okay, mr. president, your turn. we've heard you push forward health care reform as a candidate and as president. the speech tonight, it could make your case or break it. she was scared to death with good reason. you could hear it in her voice. her call to 911 couldn't even save her, but it could save others. her husband making sure of that. an apple, the e.f. hutton of the digital age, when it talks, people listen. this hour, apple's talking and we're all ears. 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 this could be it, folks, a make-or-break night for health care reform, and the president's prime-time address to congress

could change everything, for you, me, and the entire nation. we've heard the president talk a lot about health care reform. big-picture stuff, but what's different about tonight? specifics. we're going to hear the president go into detail about the changes he wants to see. key questions. will his ideas appeal to both conservative and liberal democrats? and can he convince the nation that reform is needed? and we've just heard from senator max baucus from the gang of six senators on the finance committee. baucus says his group will meet again today and crank out their bipartisan version of a bill next week. he added, there's time for republicans to get on board, but if they don't, he's ready to move ahead without them. baucus plan calls for dropping the public option. now, had you ever even heard the term "public option" before the health care debate broke out? it's a must for some, a nonstarter for others. and still others are ambivalent about it, but what is it? simply put -- a public option is a government-funded, government-run health care alternative. think medicare, but for younger

people. under the plan, people would pay premiums, 10% to 20% less, than they would to a private insurance company. so, you're going to hear the president talk a lot about the public option tonight. our national political correspondent, jessica yellin, is here to break it all down for us. we want to talk about the key signs or maybe key words to watch for tonight. so, maybe if we were to lay it out, we should start with how specific he's going to be. because on some issues, he's going to have to be. >> that's right, kyra. the president is -- has said that he needs to be specific. and that's what we should all listen for. he said in an interview with "good morning america" that he was too ambiguous in the past. he let this debate, to some extent, get away from him, so now he needs to drive the debate. the big question is how much will be rhetoric and how much will we hear clear proposals from the president about what he can and cannot support? specifically listen for him to talk about costs, how will he pay for it. listen for that. another point, the public option, which you just

mentioned. there's been an enormous amount of controversy around this question of a public option. many people don't believe a public option is essential to get health reform done. in fact, max baucus, the senator, said he doesn't think he can get the bill through the senate in the public option. it's not in his bill, so where will the president come down on that? all of our reporting, my reporting, is that he will make it clear that he believes in theory a public option is important, but will also leave room for a bill that has no public option. so, no line in the sand from the p.m. on that. >> well, let me ask you this. if we were to take, say, a third point, what do you think about paying attention to the applause, and not only what is being applauded, but who is applauding? >> right. there's two ways to look at applause. one is everybody is on camera, they have to be polite and they also have to do what their peers in their party are doing to some extent. and then there's careful body language. the people we want to look are senators from maine, olympia snowe and susan collins, these are moderate republicans that the democrats were hoping to

bring on board. when max baucus came out and said he thinks he can win some republicans, he's talking specifically about susan collins and especially olympia snowe, so we want to watch them. of course, max baucus, who just spoke, to see if he likes what the president's saying and some of the leadership, harry reid, leading his democrats with lots of applause, no doubt, trying to signal that they need to get on board and this thing needs to get done for the democrats to move forward, kyra. >> all right, jessica, we'll all be watching. thank you so much. you can actually see that speech right here, live coverage, from the the best political team on television, starts at 8:00 p.m. eastern, 5:00 pacific, only on cnn. you know, the eighth year anniversary of 9/11 is in just two days, and right now every minute of every day, american troops, still in afghanistan, are facing a hidden killer. every time they head out on patrol. we're talking about ie developments and we've been talking about them for eight long years. cnn's michael ware and his cameraman, who are in afghanistan right now for our special coverage, witnessed the danger up close and personal.

one of those ieds, improvised explosive devices, actually exploded while they were on assignment in a taliban stronghold. here's the close call. >> reporter: a hidden taliban roadside bomb, an ied, is about to hit this afghan police gun truck. a cnn cameraman and i are riding in it. by some miracle, it detonates a heartbeat too soon, otherwise we'd all be dead. instead, gravel rains over us. you all right? >> yeah. >> reporter: then comes the shooting. a so-called death blossom. police firing aimlessly to ward off further attack. >> and now nearly eight years after 9/11 and the beginning of that war in afghanistan, ieds are the biggest threat to american troops on the front lines. for the troops on patrol, one mistake could mean the difference between life and death. cnn's anderson cooper reports from the battle zone. >> reporter: it is the most dangerous position on patrol.

out in front, on point. lance corporal phil howard quickly waves a metal detecter in front of him, searching for signs of an ied. >> it's kind of scary being up on point and knowing that if somebody's going to pull something on you or you step on something, it's going to be the front guy. >> reporter: every second howard has to remain alert. one mistake could kill him or a fellow marine behind him. got to be tough, too, because you never really know who is a friend or who's an enemy. >> exactly. you can look around and the guy on there -- sorry, it could be a good guy, or a bad guy. >> reporter: ieds have become the number one threat to u.s. forces in afghanistan. in helmand province they're responsible for some 80% of all casualties. they can either be buried in the road or detonated by a member of the taliban who's hiding in underbrush like this. that's why it's important for the marines to keep 10 or 15 meters in between each marine on patrol, instead in the event

that an ied is detonated, the damage is limited. since they arrived in helmand province, a little more than two months ago, the first battalion, 5th regiment has lost one marine to ieds, 48 others have been under wounded. in july, lance corporal james buttery's vehicle was hit. you landed over there? >> the front of the truck was pretty much where the tree was. knocked the tree out, and i landed right there. i was able to crawl out. and one of the other marines here were able to jump in and grab the marine in the canal. bl we were all conscious. no serious injuries. >> reporter: you were lucky. >> yeah. >> reporter: they collect part of the ieds. >> the charge goes off and that's how you get your explosion. they make a lot of stuff out here that -- for these pressure plates. you see how they do it. look, little metal strips right there, can make it real

hasty-like, put the sticks on there, goes down. and then that's how it connects, and then they also make a -- >> reporter: that's amazing, something as primitive as that. it's basically two pieces of wood with some metal. >> yes, sir. i'm not going to lie, they're pretty smart about doing it, but we're finding them. >> have you seen anything out of the ordinary out here, around the village? >> he said everything is good. >> reporter: today's patrol is not just about finding ieds, however, it's about meeting local residents, building their confidence in u.s. forces and in the local afghan government. it's not exactly what 1st lieutenant chris conan expected to be doing in afghanistan. >> initially i thought i was pretty much going to have a firefight every day, just a run-and-gunfight. what i have seen we haven't taken a hit in terms of small arms, had is a good thing. and now we're simply having tea with village elders. >> reporter: having tea? >> exactly.

i've had i can't remember how many cups of teas and a couple of dinners, which is always an interesting experience. >> reporter: building trust, however, makes more than tea. you takes time. with the taliban growing in strength in many parts of afghanistan, u.s. officials acknowledge time is not on america's side. do you think the people believe you are here to stay or do you think they are still on the fence? >> i think a majority of them are on the fence. we have some supporters and we have some people who think we are going to leave for tomorrow. but for the majority of the people, i think they are on the fence. >> reporter: to get them off the fence and on the side of the afghan government, they are trying to help show them that the taliban won't return. they meet with village elders. both are courteous but aren't willing to say if they support the u.s. or the taliban. bill mccollough tells them the marines will be here at least until next summer, but beyond that he can't promise. a lot of people aren't willing yesterday to choose sides?

