it is very sharp comedy. thanks to all of you for being a part of my program this week. part of my program this week. i will see you next week. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com under heavy fire by conservatives. one of president obama's advisers quits. nudity and sexual hazing on the men who blew this contract. and there's good news to celebrate about jaycee dugard. and swim at your own risk. i'm richard louis in for don imus. this is a primetime address to congress with president obama's signature on the line. health care reform could be considered this week after wednesday's speech and the reaction it gets from the republicans while the president's aids, allies and opponents had a lot to say on

the sunday talk shows. kate bad baldoun has the latest. >> reporter: lawmakers are looking for detail from president obama and this week's speech is about selling health care reform. it may also be about pitching the message. let's take what we can get right now. president obama returns from vacation to face a crucial week ahead in the health care debate. top white house aids insist the president will spell out his specifics for reform when he speaks wednesday to a joint session of congress. >> they will leave that speech knowing exactly where the president stands, exactly what he thinks we have to do to get health care done. >> at the same time, cnn learned that the white house is talking about drafting their own health care bill, a kind of contingency legislation and is leaning toward a plan to trigger a public insurance option only if health care failed to meet certain goals. white house officials dodged questions sunday about whether

the president would sign a bill that doesn't include a public option. >> he believes the public option is a good tool. now, it shouldn't define the whole health care debate, however. >> reporter: it is an issue that has the white house squeezed from the right and the left. >> we need credible comprehensive universal health care with a good robust public option now. >> i think if the democrats embrace the public option, even in the form of the trigger, they are going to shoot themselves in the foot. >> reporter: political analysts say there's a lot riding on the president's short visit this week to capitol hill. >> he can talk about various alternatives and ideas, but at the end of the speech, it seems to be folks on capitol hill and around the country have to have a much clearer idea what kind of a bill he feels he need to sign. >> reporter: and recent numbers show that the president may have some hard work ahead there. according to a cnn opinion research corporation poll, a majority of americans say they feel more secure under the

current health care system than which the president's proposal. rich snard richard? >> thank you, kate. we'll drill more on the numbers kate was eluding to. we'll talk to paul steinhouser. congress is back this week, so what to folks across the united states want from lawmakers when it comes to health care reform? >> reporter: well, that poll we conducted over the last week and released within the last couple of days shows that the congressman want to keep working on the current bills out there, but with some changes. about one in four say, you know what, it is time to hit that reset button, it is time to start from scratch when it comes to the health care debate. one in five say we don't want any changes whatsoever. let's stop working and we like the way we have the insurance system right now. >> it shows most folks are split over the president's health care reform plan. is there a group of voters more opposed than others when it comes to mr. obama's proposals here? >> reporter: yes, our polls

suggest that seniors are opposed to the president's plan. look at the numbers from the cnn research corporation, a national poll. look at the bottom there. 65 and older, 60% of those people oppose the president's health care plan. the younger americans the opposition to the plan is much smaller. >> and why that's a concern, at 65 and older, 50 to 6 the, that's the group that normally votes, right? >> reporter: right. they vote in numbers. one of the reasons they vote is a change in medicare. >> where do folks across the united states stand on this? >> reporter: the controversial public option. we asked and describe it as a government health insurance plan administered by the government to compete with private insurers. a slight majority say they are okay with that, though also a slight majority think eventually the president wants the government to take over health care. >> it is pretty tough to miss any of the town hall protests, those are in the streets as well with the health care reform.

how did all the attention change the peoples' minds if at all? >> reporter: our poll suggest that is all tell coverage, and there was a lot of it, a lot of the protests against the president's plan, about six in ten in our poll say it hasn't changed their mind when it comes to the issue of health care. one in five say it is making them more likely tie prove what the president is doing and another one in five said it made them more likely to oppose what the president is doing. >> paul stinehauser, thank you very much. we'll carry the president's message live at 8:00 p.m. eastern. only strong opinions about republicans seemed to have cost an outspoken white house adviser his job. word came in the middle of the night in the middle of a holiday weekend that van jones was quitting. he accusing his critics of mounting a smear campaign on him. mary snow is talking about how this reached a boiling point. >> reporter: van jones, a

