quarter-mile race in less than 12.5 seconds. go to cnnmoney.com, you can see the complete story there, including an electric carp that was built at m.i.t. all the way back in the early 1990s. it's amazing to think how long we've actually had this technology. the full story is on cnnmoney.com. >> poppy, appreciate it. thank you. we are pushing forward now with the next hour of "cnn newsroom" with kyra phillips! >> tony, thanks so much. wild times in a war zone. >> we will have zero tolerance for the type of conduct that is alleged in this document. >> kabul, afghanistan, contractors watch over diplomats, but who's watching over the contractors? we're pushing forward on a bombshell report on embassy security, american standing, and taxpayer dollars. you won't believe these pictures. 140,000 acres and counting, a week-old wildfire is still growing north of l.a., and so are the costs to fight it. we're pushing forward on the fire lines and the bottom line.

and is anything private in private schools? is everything online public? tweet me with your thoughts on social networking, students, and principals who want to keep tabs. hello, everyone, i'm kyra phillips, live at the cnn world headquarters in atlanta. you're live in the "cnn you're live in the "cnn newsroom." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com the stakes are high, the risk is high, the pressure's high. protecting the u.s. embassy in kabul, afghan starn, is not a job for the weak or unprofessional, and it may not be a job for the people who are doing it right now. and have been doing it for years. we're pushing forward on the outrageous, off-duty behavior of private contractors hired by the u.s. state department. the state is investigating. congress wants answers, and we're just getting started on our coverage. an independent watchdog group cites deviant hazing and humiliation among supervisors,

guards, new rekruts of the firm called armorgroup north america. details now from cnn's state department correspondent, jill dougherty. >> reporter: the american embassy in kabul, afghanistan. in august, the target of rocket attacks and suicide bombings. now, allegations that the contractor, hired by the state department to protect that embassy, for years has created conditions that threaten its security. the report by the independent project on government oversight, or p.o.g.o., cites complaints from nearly 10% of the guards working for the armorgroup north america, now owned by wackenhut services, inc.. the most explosive, charges of what p.o.g.o. calls deviant hazing and humiliation. p.o.g.o. says it obtained these photos showing superiors and other guards off duty hazing some new recruits, including images of half naked men in compromising sexual positions with what appears to be alcohol, all highly offensive in a muslim country.

guards who objected, they say were ridiculed, demoted and even fired. cnn communicated with one guard who authenticated the photos. >> it's a total breakdown of the command, a total lack of respect on the guard force for the supervisors because of this kind of behavior. >> reporter: p.o.g.o. says other problems undermine morale including hiring an insufficient number of guards. the ones on duty were sleep deprived, lacked proper training and adequate armored vehicles. there was constant personnel turnover. near 30 two-thirds of the guards, they say, couldn't adequately speak english. and it charges afghan nationals working for the embassy were mistreated. it's just the latest in a long history of complaints against the company that started under the bush administration. >> the secretary and the department have made it clear that we will have zero tolerance for this type of conduct that is alleged in these documents. >> reporter: for the past two

years, the state department repeatedly criticized 9 company for its poor performance. it warns the security of the u.s. embassy in kabul is in jeopardy. yet in july, the obama administration renewed the contract for another year with an option to extend until 2012. >> they said, you know, we are now convinced everything's fine, and then they reissued the contract for another year. so, i think the state department is an equal partner in the problem here. >> reporter: a senate subcommittee criticized the state department for publicly defending the company, calling the department's handling of the contractor a case study of how mismanagement and lack of oversight can result in poor performance. at times, the security of the u.s. embassy in kabul maine placed at risk. the head of that subcommittee, senator claire mccaskill, says the state department's testimony appears to be misleading at best, and she is demanding all relevant documents. the state department meanwhile

says its inspector general has launched an investigation. cnn has contacted that contractor, wackenhut services, inc., but so far they have not responded to those allegations. jill dougherty, cnn, the state department. and i should add that we made a call to wackenhut, and we are told that we will get a statement sometime today. we'll bring it to you as soon as we get it. in the meantime let's talk a little bit more about the allegations and what happens next with the executive director of government oversight, you saw her in that piece. danielle brian. hazing is one thing, okay, the immature behavior we can talk about in a second, but, you know, this is the embassy. this is where your vips are, the ones that are making, you know, crucial decisions about war activity in a war zone. and you're talking about guys that are -- are carrying on security that don't even speak engli english, they're using pantomime and hand signals to get their point across.

>> it's just ridiculous. because we began hearing from guards that we really considered this crisis situation that we started working around the clock. we only started this investigation about two weeks ago, because we thought there is so much urgency in dealing with this given the mission that these men are supposed to be carrying out in protecting the diplomats in afghanistan. >> all right, now, claire mccaskill is coming forward saying, i was misled by the state department. through your investigation, do you believe that this subcommittee on contract oversight was misled by the state department? or was this a committee that just, boom, let's rubber stamp it, we've got other things to worry about? >> no, i give them great credit that for two years the state department has been ineffectual with the empty threats to contractors that we'll do something. we're really wor lly worried ab security.

>> and the code of conduct. i've spent time overseas and i can see how contractors are dealt with versus the u.s. military. there is, i guess you should say, a different standard when it comes to behavior -- behavior. do you think that these contractors are allowed to act like cowboys on many levels where the u.s. military is held accountable in a much tougher way? >> well, a couple of things to think about here. first of all, it is contractor employees that came forward to us as whistle-blowers. all of the people that i've spoken to over there -- at this point i've talked to about 12 of the guards, had is about 10% of the english-speaking guard force. these are contractors who are absolutely horrified at the unprofessionalism of their colleagues and their supervisors. so, you have, you know, i don't want to paint a brush that everyone who is there is one of these creeps, frankly, because a lot of these guys are the -- trying to do their job and be professional, and they're just in an environment that they find untenable. >> so, bottom line, what's going

to be done, how are the wackenhut contractors going to be dealt with? >> we've heard from the senate and the house, and it's now interested no learning more. we've heard from the war contracting commission, but we've heard nothing from the state department, so i'm worried about how seriously they are taking this, if they haven't reached out to us to find out what we know. >> we hope you hear from the state department as well, danielle brian, thank you. you've heard about private contractors in iraq and the afghan wars and there is a reason for that. as of march of this year, there were almost as many private civilian contractors working for the pentagon in iraq as there were american troops. as a matter of fact, in afghanistan, there were more. and that's according to the congressional research service. and keep in mind since march, u.s. troop strength has gone up in afghanistan, down in iraq. now, check out some of the past wars. contractors had a big role in the balkans, but far smaller roles in vietnam, korea, and both world wars. well, battle over health care reform, back on center

stage this hour. you see a live picture of the white house in just a second. because president obama is feeling the heat now as opposition grows to his plan. now he's said to be considering all of his options in a bid to recapture the momentum. one of those options, says an administration official, delivering a major speech spelling out just what he wants in a health care reform bill. also this hour, house speaker nancy pelosi speaking out on health care at an event in san francisco. she continues to insist that there's no way that she'll support a bill without a public option. we're follows th thing that for. how are you feeling? a kru cnew cnn poll shows that are worried about swine flu has risen. 17% they are not worried now but have been in the past few months but a majority are still confident about the government's ability to prevent a nationwide

swine flu epidemic. your child gets sick and you dash off to the e.r., chances are you won't get tested for the h1n1 virus. dr. sanjay gupta will tell us why. and a bit of a break for california firefighters. the weather's helping them battle a huge wildfire just north of l.a. right now, but the fight is far from over. the blaze actually grew overnight, and has now scorched more than 140,000 acres, even the sky over l.a. has taken on a an eerie color as the flames have spread. the sun this morning -- take a look at this -- blood red. at last count the fire has destroyed at least 62 homes, 3 businesses, and right now it's just 22% contained. and you can believe this. heavy smoke from the l.a. blaze is now darkening the sky over denver, colorado. that's 800 miles east of los angeles. hundreds of firefighters are on the job there in southern california. cnn's reynolds wolf is near the front lines right there in lakeview terrace.

