well, that's going to do it for us. >> thanks for joining us. "cnn newsroom" starts right now with kyra phillips. good morning. >> good morning here's what we're working on this morning. >> i thought equality was no non-negotiable. >> the call for action. is it enough to sway two republican senators on don't ask, don't tell? the fda debates genetically altered salmon. could it be safe? a top food expert weighs in. the president awards the highest military honor to this man that made the ultimate sacrifice for fellow comrades.

you'll hear his story from the men that respect him most. i'm kyra phillips. you are live in "the cnn newsroom." first, just learning now that a helicopter that crashed in afghan was carrying nine american troops. we don't have specifics as to what exactly happened but we're told that enemy fire has been ruled out as a possible cause. today's casualties make this year the deadliest so far for the war in afghanistan. more than 500 coalition troops have been killed. we're going to continue to monitor this story an bring you updates as soon as we get them. we are bracing for a close senate debate on whether to dump don't ask, don't tell. the outcome could hinge on moderates. so popular star lady gaga is

waging war on behalf of openly-gay troops and if you never thought of the outspoken singer as a political warrior, wait until you see this. >> i'm here because they inspire me. i'm here because i believe in them. i'm here because don't ask, don't tell is wrong. it's unjust. and fundamentally it is against all that we stand for as americans. >> her draw is undeniable. she has 6 million twitter followers and the attention of d.c.'s most powerful. she drew thousands of people to the maine rally organized by the service members legal defense work saying that 13,000 gay and lesbian service members discharged under don't ask, don't tell and last year about 400 troops dropped under that

policy. our senior congressional correspondent dana bash live in washington following that debate. where does it stand now? >> reporter: too close to call, that's where it stands right now. i bumped into massachusetts republican senator scott brown this morning in the elevator here in this building saying he is not sure how he's going to vote. republicans, the leaders in the senate, they're trying to block this defense bill for several reasons but the one we hear most from them is thinking that harry reid seth up a process that makes it just too hard for republicans to amend or change this bill once it gets to the senate floor for debate. so that's why they say they're blocking it and a maine senator that lady gaga trying to lobby, susan collins, supporting the repeal, she was the only republican to vote with democrats in committee, she is leaning it sounds like towards voting with the party to continue to block the bill and other reasons. for example, that other maine senator, olympia snowe, says she

thinks it's best for the pentagon to finish review before congress acts. she said the question is whether we should be voting on this issue before we have the benefit of comprehensive you view that president obama's secretary of defense ordered in march, to secure the input of our men and women in uniform during the time of war, as the joint chiefs of staff from all of the services have requested prior to any vote. those are the kind of things we are hearing as that i'm scrambling to get the votes today, kyra. >> republicans accuse democrats of playing politics holding this vote so close to the election. do they have a point? >> reporter: well, look. they argue this is a must-pass defense bill. $725 billion. it helps fund the wars in afghanistan and iraq. it gives authorizes a boost in pay for troops. so they say that they have to do this. however, the reality is privately, kyra, you talk to

some democrats and they say they recognize that doing this now at least trying to do this that this bill that does include the at least authorization for a don't ask, don't tell repeal that is important for one of their key constituents. they feel that they did not try hard enough early enough on some of their big issues so that there's no question that's part of this. >> keep following the story, dana bash from the hill, thanks so much. also the tea party's new superstar faces some serious allegations about that she spent some of the campaign cash. christine o'donnell, the republican nominee who wants to fill biden's seat in delaware. today, she faces a new problem, a watchdog group filed a complaint with the federal election commissioner over a handful of checks written last year. christine o'donnell was speaking at a campaign forum in delaware

last night and our gary tuchman went right to the kand do it to give her a chance to respond. >> we have been ethical. we have not, i personally have not misused the campaign funds. we have our fec lawyer, a great attorney, answering those charges. if it ever goes anywhere. >> the o'donnell campaign calling the accusations frivolous and a lot more records coming out. things that raise all kinds of ethical questions like another check she wrote in march of 2009 for $750 to a landlord and former boyfriend. gary caught up with her later for a response to that. >> reporter: one question you promised you'd answer. >> i did answer it. >> reporter: rentals last year. >> sorry. not happening. >> reporter: that was the one question i had. >> i answered it. >> reporter: you didn't answer it. >> watchdog organization called citizens for responsibility and ethics in washington did a lot of digging on this story an it's gone after candidates on both

sides of the aisle in the past and claims to be nonpartisan. think they say o'donnell is a criminal and should be prosecuted. the executive director of the group explained why last night on "ac 360." >> you say in this report that she is a criminal. how can you say that? shouldn't she be innocent until prooufb guilty? >> of course. if you look at the facts and literally just the facts, look at the campaign finance reports, christine o'donnell filed, look at the former campaign staffers have said and two former staffers have both said she basically treated the campaign coffers like her own personal piggy bank and routinely was spending out of campaign money for the personal lifestyle. this is the stuff that crimes are made of. this is embezzlement. no different than any other employee who steals from their jb. >> theal gagtss are the latest

hit to the campaign. she was already trying to explain the 1999 claim that she had, quote, dabbled into witchcraft. mark preston is our chief political editor joining me from washington. has the momentum suffered do you think in the days since the big victory? >> you know, clearly, she has a national momentum of conservatives across the country happy to knock off the gop establishment candidate and derailed by the comments about witchcraft. what did she mean? she's probably going to move beyond that. she said that's something she did in high school and raised $2 million since she won that primary victory. we have also seen jim demint pour $250,000 of his own political action committee money, a senator of south carolina, to run an ad on her behalf. so, yes, the momentum's on her side and in the big leagues an no longer the insurgent

candidate has to answer tough questions. >> what is next? what point do members of the republican party need to come out an say we support her or don't support her? >> we are seeing that already by some folks such as jim demint and mitt romney cut her a check, someone seriously considering running for president and other ones, as well. what she needs to do is establish a solid general election campaign and start surround herself with some washington insiders. folks don't like me saying that but the fact of the matter is you were talking about a six-week sprint to the general election. you need to put people in some very key positions that can help you win. folk that is have won in the past. so interesting to see if o'donnell does embrace some real talented as well as some vet ranls to come on board and shore up her campaign. kyra? >> mark press upttopreston, tha. iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad set to speak at the united nations summit on a

public relations offensive. sunday he cold abc news he should get payback from the u.s. after helping to free american hiker sarah shourd. he wants the u.s. to release iranian prisoners and washington says the cases have nothing to do with each other. ahmadinejad is speaking live next hour. we'll be monitoring the remarks. the fbi says that they have charged a 22-year-old chicago man with two terror-related counts accused of trying to detonate a bomb near wrigley field. fbi agents say he was nabbed in an undercover sting operation after placing what he thought was an explosive device near the stadium and facing a charge of attempted use of a weapons of mass destruction. new details emerging in the investigation of that deadly pipeline explosion in san bruno, california. 11 days after that blast that killed 4 people and made rubble of a neighborhood, the utility's president made this startling revelation to reporters

yesterday. >> was on your top 100 list. >> that segment of pipe? it was not on the top 100 list. >> september 9th accident prompted review of gas transmission lines across the country. art thieves slip into pic o picaso's granddaughter's home and make off with two paintings. today they go on trial for trying to fence them. [ woman ] nine iron, it's almost tee-time... time to face the pollen that used to make me sneeze... my eyes water. but now zyrtec®, the fastest 24-hour allergy relief, comes in a liquid gel.

