actually traveling while promoting his film my name is kang which explores racial profiling of muslims after the 9/11 attacks. why not crash a clunker? well, some people in wisconsin decided it would be more fun to launch them into the air and watch them crash into a gravel pit. i don't think you're getting a $4,500 voucher for doing that. maybe it's worth it. they installed remote controls in each of the cars and then, there you see. in some cases a camera and let them fly. >> didn't get much of an ark on that bus, but that one car was a dukes of hazard. >> i'm sure that complies with environmental standards for clean-up too. >> i'm sure it does. go to our blog at cnn.com/amfix. thanks for joining us this morning. we'll see you back here again tomorrow morning. right now the news continues with the "cnn newsroom." hundreds of billions of dollars to jump start the

economy, now six months old is the stimulus working? we ask the experts and we are asking you. after weeks of waiting, the hurricane season is in a hurry. one storm hits florida and we're watching two more. plus, three sisters worried about health care reform. our dr. gupta aims to put their fears and yours to rest. good morning, everybody, i'm in for heidi collins on this monday, august 17th, and you are in the "cnn newsroom." all right. let's get right to it. we have three storms to talk about. we've got claudette first on deck, a strong tropical storm, and then we have bill. bill's a bit of a stronger storm, could, in fact, become a hurricane later this week. and reynolds wolf right here watching both of them for you. including a third storm, that one named ana, that is a tropical depression. so, reynolds, you've got your eye on this activity. a lot of firsts weather wise. what are you looking out for

today? >> kind of a historic thing here. this is the first time since 1984 we've had the a, b, and c storm at the same time. we see many of these forms in pretty quick duration. the one closest to us and that would be claudette made its way to the north, coming onshore in the parts of the panhandle and back into alabama, and i can tell you there are places in alabama and mississippi that could be dealing with flooding, possibly rainfall totals anywhere from maybe 3 to 6 inches. if you want an idea where the storm is headed. brings it up right along parts of the alabama and into mississippi border, eventually stalling out right near memphis, tennessee. a big rainmaker from now to tuesday. and the next storm, this one is a little bit farther off to the east, obviously, talking about hurricane bill. the time being, bill, is a -- as we mentioned hurricane winds right at 75 miles an hour. this too was forecast to be something considerably stronger, major hurricane.

category three with winds in excess of 120 miles an hour as we get into thursday, then into friday, then saturday. right now the path between bermuda and the u.s. mainland, but a lot of changes can take place between now and the next couple of days. we'll watch it carefully and of course, we've got anna, we will touch on that one in mere moments. >> a right. thank you, reynolds. >> you bet. let's get you to some health care reform and this make or break month. lawmakers are getting an earful from angry constituents and the white house apparently listening. this morning, there are signs that president obama may be willing to give up one controversial element. his government-funded option for insurance. that feature has been a corner stone of the obama proposals, but it has fuelled angry protests at town hall meetings and drawn criticism from both republicans and some democrats. those critics say the government-funded option could be too expensive and put private companies out of business. so instead, the president may be willing to support a non-profit cooperative.

now, they would compete with private companies. the big question, though, would this white house compromise win over enough skeptics to secure passage of the top domestic priority? also in the headlines right now, health care for our military veterans. president obama is talking about that today when he speaks to the nation's largest organization of combat veterans. more on that in just a moment. but first, it to give you these live pictures from philadelphia. senator arlen specter and the secretary of veteran affairs speaking to veterans at drexel university. also there, barbara starr joining us now live. barbara, what are we expected to hear today? >> reporter: well, betty, the town hall here is just getting underway at drexel university in downtown philadelphia. now, you will recall senator arlen specter faced a very contentious crowd several days ago when he held a town hall on health care reform. and because of that, what is going on here at drexel behind

the scenes is there has been very minimal publicity, actually, about this event even though it's for veterans because of the concern that it could be disrupted. i have to tell you, this hall now has some veterans in it, some of the local people from here in philadelphia, but also a lot of people from the v.a., from drexel university filling up the halls because there have been such minimal publicity about this event. the hall is actually ringed with various security personnel who are quite anxious about any possibility of disruption. nobody wants to see the picture of a veteran being hauled out by security. but the real issue on the table, of course, is for returning war veterans, the kind of health care that they are getting whether they're getting the benefits they need and the education, the new gi bill is in effect giving them extra education benefits and they want to get the word out that these benefits are now available to veterans. it's one of the reasons, just one of them, that this town hall

is being held. betty? >> well, barbara, you've also looked at the issue of homeless vets. what are you finding there? >> well, this is a very serious issue for some of these returning vets. very tragically facing the same kinds of issues that their returning vietnam veteran colleagues face some 40 years ago. homelessness, substance abuse, lack of education, the need to get a good job. and that really circles back to what the basic bottom line is these days. the new gi bill gives veterans extra educational benefits, a big push by the v.a. to get these returning vets back into school, get them trained for new profession so they can get a job and not be on the city streets. that's one of the major issues at the top of the list. but health care benefits are the question that we still expect many veterans to ask here today in philadelphia.

betty. >> barbara starr, thank you, barbara. i want to get back to the president and today's speech. many want to know about u.s. plans in iraq and afghanistan. senior white house correspondent ed henry is at the annual convention in phoenix. so ed, what do the veterans want to hear today? >> reporter: some say they do want to hear about health care, especially whether or not the reform will harm medicare. but they also clearly want more details about the effort in afghanistan, how long we're going to be there, what is the mission? it's a very, very emotional issue for them. four american vets, two voted for the president, two for john mccain, but they share a brotherhood and a feeling that many americans do not appreciate the sacrifice of u.s. troops dying in two wars. a feeling so painful it brings one of these men to tears. >> i know that they are tough, i know they're strong. i have a hard feeling for those

that are over there. but i'm a marine, and i will stand up for our chief of staff and our soldiers everywhere they go. >> reporter: all four said they want to hear more specifics from the president about the days ahead in afghanistan in particular. what's interesting is gary malone, an obama voter from arkansas is deeply concerned the president is sending more troops into a quagmire. >> we lost 58,000, over 58,000 in vietnam. this should not turn into another vietnam. it's turning into another vietnam. >> reporter: but a different view from buck of arkansas. >> i was in world war ii, korea, and i served in vietnam. >> reporter: kouly is a mccain voter but gives obama high marks for sending more troops to afghanistan. >> never got anybody anywhere. >> reporter: the talk of another vietnam stirs lewis wood, a mccain voter from arizona who

