beloveded foul would be gone, but the fairest of all is still in his arms. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> what a sweet dad. so cute. she did what he taught her to do, right? throw the ball. >> and make sure she knew she department didn't do anything wrong. >> great to have you with us this morning. be back tomorrow. continue today's conversation on our blog, cnn.com/amfix. >> and big story this morning out of new haven, connecticut. arrest made in the case of a yale student who was found murdered. that coverage continues. right now, "cnn newsroom" with heidi collins. breaking news to report this morning. that's right, an arrest has been made in the killing of a yale graduate student. in fact, the man police had been watching and watching closely is now in custody and charged in the death. also, cnn's mary snow, as you can see here, has been covering the story. she's got the details that have come out out of the police news conference that happened just a few minutes ago. we're going to give you the very, very latest.

also, we have this story for you as well. an explosion and a big one too, rips through a residential part of kabul. soldiers and civilians are dead. it is thursday, september 17th. hi, everybody. i'm heidi collins. you are in the "cnn newsroom." want to begin with this morni morning. a suicide bomber targeting international soldiers in the capital city. at least 16 people are dead, dozens more are injured. some of the victims are soldiers. atia abawi is joining us now live. >> reporter: heidi, 16 people are dead because of this suicide car bomb in kabul. among the dead, six italian soldiers, a convoy that was targeted, and ten civilians. we're being told by the ministry of interior that the suicide car bomber ripped through this main road in kabul, afghanistan,

targeting this convoy. and in the end, also injuring around 60 people together, four other italian soldiers also injured and at least 55 civilians. heidi? >> as far as the circumstances here, i know that we are just learning, as we go, obviously, is it possible that this death toll could change, or do we know everything that we can know at this point? >> reporter: this seems to be the final number that we're getting from the ministry of interior as well as from the italian government. they're the ones who actually came out with the statistics on the italian soldiers who were killed. let's remember that this is the holy month of ramadan and it's the 27th day of ramadan, which has a special meaning to the muslims around the world. it's supposed to be a peaceful day. but for the fanatics out there, many of them feel if they do attack, if they do strike on this holy day, that for some reason they benefit more. but if anyone really knows islam, this isn't the case, and

in fact, islam does not condone suicide killings, let alone attacks. heidi? >> atia, let us know if anything develops here. we'll stay on top of it alongside you. atia abawi, this morning, live from kabul, afghanistan. now we want to get though this breaking news in the killing of a yale graduate student. just a few minutes ago, police in new haven, connecticut, announced an arrest. and cnn's mary snow has been following the ayers. she joins us now live outside the police station. so we do have an arrest, we do have a man in custody? >> reporter: heidi, it is raymond clark. and we have just gotten word that he was brought here to the new haven police department. he was arrested within the last hour. he was about 40 miles outside of new haven in a hotel and police have been keeping him under surveillance throughout the night. police say that he is being charged with murder, but that they are sealing the arrest warrant, so that much of the information, they would not talk about. police say what they will

confirm is that they made this arrest based on interviews, forensic evidence, and information that they learned from video surveillance. raymond clark is a lab technician here at yale. he was taken into custody a few days ago and withheld for about five hours as police obtained dna samples from him. now, yale university has just sent out a message from its president, richard levin, and he says that raymond clark has been an employee as a lab technician since december of 2004 here at yale. he says his supervisor reports that nothing in his history of his employment at the university gave an indication that his involvement in such a crime might be possible. also, heidi, while officials weren't giving details about what exactly led them to this arrest, one of the representatives from the fbi also pointed out that the polygraph unit and the

behavioral analysis unit participated in this investigation, which can give you some insight into how this investigation went down. also, one thing i also wanted to mention is that the new haven police chief said, this is not an urban crime. this is a crime about workplace violence. but he really refused to talk about any kind of relationship or interaction that this suspect had with annie le, the graduate student who was murdered. and she disappeared last tuesday, her body, of course, found on sunday. >> yeah. the same day that she was supposed to get married. i did hear him say that. mary, i have a couple other questions, you may not have the answers to, because they are keeping things pretty close to the vest at this point. something like 300 items collected as evidence. and earlier, they, of course, had been saying, if we find someone whose dna matches in this crime, we'll bring charges about. but there is no reference at this point to a match in dna? >> reporter: correct. the chief said that there was

forensic evidence. also, he pointed out that there are no other suspects. he did say yesterday, when there was a dna match, that an arrest would be made. >> all right. very good. mary, staying on top of the story for us and we will love to talk to you again should we learn anymore here as the morning goes on. mary snow, thanks so much, new haven, connecticut, this morning. also, new searches to tell you about being carried out in colorado as part of an ongoing investigation into a possible terror threat in new york. the man at the center of the alleged operation, now forced to give a dna sample to federal agents. deborah feyerick has been following this story for us this week in new york. >> reporter: heidi, this investigation started in denver and took federal agents to new york. where it goes next is anyone's guest. with some new york city residents on edge, an investigation into a possible terror strike ongoing this morning. fbi agents searched the denver home of an afghan man who recently traveled across the

country. he's 24-year-old nanlg beulah zazi, an airport limo driver who moved from denver to new york three months ago. this as fbi director robert mueller answered questions on capitol hill about predawn rains on two apartments in queens, new york. >> could you ensure new yorkers and the american public that the situation is under sufficient control and there is no imminent danger to their safety? >> i can say that i do not believe there's imminent danger from that particular investigation. >> reporter: so far, no one has been arrested. cnn affiliate kusa in denver spoke to zazi and his lawyer. he says zazi went to new york to resolve an issue related to a vending cart business and denied that zazi has any ties to terrorism. >> i think the main thing he wants people to understand is that he had absolutely nothing to do with this. he loves this country. he loves living here. that's why he brought his family over here. >> reporter: during the trip, zazi was stopped by police before crossing the george washington bridge for what he

was told was a random drug stop. later, his rental car was towed for alleged parking violations. police asked if they could search the car and examine a laptop while it was impounded. zazi agreed. zazi's return visit to new york prompted fbi agents to raid the two homes of people he contacted. one of the men questioned by agents spoke to us on conditions we not use his name. the man said, while not close, he has known zazi for about seven years. he ran into him at a queens mosque and agreed to let him stay at his place for the night. he said, quote, he's pashtun. you can't turn away a fellow pashtun, said the acquaintance, who did not see zazi leave the next day. his lawyer says zazi was interviewed by federal agents and gave fingerprint, dna, and handwriting samples. new york has been on heightened security because of the 9/11 anniversary, presidential visit, and upcoming united nations general assembly when world leaders will gather next week. whether new york is the end point or just a stopping point in the investigation with more raids to come is an open

question. heidi? >> all right, deb, thanks so much for that. a.c.o.r.n. has been in the news a lot lately. now they're striking back as new video shows what appears to be shading dealings by the organizing group's employees. we are looking at more flooding across the south. good morning, everybody. i'm meteorologist rob marciano in the cnn severe weather center. we'll talk about that and that super typhoon when the "cnn newsroom" comes right back.