>> they're waiting for a little more bona fides from us to see that we are trying to stay. >> that's what we're trying to develop here, they trust us, they trust their own government. and once these folks pick sides and say, you know, we're with the government, i believe that is it. it's not a win, but it's a sign that we're winning. >> reporter: anderson cooper, cnn, helmand province, afghanistan. and you can see more from the battle zone tonight on cnn's "anderson cooper 360." all this week, anderson, dr. sanjay gupta, and michael ware reporting from afghanistan, from the front lines. that's tonight, 10:00 eastern, only on cnn. did a former high school football coach put winning ahead of safety? that's what prosecutors allege in his reckless homicide trial. it's under way right now in kentucky, and it's being watched by the nation.

cnn takes your health care questions straight to the white house. you ask, though, we'll have the answers live. "mail to the chief" your questions, your concern, your voice, straight ahead.

america's anchor man

remembered today at lincoln center in new york. president obama and former president bill clinton were among those who gathered this morning for a memorial service for the former longtime cbs "evening news" anchor. >> our american story continues. it needs to be told. and if we choose to live up to walter's example, if we realize that the kind of journalism he embodied will not simply rekindle itself as part of a natural cycle, but will come alive only if we stand up and demand it and resolve to value it once again, then i'm convinced that the choice between profit and progress is a false one and that the golden days of journalism still lie ahead. walter cronkite invited the nation to believe in him, and he never betrayed that trust. that's why so many of you entered the profession in the first place. that's why the standards he set for journalists still stand, and that's why he loved and valued

all of you, but we loved and valued walter, not only as the rarest of men, but as an indispensable pillar of our society. he's reunited with his beloved betsy now, watching the stories of this century unfold with boundless optimism. every so often punk waiting the air with a gleeful "oh, boy!" we are grateful to him for altering and illuminating our time and for the opportunity he gave to us to say that, yes, we, too, were there. thank you very much. >> cronkite anchored the "cbs evening news" from 1972 to 1981. he died at the age of 92. sure didn't take long for fred to grow from a tropical storm to a major hurricane, but it's still far out there in the atlantic, chad, right? >> it is so far out there in the atlantic. i just measured it on

stormpulse.com. we can do that. i'll do it in a second. 3,400 miles from miami. and so literally that's in nowhere land. there's africa. the storm is kind of turning on up to the north. you can just really see the eye on the last couple of frames. the eye has really come into focus. and that means that it's become a major hurricane, and the good news is, it just isn't going to affect anything. put this into play. there it is, 120-mile-per-hour storm, and it gets up here in a very cold water. i know you don't think, well, it's summer, how can it be cold? well, it's all relative. it needs to be way above 80 degrees somewhere in here for this thing to grow, and it is for now, in nice, warm water. later on, that doesn't happen. that's all over. and the -- the death of fred will come as fast as the birth of fred, i think, too. showers across parts of new york city, though, not really making any airport delays there. i'm seeing a little bit of convection pop up here in parts of western virginia, west virginia, and also parts of kentucky and western piedmont there of north carolina. some of these other showers, you can see some reds in here.

the typical afternoon showers, the last 30 minutes, maybe the kids will have to get out of the pool because you'll see some lightning, and 30 minutes later that whole weather system will be gone. so, one of those passing-showers kind of day, kyra. >> got it. are you following our local girl at the u.s. open, melanie oudin? >> yes, she is the hit of my little hometown here. >> that's what i figured, since you're a marietta guy, you know about the marietta mauler. did you hear about what happened at her hotel room? >> no. >> okay, so, you know, everybody thinks she's so far down the list, she's 17, nobody knows who she is, that they only made reservations for a certain amount of days, so all of a sudden, she comes out, she's beating everybody and the hotel said, sorry, you got to check out. you didn't check -- you didn't keep the room long enough. and can you believe they actually told her, find another place to go? >> you know, maybe cnn could help. i think there's a really nice hotel right above cnn center there on -- >> we would never boot her out of the omni, would we >> absolutely not. uuuuuuuuuuuuuu

phillip garrido's dark past getting darker by the day. police say a piece of bone found in the convicted sex offender's backyard is probably human. garrido is accused of kidnapping jaycee dugard, holding her captive for 18 years and fathering her two daughters. could milwaukee police prevented at least one of the deaths in a string of serial killings? they've now linked former prisoner walter ellis to those murders. but under state law they should have had a dna sample from him and other prisoners eight years ago, before the last murder. it's not known whether his dna was ever obtained. and live coverage of president obama's health care speech begins at 8:00 p.m.

eastern on cnn. aides say he'll give more specifics in what he wants to see in way of reform. cnn has learned from the white house that the president will keep pushing for the controversial public option, a government-run insurance program. there's just one word for her, phenomenal. america's teen tennis sensation, melanie oudin, is kicking butt and taking names. shoi clawed her way to the quarterfinals tonight and her showing was such a surprise that she was actually booted from her times square hotel because her reservation was up on sunday. closer look now at the little georgia teen who could. here's cnn sports larry smith. >> reporter: serena and venus williams may be america's most fame lus tennis players, but melanie oudin has created the buzz at the u.s. open. she started hitting balls at age 7, but her quest for greatness intensified, and by the seventh great, she decided to become home schools. >> it was to play more and to not get in trouble for missing so many days of school because of tournaments, because i wasn't

allowed to, and that was my -- i wanted to play tournaments, so i had to start home schooling and the amount of improvement that i got in that first year of home schooling was unbelievable. >> reporter: oudin's focus on tennis improved her game, but it didn't come without sacrifice. she misses hanging out with her friends, but she also misses the bond that she shared with her twin sister. >> we've always been close since we were little, and i think now we've definitely -- we've drifted a little bit apart from each other, just because i'm gone a lot. and then she's got different friends than i do. and different interests and stuff, but we're both happy for each other. >> reporter: oudin turned pro last year, and received her first taste of fame two months ago, after reaching the fourth round at willmbledowimbledon. but that pales in comparison to what she's experiencing now. on monday at the racquet club where oudin trains, melanie's friends and fans watched her become the youngest american to advance to the u.s. open

quarterfinals since serena williams in 1999. >> she's as nice as she can be. she's the best sport as she is a champion. >> such a close match every time, and every time she pulls it off. it's great you see her here every day always working out. >> reporter: her coach of eight years is intent on keeping her humble. >> this weekend we were laying sod and doing yard work. i made her come and do it. i make her come and do the other things that the other kids do. she's no prima donna, this is your club, make it look good. >> reporter: that said, if she wins the u.s. open, i'm sure the coach will let her slide eating one of her favorite foods. >> i love ice cream and i can't enjoy it when i'm playing tennis, i enjoy it in the off-season. >> reporter: are you counting down the days until your first ice cream cone? >> a lot. if i win the u.s. open or something, i'm sure my coach will let me have, like, an ice cream. well, melanie oudin plays in the u.s. open quarterfinals

tonight at 7:00 eastern. we'll be rooting her on. well, his team used to call him "coach." prosecutors call him reckless after one of his players died. we're watching a trial in kentucky with national implications. 4 times the number... takg of pills compared to aleve. choose aleve and you could start taking fewer pills. just 2 aleve have the strength... to relieve arthritis pain all day.

this is a story we've been watching closely out of louisville, kentucky, where a former high school football coach is now on trial. he's accused of contributing to the death of one of his players by withholding water during a pretty grueling football practice. well, yesterday the boy's father testified, telling a far different tale than he had told before, and explaining the reasons for his change of heart. cnn's mary snow has more. >> reporter: jeff gilpin described the afternoon in august 2008 when his 15-year-old son, max, collapsed on a football field. the teen died three days later. prosecutors charge that max's coach, jason stinson, is responsible for running what they call a barbaric practice. forcing players to run sprints with little water. jeff gilpin recalled getting to his son's practice late that day, that it was hot, and he saw players in full equipment. >> did you see your son throw up on the field that day? >> yes, i did. as well as other players.