>> reporter: i'm coming from the command center where just a short while ago governor schwarzenegger gave everybody a proverbial pat on the back nor doing such a great job. and they've been working very hard. the fire's about 22% contained right now. over 144,000 acres scorched and you look back over to the map and you see there is a wide area where the burn is taking place. you look over closer. give you an idea on this map. the fire actually started a bit to the south and worked its way to the north where they stopped it dead in its tracks. the problem now the fire has been spreading since the overnight hours moving back towards devil's canyon and that's where they are working hard today. because in the san gabriel wilderness, a lot of chaparral, a lot of oaks and bristlecone pines, a lot of things that are perfect fuel for a fire like this. the weather in some ways has been cooperating. what i mean by that, we certainly had the higher humidity last night. that was certainly a great thing. the wind has not been that strong. that's also good, but we have a chance of thunderstorms today, dry thunderstorms. very little in terms ofs from.

but certainly a possibility of getting lightning strikes that might touch the ground. if that happens, we're talking lightning strikes here, there's a chance we could see more fires pop out. they're very optimistic here and working very hard and hopefully hoping to really turn the corner from this fire. that's the latest we've got from the command center. let's send it back to you in the studio. >> reynolds wolf, thanks so much. if you think the case against phillip garrido is sordid, wait until you hear about his past? we're pushing forward on the 18-year kidnapping. t right, and i switched to new one a day women's active metabolism. a complete women's multivitamin plus more for metabolism support. and that's a change i feel good about. new from one a day.

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now more than ever, it pays to discover. fires and a hurricane on the pacific coast. a tropical storm to worry about on the east coast now. chad myers, you're just getting more and more busy. >> i've got all things for you, that's why i have this wall, because it can do all things. >> it is magic. >> it is. it's like the great prescott, i ask it to do things. or like santa claus, you ask him things and he brings them for you. let's fly to cabo san lucas, because this is where the storm was making landfall. but the good news it didn't hit the town at all. it hit this pristine beach coast with basically nary a house along it. it came in as a category 2. have you ever seen land like this on the west coast of the

united states? literally there is not a person, a house, or anything in site. i guess if you are going to land a cat 2 or 3, you can't do it in a better spot, save for the people that actually do live there. when they come back to their houses, they may, in fact, be flooded. because really this is more of a flood threat, kyra, than anything else. there's cabo. it missed cabo. trees and flooding. but the flooding will happen on this spike of land right through here that is very high in topography, if you get that and it running off, you will get some problems. and eventually this thing almost stops and turns to the left and we don't really get in here. this is what it's really going to look like. right there. remember yesterday, this thing was supposed to turn to the right. wasn't this thing supposed to go to el paso? not today. now it's going to the left and all the computers are saying the other thing. we're not too thrilled about what the computers are doing with erika or if you want to be

technical, erika, but we'll call it erika. that would be the british and u.s. virgin islands and san juan and the dominican republic and haiti. the storm not too impressive, it looks like a big red blob, but the center is not where the big red blob is and hebs the ince t. 40, 45, and then 45, 35. and it's scheduled to be a tropical depression because of all the win the hurricane center is seeing here. the odd part, kyra, i'll make this. this is from colorado state. this is a graphic of what the wind speeds are forecast to be by these famous computers that haven't been doing so well. 40 miles per hour, look at this, all the way up to 60, 70, 80, 90, and then 100. but official forecast from the hurricane said we're not believing that. all you computers models can be up here, we don't care, you haven't been doing a good job anyway. that's why it looks so far that

erika may not be the big threat to the u.s. east coast unless all the shear that they've been seeing goes away or doesn't exist. >> some good news. >> absolutely. or a good weekend. >> right on. wildfires like the big one near los angeles take a toll on the entire country, no matter where you live. cnn's josh levs takes a look at the real cost for all of us, not just those of us in california, josh? >> it's amazing, kyra. i've been stunned by the numbers on cnn.com. a study that i found here is called the true cost of wildfires in the united states. let's just go to some video. i'm going to tell you about this. this is a government study, kyra, these are some of the facts that are from it. we'll start off with this. they talk about how much ultimately the long-term costs are. and let's bring them in right now. this first one is from the western forestry leadership coalition. they say you hear about suppression costs, right? maybe $50 million to crush a fire. to suppress that fire. but the long-term costs, they say, can be 30 times higher than that.

then there's another group on this next screen that says it can be up to 50 times higher than that. that's the wildland fire lessons learned center, which is a private group that studies it. they say, look, you have the environmental impact, the health impact, business is lost. it can be up to 50 times what we hear. it can affect the whole country. take a look at this from "the los angeles times," they safe that the u.s. forest service -- this is a u.s. government agency, right? late '90s they were spending $300 million to crush these fires. now that one agency alone, in 10 years, jumped up to $1.4 billion, because these fires, they say, are growing bigger, fiercer, costlier. kyra, so a huge financial impact for the country all the time. >> let's talk about the financial benefit frolsam the wildfires. there are some, right? >> yeah, to be fair we should look at it. there's a good site. let's look at this, a study from yale university as well. they say, you know, when you take a look at the long-term impact. there's a lot of bad stuff. but you have some jobs created

and you have in a few cases some species that are actually helped by this. so it does have a few environmental impacts and positive economic impacts as well, not enough to offset the big problem, but obviously it is something to keep in mind that there are some ways that people come ahead especially in the short term. they get some jobs going. there are a few communities that benefit from it, kyra. >> thanks, josh. they are plagued by dark memories of their imprisonment. laura ling and euna lee are describing their capture and ordeal in north korea. we're going to hear it. when i was told i had diabetes,

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two american reporters freed after an ordeal in north korea. and they're finally speaking

out. laura ling and euna lee. they came back after four months in prison. they wrote a "l.a. times" column describing their capture. they say they never intended to cross into north korean territory, but they were following their guide. they got nervous, they headed back across the river and were on chinese soil when north korean border guards grabbed them. both women suspect it was a trap. ling and lee write that in retrospect the guide behaved oddly, but it was ultimately our decision to follow him, and we continue to pay for that decision today with dark memories of our captivity. other top stories now -- the suspect in the d.c. holocaust museum shooting doesn't want to undergo a psych exam. but a court today ordered james von brunn to undergo one anyway. the 89-year-old spris accused o

shooting a guard. a magnitude 7 quake today left piles of debris all over the place along with bodies. nearly three dozen people confirmed dead and hundreds injured and about 40 missing. afghanistan, where even top authorities are in harm's way. a suicide attack has killed the deputy chief of the afghan intelligence service along with other people. the intel chief was visiting a mosque in eastern afghanistan. nearly three dozen people were wounded. back in the u.s. we're eyeing the skies over the hudson river. remember this from last month? police combing the hudson for debris and bodies after a small plane and a tour helicopter collide pped pe peped pe. how far can a school go when supervising students exploits on the web? we'll show you.

