighters find this particularly challenging because it's difficult to know which way these fires will spot. whether we'll get new fires in a certain direction or not because it depends on which way the wind is coming from and the direction at which these fires actually re-create themselves and new fires. very hard to get ahead of the fire line for that reason. another factor we're watching, of course, the temperature. right now in the low 50s in and around the bonny doon area and yesterday the high climbed to 79 degrees, but we'll see temperatures cooler coming up, only about 74 today. so, perhaps that will be a better factor. stay tuned, coming up, a closer look at the devastation in taiwan after typhoon morakot. an update is coming up. i think i'll go with the preferred package.

good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. the rising death toll in taiwan. 118 people are confirmed killed in last weekend's typhoon. officials now say that number could triple. entire villages are still inundated by mudslides and flood waters. live now to john vause who is in a hard-hit village in taiwan and, john, if you would, explain to us exactly where you are because we've had a difficult time finding you on a map.

>> yeah. well right now we're in actually a city that's one of the biggest cities here in taiwan. we actually really catered here but we did spend most of the day up in a village to the remote mountainous part of taiwan and what we found there was pretty much typical of many of these villages. it's cut off, it's remote and when you go through this town you're pretty much waist deep in mud and in many other places in this small town of 300 people, it is a lot worse than that. this is the kind of clean-up effort that the government has now confronted here. one report today saying that the government has pretty much come to the point where they now believe that the number of people who needed to get out have got out. they say 31,000 people have been displaced because of this typhoon and the mudslides that followed. as you say the, death toll is at 118, but we heard from taiwan's president today saying that he believes it could triple. that, according to a lot of

people here, is on an understatement, really. they believe it is more than that. the big problem, tony, just getting into these villages and get heavy equipment and move the earth and try to recover all those bodies is incredibly difficult. getting a precise death toll may never happen. they may never get all the bodies out, tony. >> you talk about the difficulty of getting heavy equipment into some of these areas and explain how difficult it is for you and your team to get around. >> well, it's up in the mountains. it's a difficult drive. we went up in a couple suvs and we made it to where there was a bridge, but the typhoon had washed that bridge out and the emergency crews had set up a harness with ropes and pulleys and about 300 residents of the village were coming out and the rescue crews were going in the other way. we went in the other way. >> is that you in the harness? >> it is about, sadly, yes.

it's about a 30-second trip to get across, but an incredibly long time to be suspended up there. basically just by a hook and three cleats. 200 foot, i reckon about a 200-foot drop and as you go across the valley with the river below, there is a sign up that says 32 people died here. there is a reminder that there has been so much death and destruction here and to get over to the other side, pretty big relief once those guys grab you and you get on the other side and then you have to walk to the village. and this is what the emergency crews are finding, not just in this one little village, but in so many of these towns in this mountainous region of taiwan, tony. >> the aftermath of this horrible typhoon. john, appreciate it. thank you. we want to get to new developments in the story of colonial bank. the southern regional bank very

much on the verge of collapse, closure, whatever the proper terminology is. moments like this, i turn to susan lisovicz at the new york stock exchange with new information. susan, i just got this prompt over the wires just a moment ago, but i'll let you explain it. >> tony, first of all, shares of colog colonel bank were halted and now the news, which cnn has not confirmed, dow jones is reporting that bb and t will buy this regional bank colonial bank. the reports from dow jones said it would buy all its branches and take it into receivership. as you mentioned bb&t covers the south according to one of the profiles i'm reading. has over 1,400 branches in 11 states and the district of columbia. colonial bank, the regional bank has approximately 350 branches,

mostly in georgia, but also in florida, nevada, alabama and i think i've got it. yeah. and texas. and texas. it's had a lot of problems. the stock has actually been trading under $1 since mid-june. so, investors saw the problems here, tony. go ahead. >> that's what i was about to ask you. this is not a new situation. we saw this developmenting. what has changed from the beginning of the year. granted, that's a nice chunk of time we're talking about here that has led to these developments today. >> well, first of all, this is a bank that has troubled mortgages. >> right. >> like many other banks and we've seen 73 of them, 72 of them fail this year. but it also is suspected of criminal, criminal doing in terms of irregular accounting. so, this is a bank that has problems for a couple of reasons. a federal judge in a ruling that favored bank of america said that colonial was on the brink

of collapse and its shares dropped like a stone and already selling under $1 and then we hear it was halted for trading pending news. if, in fact, this news is true that bb&t will buy it, not yet confirmed, it will never reopen because it will be owned by another company. i just want to mention something, we should mention it again, if this bank does fail, the fdic will insure private deposits, personal deposits up to $250,000. tony? >> that's an important point. is this a bank that received any financial assistance from a bailout dollars from the government? do we know that? >> i don't know that. i know that it did not, did not undergo the stress test. >> that was my next question. >> t.a.r.p. really went to the big banks that were so important to the structure of this

