dogs to help in this search. there is no magic pill to cure the country's obesity epidemic, but today the fda is expected to approve a new weight loss drug called qnexa. now, the drug along with another one last month, they are the first weight loss pills approved in some 13 years. the cdc says 35% of adults in the u.s. are obese. so this is something that could affect millions of people. not everybody thinks it's a good idea. senior medical correspondent elizabethdetails. ma do we know about the effectiveness? >> that's what everyone wants no know, how much weight will i lose if i take this drug? by the way, i want to be clear, the fda is expected to rule on it today. it's not yet been approved. it's expected they'll approve it. you never quite know what the fda is going to do. let's talk about what weight loss people would expect. in the studies this were looking

at obese people. average weight of 227 pounds and people got down to an average of 204 pounds. so that's about a 23 pound weight loss right there and they kept it off for about two years. and so that's actually pretty good compared to some other diet pills. >> what does this pill actually do? do we know? >> does two things. one, it has an appetite suppress sent which was half of the old fen fen combination. the safer half. the other half makes you feel fuller faster. so you don't eat as much and you feel fuller faster. and topiramate interestingly enough is an anti-seizure medication. people with epilepsy take it. >> there are some people who lobby against the approving of this drug. why is that? >> there are serious side effects. when you're talking about a diet pill, you know a kajillion, i know that's not a real word, people are going to take this

drug and you're going to see a lot of side effects. in the clinical trials for this drug, they found some people had an increased heart rate. and that's of concern, you know, for people who already have heart disease. that could be serious. also, other people, relatively small number, but some people suffered from cognitive issues like confusion and language problems. folks taking topiramate for sei seizures for migraines, women who had babies had a higher rate of cleft lip. with this drug, women of childbearing age take it, they're supposed to be on birth control. we know that doesn't work so well. in these trials, what they found is actually they had many, something like 30-something pregnancies though they told the women to use birth control. >> that wasn't working. >> the birth control thing didn't work quite as well as it should have. >> there are a lot of people, i've become talking with about this today. there are women who want to lose weight. is this for obese people?

or is this something where -- this is not for the group that you want to lose five or ten pounds, right? >> it's not supposed to be. if the fda approves it, it will be for obese people or truly overweight people who also have health problems. let me introduce you to someone, meg evans. i'm going to show you pictures. she was in the trials. she was truly obese. she was 5'9" and weighed 230 pounds. and so you see the before picture on the left there with the white pants. and then the after picture. she lost 50 pounds and she was thrilled and she had high blood pressure and then once she lost the weight, she didn't have high blood pressure. it's meant for people like her. doctors, however, can prescribe it to anyone they want. if history is any lesson, they will prescribe it to anyone they want. >> is it dangerous to take it if you weren't severely overweight or obese. >> necessary by be any more dangerous. some ait's worth taking the risk

because you're obese and need to lose weight to stay healthy. if you're trying to lose five pounds, should you take those risks just to lose five pounds? i know a lot of women and men will. i'll be honest, i've talked to people who said, i don't care what the risk is. i'm going to take it. even with fen fen, i know people who said, i don't care, i just want to lose weight. >> wow. always go for a run. good run. good exercise. >> the people who lost weight on this, they also were counseled to do diet and exercise. so i want to emphasize that. that's an important part of this. >> absolutely. all right. elizabeth, thank you. appreciate it. we've all been feeling it. we're talking about the record heat this summer. extreme weather taking a devastating toll now. more than half of the country is in a drought. that is more than a thousand counties in 26 states declared disaster areas. some of the hardest hit areas are in the midwest and plain states where many farmers are in danger of losing their crops. corn, for example, this week,