special adviser for green jobs, was thrust to the forefront about questions surrounding this 2004 petition he signed on the 9/11 website demanding, quote, a call for immediate inquiry to evidence that suggests high level government officials may have deliberately allowed the september 11th attacks to occur. van jones is list as signer 46. asked why his name is on it, an administration source tells cnn that jones did not carefully review the language in the petition. and in a statement issued friday, jones said, i do not agree with this statement and it certainly does not reflect my views now or ever. white house press secretary robert gibbs was asked about jones' name appearing on the petition responding, it is not nothing something the president agrees with. jones also gained attention for comments he made before tonight's job now on youtube when he was talking about the republicans. >> how are the republicans able to put things through when they have less than 06 senators but

somehow we can't? >> well, the answer to that is they are [ bleep ]. and barack obama is not a [ bleep ]. >> reporter: in 2005 he was quoted saying, by august i was a communist. jones said, if i have offended anyone with statements i have made in the past, i apologize. the green jobs guru came under scrutiny by conservatives, notably, fox's tv host glenn beck.

beck targeted him because jones was formerly with a group now working to get advertisers to boycott beck's show. the boycott came after the fox host called president obama a racist. before this jones was primarily known for his environmental work, including the best-seller book the green-collar comedy. back in may, jones won the praise of meg whitman, now a republican candidate for governor in california. >> i am a big fan of him. he's done a marvelous job. >> reporter: on friday she distanced herself and said it is clear he holds views she entirely rejects. mary snow, cnn, new york. we'll bring back in kate baldoun. the white house says they didn't order him down in this case, but no one came running to his defense, either. do you think the administration gave in to the right on this one? >> reporter: it is pretty interesting. they definitely did not come out to defend van jones today.

if you look at the statements just this morning, press secretary robert gibbs asked if it was a smear campaign on abc this week and he said, what van jones decided was the agenda on the president was bigger than any one individual. then a white house senior adviser makes a point to say, just as you mentioned, this is van jones' own decision. it does seem that the white house administration is giving into the pressure and giving into the criticism on this one. it just really -- they do not twant president and the white house associated with some of his remarks and some of the things he's been associated with and signed on to, specifically, that 9/11 conspiracy petition where they just -- they may have just been too far out there for them to be able to defend and to be able to deal with right now. >> and you covered our top story, obviously, it is health care right now. this is a distraction, isn't it, certainly as the president tries to get out his message to prepare for this week. >> they are definitely trying to make sure it is not a distraction. note the timing. you did a little earlier.

note the timing of this announcement. the resignation announcement comes in the middle of the night in the middle of a holiday weekend. the white house and administration's past have used these opportunities to try to bury bad news. the white house does not need anything stealing the focus from this very big week on health care ahead and they also, when they get bad news, if there is bad news, out of the way before this big week comes because they want everyone focused, the press, the public, the lawmakers, everyone focused on what they are trying to talk about right now, which is health care reform. bottom line, richard, the green jobs czar is an important position and an important issue for this administration, but it just seem that is the president and the white house really just couldn't sign on to some of the things, definitely worth signing on, but they couldn't deal with the things he said. they were too far out there for him to deal with. >> 12:30 in the morning is when

it came out. great stuff. kate baldoun at the white house this sunday. another big test for the white house, quieting the fury over president obama's planned speech to the nation's school kids. some parents say tuesday's address will amount to indoctrination, not education. >> i'm not happy about it. they are totally disregarding what the parents have the right to do with their children seeing, and it is totally cutting the parent out of the picture. >> this is crossing a line. i'm going to use an ugly word right now, but i believe a fascist line that the president has no right whatsoever to go into the pre-k to sixth grade children and try to somehow sell his agenda. >> arnie duncan is calling the complaints, quote, silly. today he admitted the original lesson plan was flawed when it called for students to meet his educational goal. that section has been changd and