financial system in the united states. citigroup, well, plenty of them that did not, did not want it, but received it anyway. did not undergo a stress test because this was reserved, again, for larger banks. and, so, this is something that investors have known for some time that this bank was in trouble, but this was just yet another sign that, actually, i'm just told by my producers that it did actually receive some money from the federal government. $550 million, actually, half a billion dollars from the government. >> from the t.a.r.p. funds. just to be clear about this, this is a pattern where we've seen so many of these smaller banks and you mentioned 72 of them that have actually closed, but the pattern has been that these banks are bought by other banks, correct? so, if this turns out to be true and bb&t buys colonial this will

be carrying on a familiar pattern that we've seen. >> that's right. while it is a tragedy that a company will fail and certainly for investors that will lose, basically everything. for customers of the bank, these things happen to work pretty seamlessly. that is that deposits are protected and there may be a new name attached to it, but otherwise things should be the same. that's why the fdic is there. it's to protect, it is to protect deposits and the fdic, by the way, who has been contacted by cnn is not confirming this story, tony. >> susan, we're going to get to a break here, but when we come back, let's talk to you about cash for clunkers. >> the new improved cash for clunkers, tony. >> maybe we can talk about what's driving the market down. maybe we've hit on a bit of it here. let's take a break, susan, see you in a little bit.

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and looking ahead now to the noon hour of "cnn newsroom," four minutes from now. while more firefighters pour into northern california, residents of some of the areas are headed the other way. no containment yet. we've got a live report from the fire lines. and he's riding the cnn express, our chief business court, ali velshi. convene iing his own town halls he takes it to the streets. today it's on the health care and the economy. he's asking, do you think we are nearing the end of this recession? we're back in a moment.

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firefighters are pouring in to northern california, as residents run from the flames.

the wildfires burning in the santa cruz mountains south of san francisco. those fires nowhere being contained at this moment. one community at risk, bonny doon, more than 3,000 acres are burning. more than 2,400 people evacuated. winds off the ocean are pushing the fire closer to bonny doon. and the fear for homeowners, growing with each hour. let's get an update on the fires right now. possibilities for some kind of containment. maybe even just sort of getting a better handle on it. getting more people to the locations to fight the fires. there he is, chad myers in our severe weather center. good to see you, chad. >> good so see you, tony. the wind shifted on the firefighters. that's neither good news nor bad news. we'll take you into the area. there's san francisco, just north of santa cruz is the area. it's not the sierra. it's a very topographic area.

notice the valleys and the creeks and the downhill runs that some of the fires are taking. and and all of a sudden you get to where there's a lot of sticks and timber and you get an uphill run. that's where the fire really gets its energy. take a match. if you're an adult or if you want to show a child, take a match and hold it up. take a match and hold it partly down. don't burn yourself. you will notice that the match pointed down burns a lot faster. that's because it's burning toward the wood. where the match held up is burning away from the wood and takes longer to get there. don't burn yourself, please. and that's what's happening in these area, when the fires are going up the hills, you can get the things out of containment and that's what we have. but it's a fairly unpopulated area here. the rugged area, but that's when the wind was going that way yesterday. now the winds have shifted a little bit back toward bonny doon. let me show you here in just another map and what can happen and how it makes such a big difference.

you'll have a fire that's basically doing nothing. burning along the ground. and all of a sudden you have all of this tinder dry. because there has been a three- or four-year drought in this area. and all of a sudden you have all of this extra energy, all of this extra wood and timber and just brown stuff and it charges up the hill. gets to the top of the hill and you can actually get sparks coming off the top. that's not what this is depicting. that's just depicting how quickly some of these fires can go up the hill. i think i have extra time, so let's go ahead and take you what's going on here. we'll go in to the true-viewer and we'll touch it and let's find the winds here, let's find them in san jose. calm. fresno, calm. that's not going to last all day long. the winds will go up to almost 20. >> do this, if you would, chad, stay with me here. and, you know, you're great, you're invaluable in helping us sort of work through the information on these -- on these wildfires. daniel burlatt is a spokesman for the california fire agency. we talk to him often during

stories like this, and daniel, thanks for your time. i guess my first question, and chad myers, our severe weather expert, is going to join us as well in this conversation. my first question is you've got a lot of concerns, it seems to me, after listening to chad, but what is your chief concern right now? >> well, our biggest concern right now is that even though the winds have pretty much died down right now, that this afternoon we are predicting that they're going to pick back up and actually move in a different direction as we get an offshore flow, so there is that chance that the fire will move into a different direction, possibly, you know, going into some different communities. >> yeah. and i think chad was mentioning just a moment ago that right now the fire is burning -- and correct me if i'm wrong here -- in a pretty much inhabited area, but if the winds change, that could mean a little more trouble for bonny doon, is that correct? >> well, actually, yesterday we had a very strong onshore flow, that was moving the fire right towards bonny doon. if the wind shift does occur,