thinks mr. obama has been weak. >> i also don't want to see it turn into a situation where they just up and pull the troops out and then have the public of the united states say, oh, well, you know here we are, we lost the war in afghanistan or iraq. just, you know, because that's the feeling that people have about the war in vietnam, that we lost that war. and i'll say it right here and now that we were winning in vietnam when i left there, the politicians lost that war. >> reporter: but wood says he will support the president now. and is inspired that for the first time ever an african-american commander in chief will address the vfw. >> i'm proud of the united states, you bet. >> reporter: and so is roland rochester of north carolina whose heart aches for the men and women dying overseas. he voted for mr. obama and confident he will handle both wars well. >> i'm proud of him. >> white house spokesman robert gibbs says while the president will thank u.s. troops, not

planning to get into more detail about afghanistan because the commanding general is conducting a top to bottom review right now, doesn't want to interfere with that. that may disappoint some of the veterans, but even the mccain veterans told me they're willing to give him more time to get it right. betty? >> thank you, ed. and we will have live coverage of the speech to the veterans of foreign wars that is scheduled to get underway at 2:00 p.m. eastern. in the meantime, americans in the war zone, look at the numbers right now, 130 u.s. troops are now serving in iraq. there are 62,000 american forces in afghanistan. the pentagon plans to send 6,000, another 6,000 u.s. troops there by the end of the year. all right, so praise for pakistan's efforts to fight the taliban from special u.s. envoy richard holbrook on his fifth visit. this summer, the troops went after the taliban hard in the swat valley. and u.s. officials are impressed

with the results. and he says that relations are improving. well, it was supposed to be a $787 billion economic shot in the arm. so how is that stimulus plan working out for you? well, six months into it, we want to know. what they're saying two's company, three's a crowd, three tropical systems moving through the caribbean, atlantic, and gulf of mexico. the latest details coming up on cnn your hurricane headquarters.

well, claudette is the first storm of the hurricane season to make landfall in the u.s. and that storm came ashore early this morning in the florida panhandle near ft. walton beach. and since making landfall, claudette has been downgraded to a tropical storm, well from a tropical storm to a depression and it's expected to be a big rainmaker for the florida panhandle as well as alabama. reynolds wolf is watching this. reynolds, there's more than just cl claudette. >> during our first update, we discussed bill, claudette, and anna, anna's a little bit of a circulation pattern we're going to watch carefully.

the big fear is not what it's doing now, but what it may do in the next four to five days. one thing we're watching in parts of the nation, especially in spots like pensacola would be the sky. take a look from pensacola. heavy rain falling there, more rain into places like alabama, mississippi, complements of claudette. some places will report 5 inches of rain. there will be flash flooding, keep that in mind. again, the next storm we're going to talk about, this one is tropical depression anna. let's enlarge this ewe. this is a cluster moving into puerto rico and the dominican republic. this storm really has a lot of things working against it. not really storm in a tropical storm, but really a cluster, just a disturbance moving west-northwest. and we're going to put this path into motion. compliments of the national hurricane center. and the higher elevation really is going to take a bill toll on

this storm are ripping it apart, should be an area of low pressure moving it possibly into the straits of florida as we get into thursday. one thing to watch until then, though, heavy, heavy rainfall in parts of say the highest elevations of hispanola. but as it moves into the straits of florida and the gulf of mexico, that's a real concern because there's a chance this could blossom into a much bigger system once again. it is certainly one that is going to be something worth watching, could be a daunting thing to deal with as we make our way into the latter half of the week. >> we will be watching closely. thank you for that. i want to turn, though, to the global financial crisis in another nation now says it is in the black. like germany and france, japan says the recession there may be over. its economy expanded this quarter, the first time that has recorded any growth in over a year and a booming export trade and stimulus program have helped contribute to the rebound. but some economists believe rising unemployment in the country as well as decreasing

incomes may cancel out any gain. well, a successful stimulus program may have spurred the economic growth in japan, the world's second largest economy, but is a similar program working here? in the world's largest. christine romans live from new york. all right, christine, is it working? >> well, this poll, the cnn -- usa today gallup poll says it isn't working are, in fact, making things worse. this is what they found in a poll of americans taken from august 6th to august 9th currently. they say the stimulus effect on the economy, majority say no effect or worse. longer term, 60% said that the stimulus would have not effect or would actually hurt the american economy. what about on personal finances right now in the very short-term? a similar ll lly pessimistic ta

overall. 18% say they were better off, 68% said no effect, 13% said the stimulus is making their personal situation worse, and 1% had no opinion. now, look, $200 billion of that economic stimulus have been allocated, put to work in the economy. there's another $500 billion plus that is set to go out, as well. that's all over the next couple of years. some of this is time released, some of it is different kinds of programs, tax cuts, funneling money to the states to cover their budget shortfalls, infrastructure spending, a lot of different things. at the very least, what we know is a majority of americans according to this poll are still skeptical, betty about the stimulus. it's going to make life better for them and about half say they are very worried, very worried that the stimulus will be wasted in the end. a bit of an image problem for the stimulus, indeed. if people want to follow how that money is being spent, i encourage them to go to

recovery.gov, that is the government website where you can track how this money is being spent. >> see where that money is going. we do appreciate it. so you saw the poll numbers, and we want to know what you think. you can reach out to us today, go to the newsroom blog and go to my page. the question to you is this. is the stimulus working? it's been six months, what do you think? you can also reach me on my facebook and twitter pages. we want to hear from you today, we'll be reading some of your responses a little bit later in the show. in the meantime, though, many senior citizens the thought of health care reform is a scary thing. our dr. sanjay gupta will separate fact from fear.

health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius says

the obama administration is preparing for the worst and hoping for the best when it comes to the h1n1 swine flu. she says the -- they are optimistic that a vaccine will be available in mid-october and sebelius says it will probably be thanksgiving before high-priority populations are completely vaccinated against the virus. all right, so many older americans who have insurance are afraid that reform will change their care for the worst. our chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta takes a closer look at what the reform bills are really saying. >> well, there is a term you hear a lot talking about health care reform, and that term is rationing. what does that mean? we came here to this intensive care unit at southern regional hospital to try to find out, and what we heard was a tale of three sisters. >> reporter: at 78, thelma is the youngest, and then there's caroline who is 80, and helen who is the oldest, she's 82. >> are you worried with health

care reform -- a lot of people have been talking -- >> i'm concerned with it. >> tell me why. >> i try not to worry. well, i have read some things that says that as you get older you're wait and wait and wait to have surgery. and older people are going to wait longer than the younger people. >> reporter: it's not true, though a lot of people think so. a look at the reform bill in congress, there's no mention of that. no mention of rationing, no mention of the government making so-called "end of life" decisions for seniors. where is this notion coming from? from a provision in the house health care bill, providing for end of life counseling. chuck grassley says they dropped that provision for fear it would be misinterpreted. >> i think people are freaked out because there's a lot of bad information and misinformation being put out there by opponents of health care reform saying we're somehow going to pull the plug on grandma.

those are fear mongering for opponents of reform. >> reporter: misinformation? yes, and yet that fear is only growing. >> are they saying that the older people aren't as valuable as -- >> oh, certainly, certainly. >> reporter: you feel that for real? >> well, i don't personally feel that, but i feel like the government thinks so. i have had two knees replaced. i've had a hip replaced, i've had spinal stenosis done at this hospital back in 2000. >> so quite a few operations. >> yes, i have. >> how are you doing? >> great. >> here's where it gets a little difficult, helen, the older sister also had a hip replacement, but now she's in the intensive care unit with problems with her heart and kidney, as well. >> reporter: the three sisters have had more than 13 operations over the years costing close to $250,000. i asked carolyn, is it worth it?