he wasn't the only one. >> reporter: prosecutors also questioned a team member who played with max gilpin. his identity is shielded because he's a minor. the player said he saw some kids try to get water. >> and did you hear anything that coach stinson said to those players? >> get back here. you're not finished running. >> reporter: gilpin said when his son collapsed, he and others tried to cool him down, and that stinson was not with them as another coach dialed 911. >> is he breathing? >> yeah, he's breathing. he's kind of going in and out on us so -- >> reporter: gilpin said at first he didn't see anything wrong with the practice but changed his mind after hearing from others. and he said initially he didn't blame coaches in an interview he did with reporters nearly two months after his son's death. >> do you recall telling them that they, being the coaches, did everything they could, that i would have done? >> yes. >> reporter: gilpin testified that his son took the drug ade r

adderil. and defense attorneys are trying to say that other factors played a role during the teen's death, summing up their case during last week's opening argument. >> this has been nothing but a witch hunt by these people. >> reporter: stinson pled not guilty to charges of reckless homicide and wanton endangerment. he faces up to ten years in prison. prosecutors say with his training he should have known not to subject his players to the brutal conditions. >> he put competition and winning -- winning his first game as a head football coach -- ahead of safety. >> reporter: stinson is getting the backing of other coaches who say max gilpin's death was a tragic accident. coaching organizations from across the country have been contributing to a defense fund for coach stinson. mary snow, cnn, new york. the make or break on health care reform. we've been talking about it for weeks now. tonight, president obama is going to talk back, in specifics, as he addresses a joint session of congress. if the devil is in the details,

capitol hill may be awash in pitchforks by the time that it's done. we're 6 1/2 hours away from the president's speech, but it's never too early to push forward. and if you need more help wading through the health care battle, you should know about cnn.com/healthcare. that's where you can get the latest on the ongoing debate, not to mention the easy-to-understand explanations of the leading plans. next hour, we're going to walk you through some of the major sticking points. and there may be more on the line for president obama tonight than health care. analysts suggest that his future political livelihood may be at stake if health care reform fails. the loss could be a precursor to the next presidential election. cnn's carol costello takes a look at that for us. >> reporter: there's no doubt about one thing, many americans are confused about exactly how the president wants to reform health care, so what to do now? well, on wednesday, many analysts say the president must present a plan. >> i have every right to -- >> well, wait a minute. >> reporter: it has been president obama's summer of

discontent, his health care measure hijacked by extremists on both sides. >> i don't want this country turning into usual russia. >> reporter: he's been called a traitor by liberals, a socialist, racist. some say the ugliness has turned charismatic barack obama into just another politician. former republican congresswoman susan molinari is a lobbyist whose firm deals in health care matters. >> he's seen himself if you will the superman falling to earth. >> reporter: and voters we talked with in chicago, mr. obama's hometown, certainly feel that way. >> i feel like he's been promising so much, but hasn't really acted upon anything. >> i think there's a lot of inconsistencies in what he's saying. >> nobody really knows the answers. >> reporter: they feel mr. obama has allowed extreme comments to not only diminish his stature, but to control his message. many supporters know president obama's plan doesn't include killing grandma, but they want to hear him say that. they want his plan. >> i think, honestly, i think

he's letting the critics fluster him just a little bit. >> reporter: an independent who writes for "the daily beast" said that's why the president needs to be frank and firm before congress wednesday. >> i think what he needs to do is first say, i hear you. i heard you. and i'm not going to let either extreme dominate this debate. >> reporter: avalon said the president must tell voters he gets his concerns about government growth and uncontrolled spending, and he needs to tell voters, most of whom have health insurance, why we need reform. and it needs to be said with just a bit of the passion the president displayed in ohio on monday. >> security and stability for folks who have health insurance, help for those who don't. coverage they need at a price they can afford. that's the reform that's needed. >> reporter: and republicans say mr. obama needs to find a way to convince conservatives of that. >> i think he really needs to rise above the partisan bickering tonight and become the leader of the united states and talk about what are those things that he needs to see in a health care bill, and then urge the two

parties, republicans and democrats, to get together and make it happen as quickly as possible. >> reporter: avalon told me the president's decision to address congress, instead of a large crowd of people, was a gutsy move, because the president is much more effective in front of a large group of people. but, he says, the president must not only convince the american people, but lawmakers, too. and don't forget, you can see president obama's speech right here, live coverage from the best political team on television, 8:00 p.m. eastern, 5:00 pacific, right here on cnn. it could save women's lives, but it's aimed at boys and young men. the fda is weighing a new approach to fight a dangerous std. (announcer) time brings new wisdom

new aches and pains, ...and new questions about which pain reliever is right for your body. tylenol 8 hour works with your body, with one layer that dissolves quickly... ...one layer that lasts all day ...and no layers that irritate your stomach the way that ibuprofen can. it's tough on your body pain.

not on your body. remembering the most trusted man in america. memorial service for walter cronkite wrapped up just a little while at new york's lincoln center. friends, colleagues, other vips paid their last respects, including president obama, who wasn't even a year old when cronkite began anchoring the "cbs evening news." he died at the age of 92. apple fans, start your christmas list now. the company is holding a media-only event in san francisco right now. it's the time of year when apple announced new products and

services, and ceo, steve jobs, did come onstage earlier. it was his first public appearance, by the way, since becoming ill back just a number of months ago. we're going to bring you the details as we get them. so, is it a film, or one long campaign ad? the supreme court is hearing arguments sparked by hillary, the movie, a critical look at hillary clinton. a conservative group wanted to air ads for the movie and show it on demand during the 2008 primaries, but a lower court said no. an employee or two out sick won't hurt a big company very badly, but it could cripple little operations and some health care providers. that's why the house committee on small businesses is holding a hearing on the h1n1 virus, commonly called swine flu. right now, the panel is hearing from business owners and others about the flu's potential economic impact. vaccinating boys and young men for a virus that's most dangerous to women. today, an fda panel is looking at whether gardasil is safe for guys according to the associated press.

gardasil defends against the hpv virus which is sexually transmitted. it can cause cervical cancer in women and can also raise cancer risks for some men. drugmaker merck wants it approved for males ages 9 to 26. it's already on the market for girls ages 9 and above. flus and vaccines, not the top priority for millions of people on this planet, instead they're just trying to find water, water that won't make them sick or kill them. now a famous inventor is trying to quench their thirst. he's on "the edge of discovery," and so is our gary tuchman. >> reporter: water. it's the most abundant resource on the planet. yet, every year millions of people die. because they don't have access to clean water. so, dean cayman, inventor of the segway, decided to take this problem on with a machine he calls the slingshot. >> we believe the world needs a slingshot to take care of this goliath of a problem, bad water.