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shut off the air to drive out the tourists. then they closed the gates to keep everybody out. diversion. make a lot of noise over there so over here in this room you can take 100 mlt off the wall and waltz out the front door. oh, that's good. >> oh, yes. >> that's how they pull off an art heist in hollywood, folks, but the plot of the thomas crown affair doesn't play well with the head of interpoll's stolen works of art. he says the idea that rich collectors are behind art thefts

is pure fiction. here's a fact. former fbi agent tells "the times" art thieves work for themselves and brings us to paris. three suspects on trial for trying to fence two picasso paintings stolen from his granddaughter's home. josh? >> you know, kyra, the trial is significant not just because it's about the drama of stolen, precious art in real life but numerous thefts like this in recent years, hundreds of picassos alone missing. this is at the home of his granddaughter. two paintings are the center of this trial. go back to the screen and tell you about them. first is "mya with doll." a portrait of his daughter. this girl then grew up, had a daughter and had diana and from diana's house it was stolen and the second is portrait of jaclyn. authorities say two less

expensive drawings that were stolen. three people allegedly involved and on trial for this. authorities say it was late at night and listen to this, according to "new york times," the thieves use add carefully-molded fake key to enter her apartment while she was there. she was asleep. they were quiet. they left no fingerprints or dna. the men on trial accused of receiving stolen property. three of them. and they're not accused of theft and authorities saying the reason is there were no fingerprints or dna left in the place to actually accuse someone of theft. this took place way back in february of 2007. three men arrested when they allegedly tried to broker a deal for the painting with an art expert and no major damage to the paintings and still in pretty good shape. i have seen estimates, looking at the value of these things, seen estimates that combined these are worth more than $70 million. no plea yet from the guys.

following the trial. we'll see in real life how much this theft may or may not have resembled what we see in the movies. >> a lot of it does, believe it or not. josh, thanks. we have our eye on tropical storm lisa right now. flooding pictures out of coratia. bonnie? >> good morning, kyra. tracking flooding internationally. rescues happening. torrential downpours causing flooding in this region and it's been very, very bad. we are not expecting it to get much better with runoff from the flooding occurring. see this air rescue happening right there. doesn't take a lot of water to cause a car to lose traction and for a person to be knocked off their feet and seeing the rush and the flow and the current there. we're not seeing flooding like that here right now but tropical systems can bring flooding. the 12th of the season, lisa, well off to sea. here's the latest on tropical

storm lisa, this one formed in last 24 hours and well, well far off the coast of africa. very more close into the eastern atlantic and tropical storm with maximum winds of 40 miles per hour. lisa is expected to advance to the north and west. you can see the projected path right here moving right now lightly. kind of slowly rather northwest at 5 miles per hour. expected to intensify as it continues there. we are also tracking the threat of fire danger in the west once again today, particularly into utah where temperatures warm but really the concern is low humidity and strong gusty winds today. that's a factor to keep in mind. across the country, looking at cooler weather and really as this this is the last full day of the summer season, fall begins tomorrow, you are going to see very hot temperatures building. we have seen record heat here in the southeast and look for more to continue and finally just want to let everybody know, monitoring a brand new area of tropical development out here into the caribbean and something to keep our eyes on in the coming days.

kyra? >> thanks. a vietnam war hero's story, we are telling it the day he receives the medal of honor. there's new motrin pm. no other medicine, not even advil pm, is more effective for pain and sleeplessness. new motrin pm. to save me a boatload of money on my mortgage -- that would be awesome! [sarcastically] sure. like that will happen. don't just think about it. spend 10 minutes at lendingtree and save up to $272 a month.

what's going to happen with the don't ask, don't tell policy? we have been waiting to hear from senator collins or snowe which way they'll vote and lady gaga showing up in maine trying to rally to get them to support getting rid of don't ask, don't tell. we haven't been able to talk to the senators until just now.

this is what senator collins had to say. >> because the majority leader has made very clear that he intends to constrain the number and kinds of amendments that republicans can offer to this bill, and that's just not fair. i'm a strong supporter of repealing don't ask, don't tell subject to the certifications of the president, the secretary of defense and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff that it will not have an impact on combat readiness. and i'm confident they're going to be able to make those certifications. i was the only republican to vote for that position. as a member of the armed services committee. i spoke strongly during the debate on this issue during the committee. but it's simply not fair to

block out amendments from people who disagree with my position. for the life of me, i do not understand why the majority leader does not bring this bill to the floor and allow free and open debate and amendments from both sides of the aisle. that would be fair. if there's an amendment that's offered to strike don't ask, don't tell provisions from the bill, i'll vote against that amendment and i'll help lead the debate against that amendment. but to say that those who have a different view have no rights to offer amendments and to even debate the provisions is just not right. it's contrary to the traditions of the senate. >> one of the subplots going on here, senator, are you getting any election-year pressure -- >> a number of other issues in

the defense bill and don't ask, don't tell is getting so much attention right now. hearing from susan collins, republican of maine. that vote 2:00 p.m. eastern time. more straight ahead.

it's the highest military honor awarded to the warrior that carried out gal tri at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the united states. the first formal system for rewarding acts of individual

abegan tri was established by george washington 1782 creating the badge of military merit. the purple heart would become the successor decoration to that badge. president lincoln was the first to bestowe it and it was permanent in 1863. since that time, more than 3,400 service members received the medal of honor. today, that tribute goes to air force chief master sergeant richard etchburger. he was killed 42 years ago defending a secret radar installation, saved the lives of three airmen carrying them to evacuation helicopters. a story of courage indeed and our jeanne meserve tells us why. >> reporter: air force chief master sergeant richard etchberger died in 1968. >> so this is where your grandfather's buried. >> reporter: corey was in third grade when he was told his father had died in a helicopter accident in southeast asia.