secretary duncan says parents can decide if they want their parents to take part. >> the president's whole speech is about asking students to take personal responsibility for their education and really challenge them to work hard every day, set goals, to have a strong work ethic, and i think this is a really important message. it is absolutely voluntary. no one is mandating this. if they want to watch it in school, they can watch it at home with their family, watch it in two months or never watch it. whatever they want to do. >> we'll bring back in paul stinehauser. the president is expected to tell students to buckle down and get serious at school. why is this hitting such a big nerve? >> reporter: it is benign to many of us, don't to writers elect and passions are raised and we are seeing it in this case as well. when the lesson planner came out on the line, the story hit the line and it has been a big controversy ever since. some people feel the

administration is trying to extend the federal government in all parts of our daily lives, and for them the president speaking to their children is ringing alarm bells. >> this isn't the first time this has happened. previous parents have addressed parents. >> reporter: ronald reagan did it, herbert hoover did it. the administration will release what the president will say and will put it online and let parents judge whether they want their children to listen to the president. >> with all these other issues coming up, very difficult for the president to certainly keep the message on health care reform based on what kate was killing us. now we are talking about this speech coming up. >> reporter: these are distractions, but the big story will be wednesday night and what the president says in primetime on health care. >> gearing up for that. paul steinhauser, thank you. you don't have to be in school to catch the president's speech. we plan to carry it live at noon eastern time.

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have allegedly choked his girlfriend this morning. he was booked to jail on one count of battery and one count of false imprisonment. a coroner in pennsylvania says more tests are needed to determine what killed a 4-year-old boy found dead in a septic tank. the body of wyatt smitski was found on friday night. today's autopsy was inconclusive. nevertheless, police are treating the case as a homicide saying the septic tank cover was too heavy for the boy to lift himself. for 18 years the town of south lake tahoe wondered what happened to jaycee dugard. most people assumed she was dead. the discovery of her living and being well and reunited with her family has the community joyfully in pink. >> reporter: the small community turned pink today.

more than 1,000 of jaycee's former classmates came out wearing pink t-shirts, carrying signs, having pink ribbons and many said this was very familiar. it was eight years ago they marched on the same parade route marking the tenth anniversary of her disappearance. at that time they were coming together in prayer and as a community hoping for her safe return. today they say it was very different. there was emotions of joy out here and excitement. richard, we should also say, this was much needed closure for the community because this community, which never used to look over its shoulder or lock its doors has really been holding its children tighter since jaycee's disappearance. they say they are just overjoyed to know she is back home safely with her family. >> cara, thank you so much. drivers in the bay area may have a tough commute on tuesday morning. a major crack was discovered on the heavily traveled san francisco oakland bay bridge,

some 300,000 cars or so cross that each and every day. it was found as crews were swapping out a span of the bridge which is shown in this time lapse video for you. engineers say they don't yet know how long it will take to fix this crack, but it is possible the bridge will not reopen tuesday as planned. a lot of drivers hoping it will, though. in the massive blaze burning above los angeles is now more than 50% contained. it was 5% at the start of last week. over the past 11 days, the huge fire has blackened more than 250 miles and cost about $40 million. two firefighters have died battling this inferno. nearly 80 homes have been lost. the beaches of massachusetts are quieter than usual this labor day weekend. it is not the weather, it is the recent number of great white shark sightings off cape cod. one of our affiliates has the latest for us. >> reporter: environmental police had a busy day in the waters off chattam patrolling

the area where sparks have been spotted since thursday. the state's shark experts had what he called one of the best days in his career tagging two great white sharks with a modified harpoon dart, the first ever tagged in the atlantic. greg scomo says the new satellite-based technology will reveal crucial information in the coming months. >> the behavior of the youcology of the sharks is information we need in order to add quatly manage them, conserve them, set up rules and regulations as a fishery agency. >> reporter: one of the great whites was tagged within 75 yards of a popular chattam beach prompting officials to close all beaches. >> it is a common occurrence for the sharks to be in our waters. swimmers should be aware of that and should use appropriate caution. >> what did you do? >> a shark! >> reporter: meanwhile, there's no shortage of jokes. >> do you know how dangerous it is to wear that cap in shark-infested waters in massachusetts? >> well, we have sharks in new

