to be with the eagles, the philadelphia eagles, that is. tonight he's scheduled to play his first nfl game since his dog fighting sentence. finally, in his 83 years, dominick dunne chronicled the legal troubles of the rich and famous. that career shaped by personal tragedy, the killing of his daughter. dominick dunne died yesterday after a lengthy battle with bladder cancer. thank you for joining us, i'm heidi collins. tony harris joins us now. >> here are the top stories for you in the "cnn newsroom." fewer americans are standing in unemployment lines but times are still so tough in california the governor is holding a garage sale this weekend. august on track should be the deadliest month yet for troops in afghanistan. four years after hurricane katrina, new orleans is swamped

again by a growing mental health crisis. good morning, everyone. i'm tony harris and you are in the "cnn newsroom." all right, let's talk for a moment about the so-called green shoots that have sprouted this week adding to signs that the economy may perk up during the second half of 2009. cnn's christine romans is in new york. that's a little happy talk music from nancy wilson there for you, christine. look, we don't want to get beyond ourselves here. these are positive numbers, but, do the numbers indicate to you, clearly, that the recovery is taking root? >> the numbers suggest that the economy is on the mend. a lot of people are calling a turn. they're calling a turning point in what has been financial devastation for the last year and a half or two years into what they say now is a

stabilization and, as you pointed out, those little, those little green shoots. you know to mix the metaphors even more. there is a big yellow danger flag waving at every turn, simply because there are so many uncertainties here. the consumer is chasant and rightfully so and, in fact, the jobless situation is going to remain probable troublesome but let's take a quick look at the little things that have happened. consumer confidence was better than many expected on wall street. durable goods rose 4.9% largely because of aircraft orders and really an investment for people. that shows some confidence to be able to spend big or shows that they have been holding back for so long. new home sales up 9.6% and mortgage applications up a couple weeks in a row and a caveat to everything. when you start to see, again and again the little signs, it's at least a change. a change because six months ago we couldn't say the data was starting to look choppy.

we were saying the data looks horrific. this is what we're watching here. these high-frequency economic reports again and again that are starting to show signs of life. again, as i said, it's going to be uneven and there are going to be days when we see negative news and we wonder whether we relapsed and that's a good thing to wonder, but this is where we sit right now. >> that's why. we have decent reporting and that's why wewent with the happy talk music from nancy wilson. good to see you, christine. >> i've had a frown on my face for a year and a half, you want me to have something to be able to smile about. >> thanks, christine. see you next hour. we're talking bout hints of an economic recovery today. shorter unemployment lines one of those hints at the new york stock exchange. cnn's susan lisovicz and, susan, the job's picture getting a bit better, correct? >> yes because they're not getting worse. i mean, you know, this is, you have to be careful how you characterize this because the numbers are still very high,

tony. not as high. so, let me give you some fresh examples. 570,000 people filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week. so, well over 500,000 and in a healthy economy you'd want half that number, but it's much better than what we've seen. something christine was talking about on a much larger scale. continuing claims above $6 million. now, remember, this is not the total people unemployed, but people still collecting unemployment benefits. the government says 14.5 million people are unemployed. so, that's sort of a bird's eye view of the job's market. let me give you a bigger picture of the economy because this is the other report that came out today. gdp, the broadest possible look at the economy showed that it shrank 1% in the last quarter. obviously, in a healthy economy, you'd see growth. but, it is still much better

than the nearly 6.5% decline in the previous quarter. so, what you really want to see is improvement in the job's market, if you see improvement in the job's market and this continuing trend work it down, see growth there. you'll see consumer spending and you'll see improvement in the big picture, the gdp. tony? >> aren't there economists out there who are actually predicting third quarter growth in the gdp? >> yes, yes. in fact, there are some economists who say we're technically out of recession right now. but i think if you asked 100 people, do you feel that much better? no. people are still worried. a lot of us have suffered a great deal with seeing our housing valus and investments on wall street really take a beating. but the fact is, i think a lot of people say the sky is no longer falling and a little bit less frightened than they were. that's an improvement. >> the psychologist is also important to this, as well. if the signs are better, your

outlook is better, correct? >> yes, but people are still cautious. if you drill down to these numbers like the new home sales, for instance, where is the action coming? it's coming on the low end. a lot of people getting in for that first time home buying credit and that is going to expire soon. will be interesting to see what happens after that. a lot of interest in the foreclosure market. gerri willis talking all day today about the interest with lay away. lay away came about during the great depression. retailers are turning back to that because people are still strapped for cash and they can't get credit like they used to. it's so tough, maybe not as tough and maybe that's the best we can expect when with the worst recession, the longest recession since this second world war. >> susan, welcome back, we missed you. see you next hour. could the agency that guarantees your bank deposits need a bailout? the fdic is running low on cash with 81 bank failures this year,

it has just $10 billion in reserve down 20% from the first quarter and it now counts 416 banks as troubled up more than 100 from the first quarter. the fdic can raise money by hiking premiums and charges banks or it can borrow from the treasury. so your deposits remain safe. struggling firms like citi and fannie mae are making waves on wall street. what that means to your 401(k). check out our special report america's money crisis at cnnmoney.com. a private family service today followed by a period of public mourning for senator ted kennedy. family members will attend a mass next hour at the kennedy compound in hyannis port, massachusetts. the motorcade will leave by 1:00 p.m. eastern on a procession to boston and arrives at 4:00 p.m.

at the john f. kennedy presidential library and museum and the senator's body will lie in remoez from this evening to tomorrow. right now the family is gathering at the home for today's mass. deborah feyerick is in hyannis port, massachusetts. deb, good to see you. set the scene for us, if you would. what have you witnessed so far this morning? >> what we're watching is slowly people are beginning to trickle in. they're arriving by cab and private car and they're gathering at the main home. that is where the senator's body is currently lying in repose. he's in the sun room and the room that overlooks the water that is very quiet inside the house. seeing a number of kennedy children, the younger generation that have been riding their bikes and going down to the water and they have been walking the dogs out. sort of catching a glimpse of us as we're doing our jobs out here. but it's really almost a very respectful tone.

there's a lot of almost reverence right now. that's sort of the move right here at the island. in fact, when you look at some of the people who are coming by, even though they'll stop and they'll look down at the compound and try to see who's out there, they just keep walking. everybody sort of knows that this is a quiet and sacred moment here. now, from the home after that mass you mentioned, tony, by accompanied by an honorary military guard. the family will line-up behind the hearse and then begin that 70-mile journey into boston and they'll stop at a couple places that really meant a lot to the senator but also to his family. for example, they'll stop by the house where jfk lived there in boston. they're also going to be stopping by the senator's office and boston common and there's an element, you know, not just of mourning, but also of celebration of the places that have so much meaning. a lot of people have been saying, but a lot of people paying tribute to the senator's

life. >> deb, appreciate it. a lot to watch in the next couple hours. deborah feyerick for us. thanks. it could take months to fill kennedy's senate seat unless there was a change in state law. it requires a special election in five months on cnn's "american morning" deval patrick says he supports changing the law for a special election. >> the legislature and the legislative leaders, i know, are seriously considering this request and this minor change to make a temporary appointment to the senate. they are focused not so much on whether it can be done and how it can be done and how to get it accomplished and that's not a simple calculation. they've got to work their way through it and i think they're working their way through it in good faith. you're right about the state, both in terms of health care, climate change and frankly the further considerations of how states are assisted through these very, very difficult times and how working people are put

back to work and all of these are critical issues where no time can be lost and, frankly, the persistence of partisanship in the congress may make this even more urgent. so, i'm hoping that the legislature will turn to it and turn to it soon and if they send me a bill, i will sign it. >> we invite you to stay with cnn for continuing coverage of the life and legacy of senator ted kennedy. his body will lie in repose at the john f. kennedy memorial library until a memorial service. funeral services held saturday followed by the burial at the arlington national cemetery. you have heard through the warnings about swine flu h1n1. should you get the vaccine? kine a surprise present. he needs to, you know, write papers and go online. budget was definitely a concern. she was like, "help me." so i'm thinking: new cool thing is the netbook. two pounds, three pounds, 160 gigabyte hard drive. really great battery life. we get the netbook.

i said, "bring him back into the store. let him pick out his bag." she introduced him to me. and it was like, "you're the guy who got me the netbook." he says, "this never happens, but i'm totally going to hug you right now." i get hugged all the time. how could you not hug this?