a.c.o.r.n. in the hot seat this morning. more calls for investigations as several undercover videos bring unwelcome attention to the community organization. fbi director robert mueller and california governor arnold schwarzenegger among the latest to consider probes. jessica yellin gets to the heart of the story. >> reporter: these are the hidden camera videos that triggered a firestorm over grassroots activist group, a.c.o.r.n. behind the videos, two 20-somethings. hanna giles, seen here posing as a prostitute, and james o'keefe, pretending to be her pimp. the two are conservative filmmakers. according to her web biography, giles is the daughter of

conservative writer doug giles, now an internet sensation, she's appeared on fox news. >> as i sat there, i was like, i cannot believe they're actually falling for this. and not necessarily falling for it, but what can we get them to say next. >> reporter: o'keefe says he's a filmmaker dedicated to exposing corruption he believes the mainstream media ignores. here he's in his pimp outfit on fox news. >> i think this is the future of investigative journalism and the future of political activism. >> reporter: the two have gotten results. since these videos were posted, the u.s. senate has voted to cut off some of a.c.o.r.n.'s funding. and media outlets from "the washington times" to jon stewart are asking -- >> where were the real reporters on this story?! you know what, investigative media, give me camera three, where the hell were you? >> reporter: it's not the first time agenda-driven activists have made headlines with undercover reports. the animal rights groupieta makes them all the time and political campaigns have driven

news with videos like this. remember mckaka. >> mckaka, or whatever his name is. >> reporter: that remark considered racially sensitive by some took down an incumbent senator. experts in investigative journalist says reporters are wise to be cautious about posing as fake characters and using hidden cameras to get a story. >> you really have to weigh, again, how important the information is, how important the story is to society, your community, and is there any other way to get at it. because i think it does raise questions of fairness and the credibility of the media. >> reporter: the video makers turned down our request for an interview through their sponsor, the conservative commentator andrew bratbart. they said they made these videos out of a sense of idealism and righteousness and have another video coming. jessica yellin, cnn, washington. >> in fact, the senate has voted to withhold federal housing funds from a.c.o.r.n. and just last week, the census bureau

severed ties with the organization. a.c.o.r.n. is also dogged by repeated probes into voter fraud. last night rick sanchez spoke with a.c.o.r.n.'s ceo, bertha lewis. >> how do you explain what americans have seen on some of these videotapes? i mean, somebody advising, you know, alleged pimps and prostitutes or people describing themselves as pimps and prostitutes to set up brothels. how do you explain that? >> pretty horrendous, isn't it? >> yeah. >> this would curl anybody's hair. and it was outrageous, and indefensible, even though we know these tapes -- no one has shown totally unedited tapes, because you don't see tapes where they were thrown out of a.c.o.r.n. offices. you don't see tapes where people are told, you know, we can't help you. but be that as it may, i will not tolerate unprofessional -- not meeting our standards. >> so the people have been fired? the people that we see on these tapes have been fired?

>> yes. but listen, rick, i've got over 700 employees. and this is a handful of folks. i immediately took swift action and i said, you know what, we're going to look at this, we're going to make a review from top to bottom so that this thing never happens again. we work too hard to have some trumped up thing like this happen. >> a.c.o.r.n. also announced a hiring freeze and says it will begin a new employee training program. and want to let you know, coming up at 10:00 a.m. this hour. our own abbie boudreau from the special investigations unit is tracking down one of the cay connor workers who is featured in these tapes. alaba abbi will have that for us. four men charged with gang rape are free today after the victim recanted her story. she claimed the men sexually assaulted her early sunday after luring her into a dormitory men's room. the woman now admits she had

consensual sex with the men. they have launched an investigation into the woman's statements. the missile defense shield, a promise from president bush, now facing the ax from the current administration. at are w? the flowers are blooming. the air is sweet. and zyrtec® starts... relieving my allergies... 2 hours faster than claritin®. my worst symptoms feel better, indoors and outdoors. with zyrtec®, the fastest... 24-hour allergy medicine, i promise not to wait as long to go for our ride. zyrtec® works fast, so i can love the air™. i'm ed whitacre, the new chairman of general motors.

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time now for a check of our top stories this morning. an african-american woman in georgia says she has not been able to sleep since she was beaten by a white man last week. police say she was attacked in front of her 7-year-old daughter at a restaurant south of atlanta. federal investigators are looking at it as a possible hate crime. a powerful voice of the civil rights movement is silent today. mary travers of the folk trio peter, paul & mary has died after a long battle with

leukemia. the group's songs like "if i had a hammer" and "blowing in the ring" rang out messages of protest and freedom during the 1960s. their career spanned more than 50 years. mary travers, dead at the age of 72. the white house is confirming this morning they have decided to scrap the controversial missile defense shield. the administration deciding the current plan is not necessary anymore. cnn foreign affairs correspondent jill dougherty joins us now life from washington. first off, jill, maybe we should sort of lay out just, generally, what we're talking about here by way of missile defense system. >> well, you know, the missile defense system that we're talking about was proposed by the bush administration. it would put interceptors in poland and there would be a radar system in the czech republic. it's something that the bush administration really wanted, but obama, when he came in, president obama came in, he had some doubts about it. and he continues to have doubts. and now, today, we're hearing that they are going to be pulling the plug on that, heidi. >> all right. what are we are hearing from

some of these foreign governments on this decision. and also, from the department of defense, who i am sure he consulted, you know, with great concern, yes? >> absolutely. well, there's a visceral and very emotional reaction, not an official one, but to cnn from spokesperson for the defense debate in poland, saying that this is a catastrophe for poland. the czechs, actually, the prime minister issued a really tight-lipped statement, saying the czech republic knows the decision of the president of the united states of america. obviously, they are not happy. and you can understand why. but the defense department, and i think we're going to hear this probably from the administration today -- >> the united states defense department, of course. >> yes, i should say that. the united states defense department says, yes, things have changed. the threat is different. iran does not have long-range missiles. it does have short and medium-range, but they don't yet have a long-range missile.

and that's what we're talking about. so there are other ways of dealing with those short and medium-range missiles. and you don't need this system. and you're going to be sure that they're going to be trying to convince the pols and the czechs that their defense remains the same, that they're committed to defending them. >> is there any new evidence to suggest that there is no way that iran could ever develop a long-range missile? >> well, obviously, the development continues, but the time frame is cut back. and another part of this is the domestic anger, and you're going to hear this, saying that the president caved to russia. >> big story. jill dougherty, appreciate that. let's quickly trace the history of the missile defense system. the framework for the first anti-ballistic missile system or abm came after world war ii. president eisenhower placed more emphasis on the program in the 1950s. and president ronald reagan parked interest again in 1983

when he announced his strategic defense initiative, better known as star wars. the program fell out of favor, though, and was finally scrapped under president clinton. in 2001, president george w. bush brought the program back to life as the missile defense shield. he said it was needed to protect u.s. interests from attack by rogue states trying to develop weapons of mass destruction. we'll stay on top of that story for you here. weather now, across much of the southeast, late summer storms have triggered flash flooding. this is the scene outside little rock, arkansas, where authorities shut down parts of pinnacle mountain state park. quick, sometimes violent downpours caused similar flooding in several states. rob marciano in the severe weather center now for more on this. and boy, it seems like sort of a domino effect, right? >> yeah, several states, including georgia. it rained yesterday like nothing i've ever seen in atlanta. so this system is spreading out, but the good news with that, it's weakening just a little bit. still flood watches in effect. you notice the big read "l"

really hasn't moved a whole lot the past couple of days. that's certainly a worry. here it is on the radar scope. area low has moved back into texas, but the entire expanse of moisture really encompasses the entire southeast. later on today, we'll see stuff much like what we saw earlier yesterday, which is afternoon thunderstorms that will create some serious, serious downpours. still some flood warnings and watches that are posted for a good chunk of arkansas. at one point, yesterday, about half of the state was under a flood warning. another 1 to 2 inches possible today, so shouldn't be quite as severe as yesterday. but when you have ground that's already saturated, all you need is half an inch to another inch and that does the trick. again, here's your forecast the next 48 hours. it surgeon general certainly keeps it fairly expansive. we'll push some of this rain out, but today, daytime highs, will be rain cooled in atlanta, memphis, and at last in the 70s and plain old cool in new york,