it's going to move it into another direction mere the community of swanton, which is a very small community, more towards the western side of the fire. but, really, this fire's moving in multiple different directions. and so there's still a lot of concern. that's one of the reasons we evacuated those residents yesterday. >> okay. chad, any thoughts? >> i want -- the evacuations, you haven't done anything with the people of davenport, yet, right, though? they are still out of the fire's way? >> correct. at this point nobody from davenport has been evacuated. most of the residents that have been evacuated are from bonny doon and from the small community of swanton. those people were evacuated sometime yesterday. >> and, daniel, best-case scenario here, what kind of a handle do you believe you can get on this fire? let's say by the end of the day. >> well, the best-case scenario is that the wind continues to cooperate, as it is right now. that will allow our firefighters to continue to build the contain line around the fire. if we can continue to get into

some of the remote locations and build the line before the wind picks up, we should be in a much better position. but, you know, the good news is that progress was made last night and progress continues to be made this morning. >> terrific update. yeah, yeah, chad, you got another thought here? >> mr. berlant, do you have any air help today? do you have aircraft in the air? >> the aircraft were able to fly successfully idea and we were able to put them up this morning. we put them on an early up. since there's very little wind, it's much easier for them to get into the canyons and strategic location asks drop the retardant as ground resources make their way into the remote locations. >> dabblniel, appreciate it. a spokesman for the california fire agency. and chad, as always, thank you for your help. >> very important to get the air support in there especially when you have the ground crews on the ground. sometimes they need the air support when the wind shifts and they are in trouble. the guys are really thankful that there's something up above if they need it to get some

water. >> chad, appreciate it. the philadelphia eagles announced last hour that michael vick is joining the team. vick as you know, spent about a year and a half in prison after he was convicted in a dogfighting ring. the eagles say that vick has aggressively dealt with his wrongs and deserves a second chance. he will be eligible to play during week six of the season. he was contrite during his "a" and "a" with reporters. >> -- part of our culture and, you know, i don't think that's an excuse, you know, i was, you know, kind of a, you know, abiding by that rule at the time. and, you know, as i grew older and as, you know, things started to kind of transpire, and then when i went to prison, you know, i had plenty of time to think about what i did, and, you know, i seen people's reactions. and, you know, up until that point, i never really cared. i won't say i didn't care, but i never thought about it. now i understand that people care about their animals. they care about the health, the

welfare, the protection of animals. and now i do. so, that's why i say if i can, you know, help more than i hurt, then i'm contributing, i'm doing what i need to do. >> got to tell you for a lot of football fans, michael vick's return is either the best or worst thing that could happen to the nfl. >> the guy has something to bring to the team's that's going to make us better, so what? >> he's a great football player. >> he's done with it, he's served his time. >> i'm just a little upset with it because i'm such an animal lover. >> i'm not sure where i'm going with the team. >> a crazy signing. i don't know what they'll do with the public relations part of it. >> we've been asking for your comments on michael vick on our "cnn newsroom" blog. here's what some of you have said to us. this from sharon. his crime is as bad as abusing a child. the dogs cannot protect themselves either. what is wrong with our society when a person can just be forgiven for doing something this horrible? and this from dan.

good for mr. vick. he did a horrible thing, was arrested and jailed. mr. vick did his time. let the man be. and this from barney, who writes, the eagles showed they are a classless organization. if you'd like to add your remarks, just go to our blog. the address is cnn.com/tony. president obama takes his pitch for health care reform to big sky country. and it may be a tough sell. the president is headed to a town hall meeting in montana. this is a make-or-break month for reform and he could face a skeptical audience. in a region pretty weary of big government. the president's western swing combines his push for health reform with family visits to national parks. mr. obama holds another town hall tomorrow in colorado. and you can see the president's town hall on health reform live, right here in the "cnn newsroom." it is set for 2:55 p.m. eastern

time. the fight over health care reform has touched off a broader debate over the obama administration's policies. people are venting their spleens about increased get, governme d government spending at town hall meetings. the stories from cnn's lisa sylvester. >> reporter: the lines are long. the rooms are packed. the constituents are ready to vent. >> hear our voice, hear our voice! >> reporter: democrat ben cardin has been in congress for two decades. first as a house member and now a senator. his staff tells us past town hall meetings would draw 100 to 200 people. this one had 1,000 people lining up. >> how are you going to look at my children in their eyes and tell them they're going to have a better future? >> reporter: across the country, another town hall, another lawmaker. but the story is similar. >> congressman, we need you to be a statesman and not a puppet