>> i say if you pay your premiums, you ought to get the same service that the younger person does. >> no change in any of these pieces of legislation that would take the power away from the patients and physician ultimately making whatever choice is best for them. >> reporter: he is helen's doctor. should there be a cutoff? say this person is too old? >> the cutoff needs to be decided based on general health, the ability to go for surgery and ability to withstand surgery. >> as much as we talk about the policy, as much as we talk about the number surrounding health care reform, a question that keeps getting asked of us, what if this were your mother or grandmother? it's the art of medicine. back to you. >> well, some democrats say the public option is essential to health care reform. but it's been a sticking point for many conservatives. so is the white house ready to cave in to get a deal done? he ran off with his secretary! she's 23 years old!

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. on wall street, the dow fell last week, snapping a string of four straight weekly gains. and this week, start with more of the same as we listen to that opening bell right now. susan lisovicz is at the new york stock exchange with a preview of today's selloff. hey there, susan. >> hawaii, betty, i'm about to put on my hard hat because we are expecting a big drop at the open. the sellings began on friday, accelerated in asia overnight. china's shanghai composite plunged nearly 6%, european markets are down 1% to 2%. here at home, red arrows at the open. all of this comes though another key economy is pulling out of recession. japan, the second largest economy in the world said its gdp grew last quarter, but not as fast as expected and consumer spending there still remains fragile. that same problem, of course, big problem here. it's hitting lows, the nation's second largest home improvement retailer says its quarterly earnings fell nearly 20%, sales

fell too, they missed the estimates on wall street, the company blames bad weather and weak consumer spending. lowe's shares are lower by 9% right now. it's no wonder many people aren't spending because so many of us are having a hard time paying the bills we already have. capital one financial says the percentage of loans at least 30 days late rose in july following four months of improvement. capital one shares not seeing a stock price right now, they were down 5% in the pre-market. and checking the numbers, the dow industrial right now down 3%. the dow industrials right now are off 1.5%, down 145 points, the nasdaq is down 2%, and a quick follow-up, betty to something we were talking about quite a bit on friday, the impending failure of regional bank colonial. over the weekend, as we were reporting rival bb & t agreed to buy it. beyond that, four other banks also failed, bringing this year's total to 77.

so there's still a lot of fear in the air and it's playing out quite dramatically in the first minute of trading here as the new york stock exchange, betty. >> 77, that's almost hard to believe that it's the state of the situation right now. thank you, susan. >> you're welcome. so it is the make or break month for health care reform. and now it seems the president may give up a controversial part of his plan that would be the public option. it would set up a government-run alternative to private insurance companies. but on state of the union with john king yesterday, health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius implied that the white house may be willing to compromise. >> i think the president is just continuing to say let's not have this be the only focus of the conversation. coverage for all americans, lowering the crushing costs for everyone, making sure that we have new rules for insurance companies. that they can't dump people out of the marketplace if you get sick, they can't drop your coverage based on a pre-existing condition, that you can't be priced out because you're a

woman instead of a man and gender discrimination won't be allowed to continue anymore. those are really essential parts of the new program. along with choice and competition, which i think we'll have at the end of the day. >> let me -- the public option is not a deal breaker from the president's standpoint? >> well, i think there will be a competitor to private insurers. that's really the essential part. you don't turn over the whole new marketplace to private insurance companies and trust them to do the right thing. we need some choices, we need some competition. >> well, dropping the public option would make the bill an easier sell to conservatives, but some democrats think it would be a sellout instead. >> without the public option, we'll have the same number of people uninsured. if the insurance companies wanted to insure these people now, they'd be insured. the only way that we can be sure that very low income people and persons who work for companies that don't offer insurance can have access to it is through an

option that would give the private insurance companies a little competition. the private insurance companies been in charge so long that i think they feel that nobody else ought to be able to do it. >> so instead of the public option, the white house could end up supporting insurance co-ops. now consumers would pay into them and the members would run them. and those co-ops wouldn't be run for profit. more opportunities for lawmakers to hear questions from the people today ability health care reform. a number of town hall meetings are going across the country. and joe barton has a pair scheduled today in texas. allen boyd is holding three, in fact, in florida. one tonight in virginia, and i want to give you a live look at a town hall meeting with senator arlen specter in philadelphia. specter's meetings in particular have gotten pretty rowdy. so we're going to continue to monitor this one for you and bring you the latest.

president obama made his case for health care reform at his own town hall meetings over the weekend. but today, he is switching focus for those who have served our country. he's in phoenix to address the national convention of veterans of foreign wars. and we do expect to hear from him a little bit later. he's going to be talking about security and u.s. foreign policy. we'll have live coverage of that speech scheduled to get underway at 2:00 p.m. eastern. underway right now, california, it is burning with nearly a dozen wildfires across the state, some of the biggest, that would be the lockheed fire, about 65% contained. according to the san francisco chronicle. now, the associated press says it has burned about 10 miles of land, some people are being allowed back into the homes in that area after mandatory evacuations. and the ap also says the fire in santa barbara county is about

