>> reporter: his desire to win hearts and minds at home is just as important to aaron as it is on the front lines. bill tucker, cnn, seattle. our thanks to major bert and all of our brave men and women in uniform. thanks for being with us tonight. tonight. up next is "campbell brown." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com hey there, everybody. a lot of ground to cover tonight, but we'll start as we always do with the "mash-up." it is, of course, our look at the stories making an impact right now, the moments you may have missed today. don't have to. some new information, and just-released audio recordings give a new window into just how boneheaded some decisions were by airport workers in rochester, minnesota, earlier this month. you remember this story, an express jet flight diverted because of bad weather pap 47 passengers locked on the plane for hours. well, today, federal officials cleared the plane's crew. the captain tried to get those

passengers off. >> i need to tell them something. i can't sit here any longer. >> there's no food, and it's just getting really unhappy. and the problem is that the terminal is closed here. and they won't let them get off because the terminal's closed. so, we're stuck here with no lavs, no nothing, no food. what can i tell these people who are stuck here for the rest of the night? you know, there are lawsuits for this kind of stuff. >> blame, we are learning, goes to a regional airline representative who would not let the passengers and crew into the term that. we'll have a whole lot more on this story coming up shortly. hurricane bill could still mess up some weekend plans. right now it's a category 2 hurricane, sliding up the atlantic coast between bermuda and the united states, but the storm could get stronger. >> it may turn back into a 3 because of that warmer water, but it is still not going to hit the u.s. east coast, and now the hurricane center saying there

may not even be tropical-storm-force winds on the cape cod area. >> the tide is becoming really, really rough because of hurricane bill. it is supposed to be approaching saturday morning. >> please, this is not a weekend to be out at the beaches. >> check out this bird's-eye view of hurricane bill given to us by nasa. you can see here just how massive this storm really is. now, the white house keeping a close eye on hurricane bill. the president is headed to martha's vineyard, off the massachusetts coast sunday. his vacation has started, but his problems, oh, they are not going anywhere. >> the president of the united states there wrapping up some last-minute business before going on vacation with his wife and kids. >> he was talking about u.s. troops. there are some 60,000 u.s. troops now on the ground in afghanistan. >> critics are slamming the president for leaving town right in the middle of a heated health care fight. >> a group opposed to the presidents's health care reform plans tells cnn they're spending $150,000 airing an ad on local

tv stations that makes reference to the fact that the president is vacationing. the question is -- should this president get a break or should he forgo this year's vacation to focus on health care? >> we're going to take a break. to give the white house and the president a chance to recharge and to let this whole debate cool down. >> the smile on his face to me was the most convincing gesture i've seen him make all week. he was thrilled to finally be out of here, and anxious to get away. >> anxious, i'm sure, and who wouldn't be smiling? the president and his family are staying at a private oceanside estate that rents for $35,000 a week. cash for clunkers ends on monday. but most dealers say the rebate program is already over for them. nearly 500,000 people traded their old gas guzzler in for a new car. so, success or disaster, the program? well, that depends on who you ask. >> this has been a very successful program. >> it's been a bureaucratic nightmare from the beginning.

>> it has been successful beyond anybody's imagination. >> we've not been paid on a single claim. >> the program has been enormously successful. >> as of right now, we have not been funded yet on one deal. >> they're going to get their money. >> well, get ready for the next rebate program, cash for your old kitchen appliance. that starts late this fall. seriously. the search is still on for the reality tv contestant wanted for his ex-wife's murder. her body was found in a suitcase in a dumpster. today we learned new details about how she died. >> international manned hunt under way this morning for the man charged with killing model jasmine fiore. authorities looking for fiore's ex-husband a reality tv star named ryan jenkins they think may be hiding in canada. >> there will be no stone unturned, and we will look under every rock for him. he needs to understand that he's

now officially wanted. >> jasmine fiore's teeth and fingers had been removed, presumably to make it more difficult for police to identify her body. >> jenkins already has a criminal conviction for domestic abuse in canada and was arrested this year in las vegas, where he's accused of punching his now-dead wife. >> we also just spoke to the buena park police department a few minutes ago, and they tell us they are working in conjunction with the u.s. marshall's office and canadian authorities and washington state authorities to try to find him. >> we also learned today how investigators i.d.'d fiore's body. they tracked the serial number on her breast implants. there are new developments in the michael jackson story. a new date for his burial and a new search for evidence. >> there's a search under way at mickey fine pharmacy in beverly hills. jackson had used the pharmacy for use. >> this pharmacy is located directly below the offices of