welcome back to cnn, hurricane headquarters. the latest on tropical storm danny and here it is and what has changed in the last six hours is that it has jogged just a little bit to the west and the forecast will indicate that. the other thing that has changed is that we've become a little better organized around the center of this thing, still, most of the action as far as wind and weather is the northeastern part of the system. but right now we're looking at something that's just over 550 miles from cape hatteras, north carolina. its movement is northwesterly at 13 miles per hour and it kind of skipped over to the west. if it does that again and then we're talking about a world of problems. here's why. because we have a track that is forecast to basically skim the u.s. coastline and any error in this track or any deviation to the west, even if it's just 50 miles or so will mean a whole

lot more people affected by it because potentially a direct u.s. landfall. 8:00 in the morning on saturday will be east of cape hatteras by about 150 maybe 200 miles and the category 1 hurricane and then skimming the coastline of new england but eastern parts of new england are in that cone of uncertainty. we'll keep you posted as we get closer to it becoming a hurricane.

as the new season begins, many of you try to figure out which flu shot you should get. the flu vaccine, maybe the new swine flu vaccine. if you get the flu this year, how do you know which one you got? a lot of question there's. >> a lot of oquestions. elizabeth cohen is here to help us sort through the confusion. >> stop there. >> thank you. >> too much information. so, i'm going to answer your second question first which is when you get the flu, you have no idea which one you get. you don't have a big "s" on your head for swine flu. you will have to go to the doctor and get tested and the doctor will not tell you. you have a flu. the second question that tony talked about, which shots do you get. let's talk about this for a minute. some people should only get the reg ler flu shots and others should only get the swine flu shot and others need to get

both. let's talk about the group who needs to get both. >> and the question is, this is the -- >> here's the answer. so, both flu vaccines are recommended for pregnant women, anyone ages 6 months to 18 years. anyone 24 25 to 64 years old with a chronic condition like asthma or diabetes and people who take care of babies who are younger than 6 months old. now, when i say both shots, it's actually three shots. one shot is the seasonal flu shot, that's the one everybody gets and swine flu is actually two shots. you get a shot, wait three weeks and come back for the second one. >> do you want to get the swine flu shot because at this point, you know, the research continues, correct? >> it's new. i have heard many people say i don't want to get something that is that new. here we are in august and they're studying it and coming out in october. this has been, well, fast tracked, you could say. so, if you get a swine flu shot in the middle of october, you're not going to be the first person to ever get this shot and several thousand people who

proceeded you. this is a list of the people who are in swine flu experiments as we speak. 3,100 adults are involved in these clinical trials that are going on right now and 240 pregnant women in addition to that 3,100 and 1,200 children. if this was on the market in auk, it means it was safe for the people you just see there. >> october, is that what we're talking about here? >> the first batch will be available and not there won't be ton and ton of vaccine, more will come later. if you come in the middle of october and there's none there, just wait. more is coming. >> you are doing something a little different on the website today, aren't you? >> for empowered patient we're doing something different because of the death of senator kennedy yesterday. senator kennedy a lot of people don't know, was an incredible power patient. he had two children with cancer and he pulled out all the stops to make sure those kids got the kids they needed. even if you're not a kennedy, you can do that.

go to cnnhealth.com and you'll find out how. office equipment, cars, bikes, blackberries all up for sale in a weekend garage sale hosted by the government. we're back in a moment. achoo!

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another u.s. military death reported in afghanistan today. that makes 44 american forces dead so far this month and 45 lost last month, which was the deadliest month for u.s. troops in that war. we will have a live report from afghanistan later this hour.

from the veteran's administration. the agency says it will apologize to vets who are mistakenly informed they had a fatal neurological condition. the va sent the wrong letters to 1,800 vets last week and supposed to be sent to vets with als. on the issue of health care reform, this is a town hall meeting in green township, ohio. democratic representative steve dryhost hosted the gathering and, boy, did he get an earful. >> i'm here because i think we need to have health care reform so every american has health insurance. >> we want to rectify what we have now before we spend trillions of dollars more trying to start a new program. >> at another town hall this summer angry aponets of reform shouted at the lawmaker and followed him to his car. if you want to know more about the health care debate and how

the reforms could affect you and your family, check out our special health care in america section at cnn.com. and get the laesest from town hall meeting other health care news. once again, cnn.com/health care. have you heard a cash-strapped california is raising money this weekend with a good old-fashioned garage sale. everything from cars to computers, jewelry and junk going for knock down prices. ron hyde of affiliate kovr has a look. >> reporter: 1,700 national, google it. the great california garage sale this friday and saturday. eye-opening, wallet friendly items oh o, so lean on the green. >> computers, furniture, chairs, you name it. office supplies of all sorts, but also items that have been confiscated from the california highway patrol.

>> reporter: even kings bobbleheads which you can get for next to nothing. the good kings, too. if you've done this before, you know the drill. computers, monitors, cameras, cars, furniture, even dental chairs? items too numerous to mention by name and when we say something for everybody, everything you could possibly imagine is for sale this weekend except this blackberry, this camera and this bicycle. an estimated $2 million bill go back to the state. good for them, good for you. again, this place will have everything imaginable. prices so low you won't believe it. also, tvs, blackberries, heck, even this white board, just 8 bucks. >> ron, you got the salesman thing going there. if you can't get to the warehouse in sacramento, just go online. thousands of those items posted on craigslist and ebay. late night comedians are poking a little fun at the governor's garage sale. take a look at this commercial.

jimmy kimmel whipped up. >> i'm a california gold rush gosh sale. everything must go. they won't be back. slightly burned dumbbells 10 bucks. a pair of maria's leg warmers, $8. signed. >> we couldn't resist. still to come in "the newsroom" young women getting an education. ♪

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afghanistan is heating up for a u.s. international troops and u.s. service member was reportedly killed today and that makes the 44th u.s. death this month and 44 killed in july which was the deadliest month for u.s. troops since the war began in 2004. atia is in kabul. does this reflect increased efforts by u.s. troops or more of a push from the taliban? >> a little bit of both, tony.

whenever you have thousands of u.s. troops and coalition troops coming into an area you'll have the enemy try to prove that they can face them and take them. you sthau taliban stepping up their efforts, as well, being very successful when it comes to roadside bombs. a very effective tactic. they can just leave the bomb on the road and dig up a hole and it has killed many of these coalition troops this summer, but it hasn't killed the taliban. but on that note, when you talk to the coalition forces, they will not give you figures of taliban deaths because they say that their mission is to secure afghanistan for the afghan people and it's not to necessarily gloat about fighting against the taliban and killing the taliban and killing the insurgen insurgents. but when i talked to a top taliban official here in afghanistan he told me, in fact, the taliban has been taking a very strong blow, as well. hundreds of their fighters dead this summer because of this new effort by the coalition forces to protect certain towns and villages.

>> so, atia, give us an update on the accusations flying of voter fraud. >> a lot of accusations going on and a lot of finger pointing when it comes to the presidential candidates here in afghanistan. kind of like the rest of the world. but when it comes to voter fraud, it is very massive at the moment here. the electoral complaints commission already receiving several hundred complaints saying they don't want to reveal the results of the election on september 17th until it was planned until they go through each complaint. at the moment president karzai the incumbent on the lead and a slight lead and we saw he had a much bigger lead and we expect that lead between him and his rival abdullah, abdullah to increase and the ballots tallied in the south where president karzai has most of his support and any president in afghanistan needs to win with at least 50%

of the vote. president karzai seems to be going in that direction but dr. abdullah pointing out the fraud showing video evidence and hoping some way, somehow that will give him a chance at the run-off election. >> atia, good to see you. thank you. a suspected u.s. drone attack on possible taliban members. pakistan intelligent sources say six people killed and seven wounded. the attack in the area part of pakistan's tribal region. a spike in those strikes recently. and we're getting reports of 27 people killed near pakistan's border with pakistan. the u.s. navy taking gunfire and take a look at this navy video shot from a helicopter off the coast of somalia. the crew was filming somali pirates holding a hijacked ship