jersey, too, but the ones that can hurt you are the loan sharks. >> reporter: the sightings have helped businesses like excursions here. the captain says people are calling not only asking about seals, which are a fay rid shark meal, but about being taken on to the area where the sharks have been spotted. >> shark sightings have helped our business. more people are asking about it and they do come out to see if they can see a great white. >> we are joined right now at the weather center. jackie, we reported this story yesterday as well. you don't have to go to universal studios if you are in massachusetts. they are right there in the water. >> yeah, you know, would you get in water, richard? >> no, ma'am. i would stay onshore. >> on a regular day? >> on a regular day, i would. speaking of which, you had great news for us yesterday. now we are gearing up for labor day. >> ultimately, we are looking at great weather overall. even if you wanted to get in the water, by the way, the water temperatures are chilly in the

60s here. not to mention that the temperatures in the northeast, they are a little bit cool. we are still looking at the 60s and some low 70s. it is not exactly roasting hot across the northeastern corridor. we have showers and thundershowers to talk about across the country, too. this is certainly impacting some people's barbecues. we have some stuff starting to pop up around the delmarva area. we have had some heavier showers along the coastal areas of the carolinas. not prime beach weather here today, though most of the heavy stuff has been offshore. our sea breeze front is making its way across the area of florida. and from mobile, montgomery, southern mississippi and into the new orleans area, we'll head farther to the north where there are nasty thunderstorms west of nashville. take a look at the line starting to push in from your west. this is going to be a washout for you, unfortunately. overall, if you are traveling by the air waives, delays are nonexistent. just one to report at jfk, and

that's a 30-minute delay due to some of the stronger winds. tomorrow's forecast is showing the thunderstorms prevalent across the ohio river valley. indianapolis toward since natalie and pittsburgh, nashville and memphis getting into on the action. then the pacific northwest, the worst weather in the country, richard, with rain in seattle and portland. much cooler temperatures in the low 60s and gusty conditions to last your labor day. >> for the most part, go out and do it. just have fun. thank you. he blew the whistle on the outrageous behavior of the contractors in kabul and now he's out of a job. and high stakes for the president and congress in the health care debate. 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.

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election officials in afghanistan say balance from nearly 450 polling stations will not be counted from last month's presidential election. at this election commission, it did not say why it was tossing out the ballots, but it has been fielding thousands of allegations for voter tampering. so far, three-quarters of the country's votes have been counted there and president karzai is closing in on the percent annual needed to win the

election. his challenger had close to 30% so far. sex parties, binge drinking, hazing, some of the guards included in protecting kabul lost their jobs, but they were not the only one. paula newton tracked down one of the whistleblowers in this report. >> reporter: he says he is back home and much sooner than he wanted to be after blowing the whistle on behavior he says was shocking and undignified. >> it was stupid some of the things they would do. >> reporter: here's him working as a contractor with a supervisor at camp sullivan in afghanistan, housing quarters for u.s. embassy guards on contract. the carp camp is now under a u.s. state department investigation for inappropriate conduct stemming from charges and explicit photographs

involving u.s. embassy guards. images of nudity, alcohol abuse and what appears to be sexual hazing. he says he sought for himself a couple of months ago, was disgusted and said no one should have tolerated it. >> you would not try to enforce a sexual deviant way of thinking on someone. you may do a lot of joking and drop your trousers in a laugh, but when you start encouraging people to drink alcohol and butter up somebody's body parts, it is a bit over the top. >> reporter: pearson says he wrote e-mails to his employer and complained to supervisors of armored groups, the contractor that employed the guards featured in the pictures. >> he said, they are just letting off steam. i think that's what the way they looked at the incidents at hand.

>> reporter: washington but the incidents were investigated by project oversight and reported to the state department. several guards have now been fired or resigned, management is being replaced. but as a whistleblower, pearson said he wasn't after massive firings, just a change in behavior. back at camp sullivan, he was made to feel he did something wrong and he resigned a few days ago only to ask for his job back just hours later. it was too late. he was on a plane home within hours. his employer r.a. international said pearson resigned of his own free will and, quote, though we are aware of the alleged events at camp sullivan, the employee's resignation was not associated with this matter. how much does it bother you right now, you are the whistleblower, this is not right, and now you are out of a job? >> now i have a chance to do

something different. i don't think i would -- i think i'll stillened up doing exactly the same thing, because people with dignity at work and respect at work is more important than having a job itself. >> reporter: pears no, will continue to help with the state department investigation, but he is still stunned that doing the right thing could have such dire consequences. cnn, liverpool, london. questions about universal health care programs, chances are you heard about them, but how much do you know about it? we are digging deeper. and this -- >> i was shocked. how could you do this? what were you thinking? how fast were you going? he was doing a "dukes of hazard." >> but i don't remember bo and luke duke ever doing this.