only at age 29 when the air force declassified his father's story did he learn the truth. >> i was stunned that, in fact, he wasn't killed in a helicopter accident. it was the first time i knew of his heroic deeds. >> reporter: during the vietnam war, the u.s. military wasn't supposed to be in laos. it was a neutral country. so etcheberger and others shed the uniforms and posed as civilians to run a super secret radar installation on a mountaintop. in 1967 and '68 site 85 guided u.s. bombing of north vietnam. in march of '68, north vietnamese soldiers scaled the mountain and attacked. they were trapped. etcheberger picked up an m-16. >> it's foggy. weapons going off. he has the comrades, two of whom shot and killed and fall off the

cliff in front of him and yet he continues to defend his men. his people. >> reporter: one of them was stanley sliz. >> hit in both legs and everybody was screaming and hollering. but they weren't able to get close because of etch. firing at them. >> reporter: john daniels still has the shrapnel wounds he got that day. >> he was the only one that not get injured in the fire fight. they kept throwing grenades and shooting and we would pick up grand grenades and throw them back at them or kick them over the side of the mown rin. >> reporter: when an american helicopter came to evacuate them, etcheberger braved enemy fire to get them on board first. >> if it was not for him, i would not be alive today. >> reporter: but etcheberger didn't survive as the chopper pulled away, gun fire from the ground. >> etch had been sitting on a

jump seat right above my head. that bullet went right through him, killed him instantly. i live with it every day. i live it every day. it haunts me. >> reporter: he was secretly awarded the air force cross for his heroism but feared that giving him the medal of honor would expose the u.s. military presence in laos. his hometown of hamburg, pennsylvania, hay erected a memorial. his name displayed proudly on the town's sign. but only now 42 years after his death will he get the military's highest award for bravely, a tribute many feel he is due. jeanne meserve, cnn, washington. >> we'll follow that ceremony live, by the way. also happening live at the u.n. you know his face. and you know how outrageous he can be, talking about the president of iran, mahmoud ahmadinejad. we're monitoring his comments there. and we'll let you know what he has to say.

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all right. quick check on wall street. opening bell rang just moments ago and the first few minutes of the trading you can see the dow is down almost 12. but the recession is long over, at least that's according to economists, not americaning. in fact, many of us are worried that more bad times are ahead in the form of a dreaded double-did i believe recession. john roberts spoke with a leading economist this morning and hearing from him in a moment but first poppy harlow, cnnmoney.com breaking it down for us. poppy? >> yeah. we got the news in your show yesterday, kyra, that the great recession as you will is officially over. 18 months long. the longest we have seen since world war ii. really since the great depression but the bottom line, when people got the news scratching their heads saying i feel like i'm in a recession

with more than 8 million americans out of work. the recession eliminating more than 7 million jobs so it's to blame for the high unemployment rate in this country and i want you to take a look at what we have seen in unemployment. the nber, the one that is officially call the end of the recession saying it ended in june 2009 an unemployment rate 9.5% after the recession ended, unemployment rate topped 10% and even though it's at 9.6% and still higher than it was at the end of the recession. so people without jobs feel like they're still in a recession and very -- economists described it very well, the co-founder of the economic cycle research institute. listen to what he says about why you might feel like we're still in a recession. >> the reason of the disconnect i think between anyone listening and saying is that 9%, only 9% of the jobs lost in the private sector have been recovered. and so, there's a big disparity

where 70% of the gdp recovered, however, only 9% of the jobs recovered. >> exactly. the jobs picture is at the crux of all of. this i also want to show you housing numbers because this matters in that the housing crisis was at the crux of the recession and still reeling from it. look at median home prices in this country. 2007 $219,000. when the recession ends, about $172,000 and $182,000 now. the jobs picture isn't better. the housing picture not much better either. that's why people think, okay, still feels like we're in a recession. >> given the way americans feel about the economy, how like is a double dip recession? >> great question. most economists say this is not going to happen. surveyed 31 economists and only 25 -- the chances most of them say of a double-dip recession 1 in 4. only about 25%. now, they most of them thought

six months ago that the chances were only 15% so they have increased the likelihood. still though, more unlikely that we'll have that double dip and agree high unemployment is here for a long ti, long time. >> poppy, thanks so much. let's turn to the am extra, john roberts, you actually spoke to colombia economist jeff sacks. how does he weigh in on the overall health of the economy and the news that came out yesterday? >> you would think, kyra, recession ended 14 months ago everybody would be back in the black again and things going really well. that is not the case. you heard poppy harlow, unemployment still up there at 9.6%. so many people trying so hard to find a job and can't. jeff sacks said in terms of the end of the recession, uniof 2009, that was more of a marker than anything. here's how he put it. >> meaning of the recession being over is a very technical

meaning meaning that the bottom was reached and doesn't mean we have come off the bottom. what the committee does is look at the data month to month and ask, when did we reach the bottom and when is there at least some slight recovery starting in nobody feels there's much recovery. this is a pretty much a dismal situation from the point of view of jobs, from the point of view of household income and spending. people don't feel that there's a recovery. they may feel that it's not a free fall anymore. >> so not a free fall anymore but not that major upswing we would like to see, kyra. >> you took an opportunity to ask about the bush tax cuts, something weighing heavily on americans right now. this is what he had to say. >> if you focus only on one thing, you can come to an erroneous conclusion f. you focus on the risks of the budget deficit, you come to another conclusion which is are we really going to borrow our way

back to prosperity going deeper and deeper into debt to china, for example? that means no sense and the republicans are irresponsible on this point. >> strong words, john. >> they are. but you know, you have these two competing ideas to keep taxes low so that you can put money in the hands of consumers and try to boost the economy that way and as a result increase revenues to the federal government and at the same time you have got this huge budget deficit of $1.3 trillion projected for 2010. do you raise taxes on people to increase revenues? many people are saying it's a bad idea to be raising taxes on anybody at this point in time. but the president's saying he thinks that people making above $250,000 should have their taxes increased and economists say you can't increase revenues and solve the budget deficit problem on the backs of the rich alone and has to be tough choices to have to be made in the years

ahead if you want to get the budget back on track and get the deficits back down. >> tough choice that is will affect all of us across the board. thank you. >> sure are. iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad just left the mike at the u.n. this is a guy known for being a pretty loose cannon and who denies that gay people exist in iran and questions about the holocaust? a look at the outrageous moments straight ahead. what's around the corner is one of life's great questions.