dr. arnold cline, a close friend and dermatologist of michael jackson. this is also a building where michael jackson frequently visited, as recently as three days before his june 25th death. >> michael jackson is not going to be laid to rest after all, on what would have been his 51st birthday on august the 29th. >> a private funeral and burial will be given on august the 23rd. no reason was given for the change. >> we also heard from the godfather of michael jackson's kids today. former child star mark lester talked to matt lauer on the "today" show. headline here? uncomfortable. >> michael was very shy when it came to women, and he confided to me that he found it very difficult to actually do the sexual act. i just jokingly said, well, look, michael, if you don't want

to do it, i'll do it for you. >> if he's uncomfortable with the act of having sex with a woman, he could still use his own sperm -- >> exactly. >> -- to become the biological child of a father. why did he need your sperm? >> exactly. that i don't know. >> you said you'd be willing to take a paternity test, is that true? >> yeah, if it was necessary. i'm the god father to those kids. i just really all i want to do is to remain in contact, my family and michael's children's. >> now, the jackson family attorney told the "today" show that lester's claims, quote, do not serve the best interests of the children. it will be weeks before we know the final results of afghanistan's presidential election. current president karzai and the other leading candidate both claiming victory right now. and that brings us to tonight's "punch line" this is courtesy of jon stewart, who we learned can always find humor even in a war zone. >> turnout in afghanistan, incredibly low! that's a real kick in the teeth.

we bring them democracy on a silver platter and they don't even show up to vote. oh, let me guess. it's raining! oh, the traffic on the kibur pass was awful. oh, my opium fields are burning! >> the taliban vowed to hunt down those who voted. "if we find anyone with ink on their fingers, we will cut it off" said this taliban commander. >> you know, who i feel bad for right now? some guy in afghanistan whose pen at work exploded. you don't understand. all i did was put it in my pocket. oh, i'm not even following the elections! >> jon stewart, everybody. maybe a little dark for a friday night. anyway, that is the "mash-up." coming up next -- audiotapes you've got to hear to believe. this is a pilot begging an airline to get the passengers off a plane where they were stranded for nine hours, gets no help at all. tonight we get to the bottom of who is really to blame here.

>> they are getting really up set. you know, with the plane. so, we just need to work out some kind of thing. you know, we can't keep them here any longer. they don't understand. because the terminal isn't open. i mean, we can't sit here any longer. >> not a good situation. >> and there's no food or anything. carol, when you replaced casual friday with nordic tuesday,

was it really for fun, or to save money on heat? why? don't you think nordic tuesday is fun? oh no, it's fun... you know, if you are trying to cut costs, fedex can help. we've got express options, fast ground and freight service-- you can save money and keep the heat on. great idea. that is a great idea. well, if nordic tuesday wasn't so much fun. (announcer) we understand. you need to save money. fedex tonight, new developments and new recordings released in the case of those passengers left stranded on a plane for nine hours. we now know the captain was desperately trying to get her passengers off that plane and into the terminal. but she was refused by another airline, the only one that had a ground crew on duty that time of night. take a listen. --

>> whoa, a lot of passing the buck going on right there. today transportation secretary, ray lahood, said a preliminary investigation shows the other airline, musava, which is owned by delta was at fault for not helping. their employee wrongly thought the passengers couldn't be allowed in because of security

screeners had gone home for the night. so, with me now, to hash this out in st. paul, minnesota, link christian, who was one of those stranded passengers who was on that flight and in san francisco, kate hanai, head of the group fliersrights.org joining me. link, listening to the recordings there, clearly your pilot was pleading with people in that airport to try to get you guys off the plane. does it make you, i guess, feel better or worse? >> well, it makes me feel better that at least she and the dispatcher were acknowledging among themselves how serious this situation was. on the other hand, i wonder how in the world a regional carrier could be permitted to be making the decision whether or not we can stay on that airplane. >> you know, kate, over the course of this ordeal, there were some 30 phone calls. you just heard a very short snippet of them, that were made to try to get these people off the plane. but you think that the pilot still didn't do enough, why?