when someone shot at the chopper with a large caliber weapon and the it was not hit and did not return fire. let's get you to rob marciano. rob, i was going to ask you what is going on in the tropics and what's the latest on danny, but, oh, good, give us an update on the wildfires in california, if you would, sir. >> a handful going on there. the last check about 20% contained or so. but the big one which you reported yesterday, still over 1,700 acres burned and these red areas you see there, those are red flag warnings. these are areas with relatively low levels of humidity and hot again today. yesterday we had record-breaking heat and i think we'll see that again today with temperatures in some spots up and over 100 degrees. that's not going to help firefighters. not much in the way of rain, that is mostly across parts of the western great lakes and also down across parts of florida, they have been getting, this is their west season, of course, that will often give you problems when you try to launch

the space shuttle. we struck out twice this week once because of weather and once because of a leaky valve and now tonight another night launch expected and the weather is going to cooperate, maybe about 70% like this. so, 30% chance of a no go to launch because of that. i want to get you updated on what is going on in the tropics. this is tropical storm danny and 60-mile-per-hour winds and it has made a jog to the west, you city right there. right now 550 miles to the south, southeast of cape hatteras. here is the updated forecast track. scamming the coastline and making that very bill-like turn but this time further to the west. so it is weaker, but any jog further to the west from what we're showing here, folks in the carolinas and then also new england, tony. this would include boston on saturday, which at this point, regardless of which way danny goes, it looks to be a fairly wet day. >> okay, rob, appreciate it. thank you. >> you bet.

mourners started lining up this morning to pay their respects to senator ted kennedy. they're gathering at the jfk library in bauspen his body will lie in repose there later today. first, the family members attending a private mass. next hour deborah feyerick joining us live from hyannis port, massachusetts. if you would, deb, if you would, set the scene for us. we're seeing more traffic heading to that location. >> yeah, absolutely. over the next hour we'll get pretty busy around here as people arrive for that private family mass and we're seeing some you some paying respect. caroline kennedy just arrived by taxi. just 1 of 29 cousins that relied on teddy to lean on and always count on filling that role.

now, it will be also interesting, tony, to see how many people line the route of the motorcade, especially here. there's a long, narrow road that you go on to and have a lot of people coming and watching and seeing what we're doing. to close this section for the time being and it will be interesting to see whether some of the locals that consider the kennedys such a huge part, a huge anchor of this community whether they come out to see the motorcade or wave or just pay their final respects to this man who they adored in many cases, tony? >> all right, deb, i understand you had an opportunity, did you have an opportunity to talk to senator kerry a little earlier today? >> you know, we did, matter of fact. he was here yesterday and he spent about three hours with the family. his wife, it was very forthcoming. she's friends with ted kennedy's widow victoria reggie and she said, in fact, she seemed to be holding up pretty well, all

things considered, that victoria reggie really considered this last year as wonderful time that the two of them spent together doing exactly what they wanted to do. you know, there are reports that they spent some time watching james bond movie "24" and working on memoirs and preparing the legacy, but more fun things. appreciating big bowls of ice cream together. senator kerry also talking about the future. >> loved people. despite all the things that were thrown at him, he always talked about the humanity and morality and things that were important to people and that's a good lesson for a lot of people in politics to learn. >> a book that the kids assign so they have the presence, vigil right through the night. so you have little kids and kids all taking turns.

so, the body will not be left alone. >> and you have to think of really just the beauty and simplicity of the mass that is going to be taking place inside of the home. we're told that the casket is in the sunroom, which is sort of the main living room area of the main house, that's a very large house and it overlooks hyannis port and you can see some of the boats there just behind me and flooded with sun, a perfect day here. it is cool today, yesterday was very hot and very humid. today is cool, a couple clouds and perfect day for sailing and all the families sort of gathering as they have so many times in the past for the first step of what will be a couple day journey. tony? >> wonderful words there and pictures of that setting match perfectly. deborah feyerick for us. appreciate that. thank you. we encourage you to stay with cnn for continuing coverage of the life and legacy of senator ted kennedy. his body will lie in repose at the john f. kennedy presidential

library until a memorial service tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. funeral services held sunday followed by the burial at arlington national cemetery. four years after hurricane katrina and new orleans mental health system is in shambles and getting worse every year. chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta tracks the path of one patient. kelly saunder's nature valley. ♪ the place that inspires her to go faster... ♪ and slower. ♪ elk mountains, colorado. where's yours? 100% natural nature valley granola bars. the taste nature intended.

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stanford was supposed to be in a federal courtroom this hour. instead, the man accused of cheating investors out of $7 billion is in the hospital. a yuj said she was experiencing an irregular heart beat and rapid pulse. today's hearing was to deal with whether stanford can get a new attorney. usairways, listen to this, tacking another $5 on to the cost of checking a bag. it will now cost you 50 bucks to check two on domestic flights. usairways will also charge another $50 for a second bag on transatlantic routes. delta, continental and american have made similar increases. profootball quarterback michael vick suits up for the philadelphia eagles tonight. his first game since being released from prissen for running a dog fighting ring. vick has clearance to play in the final two preseason games and the commissioner will decide by mid-october whether to fully reinstate michael vick.

saturday marks four years since hurricane katrina slam under to new orleans and the scars remain. desperation plagued the city to this day. more and more people literally trying to kill themselves. our chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta takes us on a ride with people combatting the crisis. >> this is what it's like in downtown new orleans right now. the images still haunting. katrina if you were lucky to survive this storm, i was there, and it sticks in your mind. hundreds of patients abandoned here, forgotten at charity hospital. years later, what price does a community pay? suseal says people here have reached the pinnacle of desperation. >> biggest change you noticed before and after the storm. >> definitely the suicide. so many people wanting to kill themselves. i mean, repeatedly we're still seeing that. >> reporter: suicide rate has tripled.

nopd's mental health crisis unit. >> respond to 250 calls a month for people that are in a mental health crisis. that is a lot of calls. >> reporter: we went on a ride along to see it ourselves. not surprisingly, within minutes, a call. >> i want to make sure we're available to transport. >> reporter: tebo and her partner are on a mission to save people from killing themselves. what's the most number of times you picked up the same patient? >> 36. >> reporter: 36 times. >> in a year. what we're going to do is get you over to the hospital, okay. get the doctor to take a look at you. okay, babe. >> reporter: what you're looking at is a pretty typical call. police officers dispatched first and then this mental health crisis unit that just picked up a patient and going to transport him to the hospital. >> 1409.

>> reporter: now the patient is safe in the emergency room here behind me. it took about 25 minutes to get here to the emergency room in east jefferson and therein lies part of the problem. simply finding a long-term psychiatric bed is next to impossible in new orleans. >> reporter: you see, prior to katrina more than 200 mental health beds in new orleans, today there are only 38. charity hospital still closed had nearly 100 and the very day we arrived in new orleans, another hospital shut down. new orleans adolescent hospital, another 35 in-patient beds gone. because a place like this closes down, are there people who are a danger to themselves and a danger to others now more likely to be on the street? >> absolutely. without a doubt. >> reporter: would you say the people around here, the mentally ill have given up as a result of not having resources? >> there's a high level of frustration and i think a lot of

the suicidal thinking is because they keep going back and back and back in the hospital. watch your head. >> reporter: she considers herself a warrior for the mentally ill, but the fight, she says, is becoming more and more arduous by the day. >> to take that bridge jumper's hand and say, you know what, baby, we can do better than this. take my hand and let's give this another try. and if we don't get more services here, then i'm going to be a hypocrite saying that. it is going to be very hard for me to continue to give hope if the programs are not here. >> reporter: four years later, hope is one thing new orleans could still use. dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, new orleans. >> cnn's anderson cooper is live in new orleans with a look back at katrina four years later. "ac 360" tonight only on cnn. (mom) i'm not going to be able to see her every day.

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a baltimore doctor who still makes old-fashioned house calls. it's dr. katz. i do house calls. man, your pressure's way up. for the underserved medicaid populati population. i just go into neighborhoods in the inner city that are filled with despair and low on the economic strata. the boarded-up townhouses, there are groups of young men hanging out on the corner, open-air drug markets. knopp uncommon to have shootings just hours before or afterwards on the streets. i'm not a concierge doctor, i say sometimes this is the anti-concierge practice. 20% of medicare patients, they get re-admitted after discharge from the hospital. billions of dollars are lost due to those readmissions. and those could be saved by increasing services at home. when was that last bill? when was the oxycodone pills?