38% of the corn crop across the country is in poor or very poor conditions. compared to just 11% at this time last year. iowa is at the front and center of the problem. earlier governor terry branstad met with farmers and state federal agencies. chris welch, he was there, and chris, tell us about this meeting. what was the importance of this? >> reporter: well, suzanne, it actually just wrapped up about a half an hour ago. as you mentioned, governor terry branstad here heading up this meeting. made up of, really a forum made up of state and federal officials as well as the governor and lieutenant governor. basically, they wanted to get together and convene this meeting to give folks more information about this drought. this drought, as you mentioned, has been doing a lot of damage here in iowa. really across the country. especially here in the midwest, in iowa. states like indiana, missouri, particularly hard. here in iowa, you know, this is the biggest corn producing state in the country so a lot of farmers here stand to lose quite

a bit if these crops are what people think they could be, if the yields are as bad as they could be. now, this meeting here, federal officials said, you know what, assistance will become available once the region here, once the state of iowa reaches, gets into the d-2 drought territory. they're already, most of the state is already in a d-1 drought. they don't have far to go before they reach d-2. then they could apply for assistance. drought assistance comes in the form of a loan. so, you know, it's not just a handout. they will be having to pay it back and meet certain qualifications. that's kind of what folks learned in the meeting. >> and, chris, we know some states, they're already plowing down their corn. do we anticipate farmers are at the point of no return here, where you might as well just get rid of it? >> reporter: it depends on where you are. here in iowa, they've had scattered rain, so, you know, you go to one person's farm, they look at a dire situation, whereas the person's farm

directly west of them may have gotten rain and not look quite as bad. i talked to a farmer he says on a good year he gets 200,000 bushels. this year he might get only 150,000. >> this is our personal business, right out our back door. as soon as we walk out of our house, we see our investment and when it goes downhill, it does take a toll on you. you know, one of the hardest parts about this is that you can do everything just right, planting dates, work hard at putting in a good crop, have a good stand established and when mother nature works against you, then it all seems like it was for nothing. >> reporter: suzanne, another important point that came out of this meeting is the fact that it's not really the corn, it's not just the corn, it's not just the soybean producers and farmers hurt from this. in the immediacy, it's perhaps more so the livestock farmers and ranchers because those animals need that corn, need that feed to keep their animals

growing. >> chris, i imagine the drought is affecting the prices at the grocery store that rely on this corn. >> reporter: yeah, a lot of experts anticipate that it won't be corn right away. that will come down the road, but the first aspect of price increases we will see will come in the beef. that is because the farmers, the ranchers who are trying to feed their cattle are dealing with higher corn prices out here in the fields. so it will come to the beef market first. >> all right. chris, thank you very much. good to see you as always. here's what we're working on for this hour. two americans kidnapped at gunpoint from a tourist bus in egypt are now reunited with their families. we're live from jerusalem where the reunion took place. how did sewing needles end up in the sandwiches of four airline passengers on four different flights? we've got the very latest on this bizarre and scary story. and the state of michigan is being sued on behalf of parents who say their kids can't read.

>> this case, simply put, is about the right of children to read. a right guaranteed under the constitution. now you can apply sunblock to your kids' wet skin. neutrogena® wet skin kids. ordinary sunblock drips and whitens. neutrogena® wet skin cuts through water. forms a broad spectrum barrier for full strength sun protection. wet skin. neutrogena®.

actress jada smith today took her fight against human trafficking and sex slavery to capitol hill. she testified before the senate foreign relations committee. panel plans to develop a strategy to stop human trafficking over the next ten years. she says her daughter inspired her to take action. >> until recently, i, like many people, was unaware of its prevalence and magnitude. it took my 11-year-old daughter, willow, who is here with us today, to bring it to my

attention. after watching the kony 2012 video and learning children in africa were being stolen from their families, forced into sexual slavery or used as child soldiers, she started doing some research. she discovered that this wasn't only happening to children in africa or far off places, but that children in every country, including our own, are being forced into slavery. now, this spurred me into action. >> state department says as many as 27 million people are enslaved worldwide and the fbi estimates more than 15,000 of them are here in the united states. a delta air lines passenger says he thought was a toothpick when he bit into it but he says this object in his turkey sandwich actually was a needle. one of several found in sandwiches on delta flights from the netherlands to the u.s. now, delta switched to serving prepackaged meals on the flights while authorities are investigating this. cnn's sandra endo, she's