>> well, it's my understanding that the pilot in theory has control of the aircraft, and that's what the pilots say is that we have the ultimate control of the aircraft and are committed to our passengers' health and safety and that they can make a decision to pull into a gate regardless. a station manager or a ramp teller operator for another airline telling them that they can't. that's what happened on my flight. our boy lpilot said i may suffe risk of being fired here, but i'm pulling the plane in, because it's unsafe to hold the passengers any longer. >> as we heard and played for you a moment ago, the pilot was pleading with the rep to let the passengers into the airport. we, of course, invited musava airlines, which is owned by delta, on the show. we invited delta on the show as well. both declined. let me, though, read this brief statement. it says, we respectfully disagrees with the department of transportation's preliminary

findings because continental express 2816 diverted to an airport where they have no ground handling service. we offered assistance as a courtesy and looks forward to the final report. delta says they're apologetic, but they're working to conduct an internal investigation in to what happened, checking it out a little bit further. what do you think, kate? >> well, you know, i'm confused. because that northwest plane that diverted the same time this flight did did go to a gate and did get its passengers off and did get them on a bus to the twin cities. so, who is telling that plane yes or no to go to a gate? clearly mesaba favored that northwest flight in allowing them to come to a gate and take their passengers off, and they're related. >> right. >> so, it really feels like, you know, the airline industry is complicated, but taking care of the passengers is simple. >> link, are you -- >> and that's why -- >> sorry. finish your point, kate.

>> i'm flying to martha's vineyard on sunday. i just heard on your show talking about does the president deserve a break, and i'm flying from san francisco to martha's vineyard to do a press conference to ask him to please hear our cry and pass the airline passenger bill of rights in congress. sign it into law. let's get this done so airline passengers don't have to worry any longer about whether or not they'll be able to get off a plane. >> link, are you or are any of the other passengers that you know of, are you considering legal action here? >> well, we've started to talk among ourselves, and i think that is an option. but i think what you talked about tonight is just the beginning of the facts of what really happened here, and i feel like we would want all those facts to come out before we'd make any kind of decision like that. >> all right. link kristin joining us tonight and katie, appreciate it. thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you, campbell. tonight's "breakout" biracial, not black in the age of obama.

the heated debate happening over race identity in politics. >> i want to be who i am. and my biggest beef is, yeah, i'm a sister, but i'm also a white girl. so, i'm a half a both. i'm a half a white girl and i'm a half a sister. joe uses the contournouncer) meter from bayer. (joe) my meter absolutely adapts to me and my lifestyle. i'm joe james, and being outside of the box is my simple win. (announcer) now available in five vibrant colors. (announcer) now available ♪ yes, you're lovely... ♪ what do you think? hey, why don't we use our points from chase sapphire and take a break? we can't. sure, we can. the points don't expire... ♪ there is nothing for me... ♪ there's no travel restrictions... we could leave tomorrow. we can't use them for a vacation. you can use the points for just about anything. i know... ♪ the way you look tonight ♪ chase what matters. get your new chase sapphire card at chase.com/sapphire.

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now for some of the other must-see stories of the day at cnn center with tonight's "download" is mike galanos. >> new rules for gay ministers in the nation's largest lutheran church. leaders of the evangelical lutheran church voted today to allow gays and lesbians in the clergy to be sexually active but only if they are in a committed relationship.

the final decision on whether to hire gay clergy will be left up to each individual congregation. today fed chairman ben bernanke said the economy is on the verge of recovery, and wall street was listening, that and a spike in home sales powered the dow jones industrial average to their highest close since last november, just above 9500. some sobering news as well. a new budget forecast to be released next week predicts the deficit will reach $9 trillion with a "t." the obama administration thought the deficit would be $7 trillion, so they were off by $2 trillion. president obama reaching out to the muslim world again. take a look. >> on behalf of the american people, including muslim communities in all 50 states, i want to extend best wishes to muslims in america and around the world. ramadan karim. >> and that taped message was posted on the white house website and youtube, past presidents have done ramadan greetings in written form in the past. well, the sheriff's deputy in midland, texas, has been