in your party. >> reporter: it's as if a lid has been popped. the object of frustration for many is the health care debate. but that's not the only issue that has brought people out to town hall meetings in large numbers. rising debt, big bailouts, and lost jobs are also on their mind. jean wiler is from a suburb of des moines who attended the town hall meeting of republican senator charles grassley. >> they're losing our trust. i think this is a good movement people are making to let them know we want to be heard and we want them to represent us, not the personal opinions. >> reporter: a recent cnn/opinion research poll shows 23% strongly favor president obama's health plan, while 33% strongly oppose it. >> they are using their displeasure with the aspects of this plan to kind of express some of their broader misgivings about the obama administration or what they see as sort of a big government agenda being driven by the obama

administration. >> reporter: the people are speaking out not only at town hall meetings but also through the internet. the house of representatives website e-mail system has been jammed, overloaded, with constituent e-mails. lisa sylvester, cnn, washington. and cnn has comprehensive coverage of the health care debate on cnn.com/healthcare. and our "in focus" coverage, we've added several features. you can learn more about the closest town hall meeting to you, the key players in the debate, different plans and, of course, the controversial sticking points to the plans. is the recession over? the economic numbers we're seeing seem to give some conflicting signals. i'm going to get some answers from one of our favorite economi economists. that's next in the "cnn newsroom"

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and it's not a steroid. announcer: spiriva does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. stop taking spiriva and call your doctor if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, or have vision changes or eye pain. tell your doctor if you have glaucoma, problems passing urine or an enlarged prostate, as these may worsen with spiriva. also discuss the medicines you take, even eye drops. side effects may include dry mouth, constipation and trouble passing urine. every day could be a good day to breathe better. announcer: ask your doctor a new home video shows the deadly collision of a small airplane and a sightseeing helicopter over new york's hudson river. there is also new information emerging in the investigation. we get the new details from cnn national correspondent, susan candiotti. >> 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 piper 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, quote, 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 before talking to his girlfriend. the ntsb said the plane had been handed off electronically to the next tower down in newark and then the plane disappeared from radar. the faa calls the conduct of the controller and his boss unacceptable, but says, quote, we have no reason to believe at

this time that these actions contributed to the accident. >> we have somebody missing in action. we have someone else who's 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, well, maybe it didn't. but the faa stands to lose millions and millions of dollars, the 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. >> that was cnn's susan candiotti. the bomber of pan a.m. flight 103 over lockerbie, scotland, a making another apparent move to get out of prison. he's dropping the appeal on his conviction on the terrorist bombing. it may be part of the deal he is seeking with scottish authorities to be released on compassionate grounds. reason being the 57-year-old libyan man is suffering from terminal prostate cancer. 270 people, as you recall, were killed in the 1988 lockerbie

bombing, most of them americans. families of the victims are divided over whether he should ever be released. americans are passionately debating the future of health care in this country. i am going to take on the issues with former surgeon general, dr. david satcher, right here in the "cnn newsroom." mr. evans? this is janice from onstar. i have received an automatic signal you've been in a front-end crash. do you need help? yeah. i'll contact emergency services and stay with you. you okay? yeah. onstar. standard for one year on 14 chevy models. for me to keep my bones strong but even with calcium, vitamin d, and exercise, i still got osteoporosis. i never thought i could do more than stop my bone loss. then my doctor told me i could, with once-monthly boniva. boniva works with your body

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thousands lined the streets of jacksonville, florida, today to pay respects to navy pilot michael scott speicher. a hearse took his remains past his church and high school, then to the city's war memorial for a public ceremony. speicher, as you may recall, was shot down on the first night of 1991 gulf war. his remains were recovered in the iraqi desert recently. speicher is being laid to rest later today in a private service. in hyannis, massachusetts, a funeral mass for special olympics founder eunice kennedy shriver concluded this hour. vice president, joe biden, was there for the administration along with vips oprah winfrey, stevie wonder and jon bon jovi. senator edward kennedy is fighting brain cancer and did not attend. shriver's son-in-law, california governor arnold schwarzenegger, and daughter maria, were among

those who gave eulogies. >> thank you, mommy, for giving me the breath of life. thank you for giving me a push over and over again. thank you for doing your best. here we are, you and me. now it's you needing the breath of life. now it's you needing the push. you did it for me. let me do it for you. your love has brought me to my knees. i cannot breathe without you. i cannot think without you. i am lost without you. here we are, you and me. the clouds are gone. the sky is clear. you are the star in my sky. you are the music in my heart. do you hear it? listen, listen. mommy, you are the trumpet of my life. amen.