following the story. >> suzanne, the fbi and local authorities in the netherlands are trying to find out how the needles got into those thuurkey sandwiches. the needles found in sandwiches on flights from amsterdam to minneapolis, and atlanta. two needs found by passengers and one by an air marshal. the airline notified all 18 flights from amsterdam to stop serving sandwiches. here's what one passenger who got one of the contaminated sandwiches said when he spoke with station kstp. >> i bit down on it so i wasn't biting down on the sharp side but the flat side. it could have been, you know, a bad injury orally but had i taken a big swallow and swallowed that down, i'd have a needle inside. that would be very concerning to me. >> the sandwiches were prepared

in amsterdam to delta. in a statement a spokesperson for the company says this is a terribly upsetting situation. first and foremost is the safety of the traveling public. there's nothing more important to us at all than the safety of the passengers and crews. gate gourmet is fully cooperating with the fbi and authority in netherlands and conducting its own full-scale investigation. the company says it provides food to other airlines but have received no other reports of complaints. suzanne? >> thank you. coming up at 1:30, we're going to talk to one of the passengers who had the needle in his sandwich. he says he took a second bite into the sandwich when the needle punctured the roof of his mouth. we're going to hear his story at the bottom of the hour. first, a woman accuses george zimmerman of molesting her for nearly a decade, so how could this information hurt the man who killed trayvon martin?

there are new accusation against george zimmerman, charged in the fatal shooting of trayvon martin. a woman claims zimmerman sexually abused her for about a decade and says the abuse started when they were children. a florida judge released an audiotape of her accusation.

>> it started when i was 6. he's about almost two years older than i am. he would reach under the blankets and try to do things, and i would try to push him off, but he was bigger and stronger and older. it was in front of everybody. and i don't know how i didn't say anything, but i just didn't know any better. >> the unidentified woman is known only as witness number nine. now, cnn reached out to her father who said the family would not be speaking to the media. meanwhile, zimmerman's lawyer calls the claim not relevant to the martin case. want to bring in our cnn legal contributor to talk a little about it. do we think this has any impact at all on the allegation in this allegation in the case of trayvon martin? >> in terms of its ability to influence public oopinion, yes,

it's a very prejudicial piece of information. i mean, it really, it will damage zimmerman's public image on the one hand. on the other hand, i don't think there's any theory of law that would render this admissible in the current trial. i mean, you're talking about claims going back to when o'mara was 9 or 10 years old -- sorry, not o'mara, when zimmerman was 9 or 10 years old. wouldn't be admissible in evidence. criminal propensity is not admissible in a criminal case generally. at the trial you're not going to see this come out. >> and alleged racism plays a part in this case. i you to listen to witness number nine, what she said, the statement on zimmerman regarding that. >> i was afraid that he may have done something because the kid was black. because growing up, they've always made -- him and his family have always made statements that they don't like black people if they don't act like white people. >> so, paul, when you take a look at this statement, could

this be used in the case against zimmerman? would this be relevant? >> highly unlikely it will be used in a state case. now, suzanne, if this was a federal case for civil rights violations, wholly different thing. but here the only issue for the court and the jury is did zimmerman act in self-defense, or was the use of deadly physical force not justified? the fact that years ago his family made racist comments or even that he made racist comments, very, very hard to get that into evidence. it really would have to be very close in time to the shooting, itself. then it might be relevant, but the fact that you have a history of saying racist things in the past generally you can't get that into evidence in a criminal case. unless it's a civil rights case. >> and monday prosecutors relear released 150 of zimmer man's recorded phone calls. one of the calls subject his

attorney knew from the start there were tens of thousands of dollars of donations pouring i into zimmerman. is this significant? what could happen to him, the attorney? >> this is very, very significant, i think, in that i've always wondered why mark o'mara, the defense attorney didn't say to the judge, you know, judge, i didn't tell him that he had to reveal about the fund-raising efforts and how much money was in the account. and o'mara has always kind of taken a public position that he didn't know what was going on. these tapes would subject that o'mara did know and if you look, suzanne, at how this played out at the bond hearing, zimmerman didn't actively say anything to the young about it. he just sat silently while his wife lied about the money. o'mara did the same thing, if these tapes are true. so i think this is -- this is a very harmful bit of evidence with respect to mr. o'mara's reputation, maybe he's got an explanation for it. we'll see. >> all right. appreciate it. thank you very much. want to go directly to