fired. three others suspended over this picture, a restaurant waitress posing with one of their rifles on the back of a patrol car. not a good move. her name, bambi, by the way. the deputies were out of town for a training session near austin. someone called the local cops about a woman with a gun. here's the kicker. the deputies admit they had a few beers. surprise, surprise. >> her name is not bambi. you made that up. you had to have made that up. >> that's what it said on the little name tag. maybe it's part of the theme of the restaurant. >> mike galanos, they will have some explaining to do, i do believe. thanks very much, mike. >> see uh, campbell. tonight's "newsmaker," hear from the kidnapped families about their fight to get them free. n't and to's "breakout," biracial and not black. the controversial debate over what really defines race. >> you're not just black or you're not just white. we somehow need to be acknowledged more instead of just saying somebody's black. (announcer) illness doesn't care where you live...

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tonight's "breakout," a new documentary that's igniting a lot of controversy, online and in movie theaters tonight. it's called "i'm biracial, not black damn-it-." >> reporter: as the title suggests, it's about people who were born to both a black and a white parent, who say that choosing one over the other is no longer acceptable. >> i want to be who i am. and my biggest beef is, yeah, i'm a sister, but i'm also a white girl. so, i'm a half a both. i'm a half a white girl and half a sister. >> reporter: the documentary "biracial, not black dann it." they have this in common with president barack obama, they have a white parent and a black parent. but that's where the similarity stops.

unlike mr. barack obama, who is considered to be the first black president, they're outspoken in their refusal to embrace one race or the other. they want to be called what they are, biracial. >> it doesn't matter how a biracial child happens to look. if it looks more black or more white or doesn't look like they have any black in them, we're still our own race and we don't belong to one or the other. >> you're not just black or you're not just white. we somehow need to be acknowledged more instead of saying somebody's just black. look at me, i don't look like i'm black. >> reporter: she made the documentary after struggling with her racial identity for years. her father is black and her mother is white. she said the documentary became an outlet for her to vent and take a stand about something that has affected her all her life. >> i was told as a child by my father, i was black. my mom said, hey, i had something to do with this, but for survival purposes, i lived my life as a black woman. and internally, i never felt

right. as i got older, i felt like it was almost a form of self-hatred, because i was ashamed of who i was. >> reporter: curtis haines and ruwand share her sent tilts. >> this country says you are one or the other. identify yourself properly as one or the other. >> i've been called a zebra. i've been called a swirl. i've been called an oreo. i've been called mixed. i've been called all these things. society puts people in boxes. i choose not to be in those boxes. >> reporter: identifying yourself as black when you have one parent who clearly isn't can perhaps be traced back to the american south and slavery in the 19th century, use of the so-called one-drop rule that essentially said if you were born with one drop of black blood or looked black on the outside, you were deemed as such. cochran believes that has changed a bit in our country, but she would like to see more done. >> but the truth of the matter is that the biracial community, multiracial as well. i mean, it's -- it's just growing. there's no label for people.

it's not what are you. it's, like, who are you? that's really the end objective. >> reporter: the documentary is part of a four-part series. other installments will take a look at people who have black and asian parents and white and asian parents. campbell? >> all right, ted rowlands joining us from los angeles. with us now from charlotte, north carolina, is the filmmaker, carolyn battle-cochran who made that documentary, as we said. also crystal brent-zook, an associate professor of journalism at hofstra university. she's also the author of "black women's lives, stories of power and pain." and we also have "esquire" magazine contributor, mark ridley who discusses minority issues on his website. carolyn, your domry has gotten a lot of attention and a lot of strong, negative reaction from some black audiences. tell us what you've been hearing from people. >> well, they say that i've internalized racism and that i don't love the black side of

myself, which is ridiculous. i love all of me, and that's the message. it's not about loving any part of yourself. it's about loving all of yourself and being whole. >> have these, you know, screenings and stuff that you've been doing, have they started a dialogue at all? >> absolutely. absolutely. i mean, it's -- a lot of people do get it. people that think and use their mind, they get it. people that are sort of stuck in time and think things should stay the way they are, they don't get it, but they've got to understand that nothing stays the same, you know, the world is evolving and people have to change the way they think. it's a grow -- it's the fastest-growing population in this country. you can't hold us down. we have rights. we have the right to self-identify, and we're not going to accept anything short of that. >> crystal, i@9 obama, who is biracial, identifies himself, though, as black. do you think that he would have been embraced the same way had he identified himself as biracial? >> yeah, i think that that's -- it's such a complicated issue. i think the first thing you have to really look at is how