>> reporter: he says the machine can turn contaminated water like this dirty river water to clean water, by boiling and distilling and vaporizing it. >> in goes the bad, and as you can see, out comes the good. that is pure water. >> reporter: the machine is smaller than some other water purifying systems, making it is more portable. >> it's ideally suited to going in places like the developing world. >> reporter: he said it requires very little electricity and maintenance to function, but unless he can get a partner to help keep costs down, the slingshot won't get to people that need it most. >> we need to be able to protect the valuable resource, water, that we've all come to take for granted, but we will not be able to do so in the future. dear governor sanford, please step down. just in to cnn, we've learned

that 60 south carolina republicans have signed a letter to governor mark sanford asking him to resign. the letter was in the works for several weeks. sanford has said that he's staying put despite growing pressure on him to quit after he revealed an extramarital affair. all right, switching gears. energetic, charming, bubbly, those words fit hln anchor robin meade to a "t." there was a secret side to meade, and it wasn't fun. ( instrumental rock music playing ) radar to help watch for the unforeseeable. infrared to help protect. satellites to help guide. electricity to adjust how powerfully or efficiently you drive. someday we'll all drive like this.

the first-ever hs hybrid. only from lexus. back pain in the morning, back playing in the afternoon. excedrin back and body has two ingredients to block and relieve the pain.

doesn't your whole body deserve excedrin strength relief? excedrin. what ache? ed assistance getting around their homes. there is a medicare benefit that may qualify you for a new power chair or scooter at little or no cost to you. imagine... one scooter or power chair that could improve your mobility and your life. one medicare benefit that, with private insurance, may entitle you to pay little to nothing to own it. one company that can make it all happen ... your power chair will be paid in full.

the scooter store. hi i'm doug harrison. we're experts at getting you the power chair or scooter you need. in fact, if we qualify you for medicare reimbursement and medicare denies your claim, we'll give you your new power chair or scooter free. i didn't pay a penny out of pocket for my power chair. with help from the scooter store, medicare and my insurance covered it all. call the scooter store for free information today. i'm with you. well, who would have thought it? robin meade, a vivacious anchor on our sister network, hln, once battling panic attacks and anxiety? well, she's out with a new book, "morning shine!" detailing her ordeal.

it's great advice for someone going through the same thing. robin joins me now to talk about it. congratulations. >> thank you. >> are you having a panic attack? >> no. >> you're looking nervous. >> i want to make sure that people realize, it's not just if you suffer from anxiety. it's a lot about self-confidence and self-esteem issues, because who doesn't have that? not everybody feels like they can't breathe, but that's how i felt. but it was a manifestation of low self-confidence. >> is that why you wrote the book? why did you feel the need to do it? >> well, the book people did come to me and say we'd like for you to write a book, what would you like to write about? when i thought about it, i didn't want people to say, i didn't learn anything from that -- >> or i don't care about her anxiety attacks, she's beautiful and famous, make me relate. >> so i thought, you know, i think it's dangerous for young people to look up and whether it's this type of job or anyone who is in a career that's thought of as successful or high visibility and go, oh, they must have had it easy, you know, they can't relate to the problems

that i've had in my life. >> a lot of people think that, though, about our business, you and i know that very well. people think, oh, they have it all and they have such a great job and it looks so easy. >> they must have skated in there. >> exactly. >> however, i'm getting up at 2:30 in the morning and going to bed at 4:00 in the afternoon. >> and no social life. >> i want to lay out everyone who has gone through self-doubt and who hasn't doubted themselves at one way or another? ways you can get out of it, ways you can think yourself out of anxiety. i didn't want people to think -- >> give an example. >> it's a roadmap. >> give an example. was there a moment where -- tell me a story, give me a nugget and then tell me where in the book someone can learn from that. >> yeah. so, for example, for me, i had this little disease called like me, love me. that is what myself confidence hinged on. it wasn't the outside. it wasn't the exterior. it was like do you like me? i have to make you like me, if you don't, well, then, my self-confidence would plummet. so, in the confidence boosters, which i lay out in the book,

it's -- it's easy for someone to just kind of pick this up and go, okay, here's what i've learned. for me, i would kind of veer into the future and imagine all these what-ifs, right? and that would set me into a panic. >> ooh, i can relate to that. you know, i can so relate to that? >> you talk to plan. you plan ahead, right? >> right. >> so, what-ifs. >> you want everything to be perfect. >> here's one of them, the little nuggets. you've got to stay in the present! >> live in the moment. >> live in the moment. so i'm up here with kyra phillips right now. there's air-conditioning blowing, you know, around me. i'm okay right now. so you try to keep your mind on the present. maybe it's just noticing it for ten minutes. it's really unnatural to try to stay in the present all the time, but that's a little confidence booster that you'll find all throughout the book. things like that. >> what about meditation? that was something i had to learn how to do. people say, oh, pray, relax, take a drink of water, walk around the building. i actually needed something where i could go away for, you know, a good ten minutes -- >> really? >> -- and just concentrate on

something? >> maybe you can teach that to me. i do have what i call -- hit the reset button. >> that's kind of the same thing. >> exactly. that's my form. and for me, maybe i just go out to the lake and just kind of sit there and realize how great everything is. and just how you have many, many reasons to be self-confident. and all of us have the same potential. just we're different and we're good at different things. >> right. >> we all have potential to be good, to be great at the things that we desire, but you just have to do a good self-assessment. i think a lot of us walk around and we tell stories to ourselves, oh, i'm bad at math, i'm bad at this and, therefore, it becomes our story. so if you can sit there -- >> how do you do that thee? how can you do a self-assessment and look at the things you have to work on and your beauty may not necessarily be on the outside and you have something in there, but not everybody finds it? >> if you can right things down, it really forces your brain to latch on to what you're saying. i have to do a really good

assessment, i, kyra phillips, am very successful, i'm good at making people laugh. i'm good at interviewing. i'm beautiful. >> and she's got a new book out, ladies and gentlemen. >> no, no, i was >> look at that, uh-huh. the book right there, it's "morning sunshine" and you can catch her on hln every morning. this starts coming out tomorrow, including barns and noble and border books. >> i just want you to know that i was writing in the form of kyra phillips. >> i love you robin, you just boosted my self confidence. >> there you go. >> from one strong woman to another, we're going to segue to the white house. we have actually been flooded today with a lot of questions about health care, so we're taking them. straight to the senior white house, valerie jarrett is the -- that's a mouth full, she's joining us from the white house north lawn. i bet you were inspired by

robin's book, are you going to go out and get it, valerie? >> immediately. i was just thinking about going out and getting it. >> we'll make sure that robin gives you about 20 copies to give out to everyone at the white house. valerie, we're talking about the president's speech, of course, tonight, a lot of eyes going to be on that. we have received a lot of questions, i know you're open to answering those for us from our viewers. this is coming from bobby'sgirl 1972, my insurance company just denied me an imperative breast cancer test. how can the proposal help me. >> as we have traveled around the country and as the president has received letters from the american people, we hear these gut wrenching stories about people who are doing everything they should be doing, they're trying to take care of

themselves, they're trying to work hard, but in this economy, we know how fragile things are. people will pay their premiums year after year after year and then get sick and then get dropped or they'll change drugc and get dropped. what that person in particular needs is to know they have the security and the stability in the health care system to know they have health care when they need it and that's when they're sick. >> if there's no public option in health care, where is the change that i can believe? no public option means more of the same. >> the president has spoken out throughout this process about the importance of the public option. but let's take a look at it and make sure that everyone understands what it is. over 165 million people have insurance. so what the public option is

there for is to provide those who don't have it to participate in the exchange that will make it more affordable for them and for them not to have to pay two and three times more than insurance through their employers so that those people have the advantage of having affordable health care. so we think the public option is a way of providing competition in the system. so states like maine or alabama who have very few insurance carriers, what do you have when you have so few options? prices go up. so if you have a public option available in the exchange, you'll have competition and the price will go down. >> for the sake of balance, republicans and doctors and of them have been wanting to hear more about medical malpractice reform. where does he stand on that? >> the president throughout his career has said that we need to

provide stability in the malpractice arena, we have far too many physicians who are finding themselves in trouble. we have far too many physicians who are trying to deal with the exorbitant cost of malpractice. we have a lot of good ideas on the table, we should remark at how much progress we have made. we're about 80% there. we have five different congressional committees and have markups going and we know that baucus said today that he's optimistic that he'll be able to move forward shortly. so we have so much going for us, we just need to bring it home the rest of the way, and the president tonight would like to remind them of what's at stake, remind them of how the status quo is completely unacceptable. we have -- quite specifically from the american people is that we can't continue with this exorbitant escalation in health

care costs, the worry that if we get sick that we're not going to be covered. we have to face these challenges. we have got to deliver on behalf of the american people. >> you can see that speech tonight on cnn at 8:00 p.m. eastern time. valerie, we appreciate you taking the viewers' questions.