>> 8/3/09. >> about three years ago we started a beta test with the sickest population of the members of this group to coordinate a team approach with field nurses, with the physician at the center, trying to cross the culture gap of noncompliance and distrust, build confidence and relationships with the patient and get them re-engaged with their health care so that we could decrease unnecessary emergency room transports and hospital admissions, and that's been quite successful. that was my mom's name, so it was on his jeep. my dad was a come bat medic in world war ii and later became a family practitioner in new jersey, and did house calls with his primary care practice. these are some old tools that he used. it was a standard part of medical practice, because there was no 911 system. patients couldn't call 911 in the middle of the night, they called their doctor. so, he did house calls and carried a large black bag.

this is really an interface, and it's one mission. i think he would probably be interested, knowing him, and he'd probably have some things to tell me about how i could do it better. but i think in his heart, he'd be pretty proud of me. >> photojournalist jay mcmichael put that together for our series, "health care in focus." if you'd like to see more of what you've been seeing here on cnn, just check out cnn.com/health care. there you can even find out about what the closest town hall meetings are to you, the key players in this debate, the different plans and, of course, the controversial sticking points to the plans. here's what we're working on for the next hour of "cnn newsroom" -- the final journey for senator ted kennedy. a private family mass begins in just minutes. that's at the senator's home in highen nas port. an hour from now, the motorcade heads to boston. we are following it all for you.

she quit her job with her purple van and a dogged determination she headed cross-count cross-country to talk about health care. and tom coburn with health care reform, he calls it a big problem and adds there is some exaggeration going on when it comes to just how many people are adversely affected. that's all next hour. my own lunch now--king for less than $3. thanks to walmart. just two times a week saves my family over $500 a year. save money. live better. walmart. and my dog bainíy and i love to hang out in the kitchen... so she can watch me cook. you just love the aromas of beef tenderloin... and, ooh, rotisserie chicken. yes, you do. [ barks ] yeah. you're so special, you deserve a very special dog food. [ woman ] introducing chef michael's canine creations.

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college students take a leave from schools in the west to mentor young girls from pakistan's battle-ravaged swat

valley. the girls had been sent to islamabad to get an education after being denied one by taliban militants. cnn's cal perry reports. >> reporter: it's a war that separates extremists from more moderate forces, clashing in the most beautiful part of pakistan, the swat valley. the young girls were forbidden from going to school. these 26 girls are living witnesses to the central battle within islam today. they're in islamabad, part of a program that takes them out of their hopes in the swat valley. helping them, a group of university students of pakistani background who have returned home from abroad with a simple goal, teach the children the importance of education. shiza chose to spend her summer here, between the third and fourth years of her studies at stanford university in california. >> pretending to be younger students so that they could go

to school, not wearing their uniforms so that they could go to school, hiding their books under their shawls so that they could go to school. and at that point, i think we just so angry and upset and emotional that we decided we had to do something. >> reporter: at times, this group of mentors seems disorganized. is the shiza is only 20 years old, and has done nothing like this before. >> we need support. we need -- we need, unfortunately, more organization, more of the bureaucratic nitty-gritty that you don't want to do, but you have to, because we are young, and that does come with the burden of not being as easily trusted and not being seen as capable. >> reporter: the idea is simple enough, competence-building measures, critical thinking measures, all framed in the context of religious values the children have heard before, but this time from a different point of view. it's still dangerous.

the girls cannot talk about taliban harassment, because while the government is confident the taliban was flushed out of the region, the ideology of sharia law may still linger, and these girls will have to return to their homes in the swat valley. so, we talk about childhood dreams. >> i want to become the president. >> reporter: you want to become president to prove to people that a woman can become president. >> yes. >> reporter: and you decided -- how old again are you? >> 12. >> reporter: i don't think i believe you. they're young, idealistic, but have seen enough to make them grow up early. cal perry, cnn, islamabad. >> that is terrific. find out how you can help the families from pakistan's swat valley by logging on to cnn.com/impact. the site offers many other opportunities.

a day of mourning, and celebration. as family members and the public honor the life of senator edward kennedy. later today, the senator's body will lie in repose at the jfk presidential library in boston, but this hour, the family's holding a private mass. cnn's deborah feyerick live from hyannis port, massachusetts. and, deborah, if you would, describe that scene for us. >> reporter: well, tony, here's what we can tell you right now. joseph kennedy jr. arrived. that's bobby's son. william kennedy smith, he arrived a short time ago. his mom is the only living of the nine kennedy siblings now. caroline kennedy is here, as well, about 20 minutes ago, a huge police escort from the boston police arrived, and you can see behind me also the

hearse came just moments ago, followed by eight huge limousines that are going to carry members of the family out to boston. now, also, interesting, the final car following that big motorcade, ted kennedy's son patrick. and what's so interesting is you really get the sense that he's been coordinating all of this, because every time you see a hearse go in, he is -- he usually accompanies them. so, in terms of logistics, in terms of details. now, there will be a mass, that's going to take place beginning at noon. a private family mass before the casket. that casket in the sunroom of the main house. that's where ted kennedy is lying in repose. and then there will be a military honor guard that will carry his casket from the home, where he spent his final months, to the hearse, which will transport them to boston. and here's what we can expect -- senator edward kennedy's final

journey begins. a somber motorcade carrying him away from hyannis port, away from his boat and the ocean he loved so much and endless days, of family past and present. >> we should celebrate his life, not, you know, not be sad about it. but he -- he did a lot of things. >> reporter: since kennedy's death late tuesday, his sons patrick and teddy jr. have been among family and cousins, inside insiders say, keeping round-the-clock watch over uncle teddy, larger in life, even in death. family teresa heinz kerry -- >> i was so afraid what it might be life and it was wonderful. >> reporter: the trip from cape cod to boston expected to take less than two hours. the senator's body will lie in repose at the library he built for his older brother, president john kennedy, lovingly transforming it into a forum for change and public service. a memorial to be held there friday, at 7:00, in the evening. and on saturday, a private mass

nearby at one of ted kennedy's favorite churches, before he is flown to arlington national cemetery to be buried near his brothers. over the next 60 days, kennedy staff will archive the senator's materials and close his office. the secretary of the senate saying they cannot continue any legislative or other work under way before he died. new senior senator john kerry is hoping to fight to have ted kennedy's seat temporarily be filled. >> he's asking for a temporary capability to appoint someone who will not run, won't get in the way of other people who want to run, who will be there for a moment only. >> reporter: senator kennedy, senator kerry, excuse me, of course, referring to the empty senate seat. senator kennedy was anxious that his death might deprive democrats of a majority. still, it could be several months before it's resolved and that seat is filled. the massachusetts governor spoke

earlier. >> the legislature and the legislative leaders i know are seriously considering this request and this minor change to make a temporary appointment to the senate. they are focused not so much on whether it should be done but how it can be done, and how to get it accomplished, and that's not a simple calculation. they've got to work their way through it. and i think they're working their way through it in good faith. >> reporter: and a family friend who visited victoria reggie kennedy, senator ted kennedy's widow, yesterday said she seemed to be in good spirits, appreciative that they had such a wonderful year together as they convalesced and tried to heal from the brain cancer that ultimately claimed his life. and really she said he got to do everything he wanted to do except pass health care, and when senator kerry was here yesterday, he said will we get health care passed and done and

we will name it after our dear colleague. back to you. >> all right, deborah feyerick for us. deborah, appreciate it. thank you. you'll be helping us with our coverage throughout this hour. the motorcade carrying senator kennedy's body from hyannis port to boston is expected to begin in about a half hour's time. along the journey from cape cod to boston the motorcade will make stops at sites significant to the senator's life. it will cross the rose fitzgerald kennedy greenway. that's the boston park honoring kennedy's mother. the public is expected to line the motorcade route at various sites including the statehouse. the motorcade will pass nathaniel hall where the governor will ring the bell in senator kennedy's honor. the procession ends at the john f. kennedy presidential library and museum where the senator's body will lie in repose. we will have live coverage of the motorcade when it leaves hyannis port and heads to boston, that is expected to happen at 12:30 p.m. eastern