64% contained, it has burned about 135 square miles of timber and brush. officials believe it started at an illegal camp run by mexican drug dealers. and farther north, the fire is about 15% contained. it has burned more than 2,000 acres so far. officials think it started when a bird flew into a wire and caught on fire. it's awfully dry out there. so it seems like anything can spark a fire. >> you have to remember this part of the climate. it's a mediterranean style climate. in sicily or italy where you'd find on the central coast of california. it's not only that you have the dry conditions, but you have very tough topography. a lot of hills and mountains in that area. we're going to enlarge google earth and show you what they're up against. not only the rocky conditions and the high ranges in many spots along the central coast, but another issue in places like, for example, well, santa barbara county in this area is you have a very cold current

that comes in. the california current. and with that cold air coming through right along the coast, temperatures in this area are mainly into the 70s and 80s. meanwhile, back into the valleys, temperatures in this spot that happen to be in the 90s and some cases close to 100. a lot of air comes in to fill in that displacement. so you have a bit of a breeze and helps fan the flames. that's one of the issues. we're talking about the cold california current, and even in se parts of the caribbean, warm water, and that's been fuel for storms or systems like tropical depression claudette which makes its way into california and mississippi. now the only storm we're following, we're also going to keep a sharp eye on what is left of anna at this time. this storm making its way through parts of the caribbean, eventually possibly moving into the gulf of mexico. and of course, hurricane bill, this is the big storm we're

watching. this one possibly becoming in the next couple of days, category three or higher on the scale. so busy times here, no question about it. but we can handle over at cnn, your hurricane headquarters. >> thank you, reynolds. take you to taiwan now, more than a week after typhoon morakot hit. pledged money, helicopters, medication, and other supplies. the storm killed at least 123 people. the death toll, that could climb to more than 300. yesterday, a u.s. marine corps c-130 cargo plane flew in to unload plastic tarps for shelter. also the uss denver is expected to arrive today with additional humanitarian aid and water purification capabilities. clean-up efforts are underway in many villages and towns hardest hit by typhoon morakot. john vause is in taiwan and shows us the damage left behind in what many towns are up against as they try to recover.

>> reporter: this is the main road of a town. it's more of a muddy river and the people who live here are now starting to dig themselves out and clean up. now, keep in mind, it's been more than a week since typhoon morakot. the residents say at its worst the mud was 5 feet deep. inundated all of these shops and restaurants and office buildingsful during the typhoon, a nearby dike was breached. happened in about 20 or 30 minutes. take a look at some of these piles of debris coming in from the buildings. furniture, the kitchen sink. even just here, there is a child's rocking horse. the army has come here to help with the clean-up. there are hundreds of volunteers, as well. and across taiwan, clean-ups like this are now underway in many parts. in some places, in particular, those mountainous, isolated villages, the clean-up will have

to wait. work crews simply can't get in. now, despite all of this devastation, all of this damage, the people who live here tell me they consider themselves lucky because no one died. john vause, cnn, linbecomian, taiwan. and that nation's pro-democracy leader while in myanmar, webb was also able to secure the release of an american jailed for swimming uninvited. webb called the actions of the man regrettable. webb also spoke on cnn's american morning about his meeting with the sanctions on myanmar. >> it was my impression that she was not opposed to the idea of in some way lifting some of the sanctions. again, it's very delicate. she has her own strong viewpoints, but i do believe

personally that in lifting sanctions as long as you address these other issues is a way to have more contact with people of burma and also allowing the people of burma to see the outside world and it's extremely important. >> well, webb says he understands the league of southeastern asian nations may petition for amnesty. pakistan making progress in the fight against the taliban. richard holbrook speaks to cnn about this part of the terror war. it again! what? say it like, "mmmm, these healthy choice fresh mixers taste freshh!!" they taste fresh... wait. what are you doing? got it. you're secretly taping me? you were good too! but you know, it wasn't a secret to us, we knew... yes, but it was a secret to me. of course, otherwise i would be sitting like this and completely block his shot. so that's why i was like... didn't you notice this was weird? no.

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three children are among at least six people killed today in

a pakistan car bombing. the attack took place at a gas station outside peshawar, the capital of the northwest frontier province. that region has been the center of fighting in recent months between pakistani forces and taliban militants. president obama's special envoy to pakistan, richard holbrook is in pakistan today. sat down for an exclusive interview with holbrook. cal joins me now live from the capital of islamabad. did holbrook think that the government is correct when they say they have the taliban on the run? >> reporter: he does, he thinks the taliban is on the run. he thinks the death of the taliban leader is certainly key to that effort, but there is an inherent sort of contradiction that i picked up on when i asked him the question. we heard this swat offensive has been a huge success. but at the same time, we've had three separate attacks in the past 24 hoursment take a listen to what he had to say.

>> i don't think there's any question that the operations have been a success, and combined with the removal of the worst of the worst of the pakistani taliban. i think we've seen a great improvement of the security situation. at the same time, we don't know yet whether this is the destruction of the taliban and swat or just their dispersal. it'll take a while to find that out. >> so if they haven't run the taliban completely out, the question is, of course, where has the taliban gone? now to the north of this tribal region where mehsud was killed, that's where they have the seat of power. i asked how do you clear them out of there? can you tell them to put the boots on the ground? he told me he doesn't really have that role, that's not his role to play. he's an advisory role.

but certainly the next question is, what goes on next for the pakistani military? do they go into these difficult areas and clear the taliban out once and for good? >> richard holbrook, also the u.s. envoy to afghanistan, and with the elections really right around the corner, is there some concern about the recent violence there? >> reporter: well, i think there's definitely concern on the ground in kabul because we've heard about these security gains in the taliban. obviously likes to time their attacks, these spectacular attacks with major events like the election. i asked holbrook in the interview what he thought about the violence and if he thought it would slow down the elections. >> violence during elections is prit common place in many parts of the world. including other parts of south asia. that's not the problem. to me, the issue is what kind of an election will this be? will it protect the true will of the afghan people? and above all, will the

government that's elected be able to be more successful than has been the case in the recent? >> and i asked him, betty, about the new strategy that he brings to the table with the obama administration. i asked him is there any chance that u.s. commanders on the ground as they've said will start engaging with the taliban? will start diplomatically speaking to the taliban. his answer was quite surprising. saying if they are willing to lay down their arms, willing to turn their backs on al qaeda, turn their backs on the violence. he said, there is a way to fold them into the political process. and he said that the americans would be willing to have that discussion, betty. thank you. well, afghanistan's presidential election as i mentioned, just right around the corner this thursday, in fact. only the second in the nation's history. and it will be watched as an indicator of stability. last night, president hamid karzai joined two challengers in a debate. the rivals criticized him for alleged government corruption and for not doing enough to stop

escalating violence. now, regarding civilian casualties from coalition strikes, mr. karzai pledged to stop nato from conducting military operations without the government's permission. let's take you back to the states now in the mayor of milwaukee being hailed a hero, but the mayor was attacked. he fought back and winds up in the hospital. and my daughter is going to college, so she needs one. - can you help me? - ( shouting ) - yes, you. - our line of next class laptops are perfect for college, and they start at just $650. are those good? 'cause i don't want to get her something - that she thinks is totally lame. - no, they're awesome. and they come with pre-loaded software so she won't have to do a thing. - great. she's good at that. - ( blue shirts laugh ) laptops designed for college and thousands of people eager to help. best buy. buyer be happy.