someone's raised, that's so important. because you have kids who are raised by a white parent or a black parent or both parents. and it's almost impossible to know how they see themselves on the inside based on what they look like on the outside. you know, for example, i was raised by an african-american mother and grandmother, and with no white parent in the household, so that shapes your sense of self much more than who you think you see on the outside. so, i understand that, you know, everyone has to be free to -- free to be you and me, free to define ourselves how we want. but i also think that it's naive to think that, you know, i wish people could see me on the inside, how i was rab!,> >e) i see myself, but they don't. they're going to see what they see. >> john, what do you think? why do people have such a hard time with it? >> i think it goes back to the whole idea of interracial relationships. historically people looked at it as a rejection. if you are going outside of your race, it's a bad thing. and people looked at the children as being a consummation of this rejection. it's not about rejecting your

own race, it's about accepting someone else for who they are, and that's the larger picture. i think as carolyn mentioned and crystal mentioned, it's such a complex issue. we can barely get past black and white, let alone biracial and multiethnic. my family is multiethnic. people aren't ready about that, we should be. but it's about getting through a lot of the past before we can move forward into the future. >> carolyn, in some ways we have no choice, because in the coming decades, the not-so-distance future, we have numbers on when that will occur occurreding to the census, but minorities in this country will outnumber whites. how will that affect how we talk about race? >> right now at the moment, the fastest growing segment of the country is mixed races under the age of 18. it's not a question of when, it's happening in the moment. and something that was just said about how you grow up. i've interviewed hundreds of people at this point, and i have a girl that's in the second series, second part of the series.

she was adopted by two black parents was told she was black until she was 18 years old. marcia. she always felt different. she never felt like anybody else. internally if you know you're biracial, there's some innate thing about you as a human being just because you're in an environment doesn't make you a certain type of person. being just in a black environment i don't believe makes you feel like you've lived the black experience. you know, she was always different. you know, her skin wasn't like everybody else's. >> right. >> her hair texture wasn't like everybody else's. >> let me ask you to end on a personal note, crystal, if you can. how do you reconcile that, how you are on the inside and how you're living and your life experience? >> i think also part of the problem, and it's so wonderful that this film has been made, because we have a hard time talking about this within the race. black people are discriminated against and discriminate against one another all the time based on color. so, it is hurtful. and you do feel -- identify with the part of the clip that says this vulnerability that you feel, even within your own race.

how do you reconcile that? i think you really have to -- you have to get to know yourself and just be strong in who you see yourself to be, regardless of how people see you on the outside. >> all right. we're going to leave it there. crystal brent-zook, carolyn battle-cochr battle-cochran, good luck with the movie. appreciate your time. and john ridley who will stick around with us for a while. tonight's "big question" how much is president obama willing to sacrifice to get health care reform? is he willing to be a one-term president? >> i have heard the president say that if making tough decisions in -- in getting important things done that washington has failed to deal with for decades means that he only lives in this house and makes those decisions for four years, he's quite comfortable with that. (announcer) take your time to find the right time

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political battle since taking office, our "big question," is the president really willing to only be a one-termer, if that's what it takes to get health care reform? well, listen carefully to the question that was posed to white house press secretary, robert gibbs. this was during today's briefing with reporters. listen. >> the conversation with the congressman a week or so in iowa, he said the president told him and a group of other lawmakers that he was willing to be a one-term president if that meant getting health care reform through. is that a message that you've heard him say, and has he said this to other groups, other lawmakers, and is that his view? >> well, i don't know that i've specifically heard it around health care, jeff, but i have heard the president say that if making tough decisions in -- in getting important things done that washington has failed to deal with for decades means that he only lives in this house and makes those decisions for four