time, right here in the "cnn newsroom." and quickly now, let's get to chad meyers and the severe weather center. your hurricane headquarters. and if you would, chad, give us an update on danny, please. >> sir, still not very organized. it's like my closet. not organized. i got things on that side. things on that side. they all belong in the middle. >> yeah. >> i tell you what, this storm has never had its center in the right place. you think, oh, wow, look at that big blob of cloud cover, that's where it is. well work not really. follow this symbol, that's where the center of the circulation is. now, for it to be a decent storm, you have to have circulation all around it. it has to be symmetric. you know what a hurricane's supposed to look like. not supposed to look like that. i do the want to use a tropical storm. the more and more i see it, maybe it doesn't even get to be a hurricane. know that's the forecast. i know by 8:00 saturday morning down here off cape hatteras. early in the morning, 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 the waves should start to come up here along the outer banks. you have to realize the cone is

still in the outer banks. it could left. it could go right. the problem is the way it parallels the coast, a 1 degree left makes a big difference, and a 1 degree right makes a big difference. it could go to new england and possibly out to sea and then nova scotia at a 75-mile-per-hour storm. other than being fairly unorganized and unimpressive at this time, the computer models still try to make it a stronger storm, a category 1, because of how warp the water is and because basically, tony, there's a lack of shear later on. >> what does that mean, lack of shear? >> well, that's a good question. when the winds top to blow the top of a thunderstorm off, it's a tornadic thunderstorm, that's a good thing. and you could really get a big tornado in one cell. when you get wind to blow the tops off the hurricane thunderstorms -- >> right. >> -- then they can't become that eye wall. they don't get the heat engine running, and you don't -- a big hurricane wants to be all by

itself, no wind to mess with me. i want to be the man! i want to be the wind. and if you get some wind pushing one way or the other, it tears it apart. so far, we still had it here. we might lose some shear, might lose some wind right here, for the strengthening and then we will get shear back up here for the killing of it as it becomes back into a tropical storm system, losing its hurricane ability, tony. >> you know, quick question, the funeral mass as you know for senator kennedy is saturday, any chance that whatever this becomes could impact the weather in the boston area? >> i think the good news with all this, is that when they are in boston -- >> yeah. >> -- the storm will be off north carolina. when they are in the plane flying to d.c., the storm will then be over boston. so, it's almost like they're going to rotate around the storm may be out to sea when they come back and try to get there, you know, all their plans put together at arlington national. so far, i do believe that the way this thing looks -- >> yeah. >> -- it doesn't have long

enough arms to be in a morning storm system for boston. if it speeds up and it gets closer to boston, by 8:00 a.m., that's a possibility. but it still appears that all of the convection is going to be on the east side of this storm, not much on the north and the west side. and the computer mods for -- for printout for rainfall show 0.01 of an inch. and even if we get some winds to 20 miles per hour, that's still going to be okay. >> one final quick note here, it looks like a beautiful day at hyannis port right now. and it looks like with the weather will be as wonderful for the motorcade? take a look at this picture. >> okay. >> a wonderful day. and the people already lining the route. and this is that long road that deborah feyerick described that leads into and out of the family compound. it looks like a great weather day there. will the weather be just as nice as they make this three-hour or so drive down to the boston area? >> i believe so.

>> yeah. >> i think what's happening here is we have a frontal system. kind of a front that has been stationary. kind of didn't really move very much in the overnight hours. >> yeah. >> and it's draped itself right across the mason-dixon line here, so to the north we have cooler and drier air. to the south and right along the front is where the rain will be, so i think everything's really going to work out fine for them. and, you know, we've got helicopters chasing this thing for hours and hours. >> exactly. >> if the cloud cover comes in, that would certainly interrupt the progress of that, and i don't see that right now. >> all right, chad, appreciate it. >> sure. >> all-encompassing there. let's turn now to "issue #1." and new hints of an economic recovery today. first, a shorter unemployment line. the labor department said first-time jobless claims fell last week to 570,000. that's still a big number, but a decrease of 10,000. continuing claims also posted a decline to 6.1 million. still a huge number, but that is the lowest level since april. and the government didn't need

to revise the gross domestic product for the second quarter. it shows the economy shrank just 1% between april and june. analysts had expected the revision to show the economy contracted more than that. could the agency that guarantees your bank deposits need a bailout? the fdic is running low on cash, drained by 81 bank failures so far this year. today, officials added another 111 banks to the troubled list, that brings the total to 416. fdic boss sheila bair says in a statement, we expect the number of problem banks and failures will remain elevated even as the economy begins to recover. huh, cnn's christine romans is going to help us sort through this story. so, christine, banks are going bad. >> yeah. >> how much of a concern is that for the administration? >> you showed sheila bair there. and i want to read another quote, no insured depositor has losed a penny and no one ever

will. if the banks are going bad, what in the world does that mean for my money? the existence of the fdic is to prevent you from losing money on your insured deposits, you're insured up to $250,000. about the administration and the challenges for its strategy to try to climb out of this economic mess that we've been in? clearly, the banking sector is still frail and still facing a lot of rinks for the small and the midsized banks. you talked about the number on that watch list, now 416. that's the highest since 1994. and, tony, when you look at the trajectory here, you can see 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 now, 416 banks that are problem banks. and many of the banking analysts are expecting more bank failures ahead. in fact, you know, hundreds more, some say, over the next two or three years. that's depleting the resources of the -- of the fdic's insurance reserve, its insurance fund. and if you look at those resources, they are the inverse of that chart i just showed you. >> yeah, yeah. >> the problem list is going up and the amount of money in

the -- in the -- in the coffers is going down, about $10.4 billion right now. they've set aside $32 billion to pay anything out in the very near term here. what happens if they go broke, as our banner there says? >> oh, they're not going to go broke now, come on. come on. >> they can't go broke, it's impossible, because they have a $500 billion line of credit from the treasury. it happened last time during the s & l crisis. the banks fund the insurance fund. so, they have to go back and -- >> oh, charging fees to the banks who have been charging fees to us all these years! there's a concept. >> they do it all right, but they would have to raise it. there's ways to shake the trees to get more money. but what it just tells you is the banking system is still a little bit fragile. >> right. >> the whole point of the fdic is so if your bank goes under, you don't feel it. you can still go the next day and use your atm. i tell you why sheila bair is the number two most powerful

woman on the global "forbes" -- the reason she is number two, she's been able to oversee 82 bank failures this year and 25 last year with very minimal disruptions to the consumers and the overall economy. the fdic has designed to do it and that's what many say they are doing. >> i got something more for you. >> what? >> no danger to our deposits from the troubled, failing banks. here's the other question. >> sure. >> to raise money, is there a chance that these hedge funds might be allowed to buy in to some of these failed or failing -- >> yeah. >> -- banks, and in that sense helping to bring more capital into the system? >> private equity -- you're talking about private equity. >> private equity. >> yesterday, barbarians at the gate is the headline at cnnmoney.com said again. look, they loosened some rules, the fdic did, so that private equity could invest in these companies, but, you know, they put some safeguards in there so they have to hold on to them for three years and the like. but, look, private equity what

they're best known for is buying a firm that's failing. >> yes. >> cutting it up. slashing jobs and then turning around and sell ut right away. not necessarily the kind of behavior you want in the banking system. >> exactly. >> so, they'd have to make sure they have rules in place so if you have private -- you need healthy buyers in the banking system, but, yeah, there are rules changing there for sure. >> if you need money, the hedge funds, the private equity firms, they have cash, but you've got to be careful. >> beggars can't be choosers. >> well, there's another good point. all right, christine, appreciate it, thank you. our reporter, ed lavandera, has been looking at the surveillance video shot inside the florida home of bird and melanie billings when they were killed by intruders. he'll fill us in on what he's seeing in just a moment. racheting up slowly )

( whooshing, riders cheering ) take a look at this. pictures just in to the "cnn newsroom," just got my hands on the information here.