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last night was the premier of "dancing with the stars" and sarah palin's daughter as you know made her debut. here it is. ♪

hmm. so what do you think? little sign to her mama getting rid of the stiff suit? bristol palin kicked up the heels to "mama told me not to come." the teen mom off to a smooth start. sarah palin wasn't in the audience and she did tweet from home saying, quote, over the moon excited and happy for bristol. cheering her on at the party in the palin living room. all right. let's see what else is crossing the wires. cnn political producer peter hammy in washington. when's crossing? >> this morning we are talking political money. late last night the republican national committee michael steele's group announced raising roughly $8 million and spent $8.5 and done that a number of times this cycle. they have $4.7 million in the

bank for the final stretch run and normally money that goes out to state parties for get out the vote efforts. democrats, democratic national committee, senate committee, house committee, all raised more money in the last month than republicans did. what we're also talking about this morning, we're talking about national republicans are running ads in maryland. they're helping out republican bob urlich in a rematch with democrat martin o'malley. national republicans are stepping in to help. they think they can win that race. o'malley leads with a slim lead in recent polls and finally you might remember during the 2008 presidential campaign mike huckabee's race something of a traveling carnival. rick flair, the former wrestler and chuck norris. they're getting back together. norris is sending out a fund raising appeal for mike huckabee. if you subscribe, you might have an e-mail from walker, texas

ranger, in your inbox this morning. >> we watched for that while, peter. thanks. your next update in an hour and for the latest political news gorks to cnnpolitics.com. i'm ahmed mady and i'm a homebuilder. my father brought me up to give back to society... felicia jackson promised her late sister that she would take care of her children. but she needed help. i used my american express open card to get half a million points to buy building materials to help build the jackson family a new home. well, i know if my dad was still around, he would have told me, with no doubt... he would have told me

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oh, we all know what a loose cannon iran's president mahmoud ahmadinejad is. you never now what he'll say and outrageous the interviews will be or offend. he just finished speaking at the united nations summit and believe it ort not he stayed on topic. well, until the end. they actually stopped translating. as you know, he usually goes on another tangent so we're trying to find out exactly what was said. meanwhi meanwhile, remember the last time he spoke in new york? he claimed iran's seeking nuclear power for peaceful purposes only and he said he thought more research is necessary to determine facts from the holocaust. he also said there's no oppression of women in iran and no suppression of free speech. and then there was this memorable gem. >> translator: in iran, we don't

have homosexual like in your country. we don't have that in our country. in iran, we do not have this phenomenon. i don't know who's told you that we have it. >> all right. you see the point i'm trying to make here. sometimes his statements are so ridiculous, so out there there's just nothing you can do but laugh. "saturday night live" knows exactly what i'm talking about. note threat i see is the threat of you not coming home with me ♪ ♪ when lives collide can't express how i feel ♪ ♪ iran you're so far away ♪ ♪ your home but in my heart you'll stay ♪ ♪ you can deny the holocaust all

you want ♪ now, and believe me, we're listening to every word you say. kyra, i got to transition over to something serious. we are taking a look at the dream act, the controversy over it in this country and where things go from here. >> i'm carol costello in washington. home schooling it is hot, why more parents are choosing to pull their children out of public schools and teach them themselves. and aisle alison kosic at the new york stock exchange, the recession is over but the economy not exactly on solid footing at this point. so fwhu? where do we go from here? we'll take a look in the next hour.

thanks, guy. fighting islamaphobia with the written word. deepak chopra discusses that we me in the next hour. we're going on a safari. so we're on the serengeti, and seth finds a really big bone. we're talking huge. they dig it up, put it in the natural history museum and we get to name it. sethasauraus. really. your points from chase sapphire preferred are worth 25% more on travel? means better vacations. that's incredible. believe it...with chase sapphire preferred your points are worth 25% more on travel when booked through ultimate rewards. duare almost inseparable. she lifts her calf to its firstr breath of air, then protects it on the long journey to their feeding grounds. th financl solutions

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well, when lives depend on your weather forecast, rob marciano spent time with his meteorologist peers in the military. >> reporter: they're just like any other soldier showing off their guns. >> that's what the guys like to use in southern afghanistan where there are big, wide open spaces and they need to reach out and touch somebody. >>eporter: what does this have to do with weather? >> you have to be alive to report the weather. >> reporter: these guys are members of an elite unit, special operations weather team, sowt. >> the science of what you and i do is pretty much the same. the application of it is dif fraent. >> reporter: yeah, much different. it's environmental recon

commando style. today is rapids training day. get a fully loaded is c-130 on the ground and offloaded quickly. this is the 10th combat weather squadron. dirt bugs, atvs, humvees and sowt personnel. they get out in a hurry. these special ops guys aren't the geeks i went to school with. on the ground, they go to work. the main objective for the sowt is to gather weather information. that means you have to get ou out&quickly and set up whatever equipment you're using to take your data oskss. >> temperature, 23. >> temp, 2-3, celsius. >> reporter: ever vet carsen has been deployed eight times, and most have served multiple tours, and all of them, including

sergeant brice houser have war stories. >> an ied goes off and it's my job to let the med evac birds to know what to expect. i suggest a flight path for them to take through a specific pass at that point. they were able to get in and get the two wounded guys off the l.z. lieutenant colonel benson commands the sowts and knows how important it is to stay on mission. >> early on, we had guys in iraq taking weather specs and getting them back. weather cleared up for a brief period. time. 1,000 guys were able to exit the aircraft and fland a place called basher air field and on they went. >> reporter: don't refer to them as just a weatherman. >> to be call just a weatherman gets under your skin but once

you're in a position to prove yourself, they realize, this guy isn't just a weather guy. he's a special operations weatherman, and he's a soldier. >> i know what he means about not wanting to be called just a weatherman, but i'm not out there with guns and serving and protecting our country. these guys, kyra, there's less than 100 of them. they have one of the highest deployment rates in the military. they go out all of the time, seemingly, and over the 60 or 70 year history wince world war ii, they have 88 to lose a man. >> how are these guys deployed, as a group or individually? >> usual lif individually and sometimes with two-man teams, but they are linked up with a small special ops force. you are there with the green berets and navy s.e.a.l.s. these guys have been working nonstop with each other, a

tight-knit unit, and you throw a special opposite weather guy in there and so it takes some time to be a cohesive unit again, and the weather guy takes a ribbing. they have all proved themselves on the battlefield. >> they are true warriors. first, at 10:00, it's a balancing act that affects all of us, more people filling the planet and less room and resources to feed them. that's part of the argument for jet netically engineered food. the fda is looking at the benefit and possible dangers of a new type of salmon created in a lab. scientists would borrow genes from other fish so the salmon would grow twice as fast to make it is a cheaper source of high quality protein. the danger is still unknown and critics worn that this so-called franken fish could trigger

allergies and diseases we don't know about yet. you are already eating genetically altered food. one group estimates that 70 to 75% of all processed foods contains ingredients that have been tweaked somehow in a laboratory. now, modified foods aren't just hidden in some indecipherable list of ingredients. they can also appear as wholesome as vegetable. this is a restaurant owner here in atlanta, and he's pretty passionate about fresh, natural foods. i know your restaurant and i have been there, and that's one reason i return is because you are organic and don't choose genetically altered food. why is it? why haven't you chose ton go there? >> when you think about the gas we put in the cars -- some people think more about the gas they put in their cars than the food they put in their body. we as a restaurant try to choose