pushing forward to 8:00 eastern tonight, folks, a turning point on health care reform and a make or break speech from the president. he'll talk in detail about his own plan for health care reform. tonight's the night he spells it out and tries to sell it. this will be his second address before a joint session of congress and should last for a little less than an hour. we'll hear him explain why he wants the public option, and explain what it would do and wouldn't do and explain with examples why it's so important. and he'll explain support for medical malpractice reform. he'll also say he's open to

other ideas, speaking of those, the gang of six senators, three from each party, planning to meet today to tweak their bipartisan bill and have a new version out this week. just an hour ago we heard from finance committee chairman max baucus. he's conduct that it would never survive a senate vote, it does include co-ops, details mandates and penalties. he says the group's proposal contains republicans ideas but he's ready to move ahead with or without their support. the president has made a point of saying the public option is preferred but not mandatory. white house press secretary robert gibbs talked a little bit more about what to expect. >> the president's going to talk about the public option and talk about the value of bringing, through a public option, choice and competition to the private insurance market. i think that's going to be a big part of what the president talks

about. it's not going to be all of what the president talks about because it's not the totality of health care. >> let's talk about those words, public option. it's a government run, government funded alternative to health insurance. people would pay premiums 20% less than they would to a private insurance company and there are other ideas that senators are looking at as well. kind of lay out a couple of those other plans, jessica. >> one of the big things we have heard from the president and top democrats is that 80% of health care is already agreed on, there are in fact five different bills in congress, one of them has yet to pass out of the committee, that's the senate finance committee bill. but we have talked a lot about that, let's look at the other four, three in the house, one in the senate, for the most part, those four are incredibly similar, they include a public option, which is a way for the inunsured to get coverage when private insurance won't cover them. it's government run, and therefore it's triggered some

controversy. all those bills would require individuals to buy insurance or pay a penalty. lower income americans, they get subsidies so they can help afford it. employers would also have to pay part of the health care premiums for their employees and the big area of agreement among all the democrats and republicans right now, or i should never say all, but the big agreement between democrats and republicans is they include insurance reforms. most folks think that's essential, that's including rejecting a ban on preexisting conditions, for example. so they really need to reform insurance, most folks agree. the disagreement, how to pay for it all? should everyone be required to get coverage? and of course that public option. >> we'll be watching tonight right here on cnn, 8:00 p.m. eastern time. the congressional black caucus says it's support is unwavering. earlier this morning in

washington, donna christensen from the u.s. virgin islands put it this way. >> we are determined to take advantage of this opportunity that we may never have again. we are determined to see that our health care system is not just reformed, but transformed. that begins with insurance for all, but it doesn't end there. we must have a robust public health plan, along with the private plans. without a robust public plan, there is no guarantee of change, there's no guarantee of lower rates and there's no guarantee of inclusion for all. >> christensen also says that health care reform must go beyond just providing health insurance but also must expand community health centers. some democrats want to withhold support for any bill that does not uphold the public option. the president isn't just feeling pressure from the left fringe of his party. he's also taking -- here's cnn's

jim acosta with more. >> reporter: former staffers from president obama's campaign rallied in front of the white house, umbrellas in hand, just in case it rains on their parade for the public option. the idea of giving americans the choice of a government health care plan. >> the president compromises on the public option, has he let you down? >> i think if the president compromises on the public option, he hasn't just let me down, he let down my entire generation. >> it may be that we need to take a half loaf and get the full loaf three years down the road. >> but the ranking democrat in the house james clyburn says it's time to find some middle ground. one option he says is to test the public option as a private program. >> let's do that now, then two or three years down the line, some say four or five, let's take a look and see what worked

and then see what we would mandate going forward what the public option would look like. >> there are some people in the house that will settle for nothing short of a public option now. what do you say to this? >> i say this gets us there. >> reporter: clyburn says there's also a trigger that would mandate a public option down the road if the insurance industry doesn't improve its performance. to the white house is signaling the administration hasn't given up on the public option. >> the president will discuss both what to the public option isn't and what the public option is in terms of bringing choice and competition. >> reporter: sill, even as he campaigned as a change candidate on health care, mr. obama said he's also a deal maker. >> in the end, all the good plans in the world won't mean anything if we can't get them passed.

>> reporter: and the democratic majority, where james clyburn is reminding some of these colleagues that the civil rights laws of the 60s were not passed all at once but over the course of a decade. >> you can see president obama's speech right here, live coverage from the best political team on television, it starts at 8:00 p.m. eastern, 5:00 p.m. pacific only on cnn. just a short time ago president obama spoke at walter cronkite's memorial service. he died in july at the age of 92. his memorial service was at lincoln center and it focused on his long career when he was known as the most trusted name -- well actually still known as the most trusted name and man in america. president's past and president all were there to pay homage. >> through all the events that came to define the 20th century, through all our moments of deepest hurt and brightest hope, walter cronkite was there

telling the story of the american age. this is how we remember him today. but we also remember and celebrate the journalism that walter practiced. a standard of honesty and integrity and responsibility to which so many of you have committed your careers. >> that he had the most trusted news program because he had an inquiring mind and a caring heart and a careful devotion to the facts and because he really sensed that in the words of his own auto biography, he had a deep aversion to group conformity. he was always looking for the story, not the story line. and there's a big difference. >> cronkite was the anchor of the cbs evening news from 1962 to 1981. inside a battlefield

hospital, a doctor from our own sanjay gupta's hometown staying longer than he has to in afghanistan so he can save lives. blrk

everyday american military doctors in afghanistan risk their own lives to safe others and one of them has decided to stay on past his tour of duty.

he's from the hometown of cnn chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta and one of his success stories is a little boy we told you about yesterday who entered the hospital fighting for his life. the story now from dr. sanjay gupta who's in afghanistan all this week. >> one, two, three. >> oh, that's a mess, okay. >> reporter: u.s. army major us t augustus brown is the only vascular surgeon in afghanistan. >> it basically amputated his legs and his feet were gone and we completed the amputations. >> reporter: brown is 49 years old and he's a long way from home, the same hometown as mine, which make this is all the more personal. >> this place has been attacked, you're risking your life to save others. the deal was, when they need you, for whatever they need you, go, that's it. >> reporter: the go call came

january 29th and there's been no rest for this battlefield surgeon. >> we're here at the hospital and it's an unusually quiet moment. but i wanted to give you some numbers about what's happening here in afghanistan. in august it was 80 patients a month. in september 100 a month. u.s. troops, coalition forces, locals, dr. brown treats them all. >> i'm asking how about they needed four surgeons, they only have three, this is what happens when they have a hospital as busy as this one. >> reporter: one of your children was born while you were deployed? how do you deal with that? >> it is a sacrifice to my family, but it's a privilege. even when i'm back in atlanta and they ask what do i enjoy when i served. the most fun i have ever had is when i'm at war.