we've got a fire, obviously. ah, we were just asking a question a moment ago as we were watching these pictures, what does black smoke indicate as to the particular properties that might be burning here? a bit of an answer possibly here. this is a fire burning at the sterling oil and chemical company, okay? and this is just outside of detroit. no word yet of any injuries, as you can imagine, evacuations have, in fact, been ordered. we will continue to follow this. as you can see, this is very close to the interstate. we'll continue to follow the pictures and the stories and see if we can get any additional information on the evacuations, if anyone has been injured in all of this. again, this is a fire at the sterling oil and chemical company, so we have a bit of a hazmat situation on our hands here. we'll get you an update in just a couple of minutes. and also happening right now -- nasa's hoping the third time will be the charm for space shuttle "discovery." the scheduled lift off in the

wee hours into the morning. bad weather and a problem valve scrapped the first two tries. "discovery" will deliver supplies to the international space station, that includes the treadmill for exercise named after comedian stephen colbert. are you serious? okay, you may want to cover your ears for this one. nasa is scheduled to fire a test booster in utah this afternoon for the aires i rocket, and it is going to be loud. the aires i now in production is intended to take the place of the aging space shuttle fleet. speeding crews to the international space station and perhaps to the moon. an emotional moment at a health care town hall meeting leads to a pointed exchange between a lawmaker and a cnn reporter. a woman at the meeting hosted by oklahoma senator tom coburn asked for help for her husband. who suffered a traumatic brain injury. she said the insurance company won't cover and give her

assistance. jim acosta asked the senator, who is also a doctor, about plans to help the woman. that led to an exchange over the number of uninsured in the country. >> reporter: senator, i think i heard the local reporter there asking you about this, but what's being done to help the woman at the town hall meeting? >> well, everything we can, but, you know, she has a case file with us, and that's all confidential, so we can't speak to details of it. but we've had several people call us and say they're willing to help her. citizens, and so, you know, the question is -- >> reporter: can you do that with millions of uninsured people in this country who are in the same boat? >> yeah. no, they're not in the same boat. don't exaggerate, most people -- >> reporter: there aren't millions of people uninsured in this country? >> are you going to ask me a question or argue with me? >> reporter: i'm just asking. >> what i'm saying there are millions of people who are uninsured, but there are mott millions of people who have lost their husband's ability to be a bread winner and then not have a safety net to be taken care of.

there's not millions. and the question is, is are we a efficient at how we help people that depend on us? >> reporter: for the 40 some-odd million of people that don't have health care insurance, her case is not representative? >> let's talk about it. some are illegal immigrants, and some are available for schip, and anywhere they go, they will get covered because they are eligible. we have 11 million making over $75,000 a year who choose not to buy insurance. we have 9 million americans who need help. >> reporter: the problem is exaggerated in your mind. >> it is exaggerated. but it doesn't mean the problem with the cost of health care, the thing that keeps them from getting health care is cost. all right, senior medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen, is here to help us sort through the numbers, the numbers of the uninsured. and let me preface this by saying we pay very close attention to everything that senator coburn says on the subject of health care. he's really smart in this area.

i believe he's a doctor. >> uh-huh, that's right. >> and so -- and he is absolutely key, and he has actually come up with a republican approach to health care reform. so, we're really interested in everything he has to say on this topic, and he's been a guest on this program a couple of times. but we want to go through some of the numbers that he cited. >> do a little fact checking. >> let's do this. >> okay. >> the number that we've heard most often is the number of 46 million, 47 million uninsured americans. >> right. and let me tell you where that comes from. that comes from the census department, they say 46 million americans don't have insurance. what he was arguing with is who are these people. >> yes. >> are they illegal immigrants perhaps? are they perhaps people who would be eligible for medicaid and have opted not to get it? are they people who just don't want to pay for health care? right, you could be a multibillionaire and be uninsured because you don't want to dish out the money, right? >> we looked through some of the numbers. and senator coburn said you're really talking about 11 million people who are illegal

immigrants as being factored into this 47 million uninsured number. >> right. he says, okay, 46 million uninsured americans -- >> i'm sorry, 46 million or 47 million? >> 46 million uninsured americans. he says 11 million out of the 46 million are illegal immigrants. he's going to have to argue with members of his own party about that. because according to a republican study committee policy brief, only 8 million of the 46 million are uninsured. so, people of his own party are saying that his number is wrong and that it's 8 million are uninsured immigrants and not 11 million. >> so, an argument with his own party. >> right. >> 6 million are schip or medicaid available. what is that? >> schip is a program to insure kids who don't have insurance of their own. >> what do we make of this number? >> you have to go to various groups and see what they say, everyone can do their own estimates, maybe he gives the 16 million, however, the urban institute has done very recent work and they say it's more like 11 million. so, in other words, what they're

both saying is that there are millions of people, adults and children, who are eligible for public programs like medicaid or schip but aren't taking advantage of it. >> yes. >> now, then, the question is, well, golly, if they could get on those programs, why the heck aren't they? >> right. >> that's a complicated answer. it could be because it's too difficult to enroll. it could be because they don't know they are eligible for it, a whole lot of different answers. maybe they just don't feel like it. >> the last answer from the senator, 11 million of the 46 million that are not insured make over $75,000 a year and opt not to purchase insurance. so, this is the argument, there are people who can afford it and just for whatever reason decide they're not going to purchase it. >> it costs money. and, surely, there are people that say i could buy health insurance or i could go on a nice caribbean vacation. there are people that would choose the vacation. there are probably some people like that. however, the census bureau itself which keeps the records, says that the senator is wrong on this count. they say that there are 9 million people making $75,000 a

year or more who do not have health insurance, and i think many people would argue with him saying they've opted no to buy it. let's say you make $75,000 a year because you run your mom-and-pop store. you don't have insurance through your employer because you're self-employed, and let's say you have a -- cancer and you can't get insurance. or let's say you even have a bad back and you can't get insurance. so, some of these people making 75,000 a year, they don't have insurance because they can't get it! they can't get medicaid. they're too rich. they can't get insurance through the private sector because perhaps they have a pre-existing condition. they can't get it through their employer, because their employer doesn't have it. some people are forced not to have it. other people elect not to have it. >> and you just talked about all of that. 11 million make more than $75,000 a year and opt out for whatever reason from purchasing insurance. when you factor in the numbers from the senator, that's how he comes up with this idea that leaves 9 million uninsured

americans that need health care. >> a lot of people would argue with that including the census bureau. >> we've had the senator on the program, we'll have him again as soon as he wants to join us, we'll have him on, to talk about these numbers and to talk about the health care debate, where we go from here. because he is, would you agree, very important to this discussion? >> oh, he is. he's very thoughtful on this discussion. >> smart. >> and unlike people that just complain, he's come up with plans on his own. >> elizabeth, thank you. >> thanks. we've heard the arguments -- many, many arguments -- over health care. another look at this story. we will hear one woman's personal mission. it inspired -- it actually was inspired by her chronically ill child. two children, actually. kathy mcclure quit her job and hit the road to chronicle the stories of others. >> these are little dolls that i stitch around the sides and fill with rice and send to people that i like to interview with.

>> reporter: like most recent college grads, caitlin mcclure is hoping to snag a good job. >> this is my logo. i'm also a skydiver. it's me as a little bird. >> reporter: but she needs more than just a good job. she needs a good job with generous medical benefits. >> it was really windy. and the wind blew the soccer goal over, and it hit me in the back of the head, and then i fell to my knees, and it hit me again. >> reporter: the soccer accident ten years ago left caitlin with epilepsy, and a whopping $1,000 a month medication regimen. >> this is what i take. >> reporter: without the pills she takes every day? >> i'd be having seizures all day. >> reporter: after mcclure graduated from college, she was no longer eligible for coverage under her parents' health insurance plan. and with her epilepsy, a preexisting condition for insurance companies, finding affordable health insurance has been nearly impossible. >> it was a glimpse for us of what her life is going to be like. it's going to always be super

expensive. she's always going to have to deal with meds that are, you know, ridiculously expensive. and for her, it's like another rent payment. >> hey, pop, it's just about ready. >> one day i woke up and i said to my husband, jay, i'd like to quit my job and become an advocate. he said, fine. >> reporter: an advocate for her daughter, caitlin, and her son, 27-year-old christopher, who has type i diabetes. >> i decided that i couldn't sit back and allow them to be subjected to a health care system that was going to be forever a problem. >> reporter: kathy mcclure, an atlanta attorney, started the non-for-profit group votehealthcare.org. she hit the road in the mobile office traveling to 30 states over the past two summers listening to health care horror stories and encouraging people to speak out. >> i've really seen how the holes in our health care system are affecting working americans and productive citizens. and it's not a pretty picture.