foods that we think come from good sources, try to source things locally and choose good quality because that's what i want to eat. >> but it's more expensive, right? a lot of people go the genetically altered route because it's cheaper? >> that's right and that's a point we have to balance out. i'm not opposed to someone making genetically altered foods. i just want to make sure they label it so i know so i can make that choose. we are an educated public, and we should be able to choose. i think that maybe we don't know what the food is going to do to us long term. >> no, we don't know. >> and therein lies the problem. >> i have a couple more questions about that. restaurants don't have to say they're serving genetically altered food. we'll talk about that in a minute. we have salmon here. i'm not going to taste test it. >> you're more than welcome to. >> sushi this time in the

morning, i don't know. explain which has been genetically altered and which hasn't? >> from the outside here, how could anybody tell? that's the reality. you have two salmon. they are different species. this one here is a king salmon and this is an atlantic salmon. >> okay. >> they're similar, at least close enough and that's why i brought them together. the difference here is you have a salmon here that's about eight or nine months old versus one that's about three years old. now, why is that? and therein lies the real question. this one is actually farm raised and faed diet that is not a natural diet for a salmon, but it contains effectively simulants that help it grow faster, and that gets it to market faster and keeps the price less because in actuality, this salmon, even though they are the same size, is about half the price. >> the altered one is half the price. >> this is a wild caught salmon. >> how much?

how much is the altered one? >> wholesale about 44 sersz 88. >> twice the price. can we open them up? is there a difference in the color or what they look like? >> you are going to have some slight differences because they are a little different in species. however -- >> i hope this doesn't gross anybody out this early in the morning. sorry if it does, but this a good show and tell. >> when you look at the color of the farm-raised one and you see it has almost a milkiness to it. >> it's a lighter color. okay, got it. now, compare it. >> we will move this guy away so we can gracefully behead the king salmon. >> i didn't know you could actually gracefully behead. oh, wow, that's a brighter one. >> much, much brighter color. >> much brighter. >> if you can taste it, you have

a much silkier, softer flavor in the wild caught one. >> okay. >> is that worth the price? >> i don't know. >> that's something as a consumer we have to ask ourselves because obviously, if price is critical, which, i mean, let's face fact, it's tough times. >> you want to save money. >> it is an issue. >> do you want to do edamame, peppers, grapes. don't tell me which is altered and which is not. i want to see if i can taste a difference. which should i start with? >> why don't we start with the edamame so i don't have to use this 95. >> that now smells like fish. >> edamame grow like green beans, but they grow on very tall stalks, and the color when they're picked -- these were picked yesterday about two miles from here. so you can sort of see that the color naturally is kind of that lighter green.

now, when you steam them, they're going to brighten a little bit but you can see the difference between this in color alone, but taste them and tell me which you think tastes more like an edamame. >> okay, that's good. let me find a thick one here. oh, this one is sweeter. this tastes more natural. this tastes better. is that the real deal? >> there's a reason why. well, they're both real, but these haven't opinion played with. >> as in not allered. i should be clearer with my language. i can taste the difference. >> enormous. when you look at them, look at the size of the pods. these are so much larger. why are they larger? because they're engineered to hold water, and in holding water, that makes them hold weight, and, therefore, they can charge more for them. >> wow. you would look at this and say,

oh, this is thicker, better, more yummy but the one not altered tastes better. >> similarly, look at the green peppers here. these were peppers that were picked at the same little farm. these are both green peppers, no difference in the species. look at the size of these. >> obviously, they've been altered because they are heavier and a lot of bigger. >> the thickness of the wall. if you cut into it, and look at how thick the actual -- look at the difference there. >> as in -- is that the best way to hold this up like this? this is the natural one. >> this is the natural one where it hasn't been monkeyed with to create not only larger and thicker, but all they are doing is just jacking water. they're filling it with water. so the flavor, if you are to cut this and taste this, and if it tastes like sal none, i pap poll jazz. >> that's all right.

that's good. now let me taste the 87 netically altered one. >> that's right. >> wow, the natural -- the one that has not been altered has a better flavor to it. that's what i'm seeing is a better flavor in the one that isn't altered in both of these. what about the grapes? >> this is a little unfair because the species are different. they are both green grapes. these are indigenous to georgia where these are seedless thompsons that are grown more up in the northeast. so you are going to have a different flavor profile, but when you look at how this bunch is all packed together and all equal size. they are beautiful. >> color is the same. >> very appetizing, as opposed to the natural that are going to have sun spots and changes in size, but when you taste them -- once again, it's unfair in the taste because they're a different variety of grapes. natural grapes are going to have

these variations on it them and be smaller and larger. the smaller ones have better flavor which makes for better win if they are for win. they taste better across the board. >> let me get back to restaurants not having to say whether the food has been altered or not. what do you think about that? do you think restaurants should put that on the menu? >> i think responsible restaurants are doing that. you're beginning to see a trend. they do explain on menus where things are coming from. maybe they're using a locally raised beef or pork from a farm not far away or vegetables from a specific farm. we're seeing that more and more. should it be mandated or required? you know, that's a good question. obviously, we don't want to have to read a telephone book every time we go out to have dinner, but if you go to a responsible restaurant, they will take the time to know where their ingredients are from. >> i met your chef and i know

you even go out and pick your produce, and i think it's fantastic that you still to that, even in this tough economy, you're very committed to natural foods. i appreciate you coming on and showing us the difference. this has been a great education for me. >> i'm pleased to be here, and if anyone wants some sushi and edamame i'm going to fire it up. >> owner of five seasons in andy springs. check out the restaurant if you live in atlanta or if you are not far, drive in and taste his food. you will definitely be able to taste the difference. what's your opinion? genetically engineered food, good idea or something that should be thrown back? we got a lot of responses yesterday. now that you've seen the segment, let me know what you think. cnn.com/kyra. keeping our eyes on capitol hill, a key vote on the defense is scheduled, not just about funding the troops but about don't ask, don't tell.