years, he's quite comfortable with that. >> let's welcome now former republican congresswoman susan molinari, she's in washington, and john ridley back with us and we're joined by daily beast contributor, john avalon as well. one-term president, did you ever think that the beginning of this august, seven months in, we'd be talking about mr. popularity as a one-term president? >> i didn't, and honestly, i think that becomes a bit of a political cliche. does anybody go into a job saying i'd like to be as short a time as possible, regardless? i think president obama is willing to make tough decisions, but certainly not on health care. i mean, that is one of the toughest mountains to climb. everyone has tried to climb it, that, social security, and i think politicians two rather stick satisfy round for the long haul than to stand by something that is so byzantine that none of us can figure it out. >> susan, the president said this was about the media looking

for the story in the doldrums of august and when there's not a lot of news and we're creating this. is that what this is really about? >> no, i think what it is really about is -- first of all, members went home to have the listening sessions and town hall meetings and they had an impact and reaction that they weren't prepared for. so, you know what, that is news. a president who, as you said, had this incredible approval rating seven months ago and are seeing his approval ratings dropping based on his position on these issues, well, that is a story. when we pick up the newspapers today and see the leader, steny hoyer, saying something totally different than what the speaker said yesterday with regard to a public option, whether it had to be in the bill or not be in the bill, well, in washington, d.c., and i think throughout this country, that is a story. you know, if there's a lot of -- unanswered questions here, and in august, it's time to talk about it. >> and it is affecting his poll numbers. it's not just the people's opinions on his health care plans or his message, but it's on his personal approval rating as well, john. >> that's right. and look at the independent voters, right? the largest and fastest-growing

segment of the electorate. at the beginning of the summer over 70% approval. now in some polls it's 37.5%. it's a significant erosion. it's about health care. it's about the perceptions that this process has been hijacked by the base and he's governing more liberally than he campaigned. that's a real problem. that's not an august thing that will go away. it needs to be dealt with. the best way to be the two-term president is to be the leader of all people. not being guilt-tripped into playing to the base. >> a lot of the criticism has been to the approach that that white house has taken and they were very clear at the beginning saying we want to do the opposite of how we approach this than what the clinton white house did, and let's hand it off to congress. was that in retrospect a mistake? there's a lot of nave elgal gaz. >> the liberals are kicking back, saying there has to be a public option. the president has to depolarize the debate by putting forward a

bipartisan bill showing the leadership he campaigned on. that's the real challenge. >> is this all moot come september? are we sort of calling this game over a little too soon? >> in terms of the whole presidential picture. >> yeah, yeah. had >> it's not going to be moot until the jobs return. that's the big thing. two things the president did. one thing he was very specific about job creation. that's not there, it didn't look like it happened. wasn't specific enough. and i agree 100% on what the health care bill is going to look like. whether people like it or not can look at it and say this is what i'm talking about, not some nebulous private, singer payer. we don't know what the bill is. congress doesn't know, the senate doesn't know. >> susan, do you think some form of health care will get passed here? >> i think it can get. what we have are people like senator grassley and baucus talking about splitting the bill and taking those issues upon which republicans, democrats agree on. that is the move that i think the president feels he's going to feel he needs to make when he comes back in september. because, quite frankly, campbell, the problem is not

with republicans right now. >> right. >> the problem is between democrats. they have to iron out how far they're going to go, and that is drawing a very conservative bill right now in order to get something passed. and he has staked his presidency, at least in the first seven months, on this issue. he needs to pass something. >> all right, susan for us tonight. john ridley and john avalon as well. thanks. three weeks ago today, three american hikers seized by authorities in iran. how did they end up crossing the border? tonight their families are with us talking about their struggle to bring them home. >> every situation is unique. every country is unique. and we don't know how this is going to be resolved, but we'll take any help we can get. we're kicking back, now, havin' a cuppa tea. gecko vo: takes lots of sweat to become that big. gecko vo: 'course, geckos don't literally sweat... it's just not our thing... gecko vo: ...but i do work hard, mind you. gecko vo: first rule of "hard work equals success." gecko vo: that's why geico is consistently rated excellent or better in terms of financial strength.

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tonight's "newsmakers," the families of three american hikers arrested in iran. it has been three weeks now without a word from their loved ones. >> reporter: shane bauer, sarah shourd and joshua fattal, all held in iran since hiking in this tourist area, near the iran/iraq border on july 31st. backpacking in the kurdistan region of iraq. >> it was a hike through the mountains to the waterfall that landed the three americans in iranian custody, accused of not heeding warnings from border guards, even possibly spying.