>> reporter: then she took those stories to d.c. to share them with legislators. well, she supports the proposal for a government-run insurance option. her main goal is to encourage people to join the debate. >> i've seen the people who are doing without, people whose premiums are more than their mortgage payment or who have no coverage at all, and it's just -- it's really crippling us financially as a country. >> i have a great support system with my family and friends. >> reporter: caitlin may need that support as she navigates the health care system. she certainly has a committed advocate. >> i think the people need to speak up and say, we want you to do what's best for all of us. >> now kathy is about to embark on another journey. tomorrow she is going in to surgery to donate a kidney to a friend. she found out many insurance companies having had kidney surgery a pre-existing condition. kathy plans to fight for a bill to outlaw that practice.

and we want to take you to hyannis port, massachusetts. the motorcade carrying senator kennedy's body from hyannis port to boston is expected to leave the family compound any moment now. the private family service is going on right now. we will follow the motorcade to boston for you right here in the "cnn newsroom." when we come back, surveillance tape of a gruesome murder. we'll find out what the tape shows. devotion to family. people notice my love for animals. my smile. my passion for teaching. my cool car. people notice i'm a good friend and a good listener. people notice that i'm a good boss. people notice my love of nature. people notice i can fix anything. (announcer) thanks to miracle-ear what people don't notice about you is your hearing aid because, look closely, our hearing aids are nearly invisible.

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once again, we are moments away from the motorcade

departing, which will be carrying senator kennedy's body from hyannis port to boston. it is expected to begin any moment now. a private family mass going on right now at the kennedy family compound. along the journey from cape cod to boston, the motorcade will make several stops at sites significant to the senator's life. it will cross the rose fitzgerald kennedy greenway. that is the boston park honoring the senator's mother. the public is expected to line the motorcade route at various stops, including at the statehouse. when the motorcade begins to move, we will, of course, follow it for you right here in the "cnn newsroom." you know, it was a particularly brutal killing that shocked the nation. we're talking about a wealthy florida couple known for adopting special-needs children, gunned down last month in a home-invasion robbery. surveillance video helped lead to the arrests of eight people.

the video and crime scene photos released today. cnn's ed lavandera following developments for us in pensacola, florida. and, ed, video of the outside of the house was released early on. this video only being shown to the media. what's on it? >> reporter: well, actually, it's being opened to all of the public, because of the way florida laws work. anytime evidence is turned over in the process of discovery leading up to a trial and it's turned over to defense attorneys, it then becomes part of the public record. >> i see. >> reporter: but the family has tried to prevent the video from being released and because of that, a deal has been reached to allow members of the public and the news media to come to pensacola and we're able to watch the videos and the crime scene photographs that have been released so far. we have seen -- spent the last 2 1/2 hours doing that, more than 2,000 photos and also several hours of the surveillance video. as you mentioned, we've seen the video outside the home. we've seen several camera angles

inside the home. in all, we're told 16 cameras recorded what happened in those -- in those few minutes where bert and melanie billings were killed here in pensacola. two camera angles in particular were rather fascinating. one is from inside the living room where you see the initial confrontation between the gunmen and burt and melanie billings. rather chilling in many ways, especially when you take into consideration moments before the men burst into the home, there was one child, which i make out to be about 5, 6, 7, years old, the video is very grainy. hard to make out any faces at this point really, but you see a young child in the living room hanging out by the coffee table and you see burt and melanie billings converge when they are converted by the men. two men come from behind burt billings and he has his arms in the air and he drops to the floor. and the confrontation continues. it all lasts less than five

minutes. at one point you see melanie billings holding the child in the living room, but then they disappear from the shot inside that living room. they were murdered, we're told, in their bedroom. that was not captured on videotape. the other angle, which was incredibly fascinating, is you've seen that video of the red van approaching the home. >> yes, yes. >> reporter: just above where that van is was one of the children's bedroom. that child was in the room sleeping. a child to make out 10 or 12 years old. a young girl. you see the van pull up. you see the camera angle and the van outside the window there. you see the men jump out of the van and they break into the home. that young girl clearly confused by what's going on. you see her get up, approach the door, go back to bed. cover herself up in the covers. cover her ears. she goes back and forth from the door to her bed several times. completely unaffaware that the were just below her window.

it's not until they leave the scene that you see her run to the window and see the men drive off. that in my opinion from what i have seen, really offered the most chilling -- >> that is chilling. >> reporter: -- the scenes to the whole crime. >> i have another quick one for you. i understand authorities are pursuing leads that it may have been someone's actual job to turn the surveillance cameras off, but that they didn't. >> reporter: right. that has been something that they've been -- a theory that they've been operating under for quite some time. authorities here say they still believe that to be the case, although we haven't been told of any significant progress on that front. >> got you. >> reporter: for now, tony. >> and, said, finally, where, in general, does the case stand right now? >> reporter: well, you know, they -- authorities, the sheriff's department here in pensacola, say that they are still wrapping up the telling of their investigation. for the most part, a lot of this information, a lot of these -- a lot of the evidence has been turned over to prosecutors, and the suspects in this case have

their defense attorneys. and we're told that we're about a year away from going to trial in this case, so a great deal of the legal work really taking place behind the scenes no you. >> cnn's ed lavandera for us from pensacola, florida. ed, appreciate it, thank you. and once again, let's take this shot full. we are standing by waiting for the motorcade. beautiful. the motorcade carrying senator kennedy's body from hyannis port to boston to begin any moment now. the family taking part in a private memorial service inside the home of the kennedy family compound. when the motorcade begins, we will, of course, follow it for you right here in the "cnn newsroom." i was in the grocery store when i had a heart attack.

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and once again, we want to show you these live pictures. you see the hearse there at the center of the screen. we understand shortly the casket with the body of senator kennedy will be placed in that hearse. the motorcade carrying the senator's body from hyannis port to boston, expected to begin shortly. we're beginning to see more activity, which would indicate that we are close to the start of this motorcade. our deborah feyerick is there at hyannis port. and, deb, if you would, sort of walk us through what you've been seeing this morning and bringing us right up to this moment. >> reporter: well, tony, the

hearse appears to be backing into -- into the driveway. pulled up probably about 35, 40 minutes ago. now it's backing in. we are told that the senator's casket will be brought out of the home by a military honor guard. it will be brought out of the front door, and then along the patio where he spent so many hours, down into the hearse. there are about eight very large limousines. those will carry members of the family. we've seen many familiar faces here. caroline kennedy, maria shriver, joe kennedy, william kennedy smith. it's william smith -- william kennedy smith's mom actually who is the only surviving of the nine kennedy siblings. so, really, the generation that's entering the limousines, they're the one who are now carrying on the mantle of the kennedy family. we can tell you that a number of people who live in the area, they're now standing along. they're now lining the route

where the motorcade will go. there are about 16 police officers from the boston police department. they're going to make this journey a little easier for everyone as they make their way to boston. wheth weather, tony, is beautiful. it is perfect. it is a cool day. there are clouds. you know, yesterday it was very humid and cloudless. today really is one of those perfect days for this to be taking place. but i think seeing that hearse -- >> yeah. >> reporter: -- it really hit home for a lot of people when that hearse pulled in. and, tony, interesting, at the end of the -- of the limousines was patrick kennedy. and he has been going in and out, instrumental in the arrangements that we're going to see. a lot of logistics involved in planning this kind of thing. really, this is the -- this is the kind of honor bestowed on presidents. and as a matter of fact, four former presidents will be at the

memorial tomorrow joining president barack obama. tony? >> yeah. and, deb, you know this route that this motorcade will take as well as anyone. our understanding is that it will make stops at sites significant to the senator's life, correct? >> reporter: absolutely. and that's, you know, again, that's honoring him, it's honoring the places that meant something to him. >> right, right. >> reporter: paying his respects, which is what's so interesting. he had 15 months, really, with his brain canser to kind of think about the kind of ending that he wanted and he wanted a peaceful ending. and his son teddy kenny jr., who said, in fact, when the end came, it was peaceful. he was surrounded by family. they were praying. his body has been watched over by members of the kennedy family, children, grandchildren, all of them taking turns so that he wouldn't be alone. really moving. very poignant. >> deb, if you would, stand by, as we continue to follow

these -- these wonderful shots out of hyannis port, and we'll come back to you in just a couple of moments. we're going to squeeze in a quick break here. when we come back we'll talk with cnn analyst and adviser to four, five presidents, david gergen joins us. (mom) he needed everything for college: towels, sheets and then there was the stuff he wanted... like a new microwave. and because of walmart's unbeatable prices, we were able to get it all. ...and then some. set them up for success-- for less. save money. live better. walmart. it's what doctors recommend most for headaches. for arthritis pain... in your hands... knees... and back. for little bodies with fevers.. and big bodies on high blood pressure medicine.