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a key hurdle to the repeal of the military's don't ask, dent tell policy cups up in congress today. a vote is scheduled on whether to begin debate on the defense authorization bill. lawmakers who want to keep the ban on openly gay military members say a final decision must follow the ongoing pentagon review. >> the study assumes that repeal will take place. so, for all intents and purpose s, there is no study as to the impact on battle effectiveness and moral, a repeal of this legislation. so i continue to urge my colleagues to reject this effort to short-circuit the process endorsed by department of defense leaders, not by the service chiefs, a process that was supposed to inform us with

one that merry ratifies a politically driven decision. >> those who want to repeal held a rally in portland, maine and called on the two republican senators, susan collins and olympia snow, to stop the filibuster. pop star lady ga ga added her voice to the cause. >> i'm here because they inspire me. i'm here because i believe in them. i'm here because don't ask, don't tell is wrong. it's unjust. and fundamentally, it is against all that we stand for as americans. >> well the outcome of the senate procedural vote, which could come this afternoon, is just too close to call. don't skrk don't tell isn't the only thing in the defense bill, either. it also includes $159 billion for the wars in iraq and

afghanistan and 1.4% pay raise for troops and funding for the dream act, and the dream act is controversial, and it's high stakes. some see it as just what a great many young people need in this count. others call it a reward for illegal behavior. josh levs here to talk about what the dream act is. >> it's interesting how things get packaged to together in congress in a given year. this debate resonates right now against the immigration battle going on in america. let me give you a primer on the dream act. development, relief and education for alien minors. it would effectively offer students a path to citizenship, but there would be certain conditions. these are students, young people in the country illegally, would get a path toward citizenship if they did certain things. they have to graduate from a u.s. high school. they have to have lived in the united states for at least five years, and, finally, they have

to attend college or the military after high school. now, this is why we're seeing the debate. i know we have some video here of some people who are pushing for it, and what we're seeing in recent days as more and more people on both sides speaking out a lot. a lot of people saying this is what we need right now, the better we can educate our young people, the stronger our nation will be. people on the other side are saying this is a reward for illegal behavior. they are here illegally because of what their parents did. why offer amnesty? why are we going to give you something that people who are here legally getting? this bill has 40 cosponsors. almost all are democrats. >> how many young people would be effected by this? >> when it comes to numbers of illegals in this country, you never get a good number. it is estimated 2.1 million young people would be eligible

to take advantage of it but only about 800,000 would become legal citizens, get that full path to citizenship, kyra, if it were to be enacted. more parents are pulling their kids out of school to teach them at home. >> reporter: do you like being taught by your mom? >> yes. >> reporter: why? >> because i get to be with my family. >> carol costello joins us live with more on why parents are going to the home school route. numbers, and i think our campus is spending too much money on printing. i'd like to put you in charge of cutting costs. calm down. i know that it is not your job. what i'm saying... excuse me? alright, fine. no, you don't have to do it. ok? [ male announcer ] notre dame knows it's better for xerox to control its printing costs. so they can focus on winning on and off the field. [ manager ] are you sure i can't talk -- ok, no, i get it. [ male announcer ] with xerox, you're ready for real business.

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quick check of the big board right now. down, oh, boy -- it went down much farther than the last time. now it's going up a little bit. we'll keep monitoring it for you. nato says a helicopter crash in southern afghanistan this morning killing 9 american soldiers. the number of fallen heroes so far this year, more than 500. mahmoud ahmadinejad wrapped up speaking at the united nations. right now, protesters are outside the u.n., not happy about the fact that he's here in the united states. and a crucial day in washington for don't ask, don't tell, it the debate on whether to repeal it actually gets under way in the senate.

yesterday pop sensation lady ga ga weighed in on the policy banning openly gay service members. more than 200,000 people rallied with her in maine. lynyrd skynyrd are eulogizing the man who actually inspired the band's name. this is 77-year-old lynyrd skinner. he was a coach at the high school the band members attended. according to the group, he was the school's disciplinarian for long hair. you can bet he sent van distant and company to the principal's office quite a few times. the band is all right, and they withstood the stand. time. they thank their buddy from high school for it all.

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home schooling is really taking off across the country. in the last ten years, the number of american kids being taught at home by their parents has nearly doubled. carol costello talks with some families changing the way their kids are learning. >> isabelle, you're next. what card do you need? >> reporter: it's not your normal classroom and if you ask these parents, that's a good thing. >> when your kids are saying, i want to do this, and it's some kind of lesson, you smile,

because you're like, yes, they like learning. >> reporter: this woman is home schooling their kids and they love it. do you like being taught by your mom? >> yes, i do. >> reporter: why? >> because i get to be with my family. >> reporter: how does your mom make it fun to learn? >> um, she does activities, cool activities. >> reporter: and it seems parker is not alone. according to the u.s. department of education, 1.5 million kids are taught by mom and dad, up 74% since 1999. what do you think the biggest misconception is that people have of home schoolers? >> besides being weird and wearing your hair in a bun and denim jumpers? we're just like everybody else. we're not super moms. it's a decision just like public school, private school. >> reporter: a lingering misconception is that the main reason most parents decide to

home school is because of religious reasons. that's not quite true anymore. 36% do home school to teach their children religious and moral values but 38% home school because they don't like the school environment or the way teachers teach. just ask this family. they're home schooling five children. >> you are taught. you have to go to a, b, and c, and if you are not excelling here, you must have something wrong with you. >> what we learned is very unnatural putting 20 children in a room learning on the same schedule the exact same material in the same way is unnatural. >> reporter: what is natural for these parents, home schooling communities. in effect, shadow schools where their kids can socialize and parents can share learning techniques. >> there's nor resources available today. you don't have to be a scholar, you know, to teach your children. there's tons of resources out there to help you.

>> reporter: like nonprofit groups that provide an overall curriculum, for-profit groups that provide weekly lesson plans. laura brody wrote "love in the time of home schools" after home schooling her daughter for one year. >> we had a very good experience and a lot of successes, and a lot of fights and power struggles, and i didn't find home schooling books that talked about that. >> reporter: orred fact that home schooling is a 24/7 job. everything is education, and it's 365 days a year. of course, we take breaks and have fun and we do watch cartoons. we don't have a time to turn on learning and turn it off. >> reporter: for a growing number of families, home schools is the best way to raise, as these parents would say, well-rounded kids who will become not just smart adults but good people.