romney who's making a statement. i want to take that live. >> you know, it is that enthusiasm and that optimism that i'm convinced is going to drive america to an economic rebound, is going to create jobs, a brighter future for our kids. i am not someone who's looking to america to decline, i'm looking to america to take off and it's going to happen with new leadership. we're going to have to take a very different direction than this country's been on in the last 3 1/2 years if we're going to see the kind of bright future we'd like to see for ourselves, for our friends and neighbors, and for our children. because the president came into office and recognized things were in trouble and went on the "today" show after being inaugurated and said, look, if i can't turn around the economy in three years, i'd be looking at a

one-term proposition. well, he's right. now, i think he's got the message that there are 23 million americans that are out of work or that have stopped looking for work or can only get part-time jobs. i think he has heard that about half of this year's college graduates can't find work or find work that's consistent with their college degree. i think he's heard the message that the median income in america has dropped by 10% in the last four years. i think he's seen the record number of foreclosures. and so he has to recognize his policies have failed to get america working again. and my guess is he wonders why that is. and i have the answer for him. liberal policies don't make good jobs. [ applause ]

you look at them one by one. everybody knows that our health care system has all sorts of problems and things that need to be corrected. most important of which, one of the most important is, it's very expensive. health insurance is extraordinarily expensive. there are a lot of things that need to be done to improve health care, but obama care is not the answer. we have to replace it and get rid of it. >> you're listening to mitt romney out of irwin, pennsylvania. why an eighth grader who can only read at a third grade level is the subject of a lawsuit against the state of michigan. we're going to hear from the aclu who is taking this on. up next. and don't forget, you can watch cnn live on your computer while at work. head to cnn.com/tv. [ male annou] we believe small things can make a big difference. like how a little oil from here can be such a big thing in an old friend's life. purina one discovered that by blending enhanced botanical oils into our food,

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nobody keeps you on the road like progressive commercial auto. [ flo speaking japanese ] [ shouting in japanese ] we work wherever you work. now, that's progressive. call or click today. state of michigan is getting sued for failing to do its job. that is teaching students how to read. that is right. the aclu filed what it calls a first of a kind lawsuit against the state for actually failing to teach students to read at grade level. we are going to bring more of that story to you after the

break. we're going to be talking to carrie moss, the executive director of the aclu, who's actually filing that suit. we're going to take a quick break first. now you can apply sunblock to your kids' wet skin. neutrogena® wet skin kids. ordinary sunblock drips and whitens. neutrogena® wet skin cuts through water. forms a broad spectrum barrier for full strength sun protection. wet skin. neutrogena®.

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in chicago a video posted on facebook leads to the arrest of three teens on first-degree murder charges. the medical examiner says 62-year-old delfino mora tied from blunt head injury. just a day after he was allegedly punched and knocked to the ground by a 16-year-old boy. two other boys seen in these pictures are accused of using a cell phone to record the attack. prosecutors say the boy who attacked mora posted the video on his facebook page. and that eventually led to police finding the suspect. s. a teenager from ohio suspected of being a drug kingpin, well, police say a 17-year-old high school student was at the head of a marijuana distribution ring that operated

to cincinnati area high schools. he had six lieutenants selling as much as $20,000 in high grade pot to students every month. authorities seized 600 marijuana plants with a street value of $3 million. the minor was not named and will face charges in juvenile court. president obama, first lady taking to the big screen in the jumbotron that is. pretty cute. the obamas caught on the kiss cam during the usa women's basketball game versus brazil last night, took two rounds on the kiss cam and a little prodding by their daughter, ma l malia, before the couple finally puckered up. mitt romney is stepping up attacks against president obama accusing obama of helping political donors instead of middle class americans. the obama campaign is firing back with a new ad targeting romney and his tax returns. it's going to be a long, hot

summer of bare knuckle politics. the pl romney accusing the president of cronyism. what are they throwing out today? >> well, mitt romney just used the term crony capitalism, suzanne, at an event that's going on right now in irwin, pennsylvania, just outside of pittsburgh. you're right. it is bare knuckle time in this campaign. maybe brass knuckles time might be more like it. listen to what john sununu, who's a top surrogate for the romney campaign, what he said on a conference call earlier this afternoon. he basically said that president obama does not understand how the economy works and listen to the phrase he used in describing that. okay. i'm being told we don't have that sound. i'll read to you the quote he said. he said, suzanne, quote, i wish this president would learn how to be american. and then in the q&a session with