until chicago it may feel like a holiday today. nope, it is not. the city is actually cutting back on some services today to save money and help shore up the ailing budget. public library, other city offices, they are not going to be opened today and there will not be regular garbage collection or sweeping today. other services have not been affected. and let's take you to milwaukee now. the mayor is hospitalized after being attacked over the weekend. the mayor was leaving the state fair with family members when he heard a woman screaming for help. the woman was a grandmother trying to protect her 1-year-old granddaughter. the suspect attacked him with a metal pipe. the mayor's brother talked about

the incident. he called 911 and tried to calm the situation and to protect his grandmother and grandchild. his efforts also protected members of our family as well. ing. investigators believe a 38-year-old woman was talking to her boyfriend on a cell phone when she was apparently abducted. she disappeared while walking down the street from her family's home in north georgia. more than 100 people and 15 agencies have joined in that search. there is definitely a lot

going on this morning. cnn crews are in place to bring you all of the details. let's check in with our correspondent, including reynold's wolf. >> hey, we're watching three tropical systems. one is the first tropical storm possib possibly become the most major hurricane. we'll have more on that coming up. and i'm susan lisovicz where we're seeing storm clouds as well over wall street. this is despite the fact that we learned the second largest economy, japan, is on the road to recovery. but investors are worried about a global market selloff. i'll put it in perspective in the next hour. thank you, both. also, ahead, hundreds of gay men killed in iraq in recent months. many are urging the government to take a stronger stance and save men from the killing. it was a perfect fit. find out more at aflac!...

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well, san francisco is the first city in the u.s. to have an affordable health care program for everyone who wants one. and some are looking at the program as a model for the uninsured on a national scale. journalist jeff king and jim castle show us one woman's experience of health care in

focus series. >> i had prolapse, diagnosed about nine years ago. after i lost my insurance, i would have to pay out of pocket for everything, 100%. it would have been really costly. and eventually i would have died. it was scary. i thought it was really unfair. and just not right, basically, that you should allow anybody to die because they cannot get coverage. they can't get health even though they are trying to do the right thing. that's why i south out the clinics that are here in san francisco. >> health in san francisco is a coverage model. medical care, hospital care, emergency care, pharmaceutical, laboratory, radiology, for people within san francisco. any adult who is uninsured in san francisco who qualify, how much people are required to pay

depends upon what their income is. >> in my opinion, much better and more thorough care than i had when i was insured. >> we have required only a very minimal amount of the general funds to start up $750,000. the rest of the money comes from one of three resources. we receive the state-federal grants, we are receiving money through the employer's spending requirement that requires businesses that have more than 20 employees to spend money on health care and then finally to participate and pay. we figure out how to decrease the cost of care and use that money to cover a broader set of people. what we're able to do is to supplement all of the money that is existing to enable people to care for a group of people that they would by and large already care for. >> i wish everybody had access to the kind of medical treatment

that i get because it's just fantastic. >> all right. so if you want to know more about the health care debate, check out the special health care in america's website. all you have to do is go to cnn.com/healthcare. let's get a look at some of the stories that are happening right now. news out of japan, the world's second largest economy, may be pulling out of the recession. stock and oil prices dropped sharply today. economists say lack of consumer confidence are making investors nervous across the globe. the top u.s. commander in iraq wants some troops deployed. general ray ordinary scenario says it could be necessary to prevent the number of growing bombings there. now, the plan, if approved,

would protect a security attack that would take them out of major cities. but both leaders seem receptive to that idea. >> union leaders and bay area rapid transit officials preventing a major strike today. it could have affected more than 300,000 monday morning commuters. leaders began to strike because of new rules that they believe would have employees. all right. so hurricane season may have gotten off to a slow start this year. but that may be changing today, my friends, with several first to talk about. say hello to bill. this became the first hurricane of the atlantic season today and could turn into a major headache this week. a look at the damage from claudette, now, the first named storm of the year to make u.s. landfall. it came in as a tropical storm but now it's been downgraded to a depression. so let's not waste any time and

throw it over to mike and fran. and a strong hurricane, 70 miles per hour, gusts stronger going to 90 miles per hour. there are a couple of things that are going to be beneficial for the storm to get bigger. one, sea surface temperatures, minimal sheer in the atmosphere. what you're going to deal with is a possibility for this thing to grow and get considerably bigger. that's exactly what is in the forecast. we're going to put this into motion. it's become a category 3 storm. that's a major hurricane. and the forecast has brought that storm, again, a little bit more to the west and northwest as we get into thursday and friday. a look at the direction, still going right between bermuda and the u.s. mainland. the forecast will have winds up to 120 miles per hour.

keep in mind, there's a whole lot that can change in terms of the power of the storm. it's going to fluctuate a little bit. the path, too, is uncertain for the time being. signing a compromise in this break or make month, president obama is unwilling to give up the cornerstone of his reform. that being the government-funded option for insurance. >> what we don't know is exactly what the finance committee is likely to come up with. they have been more focused on a co-op, not for profit co-op as a competitor as opposed to a state government-run program.

i think what is important is choice and competition. the plan will have both of those, but that is not the essential element. >> all right. the government-funded option has caused anger at town hall meetings. i want to check in with one forum that is in place. jessica yellin is there and it's being held by a blue dog democrat. what are you expecting there today? >> well, betty, boyd has not had to vote yet on a health care proposal. he has been able to take a very middle ground. his constituents seem to be more conservative and we're going to hear, likely based on the people coming in, a lot of what we've heard already, fears about government-run health care so let's talk about moving the pun lick option into a less likely category that will please his audience if he goes there. i should em pa size this message that we've heard sfr sebelius

and obama, that's something that the obama has been doing for some time now. >> no doubt. we'll be watching, too, jessica, thank you. want to give you a look at other town hall meetings occurring today. they are scattered from philadelphia down to florida and even to texas. well, health care may be one of the many topics as president obama speaks to the largest organization, a combat veteran. later today, he addresses veterans of foreign war and many want to know about plans of the vfw scheduled to get under way at 2:00 p.m. eastern. in the meantime, though, it's a

make it or break it month. the white house now showing flexibility, can a new compromise win support on both sides of the divide. jim acosta takes a closer look. >> now, wait a minute. wait a minute. >> reporter: after weeks of congressional town halls gone wild, the obama administration is keeping its options opened on health care reform, specifically on the crucial and so called public option. >> that is not the essential element. >> and there were no lines in the sand. >> this is a legitimate debate to have. >> all i've i'm saying, though, is that the public option, whether we have it or we don't have it, is not the entirety of

health care reform. this is just one sliver of it. >> pushing the public option and more time injecting competition into the health care marketplace. >> the fact of the matter is, there are not votes for the public option. there never has been. so to continue to chase that rapid i think is just a wasted effort. >> democratic senator kent conrad is offering one compromise that would establish nonhealth care cooperatives, like the rural co-ops that have existed for decades. >> this is a model that works. it's not government-run and government-controlled. it's membership-run and membership-controlled. >> the president is stuck. keeping insisting a government-run program would run private insurers out of business. >> i still think we should have a by partisan solution.

what i can't tolerate is the government's plan. >> jumping in with disappoint liberals. to see a surrender as defeat. >> if he backs away from the public option s. that health care reform? >> it's not health care reform, no. we want to improve the lives of families and communities everywhere. >> all right. so we know the lawmakers, at least what some of them are saying about health care reform. but what about those that deal face-to-face with -- >> what doctors think about the reform plan. back to our top story right now. hurricane season heating up. some images here of bill and of course there is claudette. it brought plenty of high winds and rain with it. we'll get back to reynold's wolf. you've been watching all of these. what's the latest of the storm?