>> diplomatic efforts have been fruitless. >> they have not been granted consular access to the three american hikers. iran has also not provided information about their location. >> the lack of progress prompted this recent travel warning from hillary clinton. >> go hiking, have a great time, you know, do journalism, but stay away from those borders. do not put yourself in these positions where you can end up in prison in a country like iran or north korea. >> and here with me right now are alex fattal, who is the brother of josh fattal, shane bauer's sister, shannon bauer, and sarah shourd's brother, chris rapp, all joining me now. thank you, guys, appreciate you being here. shannon, let me start with you. i know all of you hadn't had any contact with your siblings, obviously, but are you able to get information at all about their whereabouts, about what's going on in iran? just give us the latest in terms of what you know. >> the latest that we know is

that basically they're being detained in iran. there's no consular access, it's actually the next thing that we would love to hear. >> that somebody has had a %uiuzuvuuñuñuñuñuñuñ them in. >> exactly, yeah. >> and so far, nothing. >> nothing. >> we're 21 days into it now, with -- with no contact at all. >> and, alex, you know a little bit more about where they were going, what they were doing. explain to people. because a lot of people watching here, they are hiking on the border of iraq/iran, are they out of their minds? but it's not exactly like that. explain it. >> yeah, i mean, i think it's understandable that people might have that reaction, because we are so accustomed to associating iraq with the kind of bloodshed that's going on that we see on the television. but this part of the country, kurdistan, has been an extremely safe part of the country, and extremely beautiful part of the country. and all three of them, you know, josh, sarah, shane, they've really share a love for the

outdoors. >> but even, let me ask all of you this -- still, it is the border of iran and iraq. isn't it sort of inherently dangerous? did you worry about them going there? >> you might think that we were, but we really didn't. and mostly because all three of them were seasoned travelers. and they were in constant communication with us, and they'd been traveling all over the middle east. and actually when they entered into iraq, they got sim cards for their cell phones, so they can communicate with each other. so, they were sort of meticulous in doing this and really concerned about safety. >> while it is on the iraq/iran border, they were there to be in iraqi kurdistan, they had absolutely no intention of going to iran. not in the all of our families received e-mails, have spoken with them, within a week of their travels. if they had even the slightest inclination or inkling that they might be going to iran, one of us would know about it. >> and, shannon, your brother, shane, was actually able to call

a friend from his cell phone as they were being taken into custody. what did he say was happening? >> from what we know, basically, he was just saying that he was being taken, and to call the embassy to get more information. and i think that, again, shows how -- how responsible they are in being prepared, and like they were saying, we talked to them. i talked to shane thursday, the day before it happened. he e-mailed me. and talked about it. happy to have the cell phone on or they'd be gone and we'd have no idea. >> no idea. >> okay, so at least they -- they had that. so, that was -- >> and were able to flag people. >> otherwise they'd be gone and we wouldn't know. >> i don't have to tell you, that there were reports from iran that they are being investigated for spying. you can say confidently with 100% assuredness that there is no way that your siblings were doing anything like that. they weren't on a secret mission

from the cia? ad. >> no. >> you would know that. >> yes. >> yes. >> i know i would. my sister teaches english. before they moved to damascus a year ago, she was teaching english as a second language in oakland, california. she's never been involved with anything like that. so, you know, for her it was a vacation. >> i think for all of us, it's somewhat laughable, even the insinuation. i mean, it's just totally absurd. >> alex, you know, we recently saw this situation, a similar situation resolved, when former president clinton went to north korea and was able to get the two young women there, the journal it is, released. are you -- first of all, i know that the ling sisters actually reached out to you guys. give us a sense for what they had to say. what they were able to share with you. >> i've had some short conversations with the ling sisters and other people who have been detained in iran, and other people who have been in

detention, and that's been really, really heartening for us, because -- >> probably comforting in some way. >> comforting, because ultimately they were released. >> yeah. >> and we're extremely confident that it's josh, sarah, and shane will be released. and we just hope that it's soon, you know, not having heard from them for -- for over three weeks is just really tough. but, you know, what brings us through it is the sense that we know who they are. we know they're wonderful people, we know they're coming home. >> well, chris, alex, and shannon, i can't even imagine how difficult this is, and what you guys and your families are going through right now. wish you the best of luck. thank you so much for being with us. and if you would like to help the families have set up a website. it's called freethehikers.org. it's definitely worth checking out. when we come back, hollywood's newest worry. big-name stars making box office clunkers.