reporters during that same conference call, he was asked about that comment and he went on to say that, well, i think the president just doesn't understand how jobs are created in this country or something to that effect. that drew a pretty sharp response from the obama campaign. they put out a statement, suzanne, accusing the romney campaign of going off the deep end. this just goes to show you that this back and forth with these personal, very partisan, personal attacks are just going back and forth between both campaigns and showing no sign of letting up. >> and the obama campaign is hammering away at romney over his tax returns in a new campaign ad. how would you describe that? >> you have to take a look at the ad. this came out just this morning, and they are not letting up on mitt romney's refusal to release any more than two years of tax returns. as you know, he's already released a 2010 return. he's planning on releasing his 2011 return. a 2011 estimate is already out. by the way, mitt romney gave an interview to "the national

review" online where he basically said, again, he's not going to do that, he's not going to hand over to the obama campaign more fresh opposition research material. but look at this obama campaign ad that came out earlier this morning. they are not letting up on this issue. >> tax havens, offshore accounts, carried interest. mitt romney has used every trick in the book. romney admits over last two years he's paid less than 15% in taxes on $43 million in income. makes you wonder if some years he paid any taxes at all. we don't know because romney has released just one full year of his tax returns and won't release anything before 2010. >> you know what? i've put out as much as we're going to put out. >> what is mitt romney hiding? >> so there you have it. that ad is as about as sharp and personal as it gets, you know, and the romney campaign is not letting any of this go unanswered. they just put out a press release just a few moments ago,

suzanne, saying to president obama, if bain capital is so bad, if bain is so bad, why have you taken campaign contributions from people associated with bain? so it's now a mud fight. both sides are throwing it, suzanne. >> jim, real quick. there's a lot of speculation romney might announce his vp pick soon. "the new york times" saying the announcement could come as early as this week. are they essentially going to try to change the subject here? is it too early to play the vp card, do you think? >> you know, i got to tell you, suzanne, i think it might be a little too early. but hey, this is obviously in the hands of the romney campaign. there's a really interesting "new york times" article that came out this morning, suzanne, that takes readers inside the vice presidential selection process and talks about some of the very personal questions that are being asked of some of these vice presidential potential nominees. but it sounds as though the romney campaign is not quite

ready to make this pick. it just -- we aren't seeing the signs that they're on the verge of making the selection. however, we should note, suzanne, that tomorrow mitt romney is scheduled to be in ohio and the man who a lot of people in washington say is at the very top of his list, rob portman, from ohio. that would be a perfect opportunity to let that one out of the bag. by the way, the bhaobama campai they're not saying they're preparing for this, but interesting timing. they're sending joe biden to ohio the next day almost as if it's an anticipation of a potential vice presidential announcement. maybe i've been paying attention to this too long and thinking about this too much. might be that also. >> you're eating, breathing, living. i know what that's like. we're going to be on top of that tomorrow. we'll come back to you and see if it actually happens. doom and gloom, as ben bernanke describes what's derailing the u.s. economic recovery. i'm barack obama and i approve this message.

[romney singing]: oh beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountains majesty, above the fruited plain, america, america, god shed his grace on thee, and crowned thy good, with brotherhood...

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reduce tax burdens and provide the lowest middle class tax rate in 58 years. once again, new york state is a place where innovation meets determination and where businesses lead the world. the new new york works for business. find out how it can work for yours at thenewny.com. familiar face on capitol hill today. top republican aides tell us former vice president dick cheney will attend a house leadership meeting. that's happening this afternoon. he's also going to meet with a team that helps round up votes in the house. they're talking about strategy for dealing with automatic cuts for defense programs. those cuts would go into effect next year. also on capitol hill today, a warning from the federal reserve chairman ben bernanke. he told a senate banking committee there there are still