67 there. 63 expected in boston. some spots in maine last night and early this morning were in the 20s, to give you an idea how cool that air is. meanwhile, temperatures in montana near record-breaking highs. 92 there. 75 in denver. so a bit topsy-turvy. a cool front that comes through montana sometimes in the next day or two. we'll talk more about this super typhoon, still 150-mile-an-hour winds in the next half hour. >> still sticking around, but still away from land, correct? >> still churning -- >> in the middle of nowhere? >> there's japan right there, so heading in that general direction. we'll give you the forecast. >> rob, thank you. >> you got it. could bit the make or break proposal for health insurance reform? what they're saying on capitol hill right now about the baucus plan. the algae are very beautiful. they come in blue or red, golden, green. algae could be converted into biofuels... that we could someday run our cars on. in using algae to form biofuels, we're not competing with the food supply.

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to wall street now, the dow jumped by triple digits

yesterday to its highest level in nearly a year. today, we have more encouraging signs on the economy. unemployment lines got a little shorter last week. more homes being built. and as we listen to the opening bell for this thursday, susan lisovicz is at the new york stock exchange to tell us it's all going to happen again today, right, susan? >> good morning, heidi. we're hoping for it and we certainly have some economic news that would encourage the bulls. but we're talking about three days of gains, eight out of nine days where we saw the market go higher. we are expecting some caution at the open. home construction rose last month to the highest level in nine months, largely because of a jump in apartment building. the overall gain, smaller than expected. meanwhile, a separate report shows new jobless claims unexpectedly dropped last week. but the number of people relying on unemployment benefits over the long-term rose to 6.2 million, showing that people are still having trouble finding work. american airlines getting a huge cash injection, nearly $3

billion from citigroup and ge. the company's parent also changing its flight schedule to cope with declining revenue. it's cutting flights to and from st. louis and raleigh, durham, but will add flights at its hubs in dallas, chicago, new york, and miami. corporate heavyweights could come into play today. fedex, which is also considered a bellwether for the economy, because it serves so many sectors, says its quarterly profit sliced in half and warned of more weakness ahead. and oracle was down in the premarket. it recorded a drop in sales, a worrisome sign for the technology sector. after a few days of gains, we are seeing a little bit of a sluggish start, but, heidi, i just want you to know, i want you to look closely. the dow ended yesterday at 9791. are you looking closely here. >> i'm trying. oh, there's your dow 10,000 hat. >> yeah, 200 points and change

from dow 10,000 and that hat's a little dusty, because that hat was distributed ten years ago. so we are making strides, but we have a way to go yet. >> you know, i have my 15,000 hat. >> we were talking about that earlier. i'm thinking maybe 2010 could be the year. >> really?! okay. can you get me one of those 10,000 hats? i like it a lot. >> dust and everything. it will be shipped to you. >> absolutely. we'll check back later. president obama making a new pitch for health insurance reform about two hours from now. the president will attend a rally at the university of maryland, my alma mater. white house officials are reaching out to young adults across the country. in fact, special the millions without health insurance. the rally will be streamed live through a facebook application. the address, apps.facebo

apps.facebook.com/whitehouselive . the health care reform debate moves into a new phase as we learn details of a plan its chief proponent has the best chance for senate passage. cnn's brianna keilar is on capitol hill again this morning. brianna, we talked to you yesterday when max baucus' plan was first was made public. what are we going to see happen here? >> he'll be meeting with the finance committee, and senator max baucus along with his staff behind closed doors will be walking the republicans and the democrats through this plan that we started talking about yesterday. and they are expected to get some questions. so we're going to be waiting outside of there, heidi, trying to figure out exactly what concerns were raised, what's really weighing on these senators' minds. and certainly this plan is getting hit from the left by some democrats, who want a public option. this plan does not have one. it's a nonprofit health co-op system. also, some democrats and even some republicans who are concerned that it's not going to do enough to make health care affordable for some lower income

americans. also, there are some republicans on the right, there are concerns that this plan costs too much, as well the discomfort with this idea of the health co-op, even though it's not a public option, there is a concern with how this might be executed if the government is going to be involved. after that, heidi, all of the democrats in the senate are going to have a lunch. and they, of course, will be talking about health care. that is the focus of their lunch and we'll be waiting to see all of the reaction that comes out of that. >> yes, we will, indeed. brianna keilar live at capitol hill this morning, thanks, brian brianna. former president jimmy carter's remarks that racism plays a role in opposition to president barack obama's policies are beginning to hit a nerve with people of both political policies. carter is standing by his comments, as seen in an appearance at emory university in atlanta last night. >> when a radical fringe element of demonstrators and others begin to attack the president of

the united states of america as an animal or as a reincarnation of adolf hitler or when they wave signs in the air that said we should have buried obama with kennedy, those kind of things are beyond the bounds of the way presidents have ever been accepted. even with people who disagree. and i think people that are guilty of that kind of personal attack against obama have been influenced to a major degree by a belief that he should not be president because he happens to be african-american. it's a racist attitude. and my hope is and my expectation is that in the future, both democratic leaders and republican leaders will take the initiative in condemning that kind of unprecedented attack on the president of the

united states. >> on tuesday, carter said racial politics were also involved in congressman joe wilson's "you lie" outburst directed towards president obama last week. wilson was asked about carter's comment by a "washington times" reporter. >> i would say that, mr. president, let's discuss health insurance reform. let's discuss the issues before us and i respect the office of the president. and i would just tell him, hey, you need to get focused on the issue. >> white house officials have distanced themselves from carter's comments. spokesman robert gibbs says the president doesn't think criticism of his policies is based on the color of his skin. and that new plan for health reform, what would it mean for you and your wallet, exactly? we're going to break it down for you in just a couple minutes. and you get to choose any car in the aisle. choose any car? you cannot be serious!

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checking our top stories now. iraq and syria looking to ease tensions. their foreign ministers are getting together now in a meeting hosted by turkish officials. relations became strained after suicide truck bombings killed at least 100 people in baghdad last month.

the iraqi government said iraqis behind the attacks were being sheltered in syria, a charge the syrians denied. many economists believe the recession is over, but most americans do not share that feeling. the latest cnn opinion research poll finds an overwhelming majority of us, 86%, in fact, think the u.s. is still in a recession. now, traditionally, economists have declared recessions over before the public has felt any relief. for more on how your neighbors are doing in these economic tough times, check out cnn's "money & main street." you can catch it tonight, 11:00 eastern, 8:00 pacific. and of course, we always want to hear from you, so today, our blog question is exactly that. do you think the u.s. recession is still going on? tell us why, tell us what some of your personal experiences are, if you would. just go to my blog page here, cnn.com/heidi. click on my picture, you get a little synopsis of the poll that we've done here at cnn that you just saw and then you can register your comments.

we'll share some of them with you in just a little while here in the "cnn newsroom." now to the battle over health care reform. a leading democrat has offered a long-awaited plan that many hoped would bring together both parties. now, it seems the only thing bipartisan is the criticism of it. christine romans of the cnn money team breaks it down for us. the max baucus proposal, i guess that's what we're calling it. christine, how exactly would this plan affect our pocketbooks? >> well, it would. there are several provisions in here that are going to immediately and directly affect your pocketbook, when this thing would take place in 2013. heidi, i come here with a bag of caveats, because we don't know what it's going to look like once there's the normal political horse trading. we don't know what it's going to be looking like. this is just an analysis, just for the summary. by 2013, according to this bill, people would be required, almost everyone would be required to buy health insurance, to be insured.