social networking, free speech and personal privacy on a collision course in north augusta, south carolina, where a small christian school says it's within their right to ask students suspected of bad

behavior to turn over their online account info to websites like facebook and twitter. administrators say it's to protect the school's reputation. critics say the policy smacks of big brother. our cnn affiliate wjbf has the story. >> reporter: dr. edward martin jr. is the principal at victory school in north augusta. he says all students are required to follow their biblical curriculum. >> we don't expect perfection, we expect compliance. >> reporter: it's compliance to a new school policy that's turning some heads. if an administrator suspects a student of unruly behavior, that student could be required to give school leaders their password and user name to their facebook or myspace account. >> several years ago we had a student with i guess myspace, and he was bragging about the alcohol that he drank on the weekends. he was telling everybody he went to our school. >> reporter: dr. martin says this policy's in place to protect the sanctity of the school, and it's not an invasion of privacy. >> we're looking, again, for

families that adhere to this philosophy, and if they don't, it's fine. there's plenty of schools they can choose to go to. >> reporter: attorney robert mullins disagrees. >> it's basically an invasion of privacy. and if they're doing the conduct on a school computer, that would be one thing. but if they're doing it at home on a home computer, that's a totally different thing. >> if the student insists on using facebook or myspace at school, which i think should not ever occur, then i think the school does have the right to monitor it. on the other hand, i agree with the school, i mean, if it's a christian-based school, then, you know, they don't want anything in their school that isn't appropriate. >> reporter: and martin claims to have backing. he says the school is following the advice of the south carolina association of christian schools. >> and once again, that was friendly clarvo. what is the policy of the south carolina association of christian schools? we called them and told us they have no specific policy on social networking.

they only advise member schools that any new policy be written and presented to students at the start of the school year. and by the way, the principal has taken exception to this report and told us, quote, we do not require students' passwords. if we are notified that a student may have a social networking site that we would consider inappropriate, then we could ask them to show us the website. well, all of you are definitely sounding off on this story. here's just a small sampling of your feedback from twitter. c.r. hogan said, children, some think they are privileges. if you are using school equipment or if you at the school, i support the principal's principle. hot 44 rod says if there are no rights under age 18, let the parents happen at home. teach the children and discipline when needed. curious 1966, oh, my god, that is so an invasion of privacy. what the students do online is none of the school's business whether unruly or not. and jesse said, wrong, wrong, wrong. the home computer is the parents' business, not the

butinsky principal. no doubt we'll see more cases like this. remember the one we told you about in mississippi? the coach asked the cheerleader for her facebook password. the coach reads personal e-mails and doesn't like what she sees and she suspends the cheerleader. cheerleader now suing the school and the school district for $100 million, suing the coach as well. that's right, $100 million. the girl claims that the coach had no right to and for the password. and the school violated her right to privacy. back to one of our top stories now, the suspect in the d.c. holocaust museum shooting made his first court appearance today, and he had a few things to say. cnn's kate bolduan is following developments in that story and joins us live from cart. kate? >> hey there, kyra, we're hearing from the first time from the accused holocaust museum shooter in federal court this morning, james von brunn against his attorney's advice spoke out, quote, i'm a united states citizen and as a u.s. naval officer i swore to protect my country. i take my vows very seriously. now, this is the first time von brunn has appeared in court

since being charged with the june shooting at the holocaust memorial museum here in d.c. the 89-year-old world war ii veteran did not explain those comments, those remarks. however, von brunn appeared before the judge today in a wheelchair. you can see that there in those courtroom sketches. the known white supremacist had been hospitalized for months having been shot in the face by security guards after allegedly opening fire at the museum. killing security officer stephen johns. now, kyra, i'm told by cnn producer who was in the courtroom that von brunn had no visible wounds and that he spoke quite clearly, he said. von brunn's attorney did say, though, in court that von brunn had a hard time hearing and he attributes that to the wounds that he had suffered. the federal judge ordered a psychiatric evaluation of von brunn and he was denied bail. von brunn is facing charges, as i'm sure you remember, they include first-degree murder and he is eligible for the death penalty if convicted, kyra? >> all right, kate, thanks. >> of course. other top story --

defenses helped keep some of phillip garrido's secrets, time kept others, long before the kidnapping of jaycee dugard who garrido allegedly held for 18 years. there were other crimes and per versions and another spouse who now calls garrido a monster. cnn's ed lavandera is in antioch, california. >> reporter: newly released court documents offer a glimpse into phillip garrido's mind, details from his 1977 trial, where he was convicted of kidnapping and raping katie callaway hall. the night he attacked her, garrido said, quote, i had this fantasy that was driving me to do this. inside of me. something that was making me want to do it without no way to stop. garri garrido's first wife, christine murphy, speaking out for the first time, describes him as a monster. >> i just wanted my life to be the way it used to be. before phillip garrido. >> reporter: garrido also testified in that 1977 trial that intense drug use stimulated

his sexual addictions. he says he cruised neighborhoods as a peeping tom, driving around town exposing himself in public places, including schools. he also testified that he often fantasized by raping women. but he says after turning to god, he started to feel ashamed of his actions. murphy says, sex issues caused her marriage with garrido to fall apart. >> i never got pregnant. and i always thought he couldn't have children. >> what happened to your marriage? >> well, it fell apart. because of his neediness for x sex. >> reporter: investigators now say they have found no connection between garrido and a string of murders back in the 1990s that happened near his workplace, but authorities are still looking in to whether garrido is responsible for the disappearance of two young girls near antioch, california. several of garrido's neighbors are raising disturbing questions about what happened in garrido's backyard.

mike rogers lives behind garrido. he said grown men often partied in the backyard prison where jaycee dugard and her two daughters live in tents. knowing what he knows now, it's troubling to think what was happening. what exactly did you see these guys doing? >> they were, like, drinking and cheering their beers and high-fiving and getting crazy, you know? screaming and hollering. it was, you know -- i thought maybe they were partying back there, who knows? you know? i mean, you just -- you know, i -- i hollered at them. they didn't look at me. >> reporter: antioch investigators tell cnn they've heard those stories but still don't have any evidence that other men might have abused jaycee dugard and her two daughters in the backyard. despite being a registered sex offender and receiving regular visits from parole officers, phillip garrido managed to avoid authorities.

ed lavandera, cnn, antioch, california. parents with kids in tow, flooding hospital emergency rooms. their fears? swine flu, but hospital e.r.s are no longer testing for the h1n1 virus. dr. sanjay gupta will tell you why and what you should do. (announcer) time brings new wisdom