>> boy, that was something. of the nine famous kennedy siblings, only the two youngest survived. senator kennedy and his sister, jean kennedy smith. so, we are listening to your concerns about health care reform during this make-or-break month. chief business correspondent, ali velshi, is on the road with the cnn express. headed to iowa. and stopping along the way, last night he talked with a group of people in an upper middle-class suburb of kansas city, missouri, about health care reform. >> reporter: do you think that

the proposals that are put forward, and there are many and they are complicated, but do you think that will somehow affect the quality of care that your daughter will get today? >> when this -- when this change should occur, i think it will affect it, because my understanding is that medicare rates are will be what will be paid. i don't think that's a sustainable practice. when you start talking about costs and reducing costs of health care, i think quality will go down with it. >> reporter: what do you think about the things you've been hearing about the health care proposal? >> my personal issue is i think they're pushing too much change on us at once, and i think they're trying to pass it too soon. quick making such a fast-paced decision and trying to push it on it as fast as they're trying to do that. >> reporter: do any of you share that view that it's too fast or do you think it's overdue? >> it's way too fast. >> reporter: do you think it's too fast? >> way too fast. >> talk about health care, we're talking about what you get when you are sick. i just think that to rush

through this is the wrong thing. i know that there's something that has to be done. i believe that there's -- >> reporter: if i asked for a show of hands of those of you who think health care does need to be reformed -- >> absolutely. >> yes. >> reporter: nobody here doesn't think it doesn't have to happen. let me put it this way, again, it may not be a fair question, but we're here to flesh this out. >> sure. >> reporter: if you were all in a different position, and i mean unemployed and uninsured, do you think you would take a different view of this? do you think you'd be sitting here and saying, this is more urgent and i'm glad that the president is saying it's going to be done in 2009? i don't mean to be unfair -- >> no. >> reporter: but let's just think about it for a second. >> i don't think loose not sense of urgency here. >> i think we all agree that change is necessary. if you're going to give me rotten care with rotten doctors, what good am i getting out of it truly? >> if you're telling me 1% of my paycheck to get a plan that's

going to work, i'll sign on today. and, you know, everybody's taken care of. but if i see a $10,000 toilet seat on cnn "special report", you know, it just turns me off. and it's like, oh, you screwed it up again. >> ali wraps up his road trip at the iowa state fair in des moines. if you're looking for more of what you've been seeing here on cnn, check out cnn.com/healthcare. you can even find out about the closest town hall meeting to you, the key players in the debate, the different plans and, of course, the controversial sticking points to those plans. and how about this? wouldn't you like to know what the former surgeon general of the united states thinks about health care reform? well, how about that? we have him. he missed his mark. put him on his mark. we have him here. we'll talk to him next. dr. david satcher, in the "cnn newsroom."

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you know, i'm trying to remember whether or not it's not -- the dow has been down all day. well, you can see we're about three hours into the trading day, and this is a pretty steep selloff. not the way you want to end the week. the dow down 150 points. the nasdaq is down 38 points. we will be following the numbers throughout the day for you in the "cnn newsroom," of course, with susan lisovicz. you know, another bank could be headed for failure, but a buyer -- a buyer -- may already be lined up. cnnmoney.com's poppy harlow has our "breakdown" she's in new york. good to see you, poppy. >> good to see you, tony. this is a story we've been following since late last night. we're talking about colonial bank, it's a southern bank, a regional bank. dow jones reporting that bb&t, another regional bank in the south, will buy colonial bank. the fdic, we called them, and they won't confirm it.

and bb&t not commenting on it either. very similar to colonial, a lot of business in the mortgage sector. colonial bank which by the way has 355 branches across the south is on the brink of collapse. the judge froze assets in a bank of america dispute with about $1 billion in assets of mortgage assets. its mortgage lending and accounting practices, tony, also right now under federal criminal investigation for the past few weeks. it's also one of two banks that was raided earlier this month by federal agents. a lot of questions about the health of this bank and what will happen to it. >> well, poppy, if colonial collapses, how big of a bank failure are we talking about here? >> you're very good on say "if" because it has not been taken over yet. if it were to fail, it would be sizable, 355 branches across the south. about $25 billion in assets. and if it doesn't survive, it

would actually, tony, be the biggest bank failure so far this year. we have a graphic. take a look there from washington mutual which happened last year, at the top there, all the way down to american savings & loan, this would come in at number six, but it would be, tony, the biggest bank failure so far in the united states this year if it does indeed happen. >> all right. and what do colonial customers need to know? and this is the important piece. >> it's the important piece. don't panic yet. we have a system that protects your money in this country. the fdic. if regulators do shut down colonial, your deposits will be protected up to $50,000 per account. your atm card is still going to work, but you've got that $250,000 protection at any bank that is backed up by the fdic. that limit was actually raised, as you know, tony, last year, sort of at the height of the financial crisis when it was at 1 $100,000 and now it's up to $250,000. there's also some important things to note here. there are situations that you can get more insurance if you've got, say, a joint account at one

of these banks, that will be insured as well as your individual accounts. use the tools. we'll follow-up. you can take a look at fdic online calculator, myfdicinsurance.gov and look at your account to see if you're fully protected. if you have any questions, call the number, 1-877-ask-fdic. and it's moving quickly, so we'll follow it. thank you, tony. >> appreciate it, poppy, have a good weekend. >> you too. breaking racial barriers it's what we're talking about today in our "what matters" segment in partnership with "essence" magazine. the right-leaning italian american was born in massachusetts and presides over a small you town near the swiss border. cane's father was an african-american soldier and her mother an italian. she moved to italy when she was 10 years old after her parents divorced. and another story featured in the septemberish you of