>> we've seen one becoming weak, another one moving on shore, dying out. it's going to provide quite a bit of rainfall. and bill is going to be in check and nothing stands in its way. case in point, ana, that moving into the u.s. and virgin islands, it's disorganized and it's a mess. claudette brings heavy rainfall to parts of alabama and miss mis. bill is going to be the big one. it's the one that we expect to become significantly stronger, possibly becoming a major hurricane as you come over the next couple of days. as you get into 2:00 a.m. wednesday, the storm still far away from the u.s. mainland, expected to increase from power. the winds sustained of 120 miles per hour. and then veering off into the northwest into friday saturday, this projected path brings it right between bermuda, right between here, the u.s. mainland right here on this side. so that is certainly some good news if it stays away from land. they begin to wobble.

it's certainly something that we have to watch very carefully. this is wtxl, let me put this into motion as we do so. you can see the common site for much of the emerald coast. you can see the wind coming in and ripping the flags, heavy surf coming in and heavy at times. as the storm makes it it's way into central alabama, perhaps parts of sen tea as we're out, you're going to see heavy rainfall. some spots could see four, five, six, seven inches of rainfall. and you could be dealing with chances of flash flooding. and there certainly is a chance that ana could become considerably stronger because the forecast for ana brings it back into parts of cuba and maybe gulf of mexico later in the week. we're going to watch it for you

like an eagle. let me show this to the rest of america. you see wtsp. conditions there, i promise, will get much better than in places like canada. neighbors like alabama and into mississippi that are going to be dealing with the heavy scattered showers and flash flooding that we're talking about. it's going to be a rough day in parts of the southeast. and certainly could be the beginning of a loud season. you never know. >> you know who could use a little bit of that rain? >> right here at home. >> the folks in california as well. >> good question. heavy wildfire conditions. the winds are not favorable to those guys. taking into the afternoon, dry conditions also along the coast. you're going to be seeing temperatures. inland, down in the blazes and in the 80s and 90s. >> not getting much help by the way of the weather department. >> not at all. >> thank you, reynolds. i want to talk to you about those fires because it's still burning with nearly a dozen firefighters across the state. some of the biggest, around bon

doon, the associated press says it has burned about ten miles of land and some people it's burned about 130 miles of brush. and the fire is about 15% contained. it's right at 2,000 acres so far. officials say it burned a wire and caught fire. well, the recession is over in japan, that is. that's what experts are saying. we're going behind the numbers.

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taking a look at the numbers, the dow might be happening today. down 189 points at 9131. we'll be watching the markets for you.

fewer jobs were lost and the economy is improving. only a small portion of the stimulus fund has been your stimulus money at work. with visits to the grand canyon over the weekend, the president is putting the spotlight on the national parks. $700 million was earmarked. so we asked katebouldwin. >> from the grand canyon, america's national treasurers in need of serious repair. about 35 miles and historic and

and a billion dollars, and and about 10 and it's and we have to make our business enjoyable. >> nearly $66 million is going to repair washington landmarks. more than 14.5 million to the verde national park and more than $1 million. but when it comes to this money, you have to ask -- >> how is money for national parks stimulus? >> it's stimulus because we are putting people to work. we are putting people to work for the next two years. but it's also stimulus because we are creating a better place

and increasing our visitor experience. >> some republican lawmakers aren't buying it. >> clearly we need to improve our national parks. nobody should confuse that with economic stimulus. frankly, that's just false advertising. >> the interior department estimates this stimulus will create 8,000 jobs over two years. many will be temporary jobs but this park ranger is confident that it's an investment. >> the parks are past, our history to preserve that, that's where we come from. it will give us an idea of where we're going. >> they are hoping to put hammer to nail in the next month as park officials say they have overwhelming interest. for projects like these, they need to hire about six additional people. they've received nearly 200 applications. >> all right. so we want to know from you, what do you think so far? we are six months into the stimulus plan. is it working? we've got that question up on the blog right here. that's cnnnewsroom.com.

you can also go to my twitter page, facebook as well. there's several ways to reach out and speak with us today. we'll get your comments and read them today. is the stimulus plan working? let us know what you think. signs of the economic recovery from the world's second largest economy, japan creating grow and it's pulling out of a global recession. what is happening there? well, the good news is that -- well, here is morgan neill. >> a new report out on monday shows japan's economy has emerged from recession. according to a preliminary report, the country's economy grew in the second quarter by .9%. in annual terms, that comes to 3.7%, the first time japan's gdp has grown in 15 months. now, the main driver is a growth in exports, spending by

governments from around the world has boosted japan's cars and electronics, the country's main stay. and, in particular, recovery from china which grew over the last year has helped japan's economy. massive government stimulus here has also boosted domestic spending in japan but nevertheless, a big driver of today's news, monday's news, is port growth. in particular, we're seeing the country's developments, near the main export market with a delay of a couple of months. now, the news isn't all positive. unemployment is at the highest level in six years. and it's continuing to be a concern about dropping prices. nevertheless for the first time in more than a year, people here in japan can find some reason for optimism looking at their country's economy. morgan neill, cnn, tokyo. >> so you've seen those two

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it turns out pictures of babies sleeping could be confusion and misinformation. infants are seen sleeping in unsafe positions and could increase the risk of s.i.d.s.

liz bets cohen is here to talk about this. i know there's been a study to determine this. what did that study indeed find? >> the study was so interesting. researchers at the national medical association in washington says let's take a look at magazine photos and they looked at 400 photos and found that only 36 of those photos showed children sleeping in the proper position. only 36 of the photos showed them sleeping and they are afraid it gives kids the wrong message. of course, we all know that it's not. as you said, it can lead to sudden infant death. >> give us an example so we know what those positions are and make sure babies are not sleeping in those positions. >> i'm going to show you two photos as we highlight what not to do. this is an ad for pampers, and you can see the baby is -- appears to be on her side and in

soft bedding. they should be on their back and not surrounded by soft bedding that could possibly suffocate them. so that is a big problem and we asked for a response to this and they say we are striving for a 100% effort in this area. this is the exception and not the rule. >> and let me show you another one here. this is a photo in a magazine. it's a little hard to tell, but this is a celebrity putting her twins in the same bed, which is a big no-no. again, soft bedding is a big no-no when it comes to any infant. >> besides that, how else can parents prevent s.i.d.s.? >> i'm going to show you the right way to do it. here's the right way to do it.