you couldn't be walking around with health insurance. if you didn't get health insurance, you would be fined. here's what those fines would like. if you were a family making 300% of the poverty level, that's about $66,000, the fine would be $3,800 a year. if you're an individual, your income's about $32,000 a year and you didn't buy health insurance, you didn't get health insurance, it would be $950 a year. >> looks great, right? >> look lower down, like the income strata here. families making below $66,000 a year, their fine would be $1,500 and individuals making below $32,000, their fine would be $750. now, medicaid would be expanded, eligibility for medicaid would be expanded. this is already a government-run health care program. that would be expanded to include $30,000 income for a family of four, $14,400 income for an individual. you would be required to buy this insurance where? either directly from an

insurance company, you already get it from your own company that you're working for, or you could buy it through a state exchange. and there would be affordability tax credits, depending where you are, again, on the income strata, there would be affordability tax credits to help you pay for those premiums, to help you pay for the cost of the drugs, and to help you get that insurance. so a lot of interesting elements of all of this, but it would make a difference to the bottom line for families and there are a lot of things we're watching here as they go through the process. >> to be honest, it's just plain hard to talk about right now because there are potentially so many changes that could take place before there's an actual final bill, if you will. >> i think the real winners here, heidi, the real winners are people who have a pre-existing condition and who don't have health insurance right now. those are the people who see that the biggest and most immediate benefits. so that's where you see the biggest change. >> right. absolutely. christine romans of our cnn money team, sure do appreciate that. we'll talk again, i'm certain of it. >> sure. health care and health

insurance, wherever you go around the world, those are the hot topics. members of cnn's global team of correspondents takes a look now. >> reporter: i'm paula hancocks in jerusalem. and like the united states, health care here in israel is not a topic of great debate. and that's because medical coverage is already universal here and has been since 1995, even before that law was introduced, some estimate 96% of israelis already had some kind of insurance. so while israelis might have much to complain to their government about, health care is not one of those issues. and the infant mortality right, the life expectancy rate here in israel is actually higher than in the united states and in many western european countries. >> reporter: hi. i'm matthew chance in moscow. and one huge killer in this country is, you guessed it, the bottle. russians drink more than any other people in the world, nearly five gallons of pure

alcohol every year for every man, woman, and child here. as you might expect, alcoholism is one of the main reasons why life expectancy here is so low, just 58 years for russian men, who are, of course, the biggest drinkers. consumption of low-quality, homemade or industrial alcohol is also another big health risk. government figures say more than 30,000 russians die every year of alcohol poisoning. >> reporter: i'm ben wedeman in giza, egypt. in the time of the far far rows, the egyptian health system is in perennial crisis, underfunded and overwhelmed. according to the world bank, egyptians have to pay about 60% of their medical expenses out of their own pockets. and in this country where 44% of the population lives on less than $2 a day, those pockets are

very shallow. >> and we will have more of these global health care looks as we keep up our coverage of the debate right here in the united states. milk farmers in europe are angry over falling prices, so they've taken this extreme step. dumping nearly 1 million gallons of mil in a field. that was more of a symbolic gesture, i guess. but other milk men have stopped deliveries around europe, which could lead to shortages as early as next week. the farmers say they could lose about $14 billion if prices keep falling. mexico's drug war, the latest, a deadly attack in the border town of juarez. if you are a runner or have been thinking about jogging to get back into shape, a word of advice. it takes more than stretching to stay pain free. here are more tips now from cnn's melissa long.

>> reporter: six years ago, if you told donna murphy she'd be running every day, she would have laughed. >> not in a million years, would i have ever thought it. >> reporter: now in her mid-40s, donna is a marathoner. but she's careful. she works with an athletic trainer to keep herself injury free. experts say busy 30-somethings may be tempted to take shortcuts to save time, such as cutting out the stretching routines. trainers say, don't do it. >> if you're flexible, there's a good chance that that can help decrease some injuries that you may get by running. >> reporter: and pick a good pair of shoes. incorrect footwear can cause a lot of hurt. >> that can cause shin pain, knee pain, hip pain, low back pain. so make sure you have good shoes. >> reporter: then there are the injuries. as you begin losing muscle and bone mass in your 40s, you may begin to see ligament injuries and suffer joint pain with running. experts say watch your mileage,

don't overdo it, add rest days, add strength train. >> that way you don't get that pounding you normally get when you're out running four or five days a week. >> reporter: drink plenty of water. starting in your 40s, doctors say your body's ability to conserve water is reduced, raising the risk of dehydration. in your 50s, stay with the strength training and work on your balance to help you stay steady on your feet. 53-year-old peter shapiro runs in new york city and knows the danger of running on uneven city streets. he does exercises with his trainer focusing on balance. >> there are some things done on these half balls that are unsteady so you have to kind of balance yourself while you're doing the exercise. >> reporter: or take tai chi or yoga classes to help your balance. training responsibility is the best way to keep on running, no matter your age. melissa long, cnn, atlanta. if i had to sit on a bench during the middle of a game

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we have new information to share with you in the case of the yale university graduate student who we learned earlier today from new haven police there has been an arrest made. they do have a suspect in custody. raymond clark iii who was a lab technician at yale. that is the news of the morning. we are also able to give a little bit more context here because a reporter is joining us. we understand you were able to speak with the public information officer from the police department. tell us what you learned. >> i just returned from the

police department. they'll speed up the arraignment in this case. as you know, they picked up the suspect this morning after an all-night wait to get the warrant signed. they want to get him right to the courthouse. i heard by the 10:00 a.m. opening which will be tough. usually when someone is arrested in the morning, they get arraigned the next day. if it's a priority, maybe in the afternoon. as you know, it will be a mad house there in the courthouse. they want to get it done quick. they felt they got the evidence lined up and lot lab results back and they feel the case is moving forward. >> that's the thing to point out. this is really, really much faster than what we typically see. we do know from the press conference held earlier today the police chief said they collected 300 items of evidence so that tells us that they pretty much believe they have their man. >> right. i just returned from a chat with

the chief in his office. he told me at no point in this investigation did they ever hit a block. he said that unlike a lot of other investigations they have so much evidence to begin with. at the didn't solve it in day one but it was easier to solve in a street robrobbery. he said there was so much evidence and so many security cameras in the building and 300 pieces of physical evidence. they were -- they knew where the cards were being swiped in every room where people went. it was a matter of plowing through the evidence. they talked to more than 100 people. at no time did they feel they were off track as early as sunday he told me this fellow was the person of interest. there were no other top suspects and the narcotics unit was trailing him and never lost sight of him. >> i didn't realize you spoke with the chief himself. quickly before i let you go, i understand -- everyone wants to know where he did it. i realize -- he may have done it

forgive me. many more proceedings before getting any verdict in all of this. as far as m.o. goes, he's not talking is the last we heard. he invoked his rights in all of this and working through attorneys? >> this is true. after the first interview with with the fbi he invoked his right against self-incrimination. he got a lawyer. we do know a couple of things. it appears clear from what we saw this morning that it is probably not a romantic motivation in this murder. the chief was clear to stress the words workplace violence. he said this is not a street crime. this is not a domestic crime. this is a workplace crime. he spoke about how that is on the rise in america. it has to be taken more seriously to look at signs in the workplace. >> i heard him say that myself. paul bass, great work from new england independent. we appreciate your latest information. we'll watch for that arraignment if it does take place today. thanks so much.