"essence "essence," hitting newsstands today, the achievement gap between black and white students. the education department reports that blacks remain 28 points behind whites on a 500-point achievement scale. reading and math scores are improving for black students, but white student scores are up, too, so the gap narrowed just seven points from 1992 to 2007. experts blame the disparity on factors such as poverty and a high dropout rate. blacks may also be lagging behind when it comes to health care, even though they are more likely to suffer from chronic health problems such as high blood pressure. 44% of cardiovascular surgeons say blacks are less likely to receive cardiac diagnostic tests and procedures. even when minorities have equal access to health care, studies show they're less likely to receive routine procedures than white patients. what's going on here. former u.s. surgeon general, dr. david satcher, joins me to talk about this issue.

dr. satcher is currently director of the satcher health leadership institute at morehouse's school of medicine. dr. satcher, we've been trying to get you on this program for a couple of weeks now. it's good to see you. >> good to be here, tony. >> let's work through this 44% of cardiovascular surgeons say blacks are less likely to receive cardiac diagnostic tests and procedures. what's going on here? why do we have these disparities? health care? >> well, there's several reasons for the disparities, but just let me say the relationship between the doctor and the patient is a critical -- >> yes. >> -- element of quality patient care. culture counts when it comes to the quality of patient care. so, it's one thing to have access. it's another thing to have access to a provider who really understands your health and understands your communication about your health problems. so, there is more than just getting in the door to what happens to you in terms of your health outcomes. >> i'm going to ask you a really provocative one in a second.

the second line of the setup to introducing you here, even when minorities have equal access to health care, studies show they're less likely to receive routine procedures than white patients. how much of this is about black people not going to see the doctor as often as we should? how much of this is racism in the system? >> well, i don't know how much of it is racism. that's always a factor -- >> is it a factor? >> it is a factor. it's been shown to be a factor. but sometimes what we call racism represents differences in culture, differences in communication. >> what does that mean? >> that means that providers don't always understand what people of different cultures say when they talk about their health problems. >> yes. >> and by the same token, patients don't always understand when doctor talks to them about their health problems. so health literacy is a major issue.

and culture is a maj issue and relationship is a major issue. >> you say more is needed in health care reform than what we're talking about in the current debate. you say something that we need health system reform. what does that mean? >> it means that health care is responsible for less than 25% of variations in health outcomes. less than 25%. so, what's the other? the other relates to environment, and especially human behavior. whether or not you're physically active on a regular basis, whether or not you smoke, your nutrition. so, we need a health system that deals with all of those things. right now we're not even requiring children in school to do physical education, "k" through 12. we are addicting children to sedentary lifestyles, to salts, to sweets and to fat. we need a system that reverses that. >> do you know how difficult -- you're talking about health care reform being the first step. you're talking about this reform to the health system as being important and critical. we can't even get reform. we are fighting now -- you see

what's going on across the country now with this debate. >> yeah. >> that's raging over health care. we can't even get to step one here. >> i believe that getting to step one would be made easier if we look at the system as a whole. for example, one of the major issues is cost. >> that's interesting, okay. >> is cost. we believe that -- and i'm not talking about preventive care. i'm talking about population-based prevention. and i believe if we invest in it, we will reap the benefit. >> what does that mean? >> let's take businesses like johnson & johnson and others. they've invested in work site wellness and are saving, like, $100 million in health care costs, because they are incentivizing -- >> yes. >> -- healthy behaviors. as a nation we need to incentivize healthy behaviors and we can. our system is broken, there's no question. it's broken in terms of cost. it's out of control. it's broken in terms of quality, it's broken in terms of access. and there are major health disparities as you implied earlier. >> i know that -- i know that exercise is a key component to

this. and i know that -- we've got some tape here to show everyone of how seriously you take this. am i correct here? you don't mind me telling everyone your age here. you are a 68-year-old man -- 68 years young. >> i feel great. >> and this is part of your lifestyle. exercise is very important to you. what are the takeaways in how active you are for people who are watching us on the program right now? >> you know, it was albert schweitzer the great physician who spent his life in africa as a physician, who said let your life be your message. let your life speak. and i believe what i've tried to do with my life, as surgeon general and as director of the cdc and now, is to give a message to the american people, and others, that we have an opportunity to improve our health through our activities. and it's not just what's going to happen you to ten years from now. you feel better. you function better when you're physically active. >> yeah. >> when you have good nutrition. it eliminates and significantly