>> reporter: when you have to say goodbye to your kids, you have many kids just like i do, tell me about that conversation? >> it was hardest for my son and the oldest, 6 years old. that's always hard. there's no silver lining in that. he gave me a good luck charm, it's a little stuffed dog. it's in my uniform in the back and i always go with it. the promise was as long as i keep it on, i will be safe. >> reporter: while talking to augustus brown, you know there is a fear of death, but there's some memories that haunt him, like this burned child, her only pain relief a packet of candy. >> you don't see yourself after all those years of education, sitting in the middle of a

desert trying to scrape dead tissue off a child. that was probably the worst day. and they all lived. all of them. and they all got better. but i think maybe 20 years down the road, when everything settles down, if i can come back and see one of them alive, grown up, and you feel like it was worth it. >> reporter: now one thing worth pointing out about dr. brown is that he is a reservist, most reservists stay in theater about three months and then are asked if they wish to stay longer, he was asked that question and he's chose on the stay a year. i also want to show you something that's boosted the morale here. take a look at this, that's malik, he's doing very well, he's starting to move the left side of his body. there was a lot of concern that he might not survive and if he did, he would be paralyzed on the left side. he's continuing to improve by the day and we'll continue to

have updates with him all week long. nearly eight years after the war started in afghanistan, that country is still a very dangerous place, as you can see for the people of afghanistan and in iraq. michael ware has been there this we . >> reporter: the marines here all sleeping in techbts, it's very difficult for them. we have it easy here by their standards, we have one that's an actual building on the base. this is the room where we're staying, it's small, it's dark, it's packed with our belongings and our equipment, it's where we work and where we sleep a. we sit on boxes and other containers, but we consider ourselves extremely lucky and very honored and privileged to show you what the marines are facing here in afghanistan and all throughout the country. and cnn tonight, an acc 360

special report. it's a critical moment for that region and anderson cooper takes you inside afghanistan live from the battle zone all this week. 10:00 eastern, only on cnn. and here's a question you may think is a no-brainer, would you relinquish your health care plan provided by your employer just to shop around. let's take a walk a mile in someone else's shoes or take it a step further. we want to introduce you to dr. will nicholson who's actually living that scenario that i just described. it's our third update now, right, will? >> yes. >> basically what you have done is you decided not to take on the insurance plan that your work provided, you have been going about experimenting with different plans, you have tried two now. tell me what you discovered within those two and what's the

best approach to even finding a plan? >> well, that's a lot of questions. >> that's a loaded question. maybe we should talk to what do you think is the best way to try and find the plan that's right for you, or have you not even discovered that yet. >> what i have discovered is that there's a reason that my patients were having trouble with their insurance. the insurance market is very complicated and as you wade into it you find that it's hard to differentiate products, it's hard to understand why they cost what they cost. and what i'm noticing from this project is that people are contacting me from around the country and they're telling me about the problems they have had. it's really hard because we have maybe not enough options and a lot of consumers that need care. one of the main things that's come out of this is that a big frustration people have is when they purchase a plan, you know they do the right thing, and then they need care and it's not covered by that plan. so the first thing that i have been telling people to do now that i'm learning about this a

little bit. know what you're not buying, know where the holes are and the exceptions are in your plan because every plan has them and unfortunately they're not always right up there on the front page and they're in the fine print. >> in the two plans that you investigated, where were the holes? >> the difficulty with the holes is that they're presented as a list of benefits. one of the plans i got, if i was a female and had to have a baby, the cost of having a baby wouldn't be covered. another one of the plans, certain medicines aren't covered. search a consumer is going to buy this plan, they need to look at it and say if i buy this plan and have a baby, i'm going to have to pay for that out of my pocket. if i buy this plan and my kid needs medicine x, we're going to have to find a way to cover that because it's not covered. >> say for example, okay, one of your patients is a female, and she's in her 20s and she pretty much knows where she wants to go

in the future, she wants to get a certain career, get a certain job, get married, have a family, maybe live in a certain area. would you say to your patients, think about what you're going to be doing, what you could encounter and then look at the benefits of these plans and pick from there? >> that's a great way to rule out plans, if you know you're going to have a need and that plan doesn't cover it, i wouldn't pick that plan. the problem is insurance, it's insurance, it's for those unexpected events that come along that we can't plan for. people that preexisting conditions or family members with preexisting conditions, people who run into medical problems that they're not expecting have a lot more problems than someone like me who's healthy and has a little bit of background knowledge in medicine. >> so have you figured out what you probably could live with and live without and have you been able to sort of decipher the plans that way? >> well, as a physician, i hate

to look at things that way. i mean the bottom line really is that you can get catastrophic only care, high deductible plans that will cover you from financial catastrophe hopefully, but as a physician, i think we need a heck of a lot more than that. one of the biggest causes of personal bankruptcy in america is medical costs and 50% of the people who go bankrupt, they have health care, they have health insurance, so there's still a lot of holes in the system that we need to iron out. >> final thought. what are you going to be looking for in the president's speech tonight, what do you want to hear from him after all this research that you have done. >> the president has to do one thing, put patients first. we can fix health care, we have to fix health care, and if doing it the right way means offending a few special interest groups, a few party members, a few talk

show hosts, we have a word for that, it's called statesmanship. >> we'll see you after the speech and see if you're satisfied. former and current high school foob football players took to the witness today in the trial of their former coach david stinson rpgs , h he' eh. prosecutors say that stinson held a brutal practice that led to the players' death. a man at the university of arkansas is accused of raping a student in her dorm room. the police report session the young woman had been drinking at a party and didn't remember leaving. apple's ceo steve jobs makes his first appearance at a company event in nearly a year. jobs delivered the keynote address at that gathering, he previewed several products.

it didn't take long for fred to grow from a tropical storm to a major hurricane. we're going to check in with chad myers who's tracking all the weather for us. uuuuuuuuuuuuu

all right, chad, what about this hurricane brewing in the atlantic? >> nothing makes a weatherman happier than a major hurricane that's not going to hit anything. >> there you go. exciting stuff as long as it doesn't add to devastation. >> make some waves, knock yourself out, surfers somewhere will be happy. look at this bad boy, this thing is really significant.

that is the eye sitting right there. it is one bad guy. 120 miles an hour and i was just thinking, we call our anchor fredericka, fred, kind of been laughing, so if you have someone named fred, fred is a major hurricane. it's so far out there, we're not worried about it. africa here, 3,400 miles to the left is miami and this thing is going to do nothing except go up here into the cold water of the north atlantic and make a cool, shallow, cold death. it just runs out of warm water. some showers across parts of new york today, parts of philadelphia and new jersey as well. now we're seeing a few more showers pop-up across the south. but we're not expecting any severe weather today. i think it's just going to be a day where the rain showers pop-up and they come and they go. finally for you in southern kansas, it's starting to dry out. it's been flooding the past

couple of days across parts of kansas. wichita picked up almost four inches of rain in one day. cape hatteras, you picked up almost 5 1/2 inches. that probably wasn't a very good beach vacation day yesterday, unless you're inside playing monopoly at that point in time at 5.5 inches. it just has to be a really long day when you're sitting there watching it rain or your beach, kyra. president obama polishing his sales pitch to congress, on the line reforming a broken health care system. we're going to tell you what to listen for. get ready for an armchair breakdown.

well, forget those lingering late summer reruns because the obama show is coming back to prime time in tonight's very special episode which is all about health reform. it's a make or break moment

before a joint session of congress. expect details, details, details. we have heard president obama will keep pushing for the public option despite what we have heard in the last few weeks. so what else can you expect to hear tonight? let's bring in senior political analyst gloria borger who joins us live from new york. let's get further into the details concerning what the president is going to say. >> well, i think -- i spoke with a senior white house advisor this morning who put it to me this way, the advisor said, at the end of this speech, there's finally going to be an it. and by the it, we mean an obama plan. you are finally going to hear what president obama would like to see in his health care plan. but i think he's also going to make the point here, that he's not going to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. that if other people have some good ideas, he's willing to compromise. so he'll be for that public option, but he understands it's

not the only way to get where he needs to go. >> will this change any minds in congress? what do you think? >> it's interesting, kyra, i actually think that this isn't really a speech for congress. i think people in congress in many ways have made up their minds. he's speaking before a joint session of congress because that actually gives him more time to speak. but i think this is an outside game in which he's speaking to the american people. because he understands that the notion of health care reform, because people have been so confused about it, has really been losing in popularity. so what he wants to do is tell the american people, particularly senior citizens who are skeptical, particularly those people who already have access to health care, about why this is going to be good for them too. >> okay, well, then you look at the gang of six and the plan by senator max baucus, we have been talking a lot about that in the last couple of days, it leaves out the public option. so would the president ever go along with that?