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convicted lockerbie bomber, abdel baset ali al megrahi is in bad shape in a libyan hospital, we're told. he was released from a scottish prison last month because he has terminal cancer. but cnn has learned he's not in immediate danger of dying. ironically scottish lawmakers voted condemning hins release. but at this point it's largely symbolic. the holy bible is getting an overhaul. the revised version will reflect changes in the english language and should be easier to read. it's expected to hit store shelves by 2011. kids coming down with swine flu? numbers are growing across the country now. the gut reaction of many parents, dash off to the emergency room to get their kid tested, but they're finding this. many e.r.s are no longer testing for the h1n1 virus. dr. sanjay gupta visited one to find out why and when parents should have their children checked out by a doctor. >> reporter: the president's talking about this, the secretary of health is talking about this. lots of concerns about swine flu, so we decided to come to an

emergency room to find out what's really happening. the first thing we learned is this e.r. is 200% busier than it normally. probably doesn't need to be. and something else that may surprise you, the kids that come here probably won't get tested. take a look. >> what do you say to a chihuahua? wait. >> i have a sore throat. i have a headache. and i had a cough. >> the flu has hit the city. we know that, okay? >> big time. >> big time. >> whether it's regular seasonal flu or the new h1n1 flu that everybody's talking about. we won't be certain today, because we're no longer testing to try to decipher that out. it doesn't make a difference. >> reporter: as a journalist it's been a little bit difficult to cover, because on the one hand we have heard of children dying of h1n1. in the spring we heard about that more so. and we know that this virus seems to affect younger people more so than older people. so, what am i to do with that as a parent? >> i would recommend to families to really look at your child, take away that h1n1 term and

look at them as if they had the flu. and think of several things. if your child is less than 3 months old and has a fever, at any time, i would bring that child in to be seen. if your child is having difficulty breathing, if they are dehydrated, that is, they're very dried out, they're vomiting and they're not able to keep fluids down, they need to come in and be seen. if your child isn't -- isn't perking up in between fevers, then you should speak with your family pediatrician or family doctor. if we can help -- help limit the number of children that come to the emergency department just to the ones that really need services that we're going to provide differently that might need to be in the hospital, for instance. if we can help limit that, then we definitely can help -- help make this work better for all the kids. >> reporter: despite everything that the media is reporting, this virus just doesn't sound that bad. >> the -- i think right now, yes.

right now, we -- we need to think of this as the flu. we need to keep our -- we need to keep your guard up. >> reporter: what percentage of people who get swine flu are going to need the e.r.? >> i think only a very small percentage. a tiny percentage of those numbers will have to come in to the hospital. >> reporter: so, here's what i learned to. h1n1 is here. but as things stand now, for most kids, it's going to mean just a few miserable days. and those miserable days are best spent at home. back to you. well, how about this for stating the obvious? if you have no arms, you can't provide a thumbprint, right? well, that excuse wasn't good enough for one bank. i just want fewer pills and relief that lasts all day. take 2 extra strength tylenol every 4 to 6 hours?!? taking 8 pills a day... and if i take it for 10 days -- that's 80 pills. just 2 aleve can last all day. perfect. choose aleve and you can be taking four times... fewer pills than extra strength tylenol.

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(voice 2) how bad is it? (voice 1) traffic's off the chart... (voice 2) they're pinging more targets... (voice 3) isolate... prevent damage... (voice 2) got 'em. (voice 3) great exercise guys. let's run it again. well, this may really shock you. in this recession teachers saying no to a raise. well, that's just what some teachers are trying to do at a baltimore charter school.

their reason? to give their students a better education. but as cnn's carol costello explains, they're locked in a battle with their own teachers union. >> reporter: the village academy in baltimore runs a tight ship. >> good morning. >> reporter: but around every corner is evidence of the tough love that's led to unparalleled success. students here, many of whom come from baltimore's meanest streets, have among the highest test scores, not just in baltimore, but in all of maryland. >> all your other friends in the city are in their bed this morning, but you -- you are here learning. okay? getting smarter. >> reporter: because kip academy is a charter school, kids here start school earlier, stay later and have access to their teachers 24/7. malik holmes is a kipp eighth grader. it sounds like you love school. >> nah. >> reporter: nah? how do you feel about it?

>> good. because the teachers here actually care about whether i get an education or not. >> so how do you give it a plus one? >> reporter: teachers believe so passionately about what they're doing, they agreed to get paid less to do more, nine hours a day and every other saturday. even though the teachers union calls for just a seven-hour day. >> it all comes down to the students. it comes down to what they give and you what they give you back, that's the motivation, not the pay. >> reporter: but passion is not enough for the baltimore teachers union. after seven years of silence, it's now insisting teachers here be made more, even if they don't want the money. >> we have these agreements throughout the city, with all of our charter schools. and all we're asking is that they're treated fairly. >> reporter: they were already paying its teachers 18% more than the average public school. but the union demanded the academy bump it up to 33%. the school says that's forced it to lay off five teachers, shorten the school day and

eliminate saturday classes and field trips. you're still in negotiations with the union. >> yeah. >> reporter: what are you asking? >> we want to restore our day. we want them to really look at the wonderful things that we're doing here according to the money that we have that we're really paying teachers. good money. >> reporter: students here hope so, too. your teachers, how do you feel about them? >> well, i feel that they help us. they don't care how much they're getting paid. >> i really want to know what your goals for this week. >> reporter: teachers want the same, but right now it looks as though they'll have to accept a raise, whether they want it or not. when i asked the union about the layoffs at kipp, it told me there are plenty of other teaching jobs available in baltimore. as for kipp, they e-mailed me, unless they get some breathing room under the law or from the union, the future of the school is in jeopardy. carol costello, cnn, washington. well, you can catch more of

this special series, "educating america" the rest of the week on "american morning" starting at 6:00 a.m. eastern, only on cnn. the death of a 15-year-old high school football player in high school student in louisville, kentucky, a tragic accident or homicide? jury selection has started for the coach letting him practice in 94--degree heat. you can bet coaches across the u.s. are watching the case closely. football games happen in the fall but practice starts in the summer, so how do we protect our players from the heat? gary tuchman found an answer and it could be on their head. >> reporter: high school football is back. a big concern for players and coaches this time of year, sweltering temperatures which can increase the risk of heat stroke and in some cases death.

to beat the heat, a georgia company has developed these dime-sized sensors worn inside players' helmets. >> we're trying to give that early warning alert system that that athlete is getting dangerously close to heat stroke. >> reporter: the monitors constantly monitor the body temperature of the players on the field. if a player exceeds 102.5 degrees for more than 30 seconds, an alert sounds. >> we want to prevent injury before it happens. this is just another tool that we can use to make sure these kids are safe. >> reporter: it costs about $100 a players. the technology could also be used for firefighters and military personnel. for these players, it's safety first and then friday night lights. a killer has been convicted, he'll get a trip to the death

chamber or rot in prison. the gripping 911 call is helping sale his fate. take a close look at this ad, what it looks in class it makes up for in pure bone headed insensitivity. we'll take a closer look next hour. he had his id, he had a check, but when a tampa, florida man walked out of a bank last week, he didn't have his dignity. you see he didn't have an account at the bank of america branch that he visited. by the way he was also born without arms which leads me to the ultimate outrage behind this story. the bank would not let him cash his check because he couldn't provide a thumbprint. steve who has prosthetics says the manager said he could either come back with his wife or open an account himself. bank of america now says it's