also, want to get you directly to this now. president barack obama issuing a statement on the missile defense system. are we going to this guy or -- no. not quite yet. we have been covering this story this morning and the decision by the obama administration to scrap this missile defense shield program in eastern europe. we're now hearing that the president will be talking about it and we'll bring that to you when it happens. our estimated time at this moment is 10:15. back in a moment here in the "cnn newsroom." announcer: "it looks like nothing else on the road right now,"

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a grieving mother says her son was good but they killed him. a 25-year-old man was among ten people shot to death this week when gunman burst into a drug treatment center. the city is at the center of a bloody battle between two mexican drug cartels. >> reporter: just across the border from san diego, six bodies were found inside a burning car in tijuana monday night. two were in the trunk. a sign they are among the latest

victims of mexican drug wars. ten people were gunned down in two separate incidents on tuesday. 1,647 people have been killed in the city so far this year. already surpassing the total for all of 2008. it's the result of a vicious turf battle between two cartels and local authorities seem powerless to stop. >> we have been able to get most of the crime rates down. bank robberies are down 80%. car thefts are down 50%. commercial thefts down 60%. most of the statistics are down. we need to work on murder rates with which are very difficult. >> reporter: it's not for lack of trying. fill even calderon agreed to allow the stay of troops in the city at the mayor's request. more than 600 police officers are on the job replacing 700 that left after an anti-corruption sweep. authorities are even running

public service ads dramatizing cartel killings with images that mirror real life in a message to the city's youth to stay away from the drug traverfficketraff. it's a hard sell. hundreds were arrested for collaborating with cartels and a convey was ambushed in broad daylight. >> every time you bash down on a creature of a cartel or cartel leader, another one pops up. i see the violence escalating. >> reporter: evidence of that includes two attacks this month at drug treatment facilities in mexico where a total of 28 people were killed. authorities suspect some of the victim were cartel members hiding out in the facilities. the violence continues to spill over to this side of the border. in recent weeks federal authority have arrested several suspects in california and texas accused of working for mexican drug cartels. the charges include murder,

kidnapping, narcotics and weapons trafficking. the missile defense shield is being shut down. the white house confirms to cnn the plan to stop the controversial program. president obama is scheduled to talk about his decision coming up in less than 15 minutes in fact. suzanne malveaux is covering the story and joining us now live. so we should probably remind everybody exactly what we're talking about here. this is sort of a program that's been in place since george w. bush reenacted a type of missile defense for the country. this one the shield program. obviously this is a radar site in czech republic talking about ten missile interceptors to counter the threat of iran possibly launching long range missiles. the administration says we don't need it anymore. why? >> reporter: in speaking with white house officials they explain it this way. intelligence says that the kinds of missiles that would be coming

from iran would not be long range and they're not able to deliver long-range missiles to allies in europe but rather short and medium range so they don't need this elaborate system to deal with this particular threat. they're going to put another system in place that would be more regional and be better developed. they say more effective. they don't need this to begin with. they're scrapping it. they also say that this is something that they have been assessing the threat level and they don't see it as serious as bush administration did when it comes to launching those missiles to u.s. allies. this is part -- as we know -- of looking at all of the possibilities here. we know the president went to moscow just months ago and have been very upset about the bush administration's idea of putting this system in their backyard. they see it as a threat to their own national security. this is something that very likely will please the russians. not the bush administration, the

obama administration but they are certainly going to need to mend fences with poland and the czech republic to say, look, we understand. we are still looking at your own security needs as well. heidi? >> it's very interesting. a lot more to talk about here certainly with regard to the possibility that this was perhaps decided because of the russians. we'll continue to follow that story closely. and we'll bring you statements coming up in about 15 minutes or so. suzanne malveaux, sure do appreciate that. international troops among the victims of a suicide attack in afghanistan's capital this morning. the attack targeted the troops as they drove through a residential area on their way to the military airport. 16 people are dead. six of them italian soldiers with a nato force there. dozens more are injured in the pla blast. the mission in afghanistan under discussion big time on capitol hill today. you're looking live at the senate foreign relations committee and hearing testimony

on alternate strategies for afghanistan. senators john mccain and lindsey graham will also hold their own event on capitol hill today. both took part in arms services committee hearings earlier this week talking today about the need to add additional troops in afghanistan. president obama has not been formally asked to send more troops just yet but a request could come in the next couple weeks from commanding general stanley mcchrystal. the president made it clear he wants to hear a winning strategy first. >> there's no immediate decision pending on resources because one of the things that i'm absolutely clear about is you have to get the strategy right and then make a determination about resources. you don't take determinations about resources and certainly you don't make determinations about sending young men and women into battle without having absolute clarity about what the strategy is going to be. >> the mission in afghanistan

has taken a hit in the polls but at least one top commander says people may not be seeing the whole picture. cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr has more on the strategy and calls for a troop increase. >> reporter: troops on patrol talk with afghans about building a medical clinic. this is the type of action u.s. commanders want. helping afghans so they don't turn to the taliban. the combat reality, senior u.s. officers increasingly believe urgent change is needed. >> if i could change one thing today with what's happening in the south of afghanistan it would be more troops but more afghan troops. >> reporter: in an exclusive interview with cnn, commander james conway spells out how more troops may be used. >> we can put the taliban on the run. the money source is drugs. >> reporter: chairman of the

joint chiefs of staff says even more u.s. troops may be needed. >> what will happen in that two or three-year period do you think in terms of security environment while we're -- >> if we're just training? i think the environment will deteriorate. >> reporter: as public support for the war continues to slip, conway says the public isn't seeing the full picture. >> i am an optimist. the country needs to understand better what's taking place. >> barbara starr joining us live from the pentagon. what is the status of mcchrystal review? we heard as you mentioned in your piece from admiral mike mullen, chairman of joint chiefs of staff, waiting to hear more about when this formal request may go in. >> reporter: a senior u.s. military official tells us this morning that general mcchrystal completed his work and general mcchrystal made a decision about how many more troops he needs. the numbers you hear floating

around are 30,000 to 40,000. i asked that senior official familiar with the request, does that sound right to you? he says he wouldn't wave us off those general numbers of 30,000 to 40,000. here's what's interesting. the request though it may be done hasn't been sent to washington yet. general mcchrystal we're told is waiting to be told that he can send it on to the white house and to the pentagon. hasn't happened yet. >> a lot of people may not understand that there is definitely sort of a protocol or a procession as to how these things are made. >> you would think so. general mcchrystal has been told to ask for whatever he needs and now he's got it all formulated. he hasn't actually been told to put it in the mail yet to washington. you know, this is a very sensitive issue. i don't know that we have a very good understanding of what's going on here.