reduces unnecessary pain and suffering. >> incentivize it. >> we need to incentivize it. >> and you believe we can do it? >> i believe we can do it. businesses have done it. >> yeah. >> for every dollar that businesses invest in wellness, they save $4. >> dr. satcher, it's great to see you. thanks for your time. >> it's great to be here. >> and you're in atlanta, there's no reason we can't have you on the program more often, do you agree? >> i agree. >> it's great to hear from you. we are going to hear from michael vick's mentor, former super bowl-winning coach tony dungy. he's with our larry smith. and he'll be on the air next. may i help you? hello, down here! you hiring? good! yes, but... then i can set my master plan in motion. your master what? i got big dreams and everybody knows, if you work here, the sky's the limit. well, yes. my neighbor did...

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michael vick is back in the national football league. he will be playing his football for the philadelphia eagles. larry smith joins us now. he is just outside the eagles practice facility in philadelphia, and he is with a man who is credited with being chiefly responsible for

intervening in michael vick's life, and chiefly responsible, many say, for this day coming to pass, that is former coach tony dungy. larry, take it away. >> reporter: well, tony, thanks so much. you know, you're right. we talked last hour how i felt the contrition in michael vick's voice and certainly tony dungy is part of that. not a part of an nfl training cam. ed >> i am enjoying life and doing things with family and youth. but i love it. it's different not having the day-to-day grind. >> reporter: what's different from michael vick than the michael vick that you might have known before all this transpired? what's different? >> i think a couple of things, a couple of things he took for granted, like his family, his teammates being in the national football league, he realizes that can be gone. and i think his lifestyle is a little bit different. i think spiritually he's come back in touch with the lord and i think that's going to make a big difference.

>> reporter: eagles owner jeffrey luries with clear with his disdain with what michael vick's done and he credited you for playing a role in convincing him that michael vick was a safe risk for his team. >> well, i talked to andy reid a lot. i talked to the eagles organization and i just talked about a lot of young men who make mistakes, who go down the wrong path and what you've got to try to figure out is, if they've changed, are they different, are they going to be a good teammate, a good person in the locker room and the community. and i told the eagles i thought he would be. i thought he would be very positive and i hope it bears out. >> reporter: michael vick, when you go through the chronology, one more quick question, when you look at his crproblems bega when he signed the big contract. will he be able to handle the catcalls and all the negatives things that will come his way when he's trying to build his career. >> well, you are trained as an athlete to block those things out. he's got a lot of people that do

not believe he should be playing. he's got to prove it by his actions on the field and off the field. >> reporter: and tony harris wants to ask you a question. >> that's what i was going to get to. coach dungy, you have as much respect as anyone in the national football league, and while i know a lot about the arc of your professional career and the causes you've taken on, many may not be familiar with that. and may be asking, why on earth did you get involved with the michael vick story? why did you take an interest and decide to get involved with this young man? >> well, i knew a lot of michael's teammates in atlanta, warrick dunn played for me in tampa. he was very close to michael vick, so that was part of it. but it's also part of what i do. for the last 13 i've visited a lot of prisons in the tampa area, in the indianapolis area, and i've seen hundreds of young men who have made mistakes and

are trying to rebound from that. and it's the same thing in this case. i'm just trying to help michael rebound, as i have hundreds of those young men. >> and one more -- one quick follow-up on that. you are aware, as anyone, of the details of these horrible acts perpetrated by michael and the people that he was associated with. and there are many people who are saying to us on our blog, this is a young man who does not deserve a second crack at the millions in the national football league. and some are going so far as to say he doesn't deserve a second chance at all, at anything. what would you say to those people? >> well, there's a lot of different types of crimes, and i certainly don't want to minimize this one. i talk to young people all the time that have made mistakes, players on my team that made mistakes, and you help them bounce back from it. i also think michael vick can be a very, very positive element in this.