we're going to be dropped into france, dressed as civilians. once we're in enemy territory, as the bushwhacking guerrilla army, we're going to be doing one thing and one thing only, killing nazis. >> brad pitt's "inglourious basterds" opens this weekend. will he be able to turn around hollywood's dissipating -- excuse me, disappointing trend with top star blockbusters? a-list stars julia roberts, tom hanks, will ferrell, denzel washington, they used to pack theaters. this year their movies fizzled. our "big question" tonight, why are a-list stars burning out? joining us, sara waxman, the editor and chief of rap.com.

and john ridley back with us. sharon, out to you. you look at the big movies, "transmo morformer "transformers," harry "harry potter" none of them with big stars. what's going on on, none of them with a big star? >> it's going on for some time. the movies don't want to pay the big star salaries anymore and what they realize they don't really have to. now what's going on this summer, i think it's more the themes of the movies rather than the stars that are driving the people to the box office. what people want to do they want to go in bad economic times, it's pretty clear they want to go in a theater and laugh and they want to go in a theater and they want to escape. so movies like "the hangover" it may not be one of the top five, but it's definitely one of the top movies of the summer and probably the most profitable movie of the summer. >> without a major star. >> without a single star.

i mean, there's people in that movie i've never heard of. i saw a great movie that's doing really well at the box office. "district nine." no stars in it at all. so, we're really moving into a different era, when we used to be relying on stars to drive the box office. now "a," hollywood doesn't want to pay the salaries and, "b," the viewers will go for an experience, not just to connect with their favorite stars. >> john, you talk about the salary, or the paychecks that sharon referenced, denzel washington, $20 million a movie. julia roberts, $20 million. will ferrell, $10 million. are those days over of those kind of paychecks, and what does it mean -- is it a great opportunity for up-and-coming young actors and owp-and-coming screenwriters and youers? >> it's a great opportunity. the tip of the iceberg with the $20 million, you get into profit participation which most of the

studios don't report. disney's one of the only one that does. $600 million in fees to stars just for the film. so, the idea of for studios when so much of the economics of hollywood is changing right now, to be able to say we're not paying $20 million upfront, we're going as sharon says that people you've never heard of before, but it's the crazy idea. you're drunk overnight in vegas. aliens in a district somewhere in south africa, if you can get people to go based on the idea and not pay the money upfront. why wouldn't you do it? >> who are the new stars, the screen writers? >> definitely not screenwriters. but it's about the idea. it's about the creativity. i know, i'm out here all my life trying to be somebody. the real star is going to be probably the 18- to 35-year-old audience that really wants to go out and see, as sharon says, go out and laugh and have a good time but also have the disposable income. it's about them, not about me or

tom hanks or denzel. >> sharon, we're almost out of time, but talk to me about the rise of twitter and facebook and in terms of -- there are some that have argued it's taking people away from movies, but, in fact, you say it's actually having a different effect. explain. >> yeah, in fact, we wrote the very first story about it, and i'm glad it's been picked up and it's been borne out by the summer. there's the twitter effect nst box office which word-of-mouth, we always know that word-of-mouth affects movies. they text their friends and tell people really fast. but with twitter it's really compounded. you send one text message and it goes out to 10 people or 100 people or 1,000 people. the opening weekend at the box office which is really critical, either the numbers go up faster because the word-of-mouth is powered by twitter or it goes down faster. >> everybody likes to tell their friends now. >> that's right. so, the movies really have to be good. they have to deliver. you can't fool audiences for

more than friday night anymore basically. >> sharon waxman, john ridley. guys appreciate it. have a great weekend. >> you, too. and thanks for watching, everybody. you have a fabulous weekend as well. "larry king live" coming up next, stick around. of you. i feel like i have to wind myself up just to get out of bed. then...well... i have to keep winding myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the trouble concentrating, the lack of energy. if depression is taking so much out of you, ask your doctor about pristiq®. (announcer) pristiq is a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain, serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens and young adults. pristiq is not approved for children under 18. do not take pristiq with maois. taking pristiq with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin,

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