clearly they want to take their time. that was the signal from the white house yesterday. but clearly there is an urgent need for more troops because here's the bottom line, heidi. you don't see any u.s. commander coming out there saying i have enough. don't worry. don't send me anymore. everyone is saying they need more and they need it now. >> very good. great point. barbara starr from the pentagon, appreciate that. also to let you know, cnn today at 4:00 wolf blitzer talks to afghan president hamid karzai about the recent elections. that's today on cnn. tomorrow we'll have a special guest on our own show. the author of "the kite runner" and united nations good will ambassador just back from afghanistan. we'll talk to him at 9:30 eastern about the struggles of refugees there. the man at the center of a

terror investigation in new york city has been found in colorado. federal agents searched the home of the afghan national while he was at the fbi office in denver. the investigation moved into high gear with monday's raids at several buildings in new york. ted joins us now from denver. what's the update? >> reporter: the investigation has moved here to the denver area. you mentioned an apartment that was searched yesterday also another home of this person of interest if you will and this individual that lived here in denver but traveled via rental car to new york where he stayed at an apartment there. that's where the initial search took place yesterday. not only was the apartment searched but also his aunt and uncle's home. very bizarre. you wonder about the mixed messages coming out. agents were wearing hazmat gear.

students were held at a school. people were pulled out of an apartment. one woman was wearing a cosmetic facial mask watching a movie. they told her to get out because of the danger. and you have robert mueller telling the senate committee yesterday that nothing in terms of the investigation he believed had revealed an imminent danger and perhaps zazi's attorney saying this guy is cooperating. he met for eight hours yesterday. is meeting again today and provided fingerprints, dna and writing samples to investigators. what we do know for sure is something sparked this investigation and they are leaving no stone unturned. what we don't know is why zazi's connection possibly he has to something larger. they are also today looking at hardware stores and looking for people that purchased large quantities of acid, bomb making

material. the authorities are taking this seriously. people in denver obviously are startled by this. but at this point you talk to zazi's attorney and on the other side of the coin they say bring it on. we want to comply with all of your requests. it's an ongoing investigation and there is a lot of concern especially here in denver of people living here to see where this goes. >> absolutely. across the nation i'm sure. ted, keep us posted should things change there. we'll get back to you. ted rowlands joining us by telephone from colorado. two hours ago 24-year-old raymond clark was arrested at a nearby hotel. he is a yale university lab technician now charged with killing graduate student annie le. her body was found in the basement wall of the off campus research building on sunday. that was also to have been her wedding day. police are not releasing a motive but say it was a case of

workplace violence. many economists believe the recession is over but most americans don't share that feeling. in fact, the latest cnn opinion research poll shows an overwhelming majority of us, 86%, think the u.s. is still in a recession. traditionally economists have declared the recession is over before the public feels any relief. for more on how your neighbors are doing in these economic tough times, check out cnn's money and main street at 11:00 eastern. we want to hear from you. do you think the u.s. is still in a recession? make sure you go to my blog, cnn.com/heidi. let us know what you think. rob marciano standing by now in the severe weather center to talk about these storms that we've been having in the south and this major amount of rain. the big yellow lab not happy

even though he's a swimmer, he got caught in the rain yesterday. >> he needed a bath any way. torrential downpours across parts of georgia yesterday. this storm is expanding and now this morning right now flash flood warnings into western tennessee. weather is coming up when cnn "newsroom" comes back. ock up no? get everything you need for fall cleaning and fall allergies at an unbeatable price. save money. live better. walmart.

rob marciano standing by in the severe weather center to keep talking about this massive amount of rain. >> check out this video coming

in out of -- north of little rock, arkansas. this is the state park. flooded bad yesterday. they shut it down for some of the worst flooding they have seen in some time. check out some of these numbers. little rock, 3.31. these are just 24-hour totals. a lot of totals for the storm well over 10 inches. impressive no doubt about it. here is where the radar is showing the moisture. the low is backed up into parts of texas but the moisture field is really expanding across the entire southeast. this will fill in throughout the afternoon and we'll see more in the way of torrential downpours. the strength of this system overall is weakening just a tad but it has brought some beneficial rainfall. i want to show you the drought monitor that measures the drought intensity. this dark maroon through south central texas is where it is exceptional drought. that was as of last week.

now we move into this week. you notice a good chunk of texas has improved quite a bit. still there are spots including corpus christi that are exceptional as far as drought concerns. austin to san antonio seeing improvement there. that's the good news. they went from 13% of the state being under exceptional drought to all of the way down to about three and change. that's good news for those folks. what are we looking at for the rest of the south? tomorrow we're going to push this farther to the east. it is expansive. generally speaking we'll see a bit of improvement there. daytime highs held down because of the rainfall in dallas. 76 in memphis. flash flood warnings posted for some western counties in tennessee right now so that's where heaviest rain is. 78 degrees in atlanta. 67 degrees in new york. some scattered showers in new york city area but i think bigger story will be cool air. cool in boston. temperatures warming up pretty nice weekend for folks in new york city area. did you not take pictures of the

torrential downpour in your neighborhood yesterday? >> i did not. i was saying i should have brought a picture in of him. he was pathetic. >> we have seen some of the worst rain i have ever seen in atlanta in six years living here. we don't have one lick of video of it. it's embarrassing. >> i'm not saying a word. >> i should have taken pictures myself. we're all guilty. glad your dog is now clean. >> he's now clean. that's true. he smells worse because wet dog is about the worst smell you can have. appreciate it. we'll keep our eye on all of that flooding in the south. thanks so much. also, we're keeping an eye on this. the podium there where the president is expected any moment because the missile defense shield program is being shut down. the white house confirms to cnn now the plan to stop this controversial program, president obama is scheduled to talk about the decision any minute now. originally scheduled for 10:15. we'll bring it to you when it happens. with copd, i was short of breath,

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president barack obama exte

approved the unanimous recommendations of my secretary of defense and my joint chiefs of staff to strengthen america's defenses against ballistic missile attack. this new approach will provide capabilities sooner, build on proven systems and offer greater defenses against the threat of missile attack than the 2007 european missile defense program. this decision was guided by two principle factors. first, we have updated our intelligence assessment of iran's missile programs, which emphasizes the threat posed by iran's short and medium range missiles capable of reaching europe. there's no substitute for iran complying with its international obligations regarding its nuclear program and we, along with our allies and partners, will continue to pursue strong diplomacy to ensure that iran lives up to these international

obligations. this new ballistic missile defense program will best address the threat posed by iran's ongoing ballistic missile defense program. second, we have made specific and proven advances in our missile defense technology particularly with regard to land and sea based interceptors and sensors that support them. our new approach will therefore deploy technologies that are proven and cost effective and to counter the current threat and do so sooner than the previous program. because our approach will be phased and adaptive, we'll retain the flexibility to adjust and enhance our defenses as the threat and technology continue to evolve. to put it simply, our new missile defense architecture in europe will provide stronger, smarter and swifter defenses of american forces and america's allies. it's more comprehensive than the previous program and deploys capabilities that are proven and

cost effective and it assistance and builds upon our commitment to protect the u.s. homeland against long range ballistic missile threats and it ensures and enhances the protection of all our nato allies. now, this approach is also consistent with nato's missile defense efforts and provides opportunities for enhanced international collaboration going forward. we'll continue to work cooperatively with our close friends and allies, the czech republic and poland, who agreed to host elements of the previous program. i've spoken to the prime ministers of both the czech republic and poland about this decision and reaffirmed our deep and close ties. together we are committed to a broad range of cooperative efforts to strengthen our collective defense and we're bound by the solid commitment of nato's article 5 that an attack on one is an attack on all. we made clear to russia that

concerns about our previous missile defense programs were entirely unfounded. our clear and consistent focus has been the threat posed by iran's ballistic missile program and that continues to be our focus and basis of the program that we're announcing today. in confronting that threat, we welcome russia's cooperation to bring missile defense capabilities into a broader defense of our common strategic interests as we continue our shared efforts to end iran's elicit nuclear program. going forward my administration will consult closely with congress and our allies as we deploy the system and we'll rigorously evaluate the threat posed by ballistic missiles and technology that we are developing to counter it. i'm confident that with the steps we've taken today, we've strengthened america's national security and enhanced our capacity to confront 21st century threats. thank you very much, everybody. >> all right.