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president obama is taking

his health care reform message to primetime looking to change the debate in his favor by speaking directly to congress and you, the american people, wednesday night. now, will there be offers of compromise here? not negotiatable demands? white house aids are not offering me details about what the president is going to say here, but they do insist he'll offer up straight talk. >> they will leave that speech knowing exactly where the president stands, exactly what he thinks we have to do to get health care done, health care reform done this year, and he intends -- >> what he won't accept as well? >> well, we prefer to outline the positive rather than the negative, but i'm sure he'll draw some lines. >> well, the august recess was supposed to be a chance for members of congress to talk to voters directly about health care, and they did, but they also got an earful from people who considered some of the proposals equal to a government takeover. that anger has spilled over to some of the people drawn to the tea party express bus tour that began in california and wraps up in the nation's capital

september the 12th. cnn all platform jim spellman caught up with the group in an san antonio for us. >> are you ready for a tea party? >> yeah! >> i see the things in the obama administration and the democratic caucus is doing that is really threatening the future of the country. >> i believe he is trounsing the constitution. >> i question everything the government is doing. >> there's something happening, we don't know quite what it is, but it is happening. people wouldn't normally turn out to the streets to protest are turning out to the streets to protest. >> there's a sleeping giant that has been awakened. >> huge do you want a silver platter? barack hussein obama! he ain't my president, people! >> how dare they give tens of thousands of trillion dollars to the banks. >> he is aggressive to me and i love that quality.

>> the government is taking over control and we are headed toward socialism. >> i don't think want this to be a communist socialist nation. that's what our troops have died for. >> i have the right for the government not to control my health care. >> enand i have the right to disagree with you, sir. >> i'm the person to say go take a pill and die. >> mr. reed and mr. pelosi, support our troops in the united states military. >> i was thinking all night long, you ain't nothing but a humbug, mr. obama, telling all these lines. >> there's another bus tour riding in support of the obama administration's health care reform plan. this group is backed by an arm of the democratic national committee. it has attracted supporters such as dr. tanisha richmond, a podiatrist who can't afford health insurance. >> i opted out because i

couldn't afford to pay more my medications, my doctor visits and also pay the premiums for the health insurance. >> the pro-health care reform tour just began in phoenix and wrapped up in raleigh, north carolina. some supporters of the government option for health care point to canada as a good example of what can happen when everyone has access to quality health coverage, but critics point to canada as well for completely opposite reasons. cnn's dana bash has more on health care north of the border. >> reporter: for shona holmes, simple pleasures of playing with her dog and walking with her gift dog are a difficult gift. four years ago she was told she had a blap tumor, brain tumor. >> i realized after the surgery how bad my vision was. >> reporter: sona is canadian, but for her surgery he constituent to the u.s. because it would have taken four to six months just to see specialists in canada government-run health

care system, the only option here. >> all my life i have lived in this country with public health insurance, and i always thought that i would be okay, that everything would be fine. so this is basically all of the surgery. >> reporter: shona's bills at the mayo clinic totaled $100,000. she borrowed from family and friends. >> and that is tragic, having dinner with my friends, and i know how much money i owe them. >> reporter: republicans in washington are seething on shona's story and other candidates from canada to warn about government-involved health care. dr. david zelt is chief of staff at the ontario hospital. gop senate leader mitch mcconnell used him as exhibit a in canadian health care. >> at kingston general the average wait is about 340 days. >> reporter: zelts reresponse,