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cash strapped california is looking for creative ways to ease it's budget crisis, including the possibility of letting 27,000 inmates out of prison early. but critics say that's just asking for trouble. our randy kay explains. >> reporter: april 17, 1982, the last time colleen campbell hugged her only son. >> i gave him a hug. and that was the last time i ever saw him. >> reporter: hours later, scott campbell was dead, killed by this man, donald demacio who was out on parole. campbell was mixed up in drugs who hired demacio to strangle scott. then the unthinkable, they beat

him bloody so the sharks would eat him then tossed his body into the pacific ocean. he was never found. >> it's worth the death itself, hunting for a person. >> demacio was sentenced to life with no chance of parole, he died in prison in 2007. >> it's my fear that others will suffer the same loss that we have because prisoners were let out early. >> reporter: because of her son's horrific murder, she's speaking out against the possible release of 27,000 possible prison inmates. the governor says it could save the cash-strapped state more than $5 million. but supporters of the plan say campbell's fear is unwarranted. >> all of the proposals involve nonviolent, nonsex offenders. >> what about phillip garrido, the sex offender out on parole charged with kidnapping and raping her, served only 11 years

for an earlier rape, he had been sentenced to half a century. >> he would definitely not be anywhere near one of those offenders that would be addressed in the governor's proposal. >> reporter: the department of corrections say garrido would have been watched more closely. still, critics of the early release plan see it as a literal get out of jail free card and worry nonviolent offenders could turn violent. take the case of lily burke the 17 killed in july in downtown los angeles. her throat slashed, the man charged with her murder says he didn't do it. he had not been considered violent before. 70% of prisoners released in california go on to commit other crimes. >> if you're letting out 27,000 prisoners and 70% of them are going to reoffend in california, that's scary. >> reporter: regardless of

money, the state might save, colleen campbell knows the price of a life can never be repaid. nothing will bring denise lee back, but if the 911 system had worked like it should have on january 8, 2008, there's a good chance her children would still have their mother. michael king could rot in prison or die in a death chamber. a jury was mulli ining over tha today. although the court wants to take the time to consider whether he's competent to actually continue. this florida case cracks the 911 system where there's no room for error. one 911 call denise made not long before her violent death was played during the trial. >> please, i just want to go home.

please let me go. please let me go. i want to see my family again. >> that call lasted about six minutes. a witness who saw denise banging on a car window and screaming was on the phone with 911 for nine minutes, nine minutes. but no deputies were sent to check it out. jack ford, the host of "in session" breaks the case down. >> this is such a tragedy and it's compounded by those two 911 phone calls you mentioned. quick background, 21-year-old denise lee kidnapped from her own home, forced to leave her own children alone there. she was found with a bullet in her head a few days later. the 911 call that you just played a few moments ago. denise lee whose father is a

police officer, while she was in michael king's car, terrified as you can imagine, she grabbed his cell phone and without him knowing it hit 911, she then proceeds under the guise of begging him for her life to pass off all kinds of clues to a 911 operator. she's able to get her name in, some idea of direction here. although the 911 operator certain patched this on. but didn't jump on it the way she should have. at one point saying to denise lee, who's terrified, begging for her own life. she says i can't hear you, can you have the man turn the radio down a little bit. clearly that's not going to happen, the woman is trying to make the man not even be aware of the fact she's on the phone with 911. i spent a lot of years as a prosecutor and defense attorney, i have handled more than two

dozen death penalty and murder cases, i felt nauseous when they played this inside of the courtroom. you'll get a sense of through all this terror how clever she was. >> i just want to go home. tell low? [ inaudible ] >> tell low? i'll never see my family again, please. >> hello? hello? please, i'll do anything you want, just let me go. >> hello? >> please let me go, please let me go. i just want to see my family again. >> time. >> okay. >> tell low? >> i'm sorry, please let me go. >> didn't want to do that. >> hello? >> please let me go, please?

>> hello? >> please let me go. >> hello? >> i'm sorry, please let me go. >> didn't want to do that. >> hello. >> please let me go, please? >> at some point the 911 operator does comprehend what's happening here. and the search gets started. but the great tragedy, the additional great tragedy superimposed on the death of denise lee is that another 911 phone call is made by a motorist, who does what we would like to see all concerned citizens do. she sees this vehicle, she can't see denise lee, but she can see a hand banging on the window. she calls 911 right away. the 911 phone call goes to a different county from the one that just heard the 911 phone

call from denise lee and jane kowalski explains to this 911 person there's something going on inside this car next to me, she's screaming. she thought service a child. she gives dramatic detail of what's going on inside the car. >> there's a person in there between 5 and 10 and it was banging on the window and screaming and crying and screaming, and not a happy scream like get me out of here scream. >> now you saw some members of the family sitting in that courtroom. some of them stayed, including denise lee's father to listen to her voice on the 911 tape. the real tragedy about this case, it never gets passed on. apparently there was a shift change taking place. even though kowalski saying

i'll stay with this car if you want to. and there were police within a mile of her and apparently denise lee was murdered. some real questions being raised about the 911 system. >> no doubt, that is what we have been asking, i'm looking at all the various notes here and she was on the phone with 911, it says here for nine minutes, on the phone to the dispatcher for nine minutes. they have ways to ping those cell phones to see where they are and to dispatch squad cars so anybody answering that question about what happens during that nine minutes while she's on the phone. >> we're finding out things like it took a while for the 911 operator to grasp what was going on here. you keep hearing the operator saying hello? hello? and you hear the operator saying i think she's maybe in a car and

the person doesn't now she's talking to him. this woman was so self-possessed in the midst of her terror to do this. but once michael king realized what she was doing, took the phone back and dismantled the phone so they could not then find where it was. it was enough to get them started in the search, to get his name, they then go to his house, they find evidence of what apparently happened in his house in terms of the sexual assault, but it wasn't enough to locate him. and the other one to jane kowalski's phone call and they simply dropped the ball. nobody picked up on it and passed it on to who could find out what this is all about. >> nine minutes, that's plenty of time to get a squad car out there to find out what's going on. jack ford, we'll continue to follow it. thanks so much. >> all right, take care. >> remember, denise's family set up a foundation in her name to champion 911 reform.