so there you have president barack obama talking about the missile defense shield program eastern europe to give you an idea of what we're talking about here these are radar sites. ten missile interceptors in fact in the czech republic and poland in order to sort of ward off the threat of any long range missiles that would come in potentially from iran. there has been controversy about this. there are certainly winners and losers in all of it. let's bring in jill dougherty here. you have covered russia for a very long time and the relations between russia and the united states. how do they figure into all of this. >> the russians have been opposed to this for a long time. ever since the bush administration developed this idea. one of the issues for the obama administration here is they want russia's help in putting

pressure on iran to end its nuclear program. >> talking about economic sanctions here? if this were to go in that direction, if there was more to their development, they would need russia's help, the united states, in order to possibly impose something like tougher economic sanctions. >> precisely. that's what they've been trying to do to get the russians onboard to stiffen up and to help end iran's nuclear program. that was one thing they were trying to do. in backing down and deciding -- backing down isn't the phrase but deciding not to go ahead with this plan, they do not want to look as if they are caving into russia. you see the president saying we welcome russia's cooperation in this. they also want russia to put its

good efforts toward containing the iranian nuclear threat. >> they also back in july there was a press conference in moscow where the president used the words resetting the button, if you will, with russia. very, very interesting in all of this. my other question -- i'm not sure you have an answer for it. i'm not sure anyone does. what is this new program going to look like? according to president obama, yes, this particular program, the missile defense shield is going to be scrapped but because of greater technology, more cost effective technology, there is going to be some sort of new missile defense program. does anyone know what that looks like or what it will be in place? >> they do. there are hints of what it could be. if you listen to the president, what he's saying is right now there's not a long range threat of missiles coming from iran. there are short range. they have short range and medium range. what do you do with that? what he's saying is there are different technologies for going

closer to iran. some ideas have been for instance putting interceptors in turkey, which would be closer. he's also talking about sensors that might be in the region. so he's talking about broadening it out and not just poland and czech republic. that's off the table. but a broader nato based and bringing russia into it. >> understood. all right. a lot to talk about here. we appreciate your expertise as always. thanks a lot. happening this hour, a health care reform plan build as having the best chance at passing the senate is getting a close look. choirman max baucus going over it with former members. next hour president obama will take part in a rally for health care reform being held at the comcast center in college park, maryland. this week he continues his blitz with appearances on five sunday talk shows. an acorn worker seen on

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- preferred package. - good choice. only meineke let's you choose your service, choose your savings. like an oil change for just $19.95. meineke. we want to get you to secretary of defense robert gates making comments at the pentagon about the missile shield defense program and the president just announcing moments ago that plan has now been scratched. let's listen. >> we've made great strides with missile defense particularly in our ability to counter short and medium range missiles. we have proven capabilities to intercept the ballistic missiles with land and sea based interceptors supported by much improved sensors. these capabilities offer a variety of options to detect, track and shoot down enemy missiles. this allows us to deploy a

distributed sensor network rather than a single fixed site like the kind slated for the czech republic. we've also improved the standard missile 3 which has had eight successful flight tests since 2007. these tests have amply demonstrated the capability and given us greater confidence in the system and its future. based on these two factors, we now have the opportunity to deploy new sensors and interceptors in northern and southern europe that near term can provide missile defense coverage against more immediate threats from iran or others. in the initial stage we'll deploy ships equipped with interceptors which provide the flexibility to move interceptors from one region to another if needed. the second phase about 2015 will involve fielding upgraded land

based sm-3s about hosting a land based version and other components of the system. facing interceptors on land will provide additional coverage and save costs compared to a purely sea based approach. over time this architecture is designed to continually incorporate new and more effective technologies as well as more interceptors. expanding the range of coverage, improving our ability to knock down multiple targets and increase surviveability of overall system. we can adapt to developing threats and evolving technologies. for example, although the iranian long range missile threat is not as immediate as we previously thought, this system will allow us to incorporate future defense capabilities against such threats as they develop. perhaps most important though,

we can now field initial elements of the system to protect our forces in europe and our allies roughly six to seven years earlier than the previous plan. a fact made more relevant by continued delays in the czech and polish ratification proce processes that cause slips in the time line. i would also note that plans to cover most of europe and add to defense of the u.s. homeland will continue on the same schedule as before. as the president has said very clearly as long as the iranian threat persists, we'll pursue proven and cost effectively missile defenses. today the department of defense is briefing the congress and our nato allies about this plan. one of our guiding principles for missile defense remains the involvement and support of our allies and partners. we will continue to rely on our allies and work with them to develop a system that most effectively defends against very real and growing threats.

those who say we are scrapping missile defense in europe are either misinformed or misrepresenting the reality of what we are doing. the security of europe has been a vital national interest of the united states for my entire career. the circumstances, borders and threats may have changed but that commitment continues. i believe this new approach provides a better missile defense capability for our forces in europe, for our european allies and eventually for our homeland than the program i recommended almost three years ago. it is more adaptive to the threat we see developing and takes advantage of new technical capabilities available to us today. with that, let me now turn to general cartwright who has been deeply involved in this proposal for a more detailed presentation of it. >> thank you. what i would like to do is step down through some of the elements of this capability and

this architecture and give you a sense of how we're thinking about it. most of this has generated from the review that's part of our qdr analysis. one thing that has not changed is the set of priorities that we started with which is the defense of the homeland first, defense of our deployed forces and then friends and allies. it's consistent with budget decisions we took in '09 and '10 as we moved forward associated with missile defense and capabilities that we wanted to have there and some of the decisions started back in the bush administration as we started to shift the priority and the weight of our effort toward the deployed forces after we fielded the initial ground based interceptors in alaska and out in california. the review and accompanying analysis has moved us based on the threat principlely to shift

architecture and enhance it. this is not moving away of the defense of homeland and capabilities of the ground based interceptor but an acknowledgement there are capabilities out there able to address the threat that's emerged versus the threat that we initially postulated which is a threat to the united states. >> there you have the latest information out of the pentagon now. general cartwright speaking and prior to them secretary robert gates as well discussing in detail for us to understand what this new missile defense program will look like because obviously the news today that we have been following all morning long and the president just moments ago coming out and saying that indeed the missile defense shield program eastern europe will be scrapped but apparently there's a new program that is going to be put into place. don't have times for you. there's a bit of mention by the different phases and when they'll go into effect by the

defense secretary there. once again, saying there's a better technology now to be more specific with threats specifically from iran potentially. that's what we're talking about. we'll continue to follow that story. lots of different angles to it here in "cnn newsroom." we've been following this story this morning. police in new haven, connecticut, make an arrest in the murder of a graduate student. mary snow is joining us now with the new details. mary, there is a person in custody. you'll give us more information on that as well as this potential arraignment that we have gotten word of just a few minutes ago here in the "newsroom." >> reporter: we just got word from our producer that raymond clark arrested this morning was just brought into court with chains on his ankles. he's being arraigned. he was brought here first to the new haven police department where he was processed. he's being held on $3 million bond and charged with murder. that announced by the police here in new haven just a few