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let's see if we can maximize our efforts here. we've got three shots up for you right now. the top two shots, actually, are of the road -- the main road leading into and from the kennedy compound there in hyannis port, massachusetts. the picture there, the big picture at the bottom of the screen, is of downtown boston, where the motorcade will end up later this afternoon. let's exhale for just a moment here, as we wait for the motorcade to begin and have a conversation about the life and the legacy of senator edward kennedy. we've got two tremendous guests to help us do that. let's bring in our cnn analyst,

david gergen, an adviser. david, i was saying, i was trying to remember, four or five presidents, and david is on the phone with us. and the noted historian, douglas brinkley. he is the author of books on ronald reagan, gerald ford, and also a professor at rice university in houston. it is good to both -- have you both with us. and, david, let me start with you. i know you offered up a number of reflections on the senator yesterday, probably to a number of media outlets. i wonder, the next day, today, what are your thoughts? >> my sense, tony, is that if anything, the -- it's sinking in to people just how large a figure teddy kennedy was. one of the most effective legislators of the 20th century. a man who was enormously persuasive and passionate in advancing a liberal agenda for the country.

one who lost -- had many lost causes, things that didn't happen, including his quest for the presidency. but who left his fingerprints, in fact, was the architect and -- of so many bills. his office -- over 500 bills over the course of his senate career in which he played a significant role in securing passage, whether it was on civil rights or health care or education or national service. the last bill that was passed just this -- a few weeks ago was the national service act, which was named after teddy kennedy by the congress, and it was passed in a bipartisan way. >> yeah. >> so, i think his stature going to grow in people's eyes over the next few days. this is a fitting tribute. i'm here at hyannis port. d doug brinkley has been here and knows it's a serene setting today as this motorcade moves out. >> wow, that's wonderful. and, david, you can help us set

that scene a little bit better. and it is beautiful as we look at that's shots now. douglas brinkley, give us your thoughts. i was struck by something that david said, he's being remembered as this legislative pow powerhouse. but if you look at the broader arc of his life, it wasn't always clear that that would end up being his legacy, was it? >> no, it wasn't. i saw ted sorenson last evening on "larry king" and he talked about ted kennedy as a survivor among all the other things he did in his life. if you look at the fact that he's had to end up enduring the pain of seeing his three older brothers die, and he was always the baby brother, and there was always this thought that he was somehow not quite up to snuff, not enough to equal his brother, who was the president, or robert kennedy, who in his own right almost won the presidency in '68 if he hadn't have been assassinated in los angeles. and so he ended up having to

work a little harder. and he did it because of his big-heartedness. people liked him. he had sympathy for people that were in plight or in -- disadvantaged. and it came through in his entire career. i think this has been a fitting last 48 hours, where people are starting to talk about ted kennedy as one of the real champions of human rights and social justice -- >> yeah. >> -- civil rights. rights for the disabled. and the fact that he's ending his life with two bits of major drama. one is the dignity in which he's handled cancer week by week and has shown us such courage in death, and the second is that the issue that's meant the most to him is health care reform. universal health care. and we see that as being the big issue of the moment, and this fall, we're still going to be talking about ted kennedy, even

though he's gone, because there's always a relevance about people getting the proper health care they need. >> yeah. let me -- let me circle back. david, let me key this up, and let me have you think about it and talk to us after a quick break here. >> sure. >> douglas mentioned something that i thought was interesting. the idea of ted kennedy, the survivor, and i want to know from you, as someone who has watched the entire arc of this man's life, personal life, professional life, how he was able to survive the serious down cycles in his life. think about that for just a moment. we'll sneak in a quick break. you know, it makes me feel pretty good. we're offering a solution for a customer that maybe has to choose between paying their credit card or putting food on the table. our main objective is to reach out to the customers that are falling behind on their payments. a lot of customers are proud and happy

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and, once again, live pictures. we are getting ready, standing by, for the motorcade bearing senator kennedy's body from hyannis port to boston. it is expected to begin any moment. our deborah feyerick is there in hyannis port. david gergen, our cnn analyst, is with us on the phone. he is also in hyannis, massachusetts. the noted historian, douglas brinkley, is with us as well. and, david, before the break, i asked you to think about something that doug said to us, talking about ted sorenson talking about the survival instinct of senator kennedy. boy, you watch the entire arc of this man's life, how did he overcome the tragedies in his life?

>> well, it's a remarkable story in that sense. i think it's a redemptive story, one that many americans can associate with, because ordinarily when a doug brinkley hauls off to write a prize-winning book, biography, it would often be about the rise and fall of someone in politics. the recent biography of ted kennedy, called "the last lion" written by the editors of "the boston globe," "the last lion, the fall and rise of ted kennedy" i think what they captured well there, there was not expected much from him as a young boy, he was kind of chubby, and he wasn't a bright boy, one of his friends nicknamed him biscuits and muffins. he got turned out of harvard for cheating and he was a fun-loving guy and, of course, when he was elected to the senate just when he was 30 years old, just a few years later he had the famous, famous accident in chappaquiddick that doomed his presidential hopes, so there was not much expected from him by

his family or the country. but the editors from "the globe" who studied him closely argued that in many ways his rise came because he wanted to live up to the standards of his older brothers and his father and his sisters and he strove very hard for that. and, very, very importantly, because of his failings, his personal failings, he had to compensate for that and he did it by working harder than anybody else in the senate. he just -- he just drove himself to become better, to -- he knew he was the man who carried the flame for the family, the camelot flame was in his keeping, and he drove himself. >> yeah. >> to become better. and it's -- i think it's an inspiring story for a lot of americans who are never going to become teddy kennedy, but who have had troubles early in their lives and can pull themselves together and seek a higher standard and redeem themselves. >> you know, doug, let me ask you a question, it seems to me interesting that, boy, you hear david talk about some of the failings in the senator's life, and what is it about us as

people that on a day like today, a day like yesterday, we are willing to, in many cases, look past some of those failings and focus in on the positive arc of a person's life? >> well, for starters, ted kennedy was catholic, and a big part of catholicism is forgiveness, it's the confession. he asked to be forgiven by people. he did a kind of a redemptive work throughout his whole career. he would fall off the wagon. he had a bit of a drinking problem. there was a carousing issue that came up, but he constantly said, i can do better. he asked the public directly a number of times, these are my own personal shortcomings, and i'm working on it. but people recognized that he was a workhorse, not a show horse. >> yeah. >> that he was -- he had the kennedy name and the glamour and he could have, you know, skated by. he's from massachusetts, a liberal state.

he probably was going to be senator for life. he could have been a mediocre senator and had a very good life, but he chose to push the envelope. and, you know, we keep mentioning all this legislation. >> yes. >> not just a line. that's a lot of work. >> it really is. >> and that's what his -- that's what i admired about him the most. he never threw in the towel. he wasn't a quitter. and he was determined to really help people's lives, and the fact that he ended up doing so to so many, tens of millions of americans, better off because of ted kennedy, is a tribute to this isn't a "flash in the pan" political figure. he's not just part of the camelot mystique, that this is a heavyweight political senator, in the league with people like daniel webster, henry cabot lodge, one of our great senators. >> david, i haven't spent a lot of time in the cape cod, hyannis area of massachusetts, but this is a wonderful shot that we have

up right now. you're there in that area. would you describe this scene? would you describe the kennedy compound and that view. would you take a moment to do that? as we -- >> sure. >> -- are set to turn things over to kyra phillips. >> sure, please. i've come to the cape a number of occasions, because i live up in massachusetts now. but i've never been to the compound. what surprised me coming yesterday, i always assumed the compound was an isolated set of buildings with big walls and everything. be really separated out from everything else, and, in fact, it's just part of a neighborhood. and there are houses right next door. yes, there are some bushes here and there that hide things, but it's more of a sense of neighborhood, with lots of kids on bikes, on towels, and dogs frolicking around. you know, even as reporters are lined up here with cameras to record this, the neighborhood -- the neighbors are just, you know, sort of strolling by. and there's a mournfulness now about it. buth