you can actually find it at deniseamberlee.org. the shooting rampage at washington's holocaust museum doesn't want to talk to a shrink, but a judge ordered james vaughn to undergo a psych evaluation von bun told the court that the constitution guarantees him the right to a speedy and fair trial. he also added that he is a u.s. navy officer and sworn to protect his country, a vow he says he takes seriously. the georgia man heard on a 911 call telling police his whole family is dead. today he's free on bail. guy heinze jr. is accused of evidence tampering and lying to police after eight people were killed in a mobile home in coastal georgia. heinze was placed under house arrest and fitted with an ankle bracelet. but it's unclear where he will

stay. police have not samed heinze a suspect in those numbers but they have not ruled him out either. police are found that they have found nothing that would link phillip garrido to unsolved murders that happened over a decade ago. it's now been a week since -- kara finnstrom is in antioch and let's start with mrs. garrido, she too is actually being held and charged. her attorney now has been talking, he's been all over the media. what do we know? >> reporter: making the rounds this morning. gilbert maimes talking about a type of bond that developed between phillip garrido, jaycee dugard and her daughters. but he's only gotten to know her over the past five days and he's

still forming that trust relationship between a client and their lawyer. >> i have been trying to establish a line of communication with my client so that i can get behind what is going on. you should -- i'm sure you understand that this is a horrendous things for her. i mean i realize it's horrendous for jaycee and the parents and the children. but my concern right now is that my client get a fair trial and to do that i have to open a line of communication in which she will confide in me and talk to me so that can formulate any defense that is available, so i can discover it and formulate it. that's parts of my job. >> so cara, he also mentioned there that he was not aware of this case before he took it and that he's got a lot of research to do to get up to speed. >> what's the status of the information into other crimes

that garrido may be linked to now, kara. >> police have no connection between garrido and that string of murders that took place in the 1990s, they actually came here and did a search of the property. there are two other investigations going on. there's two girls that vanished about 20 miles away from here and police continue to investigate on those fronts. does president obama need to get his mojo back as it relates to the ongoing health care reform battle? white house aides say the president's examining all options to recapture the moment momentum. specific details about health care reform could be coming up. the president has come under fire from both sides of the aisle. according to the most recent cnn opinion research poll, president obama's overall approval rating now stands at 53%.

it dropped three points from july and eight points off from june. so where is the president's slippage? apparently it's among president voters. for the first time a majority of them don't like what president obama is doing. the latest poll shows 53% of independents disapprove. nancy pelosi a big supporter of the public option but some . the democratics try to force the issue. and he says that americans are scared to death of sweeping policy changes. it's also worth noting that pelosi's predecessor, denise has se territory is quoted in the kansas city star by not voting on the health care reform by the december recess. it's a virus that's sweeping across the country, hitting

folks everywhere but especially kids. does the government have a battle plan? i've got some answers for you. as i get older, i'm making changes to support my metabolism.

i'm more active, i eat right, and i switched to new one a day women's active metabolism. a complete women's multivitamin plus more for metabolism support. and that's a change i feel good about. new from one a day. across the country the favorite target college students. here in atlanta is one of the latest to be hit with the h1n1 virus. about 50 students sickened by

the virus have been moved to what was an empty dorm. no classes for them until they recover. a number of americans concerned about swine flu has doubled since may. 39% of those questioned are worried about a family member that will get the h1n1. another 7% say they're not worried now but have been in the past few months. we knew it was coming the number of sick people growing by the day. so do the feds and locals somewhere a strategy to counter the swine flu? >> reporter: as you know, there are several ways to prevent catching or spreading h1n1, but many medical experts agree if an outbreak occurs, there's no one set way to deal with it. so there are a lot of different plans in place to try and tackle this potentially deadly problem. with children across the country back in school or heading back, parents have concerns about another h1n1 or swine flu outbreak and what is being done about it. the short answer? it depends on where you live.

>> a key goal this fall will be to keep schools open and in session even if some students come down with the flu. >> reporter: closing schools this fall a last resort in new york city where h1n1 forced the closing of 57 schools this past spring. now the city's back to school plan includes free vaccinations for elementary school students. >> our current plan is to offer them to students in every elementary school in the city. public and private. >> reporter: free vaccines will begin in october once medical shipments arrive. the city will also open flu centers to ease hospital overcrowding. city health officials estimate nearly 1 million people came down with the illness, bracing for the next wave. the president says vaccines are on the way nationwide and urged local firms to officials to do part.

>> reporter: also hit by h1n1 texas, 34 dead, in california 128. san francisco has a plan similar to new york's, flu clinto clini be set up to vaccinate high risk people. in houston, texas, no plans for flu clinics at this time or free shots. houston's health department anticipating, quote, immuni immunizations will happen through private providers. why not a standard response for all states? centers for disease control says influenza and h1n1 are so unpredictable it's best for states to develop their own responses. some medical expert says city health officials are in a better position. >> they know the city best, and they know the situation that happened in situation in the spring best. >> reporter: centers for disease

control suggests washing hands frequently, school staff should frequently clean surfaces and if you're feeling sick, you should stay home. and these are things you can do no matter what city you live in. health officials armed with a new weapon in the battle against swine flu, your fingertips. they're hoping people will go online. >> i'll do my best. it's interesting because even searching now is going to play a relevant role. they're actually tracking people's searches. you don't need to write down anything. because i'll show you one link to everything i got. this health map shows you outbreaks of all kinds of diseases around the world. you click on specifically the h1n1. what you're going to see here, everywhere there is a yellow

mark that's specific for h1n1 virus. and what you can do is give it a date. what this is is between august 4 and september 2. any time you see one of these marks you can click on one it will give you information about that specific case, what's been reported, where they're getting that information, all at healthmap. now goinged flu trends, google is doing something interesting. google keeps an eye on your searches generally. and if all of a sudden they're searching for kyra phillips, one day, they want to know what people are searching for. so if people all of a sudden in australia or new zealand or here in the united states or anywhere else are suddenly in one specific region doing a lot of searching, they're going to send out the word and say that maybe that means there's an outbreak

the there. the cdc has a special page, flu.gov. this is something the white house is behind t whole administration is behind. all this information is right here, cnn.com/kyra. it's at facebook and twitter, it's at josh levscnn. and we'll tell you what's working or not working for you. your top stories now this hour, it's doubtful that convicted child rapist david earls will get another slap on the wrist. earls got a one-year conviction in the rape of a 4-year-old girl. he now faces three additional child sex charges involving 5 and 6-year-old children. lawmakers in north carolina suspect this man in five serial killings. 31-year-old antwan pittman is being held without bond,

authorities there are investigating the deaths of five women since 2005. pfizer, the world's largest drugmaker will pay $2 billion criminal and civil penalty. another exhausting day on the front line for california firefighters. we're going to get the latest on that major fire that's burning just north of l.a.

they're exhausted but today firefighters in southern california are getting a break as they battle that wildfire just north of l.a. the fight is still far from over. reynolds wolf has been in the thick of things there, he joins

us from lake view terrace. give us a view of what it's like. >> reporter: let's give you the good news, 20% of this fire is contained. a fire that's burned 140,000 acres. it's wonderful that they have it 22% contained. we're going to step over here and give you an idea. this is not the only game in town. they're dealing with a lot here. of course you've got the station fire, but take a look at the map of california. farther to the north, 49%, 100% containment. they want this scenario to finally play out in the fires we have in southern california, where you have the station fire, the morris fire, the pendleton fire and the old glen fire. for our viewers, we want to give them a quick synopsis. it actually began, starting from the bottom, from the south, worked its way up towards the top and then right along the

border that you have, just south of soledad, you'll notice this black line here, that was the spot where they were able to stop the fire. but fire is out of control in a lot of places. there's a whole lot of red on this map. and there's been a great deal over here in this area. this is the san gabriel wilderness. this is the leading edge, the line has actually been moving right into that part of the forest, firefighters from the overnight hours, doing all they possibly could to stop this in its tracks. right down here, this is mt. wilson, if you happen to ever fly into l.a.x., this is one of the most noticeable things you'll ever see. the transmitters are right here.