hours ago. he had been under surveillance for several days. because this arrest warrant was sealed, the new haven police department are not giving out any details about what led to the arrest or the possible motive. they did say what led them to this arrest was forensic evidence. video surveillance and interviews with people. the police chief said yesterday a dna analysis would lead to an arrest and raymond clark was taken into custody so police could obtain dna analysis from him and from his home. as far as how he knew murder victim annie le, the yale graduate student who was killed a week ago that remains unclear. the police chief did have this to say. take a listen. >> i think it's important to note this is not about university crime. it's not about domestic crime but an issue of workplace

violence which has become a growing concern around the country. >> reporter: le was a researcher using a lab where raymond clark was a lab technician looking after mice in that lab. yale university says he's been an employee since four and his supervisor says there was nothing in his employment history that would have raised a red flag like this. we do expect to hear from yale university's president. he'll make a statement in just about an hour from now. it's the first time we've heard from him so far this week. and he did say that the community here is relieved and encouraged by the progress in this investigation but he also said we have to not rush to judgment. >> obviously. boy, it is worth pointing out, mary, that this has gone very, very quickly speaking earlier to the new haven independent reporter that we had saying they are moving forward very, very quickly here. i think we also have the date of the next court appearance coming

up that we have been trying to get ahold of here. october 6th is that next court date. we'll continue to follow this very closely alongside you. mary snow, appreciate that. thank you. time for a check of our top stories this morning. investigators are looking at possible hate crimes charges against this man. he is charged in the beating of an african-american woman in front of her daughter. the woman says she can't sleep one week after the attack at a restaurant south of atlanta. she spoke about the ordeal with our own campbell brown. >> yes, he did, punch me with a closed fist very pete e repeate. my daughter had to stand by and witness the entire thing. she was afraid. she mentioned to me and had cried about the fact that she was trying to protect mommy by pushing the door and the man pushed the door back and

squished her. >> troy west, the suspect in the case, is out on bond. he's charged with battery, disorderly conduct and cruelty to children. a heated session is likely in a massachusetts state house today. at issue? filling the u.s. seat vacacant the death of ted kennedy. a special election is set for january 19th. the longtime massachusetts senator died of brain cancer august 25th. an acorn worker seen on video bragging about being in the sex trade and killing her husband now she tells cnn it was all an act. has gingko for mem÷$y and concentration. plus support for heart health. ( crowd roars ) that's a great call. one a day men's.

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new doubts this morning about allegations resulting from a hidden camera interview of an acorn worker in california. the woman in the video tells abbie boudreau she lied about being in a sex trade and about killing her husband. >> reporter: an acorn worker in san bernardino offering advice

to help a pimp and prostitute but telling them she gets it because she was once in the sex trade. >> i ran a service. >> really? >> yeah. i do know because i used to employ girls that would do this because they didn't care. >> reporter: she once killed an abusive ex-husband. >> i shot him. >> it was self-defense. i shot him. and he died right there. >> reporter: the worker caught in the sting now says she made it all up. >> it's a joke. everything is a joke. none of it is true. they came into my office. they were a little suspicious to me when they came in. they played with me and i played back. i shocked them like they were

trying to shock me. >> reporter: she told us she first told filmmakers that acorn would in no way help them with their prostitution project. when they didn't leave, she came uncomfortable. alone in an office in a tough neighborhood with strangers she started to make up stories, stories she wishes she could take back. >> it's affected my life extremely. and the lives of everyone around me. i'm deeply sorry for that. it was a bad joke. i felt a bad joke was being played on me. >> reporter: the video took the acorn controversy to another level. in the earlier videos workers were apparently caught offering advice on how to hide prostitution money from the tax man. even bring in underage sex workers from overseas. but no one ever claimed to be a killer before. san bernardino police even

investigated and found that the claims -- the couple who took the video are both koempbs tif activistco activists. they are putting the group in the worst light possible. amy a california's acorn spokeswoman. >> what are they putting on the air and online? they're putting doctored, edited, sliced and diced versions of these tapes. >> reporter: that said, acorn has fired four workers for earlier tapes and this woman was placed on indefinite suspension.

they will conduct an independent review of these incidents and retrain staff to make sure this stuff does not happen again. i want to tell you that we did reach out to the filmmakers, many, many, many times. they refused to get back to us. we reached out to other employees you have seen on the tapes, the previous tapes. this is the only woman that's actually come forward and agreed to talk to us on camera. >> i'm trying to figure out why she would want to come forward and why she would choose to go this route to begin with. talking about killing an ex-husband and -- >> she kept saying they were trying to shock me. i'm going to shock them right back. the reason that she came forward -- least the reason she told us is she wasn't telling the truth and wanted the truthful story out because it's affected her life and the people around her. when you were watching the other videos popping up, were you thinking, oh, no, i'm next. she said yeah. she recognized those people and thought i'm part of this.

>> we should say quickly, ex-husband is -- >> alive and well. and there was video that popped up today that was streamed online and this is from san diego. we're looking into it. probably more details throughout the day on that. >> very good. abbie boudreau, thanks so much. appreciate that. we'll take a quick break here in the "cnn newsroom" and be back in just a moment. nope. (announcer) the exact same brands sold in pet specialty stores. at walmart's unbeatable price. save money. live better. walmart. is as easy as one, two, three. with covergirl trublend, if your liquid makeup is a two, then your concealer, powder and blush are too. we've got your number, and it adds up to a more beautiful you. the trublend collection from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl.

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monty thought of his parents and this afternoon his parents will be at the white house as he posthumously receives the medal of honor. before dying, monty recited the lord's prayer and then said tell my family i love them. to honor sergeant first class monti, the army created a new website unlike anything it's had before. josh levs has been looking into it and is here to show us more. good morning. >> good morning. i've been hearing about this for a few weeks. i wasn't allowed to talk about it yet. joining us is the head for online efforts for the u.s. army. thanks for doing this. i want to show everyone this site. this is to honor jared monti. you have a slide show. >> willing to stand up for his

soldiers. in the army you get people that are not so concerned with the buy below him as impressing the guy above him. sergeant monti didn't care what the guy above him thought of him as long as he knew he was doing the right thing to take care of his guys. >> one of the most striking features is battle scape. you traced everyone through various steps on what happened on the day that jared monti gave his life. explain this right here. you have video and audio and red marks. what are we seeing right here? what does this trace us through? >> what we see is where the enemy was coming in from the north attacking soldiers that were up to the northern position there, the red arrows. they pulled back and that one dot just below your inninger there is where a pfc was at and that's who monti was going to

get. three attempts to try to save one of his soldiers. and at that point he was mortally wounded. >> this is where he was killed right here. this is where he gave his life. this is who he was trying to save right here. i want to mention that we heard from the family before here at heidi's blog that wrote to us on memorial day saying one cannot put into words the grief and loss military families go through describing what they've been through. we have a link to all of the soldiers who have given their lives in afghanistan. kevin, quickly, why now? why did you take a new step online for this one man? >> really it's because of the technology that exists right now and what we're able to get. we have some amazing support from the soldiers that were out there on the battlefield from the family, a lot photos came from the family. so we were able to take all of that information and tut it into this fantastic memorization really of sergeant first class monti and what he did. epitome of a noncommissioned officer putting the needs of a

soldier above his own. >> here's a true war hero. we thank him. we all think of his family today. you can see this at the blog, cnn.com/heidi. or cnn.com/josh. it's great to see the military is doing this helping people understand the heroism. >> do appreciate it. appreciate the service of all of the men and women defending our country. thanks again. i'm heidi collins. "cnn newsroom" continues now with tony harris. xwxwxwxwxwxwxww