you have the baby in the bed with no soft bedding. you'll notice the baby does not have blankets all around her and the baby is on her back. that is the way to do it. put your babe back to sleep and not be surrounded by soft bedding and a firm mattress. >> good information there, susan. we appreciate it. >> all right. they are the ones who deal with patients day in and day out and they are the one who is often have to cut through the red tape. so what do doctors think about plans to reform health care? we'll ask about that. ♪ bicycle, what are we waiting for? the flowers are blooming. the air is sweet. and zyrtec® starts... relieving my allergies... 2 hours faster than claritin®. my worst symptoms feel better, indoors and outdoors.

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right now it is down 175, 74 points right now. this is the dow ending. there were fears from investors about consumer spending make a turn for the worst. they were worried that consumers were reluctant to spend more corporate earnings later in the day. and at this hour. well, it is a make or break month for health care reform and time for lawmakers to hear from their constituents. let me get a live picture of the town hall meeting and the city of florida with alan boyd. health care for our military veteran. he spoke to the largest organization of combat veterans, and many want to know about the u.s. plans in iraq and afghanistan. ed henry is at the annual dfw convention in phoenix. >> four american vets, two voted

for the president, two for john mccain, but they share a brotherhood and the feeling that many americans do not support the u.s. troops dying in two wars, a feeling so painful it brings one of these men to tears. >> i know that they are tough. i know they are strong. i have a hard feeling for those that are over there. but i'm a marine and i will stand up for our chief of staff and our soldiers in everywhere they go. >> all four said that they want to hear more specifics from the president about the days ahead in afghanistan in particular. what's interesting is gary malone, an obama supporter from arkansas, is deeply -- >> i lost 58 pounds from vietnam. this will not turn into another vietnam. it's turning into another vietnam. >> but a different view from

buck of arkansas. >> i was in world war ii, korea, and i served -- >> he's a mccain voter but gives mr. obama high marks for sending more troops to afghanistan. the talk of another vietnam stirs the mccain voter of arizona who thinks mr. obama has been weak. >> i also don't want to see it turn into a situation where they just up and pull the troops out and have the public of the united states say, oh, well, here we are. we lost in iraq or afghanistan. because people feel that we lost the vietnam war. i'll say it right now, we was winning in vietnam when i left there. politicians lost that. >> but he says that he will support the president now and expired for the first time ever,

an african-american chief will support the p.o.w. and so is roland rochester whose heartaches for the men and women dying overseas. he voted for mr. obama and is confident that he will handle both wars fair. >> i'm proud of him. >> reporter: robert gibbs says that while the president will -- about the war in afghanistan, because a commanding general is conducting a review that may disappoint some of these veterans. even the mccain voters expect the commander in chief and give him more time to get it right. ed henry, cnn, scottsdale, arizona. i want to pass along this reminder. we have live coverage of president obama's speech scheduled to get under way at 2:00 p.m. eastern. don't miss it right here on cnn. the public is getting another chance to weigh in on health care reform. right now we know where the politicians stand. how about doctors who deal with

insurance companies every single day? like the phoenix children's hospital and with new york presbyterian hospital and cornell medical center. i want to thank you both for joining us this morning. i want to talk about the health care proposals out there and your views on it. dr. christian son, you are in favor of the president's plan for reform. tell yus. >> well, you know, i think that health care system in this country is already broken. i didn't break it. it was broken when i got here. but you just need to go down to the emergency room, spend a few hours down there or talk to one of the millions of americans that don't have insurance. i believe we have nine years before we go broke. status quo was a dangerous place to be. reform has three major assets. the first is to improve quality and lastly and most importantly is to decrease the costs.

the coastses are skyrocketing. >> i want to get your reaction to that because i believe you have opposed the plan out there. >> i agree. the hit care system does need to be changed but where are the doctors taking care of 300 million people np this count try, the additional 40 million? president obama is not talking about getting more medical students to pursue careers in primary care. that's exactly what he needs. he needs people to do bread and butter medicine. the system is going to have to expand to include highly-trained nurse practitioners and physician assistance to take care of the additional load. >> so under the reform plan, they won't be able to afford that type of service? highly-skilled and educated doctors? >> well, the thing is, you don't always need a doctor to check your blood pressure and blood

glucose. you don't always need anesthesiologist. you can work with a certified nurse during surgery and one doctor can simultaneously provide up to three operations and that's where we're headed. there's just not that enough medical professionals to take care of all of these patients. >> well, let's look at the pun lick option. i want to get your take on it because it appears that the president is backing off a little bit on that after all of the criticism. what do you think about that public option? >> i would like to answer that question but i think in response, yeah, we need more primary care physicians, providers out there and clearly more allied health. but the truth is that all of these people are getting subpar health care at emergency roomses and urgent care centers and, unfortunately, that's just not the cost-effective manner. in terms of the public option

and the nonprofit co-op plan being opposed, i think the main point is that we need to ensure access. i think one of the most important things that we need to do is decide that we're going to guarantee access, especially for the children. if we don't take care of the children, we're going to have long-term health care and i think that we have enough cost savings out there. i think that if you look at the national health care spending, right now about 70% is spent in taking care of complications of poorly managed disease, to top it off, take caring of primary process. i think we need to ensure access. i think we need to create a medical home model. >> what's the best twi ensure that axis? is that public option or a co-op? >> how about having the ints

company pros vid a low-cost, affordable, minimal standard health care option, just like car insurance, for everyone out there? if they want to buy something additional, those that can afford it and those who want to should be able to. this will promote healthy competition. that's wa we need. >> i saw a little girl out in the streets and her parents had just lost the jobs and cars and they were finding their way to shelter. she had had ear pain for three weeks. i took out literally a dead cockroach in her ear and she had had no health care, no access to health care. no way to get it. they certainly didn't have any money to buy other insurance plans. there are millions fs these children and adult us out there. >> well, the co-op option and leaving the healthy people with no access to health care either.