the fire's been cooperating by moving very slowly. but the issue they have had is trying to communicate with other crews. it's been really tough because you've got so many signals tucked into the very top of that mountain. you've got of course your microwave signals, your tv signals, just things like a standard blackberry, you can't use when you're thereupon. so very hard for communication between these guys. we had the governor here a few hours back. he came up here and gave everybody a pat on the back. and many of the people when they're out on those fire lines, they're not going to stay there just for 12 hours, they'll stay there a lot longer, they're tired, they have been working very hard. they're hoping that by the time we get to the weekend, we'll have a much better hold ore handle on this fire. but amount can happen in the next several days.

lucky break for a big tourist resort on mexico's baja, california peninsula. hurricane jimena brushed cast cabo overnight. it's not a pleasant experience for those along the coast. several thousands people in los cabos evacuated overnight. a new tropical storm that may die into a tropical depression, erica doesn't look very good out there. there is jimena, it moved right very close to cabo san lucas. the winds were 100 miles an hour, now they're down to 90. the biggest threat is going to be the flooding possibility right here along the spine of baja california. also too we're spreading the moisture into mexican main land

right here and there's the sierra madre which is the mexican version of the rocky mountains all the way down into here and if you get too much rain in too little time, you're going to see some flooding. the difference yesterday from today is -- it's just going to sit here and die. you want these things to keep moving. as long as they keep moving, they keep spreading their rain around and around and around instead of keeping it in one place. right over guadalupe right now, the whole thing, the compression is still being pushed out there. all of this big color, that's not even on top of where the center is, the hurricane center is so unimpressed with it that they go from 45 to 30, 35 and 30-mile-per-hour. yes, coming into the bahamas, but not gaining any strength

whatsoever, kyra. >> that's good news. >> absolutely. new orleans rising, the city slowly but surely coming back four years after hurricane katrina. our special guest takes us on a special tour. i think you'll recognize him. ed assistance getting around their homes. there is a medicare benefit that may qualify you for a new power chair or scooter at little to no cost to you. stay tuned for this important medicare benefit information and free scooter guarantee. imagine... one scooter or power chair that could improve your

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it's a pretty shocking statistic, the world health organization says that 10% of the kidney transplants worldwide are probably done through the plaque market. cnn's special investigations unit are uncovering this story. it's pretty -- it's pretty remarkable actually what you discovered when you think of all the people that we know are on these long lists to get these transplants -- >> right. >> and you don't really hear the black market. >> there's a whole other group of people who wouldn't even think of going on these lists.

>> right. >> and what we found during our investigation is a man you're about to meet, an israeli man whose own mother needed a kidney but wouldn't take one from her own son, so this guy went out and bought one. that experience turned into a business. he says he's helped more than 200 people get kidney transplants instead of waiting for money. his mission is only to help patients. as you're about to hear he cares very little about the mostly desperate donors. but he's asked to hide his identities. do you know anything about the donors? >> nothing. i don't even really care from where it comes from. i have like 60 patients in one year. >> you yourself have 60 patients? >> yes, my company. i never met the donors. i never go to see who they r the only one i see is only the patient. sometimes there are many, many,

many people who are desperate, they don't have any work, they don't have money to survive. so they can sell their kidney. >> your mother, you said, she wouldn't dare take a kidney from her son. >> yes. >> but she would take a kid in from a person she will never know in china? >> yes. what's so strange about that? >> you can jump to the head of the line because you have money? >> yes. >> it says that the rich person has more of a right to their health and their life than the poor person. >> this is reality. this is how it happens. this is the truth. and it's sad, but this is what it is. >> his fee is usually $5,000 he gets for basically facilitating the deal.

it covers his expenses and a small profit. >> okay. bottom line, is he doing anything illegal here? and number two, where is he doing the surgeries? >> you immediate a patient and a donor, then you need a hospital. when he started out, he was doing package deals in china. it was legal, everything was above the board. he would take his patients to china. he would get a chinese donor and the deal would be done. china shut it down so he moved to the philippines, same thing, the donors were in the philippines. now because israeli law continues to evolve, the patient and the donor have to come to him and say we're basically relatives, i am going to give this man my kidney and he goes out and he finds a hospital where it be in the united states, in the ukraine, anywhere who can believing to be doing

this altruistic kidney donation, the patient and the donor have a deal, he fully believe that is have a deal. but that's not always the case. there's more on this disturbing topic tonight on cnn prime, watch secret harvest, the illegal trade in body parts. it's on anderson 360, 10 p.m. eastern only on cnn. a woman of god meeting an unholy fate in an oklahoma church. the search for a twisted killer. reading about washington these days... i gotta ask,

what's in it for me? i'm not looking for a bailout, just a good paying job. that's why i like this clean energy idea. now that works for our whole family. for the kids, a better environment. for my wife, who commutes, no more gettin' jerked around on gas prices... and for me, well, it wouldn't be so bad if this breadwinner brought home a little more bread. repower america. i hope our senators are listening.

a new report involving bernie madoff's business dealings isn't very flattering to the sec, a watchdog group says investigators with the securities and exchange commission mishandled that information and they missed ample warnings that madoff's multibillion dollar dealings were -- they voted against the governor's decision to release him. abdelbaset ali mohmed al megrahi is said to be in bad shape in a libyan hospital.

a strong earthquake has hit indonesia killing nearly three dozen people. survivors are huddled in the street afraid to go back into buildings after the magnitude 6 quake struck ju. jimena's winds have weakened to about 90 miles an hour. roadways are choked with mud, but no major damage is reported. four years ago, the storm came wiping out neighborhoods and lives, hurricane katrina brought new orleans to its knees, but four years later, new orleans is rising, slowly. >> over here is a nursing association. there's a really trendy -- >> reporter: james carville sees signs of growth all around him. >> the interesting thing about

this area is frer text street is that it got three feet of water. the sense i have the that how freret street goes, so goes new orleans. it's a place that it can make a come back and it is. >> the freret street gym was the first business to open its doors after the storm. how is new orleans now? >> it's doing very well, especially in terms of the private sector and the nonprofit sector. mike had three feet of water in here, he got in after the storm, he cleaned it up, and got it opened and you see shops and restaurants all over the place. >> reporter: while areas that got the most water, like the lower ninth ward have been slow to rebuild, in much of new

orleans, signs of the storm are hard to find. more restaurants are open here now than before katrina. james carville took us to eat. >> if people are not eating they're talking about what they just ate or what they're about to eat. >> we'll talk about where we're going while we're eating. i already know. and it's not -- it's a decision that you just don't make off the top. there's a lot of thought. >> reporter: after lunch, we drive to what was once a run-down housing the project. >> this is a real success story. it could be a white guy there and an african-american there and a hispanic there and somebody, you know, an asian there and that's the kind of city, people that live here, we want to live in that kind of city. >> reporter: the past years as i came here after the storm, you

didn't get a sense of the kind of energy and actually seeing results, but this time you're seeing what the money has been spent on. you're starting to see things being built, you're seeing schools being fixed. >> and you're starting to finally see it and took me to understanding that it just can't happen overnight, it takes a while. >> reporter: there's no doubt daunting problems remain, crime, infrastructure, blalack of affordable housinging, health care, but carville is optimistic. the city pulses with life. >> when you live in new orleans, you don't just live in a city, you live in a culture. we have our own food, our own music, our own funerals, our own social structure, our own architecture, our own literature. it's not just a city, it's a culture. we admire what atlanta has done,

we admire what denver has done. we don't want to be atlanta and denver. we want to be new orleans. it might not have any taste or class, but it's got lots of sensitivity. take a look at the ideas that an ad agency came up with. what on this green earth were they thinking? (announcer) compared to a national office supply superstore, walmart's unbeatable prices can save you up to 40% on frequently purchased school supplies- for the same or similar items and the same brands. back to school costs less at walmart. save money. live better. walmart. you know why i sell tools? tools are uncomplicated? nothing complicated about a pair of 10 inch hose clamp pliers. you know what's complicated? shipping. shipping's complicated. not really. with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service shipping is easy. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that's not complicated. come on.