because sources are saying he's going to go with what he wants to go with. >> he's got a problem, obviously, because he's got the liberals in the house who won't vote for anything that does not have a public option. and he's got lots of senate republicans and some conservative senate democrat who is won't go for anything that does have a public option. so i think in the end, he may wind up somewhere in the middle and that is in which a public option might get triggered if the insurance companies don't do what they're supposed to do. because, you know, they're really worried about those conservative and moderate democrats in the house also because they have to get re-elected and the irony here is that rahm emanuel, when he was head of the democratic campaign committee in the house, he got those folks to run for congress. so now he's got to get them re-elected and they don't want to lose those folks. the liberals are actually a safe distance. we know how hard it is to

keep track of all of this health care stuff, but gloria helped us quite a bit there with laying it down. but cnn.com does have this easy resource as well to cut through everything. and josh levs is here to show us how to use it. let's hope it's not that difficult to get to the easy information. >> we're making it as easy as we can. cnn.com/healthcare. what gloria said is really helpful. we want you to visit this any time after a speech, you see an ad, get the facts. one of our newer features, some people might not know about this. it talks you through some of the key sticking points in the deright here, it goes through the idea of a government sponsored health care plan. a mandate, let's do one more here, it talks about the expansion of current programs. it talks about the key players, you're hearing a good deal about

max baucus, we talk to you about the key players and why they're so important. and also the key plans the way they are right now. cnn.com/healthcare. when you're there i also encourage you to bring up the fact checks, i bring you all the truth squad fact checks that we have from this. all these ads you keep seeing on tv, you can take a look at these ads and you can look over here to see who those people are, who the group is behind it, what their agenda is, where they're coming from, and everything i just showed you you can get to very easily. cnn.com/healthcare. and there's also cnn.com/josh, if that's easier for you remember to. tonight after the speech, there will be more and more and we'll have it for you here too. >> thanks, josh. and you can see president obama's speech right here, live from the best political team on television, 8 p.m. eastern, 5:00 p.m. pacific right here on cnn.

a woman calls 911 pleading to be saved from her kidnapper, help didn't come and her life was lost. but out of that botched call, her husband found a calling and you're going to hear from him. with unbeatable prices on tresemmé tres two hairspray beauty costs less at walmart. save money. live better. walmart.

denise amber lee, a young mother of two, did she have to die? she was kidnapped last year in florida and did everything she could to save her life. even in the car with the man who's about to kill her, she had the presence of mind to take his cell phone and call 911. listen. >> hello, hello. >> please let me go! i want to see my family again. please let me go. please let me go. >> screaming to let her go, that call lasted six minutes and help never game.

denise's voice was a star of a murder trial that helped convict her killer. you think it's painful to hear, imagine what denise's husband felt like. nathan lee is here now to talk about that call, that call that has become his cause. good to see you, nate. >> hi, kyra, how are you? >> i'm good, but i tell you it's hard for me to even listen to that 911 call. and you have listened to it far more than i have. are you at a different point now that you have heard it so many times or does it still strike you the same way? >> well, i have only heard it at least two or three times now, so i really haven't heard it that much. but it's the most horrible thing i could ever listen to any my entire life. i try not to hear it when i don't have to. but it definitely convicted her killer and it definitely got him the death penalty. she was definitely the key witness to get him caught and the evidence she left behind. it's just horrible to think what she was going through, but she's

in heaven now and in a better place and i'm just glad that we're able to start pushing forward to help reform the system that didn't save her. >> and that's exactly what you're doing. we're going to talk more about that. let me ask you -- in just a second. but let me ask you about michael king, her killer. a jury has recommended death. what do you think about that? >> well, i don't -- i think it's going to be -- he's going to get off a lot easier than he deserves. but, you know, it's what we have in this country, it's a law that i think is important, i think the death penalty is important and that's what he'll get and the family's happy that he's not going to live the rest of his life in prison, denise isn't here anymore. nothing will bring her back, but i think justice is starting to be served. but the true justice, i think is trying to help fix a system that failed her like i just mentioned. >> you know what? i thought -- and i'm for full disclosure here, i thought that you had heard that 911 call many

more times, i didn't realize that you only heard it twice and this might have been possibly your third. and we were going to air it in it's entirety but i don't think i want to do because it's making both of us uncomfortable in many ways and if that's all right with you, i'm going to leave it to folks if they want to hear it to go to cnn.com. and how about you and i push forward like you want to do and i'll just let folks know, it just wasn't your wife's six-minute phone call, there was another witness that was on the phone with 911 for nine minutes, they saw her in the back of that car at the window screaming for help. they were telling 911 what streets she was crossing, apparently there was a squad car just a mile away. i know that you have been very supportive of 911 operators, you know it's a good thing. but what happened there that is the most frustrating thing to you and what do you think you

can do now to change that botched system? >> well, you know, 911 right now is a patch work of technology, training standards throughout the entire country and unfortunately in different areas where we live, things are going to be different. and that's one of the things we're trying to focus on to get everything uniform, in florida, creating a state standards and throughout the country hopefully a national standard. basically in this case, the information that was sent to the 911 center never got dispatched. procedures weren't followed. there was a communications breakdown. and ultimately, could have, in my mind, 100% could have saved my wife's life. and i wouldn't be here right now if that was the case. >> let me ask you, did you ever have a chance to talk to those 911 operators? was there ever a meeting or a conversation or anything between you and them or their superiors? >> yeah, the chief deputy at the

time which is now the sheriff tried to rationalize everything with me and my father-in-law and my father-in-law ironically worked for that sheriff's office for 26 years now. and tried to shrug it off to make it seem like it was ant big deal. i have since filed civil litigation against them. i think anybody would. it's completely ridiculous that you -- they were looking for denise, they finally found her, jane kowalski who was the caller located her on the busy road, u.s. 41 and they never relayed the information. and that's going to be the hardest things out of everything to tell my kids, the fact that we were that close to seeing her again. >> how are the kids doing? you have two beautiful children. >> i see denise in them every time i look at them. the most tragic thing about this whole thing is they don't have their mom anymore. they're 3 and 2 now, noah and adam, they're two bundles of joy

and i know the family thinks we could just spawn them into 15 different kids so everyone could be with them all the time. but they have denise in them and that brings me a lot of comfort. >> your wife is definitely living through them, from what i hear, they're pretty fabulous kids. >> they are, they're good. >> i want to go ahead and talk about the website before we let you go, nate, if you don't mind. it's deniseamberlee.org. it's a foundation that you set up and it explains exactly what happened to your wife and what happened to the botched system, the 911 system, and how you're trying to push forward and make changes. what else -- i know a lot of people have been driven to this website and have been talking about it throughout the day and even on the radio and a lot of people want to know what they can do? the best thing they can do is just become a member of our website and if they want to contribute to our website, donate, obviously we're nonprofit.

i'm traveling all over the country, i have formed an amazing partnership with the 911 try to help improve the national training standards throughout the country and we're really making some amazing progress and hopefully following in the steps of john walsh in the whole missing children's act. we're doing some great things, forming some federal legislative standards, that we're hoping to take up to capitol hill during the next couple of sessions of congress. it's a nice turning negative into a positive and it's good. >> absolutely. you stay strong. i really admire what you're doing, nate, thanks for talking with me today. >> thank you, car kyraing, i appreciate it. walter ellis is accused of nine murders around milwaukee, he's a former prisoner who should have given a dna sample under state law, it should have been collected ability years ago prior to the last murder. police have acquired dna testing

since the arrest. apparently melanie oudin had to switch hotels because her reservation ran out. the 17-year-old said she didn't expect to make it so far in the u.s. open, so the room wasn't in her name so the marriott didn't even know that she was there, she plays in the quarterfinals tonight and we heard that she did find a room somewhere. and garrison keeler is in the hospital recovering from a major stroke. he's up today moving, talking, even working on his lap top. the clinic expects to release him on friday. keillor is 67 years old and hopes to resume his regular schedule next week. eight years ago, two planes came crashing out of the sky with dozens of innocents on board. honoring the victims of flight