>> carol joining us live from washington. carol, are there any qualifications parents have to have before they can actually home school their kids? >> reporter: that's something laura brody is concerned about because it varies from state to state but the way these parents get around it because they're not scholars. they're not trained teachers. they can't teach calculus and physics but what they can do is bring in a trained teacher to help their children at home. they can go on line and there are programs written up by trained teachers and professors from local universities who can come to wherever the kid is being home schooled and help teach things like physics and calculus. >> what happens, though, if they don't do this? i'm just throwing this out. i don't know if you know the answer to this, but i think about this as people home school their kids. what if they don't know their kids are behind or not keeping up with what they should know at

a certain age or certain grade level and then it's time to apply to college, and, you know, it's too late? >> reporter: you're right about that, but, again, when you look at teachers in school, some teachers are good, some teachers are not. when you look at a parent teaching kids at home, some parents are good teachers, and some parents are not. it holds true in both places. what these parents do is they test their children. you know, when they come to the end of first grade, they give their kid a test to see if they're all caught up. these parents say their kids are ahead of where normal kids are at the end of first grade. these parents do test their kids through the years to see if they're caught up. let's face it, to get into good schools like harvard and yale, you have to take s.a.t. testifies and a.c.t. tests like any other kids that taepded private or public school. i called harvard to see if they had any home schooled kids

enrolled in the university? emfasically yes. many of these kids do well on the s.a.t. test sbfs get into schools like harvard and loyola. >> can you imagine if we were home schooled? >> reporter: i don't think my mother could do it. >> my poor mother would have pulled her hair out. >> reporter: it takes so much patience and time. i'm with you, kyra. >> got to have a break from your kids. >> reporter: not everyone can do it. >> some moms can. they're blessed with more patience. changing the impression of islam, up next. for 25 years.a pack-ar i do remember sitting down with my boys, and i'm like, "oh, promise mommy you'll never ever pick up a cigarette." and brian looked at me at eight years old and said, "promise me you'll quit." i had to quit. ♪ my doctor gave me a prescription for chantix, a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system.

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personal pricing now on brakes. tell us what you want to pay. we do our best to make that work. deal! my money. my choice. my meineke. there are more than a billion muslims worldwide. millions of them are american, but the controversy over the islamic center near ground zero seems to have touched off a

national conversation about islamaphobia, and whether americans need to change they are perception of muslims. a recent "time" magazine poll asked if people believed muslim is more likely to encourage terror among nonbelievers. 46% said yes. it's opinions like these that prompted the american muslim group my faith my voice and put out this psa. >> in recent weeks a lot of people have been telling you what to think about muslim. they say you should fear me and hate me. the truth is i don't want to impose my faith on you. i don't want to take over this country. islam teach meese to respect all people, improve society and stand up for justice for all. i have been here and have been here for generations wanting the same thing you do, the chance to pursue, life, liberty, peace, and the pursuit of happiness. i am a american muslim and this

is my faith and my voice. i'm an american. i'm a muslim. this is my faith. this is my voice. >> well, who better to give us more perspective on this than deepak chopra, joining me live from new york on the day his new book comes out. deepak, mohammed, the story of the last prophet is in bookstores but was released as early as a week ago inn as an ebook. that's unprecedented. why did you and your publisher make that choice? >> there is a lot of conversations going on on facebook and twitter and in places like saudi arabia and the middle east, and it's getting a lot of attention. the book is getting a lot of attention. a few people are worried that,

in fact, it may enflame tensions. i don't think so. my book is about more awareness. you know, 63% of americans say they know nothing about islam or mohammed, and yet they have all of these perceptions as you just saw. perception is reality, kyra, and if you want to dislike someone, are you going to be violent against someone, you have to demonize them in your head, and you demonize them in your head as well. if you don't demonnize them, you can't be violent, and the demonization occurs because we are not aware of who the other person is. when we are, as your psa showed, they're just like us. >> what's interesting is that -- i remember when the war in afghanistan began, you know, talking nine years ago. i remember just this flurry of education that took place, and so many people were wanting to learn more about islam, and

there was so much more talk about how we need to have better relations with muslims, and, you know, now here we are, nine years later, and you look at everything that's been happening in the middle east and then you look at these controversies here in the united states from the pastor in florida wanting to burn the koran and the animosity about the islamic center to be built near ground zero, and it still seems like all these years later we're so immersed in ignorance still and why is that? >> again, ignorance comes from lack of knowing the other, and lack of awareness. i was with president clinton the other day at a private function, and he said this islamic center could be actually a creative opportunity. let's dedicate it not only to interfaith dialogue but to the memory of and in honor of all of the victims who died, including the muslims.

16 muslims were killed in that terrorist attack. just like the ku klux klan is christian but not all christians are ku klux klan, and timothy mcveigh was christian but not all christians are like timothy mcveigh. we should believe that the majority of muslims are just like us. the great mystery is the mystery of revelation. how does an illiterate american like mohammed who knows nothing about reading and writing sitting in a cave hear the angel gabriel say, recite in the name of the lord who created human life from congealed drops of blood, recite in the name of the lord who writes by the book, who dictates by the book and reveals to mankind what was not known before? i think just the awe and the mystery of revelation and skipt

ch -- scripture shows there are certain universal truths. that's the mystery of the prophet of islam. >> i want to get back to that point in a minute, but as you talk about prophet mohammed, and you wrote the trilogy, you joe witte a book on jesus. were you surprised by anything that you learned about mohammed? what's different from the prophet of mohammed and the life and teachings of buddha? >> well, jesus is the son of god and he says i'm the son of god. buddha says i'm the enlightened one, i'm awake. mohammed says i'm a man among men. i'm just like you. everything that happens that is good in life comes from allah, and everything that is not good, i take the responsibility. that's a great leader. mohammed is more like you and me, kyra. he has paradoxes.

he has contradictions. he has questioning. he questions his own motives, and ultimately, he has the ability to listen to a universal domain of consciousness. he's struggling. you know, he's a married man. he has children. he's an ordinary person and to boot he's illiterate and yet has revelation coming to him. that's what surprised me about mohammed. >> the fact that you point out that he was illiterate, and you also point out the fact that, you know, he has this 6-year-old wife. are you concerned about a backlash because of those type of details that you write about when it comes to the prophet mohammed? >> those are well-accepted details even in the muslim culture and muslim world, and, you know, we cannot judge across the abyss of time. in those days, in that culture, in arabia, marriage was often a way of preserving lineage, and

cementing alliances between tribes, and, in fact, ayikha, his wife, was betrothed to someone else before she married him and ended up being his greatest champion. she was responsible for 2, 225 messages of define law after he died and is regarded as the mother of the believers. >> it really is an important time to know more about mohammed, isn't it? >> yes, of course, and i think this is a very crucial time where we need to come up with creative solutions, and not keep democrat monnize. in the words of mahatma gandy. >> always good to see you, deepak. thank you so much. more straight ahead.

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checking top stories. a security bug has hit thousands of twitter users. a security company says the bug causes potentially dangerous content to appear on computer screens without warning. the bad links may have also been retweeted causing the flaw to spread. nato says a helicopter crash in southern afghanistan killed nine american soldiers. iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad spoke at the u.n. this morning. he's among the world leaders taking part in a summit on ways to fight poverty, hunger and disease.

on that note, we all know what a loose cannon iran's president can be. you never know what he's going to say who who he is going to offend. he did just finish speaking, and he did stay on topic until the end. they actually stopped the translation. as you know, he usually goes off on another tangent. meanwhile, remember the last time that he spoke in new york, he claimed raurn was seeking nuclear power for peaceful purposes only and thought more research was necessary to determine facts from the holocaust and also said there's no oppression of women in iran and no suppression of free speech and this memorable gem. >> in iran, we don't have homosexuals like in your country. we don't have that in our country.