he can reach a segment of our population that i can't reach as a 53-year-old. andy reid can't reach, that jeff lurie can't reach. he can reach people in the philadelphia community, young people with the right message. if he's got the right message, he can be very positive, and that's what i'm trusting will happen. >> reporter: tony, i have another question. michael vick at this point, very quickly, his chance of success, what do you think he'll do in the next couple years? >> i think this is the best spot for him. he's got a great player to play under in donovan mcnabb. he's got a great system and a great quarterback coach here with andy reid. i think it's all about him fitting in, and not necessarily being the greatest player, but putting his life and his career back together. i think it's going to go well. >> reporter: okay. we'll leave it at that. tonethy, appreciate it. tony, back to you. >> larry, appreciate it, and coach dungy, good to talk to you, and thanks for the hustle in getting coach dungy available to us. it's a big problem in health care, we're talking about

pre-existing conditions, in today's "health care in focus report" we learn about a small business owner who can't get the medication and the care that she needs. photojournalist eddie cortez has the story for us. >> about nine years ago i was diagnosed with crohn's disease. without my medication, it could -- it gets bad. >> she's very hard to live with when this crohn's has flared up. >> i can't eat. i don't sleep. my weight starts to drop. >> even the kids when it would flare up, they would -- can we go somewhere? you know, we just need to get away from mom for a little while. >> i'm without medical insurance. i cannot even get prescriptions that i'm supposed to take every single day. i've got doctors' orders right now for different tests that i can't do because there's no way to cover it, you know? we're making ourselves here with the business trying to just stay above float, and it's like the water's at the nose, that's how close it is. so, we don't know where to turn.

we don't know what to do. 400 milligrams each. these are $450 to $500 a month depending on where you go. in none less than $450 anywhere, except for canada. i'm supposed to take 12 a day. and this keeps my crohn's under control. >> with her having crohn's disease, it does make it impossible for us to buy insurance that covers anything. >> it's voodoo. it's like crohn's is voodoo. they don't want to touch it. it's pre-existing. when i call to get a quote, they say, okay, we won't cover crohn's, but once they find out you have crohn's, even though they don't cover it, they rate the policy extremely high because you do have a disease. it's the one thing we need coverage on, and it's the one thing that we can't get. just a vicious cycle. it's like a merry-go-round that you never get off of.

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you may not be feeling it yet, but most economists surveyed this week by "the wall street journal" -- hmm -- say the recession is over. oh, really? that's not official, but their opinion based on the numbers they see on the economy. thomas danny boston is an economics professor at georgia tech. he's our friend. we love having him on this program. danny, look, you're not one of the ivory tower types. >> i try not to be. >> is the recession over? >> all right, as the saying goes -- >> what do you mean all right? >> put a fork in it, it's done. it's done. >> do you believe it? >> it's done. it's over with. now, you have, just as you have different intensities of recession, you have different intensities of recovery. so, because the recession is over doesn't necessarily mean

that we're going to grow like crazy. >> by what standard is this recession over in your mind? >> because we found the bottom. the things are not where we want them to be, but if you look at the unemployment numbers, the increase in unemployment, the decrease in housing sales, the decrease in manufacturing production, all of those things have pretty much bottomed out. >> but if you're anywhere in this country, our ali velshi is all over the country right now talking to people, they would like to believe the recession is over, but they look at the circumstances of their own lives and they still feel like they're in a personal recession. >> uh-huh. >> when -- what's the disconnect here? we're looking at different sets of data here. >> because they are. they are. all right? and here's the facts. you got 14.5 million people unemployed. >> right. >> all right. now, then you have about 8 million people are who are employed on a half or part-time basis. >> underemployed?

>> underemployed would like to be full-time employed. another 2 million people have given up looking for jobs. now, when the economy turns around, all of those people have to get back into productive employment, so you'll see a gradual increase. you won't see this thing taking off like a rocket, but a gradual turnaround. >> you've seen the new numbers from realtytrac, the number of homes that are in the foreclosure process jumped 32% in july. how can economists like you now be telling us that the recession has bottomed out, essentially, put a fork in it, it's over -- >> it's over. >> -- your words, when we still have all of these homes in the foreclosure process and we're looking at homes being a depreciating asset at this point? >> absolutely. >> in many states. >> absolutely. everything you said is correct. >> you darn right it's correct. >> and when i say that, i don't mean to suggest that people are not feeling pain. there's still pain there. and it's pain because they've lost jobs. they've lost jobs.

they've lost the ability to pay for mortgages. those things will continue, and that's why the stimulus has to continue at least for a while. >> well, at the corporate level, are you seeing the kind of r&d investment, the investment in infrastructure, the investment in plants, in new projects that will ultimately lead to the jobs for the people who are unemployed right you on or underemployed right now? >> and that's the problem. no, we're not seeing that. what we're seeing in the corporate sector is simply a response to the fact that they need to finally build up inventories in order to -- >> yeah. >> -- increase sales. they're not doing that research and development. >> i'm going to give you withon more chance. do you mean stick a fork in it, it's done? >> it's done. not the pain but the recession. >> we've got to go. "cnn newsroom" with kyra phillips begins right here on cnn after a quick break. )%)%)%)%

between an environment at risk and an environment in balance. between consuming less and conserving more. there is one important word: how. and it is the how that makes all the difference. to the planet we all share. and it is the how that makes all the difference. hi, may i help you? yes, i hear progressive has lots of discounts on car insurance. can i get in on that? are you a safe driver? yes. discount!