mcconnell is exaggerating. but he does admit in canada's system where the government covers everyone there are limits and short annals. some patients do have to wait. >> i'm not going to say we don't have issues, but if you take the other side of the coin, these patients have access. >> reporter: despite shona holmes' horror story, most people with life-threatening illnesses are treated quickly. doug wright can attribute to that. he has cancer, a tumor on his leg. he has the money to get care in the u.s. but says there's no reason. >> i have not had to wait. i have seen some of the best specialists in the country. >> reporter: and though taxes are high here, he and others remind us canadian health care available to all is free. >> that was cnn's dana bash reporting. she points out there's no u.s. proposal that mirrors the canadian plan. while canada ensures 33 million

of its people, there are 47 people uninsured people in the united states. there's also been a lot of talk about the health care model in the u.k. we'll check out the pros and cons of that. and in new zealand, health care goes high-tech to cut costs in a big way. ir... i can enjoy the zoo with my grandkids. (announcer) for people with copd including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both, great news. advair helps significantly improve lung function. while nothing can reverse copd, advair is different from most other medications because it contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help you breathe better. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be use more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. we had a great day, grandpa!

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this hour we are continuing our conversation on health care specifically to what is working and where. this brings us to great britain and universal health care there. our zane bergie is live with the latest from there. >> reporter: it is mind boggling, we are talking about eight people a second. the government pays for everything. the people here also pay much higher taxes, so it is really not free. on average, a person is paying more than $3,400 a year. so what they can do is walk into a hospital like this or some kind of health care center, have the tests, and they don't have to pay for it. what you really have to understand is that this is a post-code lottery, it all really depends on where you live. the quality of health care is not the same everywhere, waiting is an issue, minor things aren't a big deal, but major things

like operations or hip replacements really can take a lot of time. sometimes even months. things, too, like the latest cancer treatments, fertility tests, they aren't really made available by the health services here, so a lot of people are trying to make things better, faster, more comfortable to get their help. >> and that's the look there from london. then we take you to the southern hemisphere in new zealand, its health care model is similar to those seen in other countries with one major distinction, electronic elections. kate baldoun breaks it down for us. >> reporter: new zealand, a country of 4 million people and a land known for tex the record the extraordinary beauty. it is here on the pacific ocean that health care beats high-tech. bruce has a business that arranges meetings for health care representatives. he says new zealand has one of the most impressive health care

systems he has ever seen. >> new zealand is far ahead of most countries in terms of its use in application of technology. 99% of primary care physicians have an automated patient record. the hospital care is all automated and the results are automated. >> reporter: new zealand offers universal health care to all citizens. new zealand spend $2,510 per person versus $2,290 in the u.s., $7,290 in the u.s. care in a public hospital and a visit to a specialist is free of charge. new zealanders do pay $50 to see a primary care physician. not exactly small change says this professor who teaches economics at the university of

miami. >> you have an interesting incentive structure because a $15 co pay is not an insignificant amount for primary care. so you might have patients that are going to be thinking twice before they see their primary care doctor. probably only going to see the doctor when things are a little more serious. >> reporter: new zealand has fewer doctors in most developed countries, including the u.s. one for every 434 people versus one for every 416 in the united states. doctors used to be paid on a fee for service basis, but the payment structure was changed about six years ago. now it is based upon the number of patients. >> with a fee for service structure, you tend to have an implicit incentive to do more to a patient rather than to do what is necessarily best for the patient. >> reporter: as is common with universal health care systems, access to care for elective procedures can involve a long way. about a third of new zealanders

purchase private insurance policy for elective procedures to give access to private facilities and enables patients to pick their own surgeon and hospital. brooke baldoun, cnn, new york. that was brooke baldoun reporting for us. a look at the three countries and how they might compare to the health care debate going on here. a single glove, a few crystals, what would you pay for that glove? and check this out. we have heard of people totaling their car, but totaling a house? (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.