[ laughter ] in iran, we do not have this phenomen phenomenon. i don't know whose told you that we have it. >> you see the point i'm making here. sometimes his statements are so ridiculous, so throughout that you just can't do anything but laugh. "saturday night live" knows exactly what i'm talking about. ♪ the only threat i see is the threat of you not coming home with me ♪ ♪ our love foreeach other is like when planets collide ♪ ♪ now you're so far away ♪ it's your home but in my heart you'll stay ♪ ♪ i'm crazy for you mahmoud ♪ you can deny the holocaust all you want but you can't deny there's something between us ♪ ♪ i know you say there's no gays

in iran ♪ ♪ but you're in new york now baby ♪ >> you are back in new york's spotlight and we're listening to every word you say. harry reid is in hot water for questionable praise he directed at another senator. ce? 0 to 60? or 60 to 0? [ tires screech ] the quarter-mile, or a quarter-century? is performance about the joy of driving? or the importance... of surviving? to us, performance is not about doing one thing well. it is about doing everything well. because in the end... everything matters. the best or nothing. that is what drives us. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers on the c-class.

he wants an out! only one of us will win. so i do everything i can... to make sure it's me! [ male announcer ] winning takes intense preparation. start with wheaties fuel! a bold honey-cinnamon crunch cereal with complex carbs, and b vitamins. [ pujols ] wheaties fuel, prepare to win! in washington this hour, a major tea party group announced it is getting $1 million from a

yet to be named donor. the big donation will be split up among the groups that need it post. coordinators hope to hand out the money by october 4th, just under a month to the midterm elections. the average tea party donation is around $80. this is a significant cash infusion. let's go to capitol hill with dana bash who has the latest. >> reporter: kyra, sometimes people don't see what we see behind the scenes here and often when the senate majority leader harry reid comes behind the cameras, you can see his aides almost hold their breath because they're afraid he might say something to get him in trouble. he did do something like that at a private fund-raiser in new york. he called the new york senator keer standard gillibrand the

hottest senator. she has been called one of the 50 most beautiful people by the hill newspaper. secondly, joe miller, a guest on john king usa, and he came from behind and beat the republican senator lisa murkowski a few weeks ago and he is somebody calls lisa murkowski a hypocrite because she is bemoaning the tea party activist when she, in fact, has gotten money from outside alaska from lobbyists, and, lastly, all eyes here are on a crucial vote on don't ask, don't tell, and that is, of course, the effort to repeal the policy of gays in the military. that is something that is too close to call right now. we are watching that very carefully, kyra. >> thanks, dana. we have the next political update in an hour, and you can also go to our website cnnpolitics.com. witchy, woman, more than a popular eagles song these days after delaware's republican

nominee for senate stirs the pot of controversy with a decade-old admission to witch craft. concierge claim centers. so i can just drop off my car and you'll take care of everything? yep, even the rental. what if i'm stuck at the office? if you can't come to us, we'll come to you in one of our immediate response vehicles! what if mother won't let me drive? then you probably wouldn't have had an accident in the first place. and we're walkin'! and we're walkin'...

making it all a bit easier -- now that's progressive! call or click today. every day at this time we honor service members who have given their lives in iraq and afghanistan. today we honor jason hernandez. he was killed in september 2007. his mom wants him to be remembered for his courage and trying to make the world a better place.

she says jason could make you laugh on your worst day. he had a huge heart and a great person. his platoon leader said he loved being a soldier and would not have wanted the events that transpired to occur any differently. he will always be a part of us, whose lives he touched both as a soldier and human being. if you have a loved one or a comrade you would like to honor, go to cnn.com home and away, and type in your service member's name, pull up the profile, send us your thoughts and pictures, and we will keep the memory of your hero alive. ♪ soldier on hostcould switchii really save you 15% or more car insurance?

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announcement yesterday and stocks rallied in response. where do we go from here? allis alison kosic is at the new york stock exchange. >> just because the recession is over it really didn't mean that we feel like it's over or that the economy is really healthy. now, the group that decides when a recession begins or ends is the nvr. they said the economy stopped falling. there is a big thing hanging over the economy, unemployment. the jobless rate isn't going to drop to prerecession levels for years. stocks could be vulnerable to a pull back because the dow is up 30% since the recession ended, and it could be oversold and ripe for another selloff but most economists believe we will avoid a double-dip recession. we will see a pickup in the economy, albeit very slowly.

corporate earnings have been strong, manufacturing, housing. those areas are recovering, albeit very slowly and today we got a new report sewing that new home construction surged. that's a really good sign. we're seeing that push and pull play out on wall street as investors wait to hear from the fed. we don't expect any change in interest rates. investors are waiting to see what the fed says in its statement, if the fed will take action to pump more money into the economy to ruv it up to get it going. do you industrials down about 7, and the nasdaq off about 3. bottom line, with the recession, though, the worst may be over but we have a long haul ahead. more coming up next. what's this option? that's new.

personal pricing now on brakes. tell us what you want to pay. we do our best to make that work. deal! my money. my choice. my meineke. ♪ witchy woman see how high she flies ♪ well, it's doubtful that eagles song will be on a gop play list, especially in delaware where the nully minted republican nominee for senate is rocking from a decade old accusation that she dabbled in witch craft. >> reporter: when nancy pelosi's opponent presented her as the wicked witch, little did we know that yet another witch would bewitch the media. >> i dabbled in witch craft.

i dabbled in witch craft and hung around people doing these things. >> sarah palin is mean and christine is not. ♪ because there's no nicer witch than you ♪ >> reporter: the press may be laughing, but the witches aren't? >> she was ill informed then and it appears that she continues to be ill informed. >> one of my first dates with a witch was on a satanic altar. >> reporter: this woman says herz is a nature religion. >> it's not satanism or hocus-pocus. >> reporter: how about this defense from a supporter online. >> i used a ougi board once. so what? >> reporter: here's christine's defense as seen on "the view." >> i was in high school. there's been no witch craft since. if there was, karl rove would be

a supporter. >> what does that mean? >> if she was a witch, she would have cast a spell on karl rove. >> reporter: sure stirred up a cauldron on "the view." >> there are people listening to us who think, why don't those witches shut up. >> reporter: will christine o'donnell become known for her nose twitch? more than a decade ago, christine o'donnell was a frequent guess on bill maher's show and if she won't come on, he's threatening to release more old clips. >> every week you don't show up, i'm going to throw another body out. >> reporter: bill maher has his own skeletons from the past. >> art thou a witch? >> reporter: and among those old clips, we found this. >> thanks for the underwear. >> reporter: he says he doesn't mb