93 and the other victims lost on 9/11. when my wife started forgetting things... the doctor said it could be alzheimer's. i didn't want to believe it. but that night at the bowling alley... where's alice? oh, there she is! she seems a little confused. that's when i knew... i couldn't wait. our doctor told us prescription aricept... is the only treatment proven effective... for all stages of alzheimer's. studies showed aricept slows the progression of symptoms. it improves cognition... and slows the decline of overall function. aricept is well tolerated but not for everyone. people at risk for stomach ulcers...

or who take certain other medicines... should tell their doctors... because serious stomach problems... such as bleeding, may get worse. some people may experience fainting. some people may have nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bruising, or not sleep well. some people may have muscle cramps... or loss of appetite or may feel tired. in studies, these were usually mild and temporary. we really love this place. talk to your doctor about alzheimer's treatments... including aricept. don't wait. alzheimer's isn't waiting. i'm just a skeptic so i don't necessarily believe that anything is going to work but i was like, hey, this actually works. (announcer) only rogaine foam is shown to regrow hair in 85% of guys. i'll check it out and i'm like, nice. (announcer) rogain foam. stop losing. start gaining. 90s slacker hip-hop. ♪ that can strain your relationships and hurt yourody 'cause ru'pride ♪ng a ride ♪ ♪ it's the credit roller coaster ♪ ♪ and as you can see it kinda bites! ♪ ♪ so sing the lyrics with me: ♪ when your debt goes up your score goes down ♪ ♪ when you pay a little off it goes the other way 'round ♪ ♪ it's just the same for everybody, every boy and girl ♪ ♪ the credit roller coaster makes you wanna hurl ♪ ♪ so throw your hands in the air, and wave 'em around ♪

♪ like a wanna-be frat boy trying to get down ♪ ♪ then bring 'em right back to where your laptop's at... ♪ ♪ log on to free credit report dot com - stat! ♪ vo: free credit score and report with enrollment in triple advantage. the rest of the body is a no brainer. doesn't your whole body deserve excedrin strength relief? excedrin back & body. excedrin. what ache?

well, it sounds like the start of the worst romantic comedy of all time. it's the old boy meets girl stuf story complicated by aggravated robbery. steve bennett was one of three men who robbed a couple on wednesday night. but then he allegedly went back to the victims house and asked her for a date.

he played coy while her cousin called the police. rick, he sure had a lot of gumption, or were you listening? >> i wish i could tell you that i wasn't, but i was. >> you need to put your mike on? >> you're serious? you mean it fell off? i got it now? >> actually you weren't paying attention, you didn't put it on. >> i get so wrapped up in this journalism thing, it makes me crazy. >> everybody's laughing out here. i'm laughing too, guys. i got two things for you today kyra. first of all, there's a u.s. congressman who's heard saying something that i think she might have some explaining to do about. one of these berther people comes up and says that the president of the united states is constitutionally unsound to be president, suggests that the president shouldn't be there because it's not right and he's violating the constitution. of course all of this has been

proven to be falsehoods, it's been disproven, but then the congresswoman then whispers to her and you're going to hear this on the tape, i agree with you, but the courts don't. that's what she says. it's weird, it's almost -- some would argue, as they watch this, that it's a little unbecoming a congresswoman to say something like that. we're going to let you see the video and let you decide for yourself. but one thing that i think americans too often don't concentrate on. the president's going to be talking tonight and going through the whole health care reform strategy that he has. is it really his strategy? is it really his health care reform? is he really the guy in power? some people would argue that you know who's really in power? the lobbyists, the people in the health care industry, the people in the insurance company. let me tell you what cnn is reporting. $375 million, that's how much has been given to influence this health care debate since we

started. this is only in the last eight months. and that's more money than has ever been spent to influence any legislation in the history of the united states. that's important. that's the kind of thing that we're glad to be talking about today. >> all right, rick, we'll see you in a little bit. >> there you go. all eyes on apple today. the company just unveiled it's new iphones. but the condition of steve jobs, how did he look? >> he looks thin, he looks thin and that's understandable given the trauma he's been through, including a liver transplant. but to see steve jobs on the stage was a great thrill. apple's known for great theater. the rolling stones, "it's only rock 'n roll but i like it." what followed was sustained standing ovations. jobs had not made a public aems

since last fall. he had taken a six-month medical leave of absence, he thanked everyone in the dmunt for the support that he's received. he says he's loving every day back at work and he's urging everyone to consider organ donation, kyra. >> oh, my gosh, that's a heart wrencher. >> it is. >> but what a great message. >> he's alive today because of a person, unnamed person in their 20s, who died in a car accident and has given the gift of life to steve jobs. >> and you can actually fill it out on your license, you can can say, donate my organs. i do it. >> i do it as well. >> i knew, i had a feeling. wow, that was a little bit of a sobering message there, what about big developments on the product side? >> yes, that too. a lot of upgrades to the ipod, whether it's new colors, more

storage, faster, if i had to pick one, i would say the nanohas the most upgrades and has a video camera, a pedestrom to track your footsteps. 30,000 ring tones, if that is your thing. all kinds of stuff to personalize your play list, for instance, more incentives to buy albums as opposed to songs. it will allow five computers in one home to share music video and other content. so a lot of stuff, some better prices, just in time for back to school. and the holidays. kyra. >> i just can't keep up with all this stuff. i want to go back to the more simple days, the pay phone. >> you mean vinyl? >> writing letters. vinyl. exactly. i want to go old school on means of communication. >> that is why i am so happy a software consultant lives upstairs.

>> great to see you, susan. >> likewise. eight years ago friday, lawmakers evacuated the capitol as our nation was plunged into the kind of tragedy that we have never seen before. now as the 9/11 anniversary draws near, lawmakers pay tribute to the lives lost in the worst terrorist attack in our country's history. we're going to take you there. ( chirp ) team three, boathouse? ( chirp ) oh yeah-- his and hers. - ( crowd gasping ) - ( chirp ) van gogh? ( chirp ) even steven. - ( chirp ) mansion. - ( chirp ) good to go. ( grunts ) timber! ( chirp ) boss? what do we do with the shih-tzu? - ( crowd gasps ) - ( chirp ) joint custody. - phew! - announcer: get work done now. communicate in less than a second with nextel direct connect. only on the now network. deaf, hard of hearing and people with speech disabilities access www.sprintrelay.com.

these days, wouldn't it be great if saving money happened as automatically as everything else? at bank of america, it practically does. use the bankamericard power rewards visa credit card and earn rewards like cash back with every purchase. cash you can put into savings. or even use to help pay down your credit card balance. it's one of the many ways we make saving money in tough times a whole lot easier.

happening right now only capitol hill, remembering the worst terrorist attack in u.s. history, lawmaker also pay tribute to the thousands of americans whose lives were taken eight years ago this friday. i'm of course talking about 9/11, there will be a plaque dedication ceremony for the victims of united airlines flight 93. the jet crashed in rural pennsylvania after passengers commandeered the aircraft from the terrorists. all 40 people aboard that plane perished, but their sacrifice may have saved thousands of lives. we'll be back here tomorrow from 1:00 to 3:00 eastern time. thank you for joining us, rick sanchez takes it from here. say it ain't so. there's an incredible turn in the mass murder that began with this call.