>> clearly the devil is in the details. it's a complex system and it's going to take a lot of people and some very careful legislation to come up with a plan. i we need to put our children and grandmas and grandpas first. and exactly how to take care of them. >> yeah, you both agree that something needs to be done. >> yes. >> and the question is, what and how are we going to pay for it? doctors, we appreciate your time and insight. >> if you want to know more about the health care debate, check out professional health care in america's west side on cnn.com. get the latest from the town hall debate. afghanistan's watching as an indicator of stability. president karzai joined two

challengers in a debate. his rivals criticized him for alleged corruption and not doing enough to stop the violence. mr. karzai pledged to stop nato to pro vit military operations without the position. >> ahmadinejad said that he will ask three women to join his cabinet. the nomination could lead to the first females in iran. ahmadinejad has until wednesday to present a cabinet for approval. now, the dow is a busy day and in the weather center, there are three storms from the tropics. not one, not two, but three of them. hey, wolf. >> hurricane bill is one of the first atlantic hurricanes in the season and it's going through. we're going to give you an idea

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you're at hurricane headquarters. today, hurricane season has been fairly quiet until now. it's kicking up a storm or three, to be exact. claudette came ashore as a hurricane in the florida pan handled, but hurricane bill is gaining serious strength in the

atlantic. and i just don't know how you keep track of all of this. because things are changing quickly. we're going to take this and see what we're dealing with. dead center you can see ana weakening considerably. it's moving towards san juan, puerto rico, and you've got the heavy rain coming down. that, of course, is bill. bill has gone from a tropical storm to a hurricane one.

sea surface temperatures are beginning to gain. you need to be at about 36 -- and very little in terms of upper level winds. this could strengthen. and that is the hurricane information. it's going to gain strength, going from a category 2 to 3 as we get insighted for thursday. from thursday into and the flakt situation in power, both 120, 125, 115. it's very hard for major hurricanes to maintain that level of strikes. so wobbling is forecast and is expected. something else that can be expected with all of the storm, all forecast is shaky once you go from three days. in fact, as you look at computer models, which is self-explanatory. these are computer models, models that happen in the atmosphere. each one with the individual forecast brings the storm in a little bit of a path, although

generally they seem to follow more paths going to bring us to bermuda, which is right in this area and then, of course, the u.s. mainland right over here. let's keep an eye on it and we're going to wrap it up. i'll be here and chad meyers will be also giving you latest. >> yep. >> it's a changing very rapidly. thank you, reynolds. >> we want to talk about the stimulus plan. it's six months old and we want to know weather whether you think it's working. so finish your thoughts. go to cnn.com/heidi or betty and send me tweets. or you can go to my facebook page. we'll be hearing from you and go to your responses very shortly. for unsurpassed absorption, to nourish your bones.

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gecko vo: that's why geico is consistently rated excellent or better in terms of financial strength. gecko vo: second rule: "don't steal a coworker's egg salad, 'specially if it's marked "the gecko." come on people. we have learned that the supreme court death row inmate troy davis should gets another chance to prove his innocence before they execute him. there's a picture of davis. he was ofrded by the high court that has ordered a federal judge to determine whether there was enough evidence that proves that davis did not kill a police officer back in 1991. for many years now, supporters have argued for a new trial after several witnesses have he

said it provides adequate evidence for a hearing. death row inmate troy davis, who's been serving time here in georgia, should get another chance to prove his innocence. we are continuing to follow this story for you. >> weshlgs the list of countries that appear to be pulling out of the recession is growing. today it's japan. the big question is, what about the u.s.? susan lisovicz is on the floor of the new york stock exchange with details on that. if you can answer this question as to when we're going to come out for a session, boy, let me tell you, a lot of people are wanting to hear that. >> yeah, i don't think i'd be standing here right now. i'd be enjoying the rewards of such wisdom. but, you know, there are a lot of concerns, betty. no question about it. and we're seeing it play out quite dramatically with a global selloff. we saw averages -- stock market

averages of asia, sell off very sharply overnight. europe down substantially. right now the dow is down 178 points. we have not seen the dow close with triple digit digits since july. japan's economy grew, the world's second largest economy, largely because of exports. think about all of those electronics. but spending at home in japan remains weak. why is that? because their wages are either falling or stag nating and the jobless rate is rising. and it's a similar thing here. yes, the stock market here has rallied for months over the sense that things are stabilizing. but for the market to continue to rally, a lot of folks are telling me that you need to see improvement. where do you need to see improvement? with consumer spending. we've been hearing from some of the nation's biggest retailers. last week, walmart, which has done well in this recession, says the quarterly fell. today it's lower than we've

seen. so last week, on friday, consumer confidence fell. we're the biggest consumers, about 20%. so it's a concern here and it's a concern overseas. and it's playing out. a lot of people are saying that we're right for a pull back. back to you. >> yes, indeed. all right. thank you so much. we appreciate it. listen to this. it may seem like a hod day but it is not. the city is cutting back on services to help save money and shore up the ailing budget. public libraries, city halls, and other city office also not be opened and there also will not be regular garbage collection or street sweep tug day. president obama's plan has been six months.

so the question this. is it working? what do you think? we are hearing fru. if you go to the auto industry and insurance company. but the people are still in big trouble. when are the people going to be helped? take you to my twitter page right now and 23 b says, yes, i believe it's working. updated regularly on projects, funded from stimulus here in ohio, some started already. go to my facebook page. they say, the i this the stimulus is slowly working. i they we all need to be more patient for the economy to turn around. i'm getting mixed thoughts on that today. we do appreciate all of your comments on the question today s. the stimulus plan working? it's been in effect for six months. tomorrow we'll have another question for you. death squauds roaming around iraq. but they are not after murderers or muslim groups. they are targeting only one group, gay men.

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well, coming out of the closet can be a struggle for many people but in iraq it can be downright deadly. gay men in that country are afraid for their lives. when this video sprung up on youtube back in january t. caused a terrifying backlash. in this report released on monday, human rights warn of a "spreading of torture and murder gets iraq's gay community. after this video posted, it became much worse, this gay

man tells us. they are too frightened to have their identities revealed. >> what are some of the atrocities being committed against the gay committee that you know of? >> many of my friends were killed and many others wounded or harmed. the eldest among them says, some are tortured. they are started a war against us. i was with my boyfriend driving around. we were ordered out of the car and they beat my boyfriend severely and put him in jail. he's been there for four months. this list was posted and lists names of individuals accused of being gay. part of it warns, if you do not end this shameful behavior, your fate will be death. some have even been killed by

their own family. he was a hairdresser and i heard they even wanted to bury him alive or stone him to death. and some hacked off their hair. one shows a scar left by ashes doused on his leg. members of iraq's gay community have to try to blend in when they are out on the streets or face the consequences. the iraqi government says it condemns the murder or abuse of any of its citizens but have done little else to protect the homosexuals. those we spoke to have less to fend for themselves.