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this just into us. jackie jarri is he at the cmn severe weather center. we were hoping for a calm weekend, but i see that you have something with regard it a tornado to tell us about. >> yeah. warning has just been issued. this is in tennessee just north of the nashville area and for davison, cheetah and roberton

county. this is a doppler indicated tornado, and it's near the town of ash lpd city, and it's moving eastward at ten miles an hour. right now nashville proper not under the warning, but watch out into these northern suburbs for that potential. if we get any ground truth on this, we'll let you know. there are no watches in the area right now, so it's an ice laid storm, but i do want you to know that there are some other thunderstorms which have been developing south and west of here, so all this is going to be blowing through the next couple of hours. anything we get on this, of course, richard, we'll bring back to you. >> thanks, jackie. jackie will be back with more weather later for us. michael jackson's infamous crystal clad spandex glove went for $49,000 at an auction house in sydney, aus laila. here's some background for you. in 1996 jackson was in sydney during his history tour. at the end of his show jackson allegedly tossed the glove to a fan who had since died. his mother put the gluf up for auction recently, and the rest,

well, history. a house, a car, and what police say was way too much to drink. that sparked a series of unfortunate eventses for a homeowner in upstate new york. >> i was shocked. why would you do this? you know, what were you thinking? how fast were you going? >> reporter: those are all really good questions that john wants to ask the 20-year-old alleged drunk driver whose suv ended up inside john's home on the second floor. >> she was doing a dukes of hazard. >> reporter: his neighbors were woken up with what they thought was an explosion. >> we kept hearing crash, crash, crash, glass breaking, and then a big crash, lots of glass. adam clark was drunk and speeding when he blew through a stop sign, hit this burm, and went flying through the air. >> hit the birm here, took down two or three trees, and he was

airborne for over 100 feet. >> reporter: so he is on this kind of an angle, goes through your picture window and lands in your second story ceiling. >> ceiling. >> reporter: now, as for the damage, well, there's a lot of it. take a look for yourself. it's completely overwhelming. the sheet rock is shattered. the wooden beams splintered. parts of the suv are scattered throughout the house and the dirt from the outside, well, it's everywhere. john didn't even want to guess at the dollar amount of the damage, and, believe it or not, he just put the house on the market. sfroo i don't think i'm going to be selling the house soon. >> reporter: as for the to 20-year-old alleged drunk driver -- >> got a along life ahead of him to learn if his mistakes. hope he learns. >> reporter: i'm sharon einhorn, news 1 long island. sdmrimplgts they were the first front in last spring's h1n1 outbreak. now, the students at slt francis prep are heading back to class, but is the school ready, and

what lessons did other schools learn from their experiences? first, for you an inspired artist uses ag few thousand balloons and lung power is creating sculptures you have it see to mrooe. gary tuckman has this story on the edge of discovery. >> reporter: it starts with a single balloon. then grows and grows and grows. until eventually it looks like this. these balloon sculpt tours are described as surreal sea creatures, put their mean sg in the eye of the beholder, and they come from the creative mind of jason hackenworth. >> my job is to make interesting and fun things happen, and my life is, you know, about doing that. it's the most wonderful experience. >> reporter: he started five years ago in the new york city subway. >> when people would come around the corner and see that, they would just line up. it was so obvious i was on to something really beautiful. >> reporter: he has been doing it ever since. even when it meant sacrifice.

>> right after new year's eve, i was out in times square trying to earn $60 for some grocery and laundry money, for sure. times are tough. >> reporter: that dent stop him from taking simple balloons and turning them into something we've never seen before. hackenworth's art has been shown in galleries and museums all over the world. >> i would love to inspire young people to believe that anything is possible. ultimately, you have to attempt the absurd to achieve the impossible. i think that's part of what's happening here. >> reporter: gary tuckman, cnn. (voice 2) how bad is it? (voice 1) traffic's off the chart...

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exceeding expectations and breaking barriers. >> when you were a young person, when you were in high school and

someone was telling you why don't you be a secretary, did you ever think that you would be a secretary, but the secretary of labor? >> no, would i probably have said no, it couldn't happen, but, you know, it's amazing what the american dream can be for people that don't have maybe the same experience, experiences or background or opportunities that there's so much opportunity in this country, and i think that's what's so important for people to understand, that there's still that hope, and i think that our president, barack obama, continually says that, too, that even a child -- his father was born in another country, first african-american, and he came from a very humble family. single-headed household. his mother raised him. went to school on scholarships and financial aid. my story, you know, you can see where there's possibilities here for so many other