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we're checking up on a critical patient, the economy. 12 months ago, leeman brothers collapsed, aig was bought up. merrill lynch was sold all of this in a matter of days. now fast forward one year, how are we faring now and what's ahead? here's a look at where things stand, she was actually here taking part in a panel with all these big name ceos and i love this. this is so typical of suzanne,

she's smart, she's savvy and she opens up her speech talking about sex, but it does have a business connection? >> that was a speech yesterday to small business owners and it caught their attention. actually a big name in the business world say they all have this in common. that's why people keep making the same mistakes in both. and so don't let your emotions run away with you and i think a lot of us have learned that lesson the hard way. unfortunately, and so we got to learn from what's happened and i think what's happening is that people are reigning it in. >> and then you got a chance to talk to the head of home depot, any heavy breathing going on there? >> it might be like gasping. home depot is tied to the success of the housing market. bad is not good until worse happens. well worse is not happening now,

so i guess it's better or even good. but we need to go a much -- we need to get a lot better to say things are normal or things are healthy, so sales are down, it's not opening as many doors, what's happening is and we have seen this in a lot of sectors. when somebody goes into home depot, they're more likely to buy a can of nails, or a can of paint. they're just spending less. >> what do they say with regard to are we in a recovery or not? he was the only one there, you also had -- >> the ceo of aflac. >> emery business schools and the ceo of saxby chambliss as well as the ceo and presidents of the federal reserve, the bank right here in atlanta. so all different spectrums and they all say the same thing, that consumer spending, which is really the engine of recovery is going to be restrained for some

time. why is that? because we have been burned, with our stock values and our house value and we're spending, but we're spending wisely. and office depot and staples are back to school supplies. so we're spending smarter, that's good for us, getting our finances back in order and businesses have to adapt accordingly. >> nice to have you here, come visit any time. >> nice to be with my work family. >> we'll catch a braves game over there, i know you love your baseball. >> you got it. check out this story, this is one that made us of say what the? take a look at that picture, the world wildlife fund, it kind of said the same thing that we said, can you figure out what's going on there? an ad agency in brazil actually came up what this to illustrate how many people consider killed

in the 2004 tsunami compared to 9/11. yes, suzanne is shaking her head as well. a bunch of photo shop planes about to crash into new york city, plus the twin towers are still visible. and the ad agency pitched this to the world wildlife fund. it wasn't wild about it, rejected it and that was that. but someone actually submitted the ad to the competition with the wwf cute little panda logo on it. wwf say they're appalled and they never approved it. can you see that picture, rick? >> i did and i was working on some of these scripts. >> you weren't paying attention. look at this picture. >> angie showed me this. and we had a conversation about this earlier. >> it's kind of ominous, i mean look, i was there when this

happened, i covered this story, i was in the downtown new york and this image is seared into my head. and when i see that picture, i can't help but think of that day and i imagine a lot of other people are affected, especially if you're a family that lost a loved one. at the same time, it's a very -- it's a very media specific ad that seems to do the job it's trying to get the attention, by trying to get you're attention. so it's one of those -- >> it's insensitive and it got dumped as it should have been. they tossed it out. >> good thing i listen to kyra. >> so glad you pay attention. what are you talking about in the next hour? >> let me draw a scenario for you here, you walk into a walmart, there's a little kid on the screen, 2 years old, screaming like crazy, like my kids have done in the past and i have been embarrassed by it. but a man 61 years old hears the screaming, and he says to the

mom, if you don't shut that kid up, i'm going to shut him up for you. you think that's kind of rude and insulting and you think it's a pretty stupid thing to say but then he goes and actually does it. he starts slapping the kid around. this is an amazing story that you and i both know that people will stop us on the street and talk about tomorrow. because it sticks with people. the other thing is something that we often cover. what about the deal with the u.s. and cuban embargo and when it will possibly be lifted? is this administration showing signs that it's moving in that direction? when it will happen? well, guess what? ambassador former u.n. ambassador richardson is going to be joining me live. he just got back from havana and met with cuban officials and he's going to let us know what the real deal is. >> i want to know, a lot of friends wanting to open up

businesses there, and they've got high hopes for that. it will be interesting to see how that all plays out. >> and your buddies in miami who are saying no, don't do it. >> straight from the mouth of the ubano. thank you, rick. >> say hi to your dad. bizarre, twisted, in oklahoma, a pastor killed in her own church. the details get more bizarre by the day. who could have done it?

nch. a bizarre and horrific -- a pastor who devoted her life to helping the needy.

a person who took that life and twisted it beyond belief. what you're about to hear is disturbing. >> reporter: unimaginable is how residents of anna dark koe, colorado. it has stunned -- re-evaluating their own security plan. >> there's absolutely no logic. >> reporter: the scene discovered nine days ago inside the small pentecostal church was described by the kato county terrific attorney as the worst he's seen in 17 years as a prosecutor. a source close to the investigation tells cnn the naked body of 61-year-old pastor carol daniels was found lying behind her church altar, her arms outstretched. authorities believe the body was staged following her death. the source tells cnn daniels' clothing was taken from the scene and a dissolving agent was sprayed around her body, perhaps

suggesting the killer or killers tried to remove valuable evidence. danie daniel's son says his mother never mentioned any perceived danger while at church. >> she was very cautious for the most part and she usually would leave the door open in case people came in to worship. >> reporter: pastor daniels traveled 60 miles from oklahoma city every sunday in hopes that someone, anyone would show up at church for worship. with mostly elderly members, few ever attended. but on that day, a friend and his wife traveled to anadarko to meter, they all daniel's car b thank you doors to the church were locked. >> nobody would come to the door and we banged on the window and we dove around a building and tooted the horn on the car, and

we got no response. i didn't know what to think. >> reporter: preliminary notes obtained by cnn from the state medical examiner designate daniels' death a homicide, due to multiple sharp force injuries. severe injuries to daniels' neck, chest and hands are visible. the notes go on to suggest that most of the injuries to the chest appear to have been inflicted by the killer after her death. so far, there are no suspects. an fbi profiler has been consulted and state and local authorities are hoping a reward, now increased to $15,000 will provide new leads, also video surveillance from a nearby convenience store could hold further clues. >> when it shows her vehicle pulling out to the church, we are looking at examining it on a forensic basis. but at this point in time it confirms our