big threats to the u.s. economic recovery. he made no mention of stimulus plans. i want to bring in alison kosik at the new york stock exchange. he said essentially europe's debt crisis was the biggest threat. he also talked about a fiscal cliff in the hearing. specifically what was he referring to? >> okay. the good old fiscal cliff. yeah, get ready, suzanne, to hear that phrase a lot over the next six months. what that is is essentially a handful of different policies schedule to automatically expire early next year that would literally take billions of dollars out of the economy when the economy barely has a pulse unless congress does something. now, some of what would happen here is, number one, the bush tax cuts would expire. president obama says he wants to extend these cuts for americans who make less than $250,000 a year, but let them expire for families with net incomes above that level. what would also happen is the payroll tax cut. that would go away. that would mean less money in your paycheck. the alternative minimum tax would expand to upper middle income earners. some people would be paying more

in taxes. also a bunch of spending cuts kick in, all together, most of those cuts are targeted at military defense. it would cut about $100 billion from the budget next year. and for millions of americans, there's extended unemployment benefits would run out. bernanke says the koconsequence are serious if congress sits on their hands and does nothing. >> the congressional budget office has estimated that if the full range of tax increases and spending cuts were allowed to take effect, a scenario widely referred to as the fiscal cliff, a shallow recession would occur early next year and one and a quarter million fewer jobs would be created in 2013. >> and, you know what, suzanne, many economists say, you know what, chairman bernanke, we agree with you. >> keeping in mind all these warnings over the economic picture here, what does he look, when he sees the big picture? is it moderate growth? >> you know what, he does still see moderate growth. he's really sticking to his guns about still seeing moderate growth. you know, many would say that's

being pretty generous. many would call this growth anemic especially when you're looking at the fed's expectation for economic growth to be up to 2.4% for the entire year. the economy is slowly but surely recovering. we're seeing slowdowns in certain areas, especially in important areas like manufacturing and jobs. one real takeaway you can certainly walk away with after watching bernanke on the hill is his tone, suzanne, was definitely more downbeat today than he was in june. suzanne? >> all right. thank you, alison. appreciate if. checking your 401(k) these days could also lead to disappointment. it's not just growing as fast as you like. our poppy harlow along with financial experts have tips to grow your retirement fund in this tough economy. >> hey, there, everyone. here on the "help desk" today we're helping you prepare for retirement. always important. with me, greg olsen and donna rosato, our two money experts. greg, this question comes for you. take a listen. >> my question is about 401(k).

i have quite a bit of money invested there. it doesn't seem to be growing so my question would be, what's the best way to move that and where to move it to build on it? >> you know, greg, she also told me the market is so volatile now, you don't really know where to put it. >> understood. unless her 401(k) -- if she's still at her employer, there's not much she can do in terms of moving her 401(k). >> right. >> the good news is most likely it's not specific to her 401(k) program. a year ago, the s&p was sitting a litting over 1,300. today the s&p is sitting a little over 1,300. so it's not specific to her 401(k). a lot of people are feeling the same thing. the one thing that i would recommend is look for a target asset allocation fund that's closest to her age, within her 401(k). allocate the money toward that and then contribute as much as possible. >> i wonder, donna, if she should maybe put a little less than maybe she is in her 401(k) and put it elsewhere in the

market, an i.r.a., for example, she might have more options? >> a lot of our readers do get a little frustrated. i think people underestimate of the power of the 401(k). you can put a lot more into your 401(k) than you can into an i.r.a. up to $17,500 a year. plus it's automatic and you get an employer match. that said, people are not often happy with their choices. so i think a good rule of thumb is put in enough money to your 401(k) to get the employer match then if you want more choices go to an i.r.a. and fund that. you're going to feel like you have more control about where the money's going. >> absolutely. thank you both. we appreciate it. if you have a question you want our experts to tackle, upload a 30-second video with your question to ireport.com. people with a machine.

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we told you about needles found in sandwiches on four delta airlines flights. a passenger who bit into one of those needles is joining us. he was on a flight from amsterdam to minneapolis. what happened? can you describe. >> when they served the second meal on board. it's considered a light snack. they gave us a choice between a cold salad or a hot turkey sandwich. i chose the turkey sandwich. when they served it, i took one bite and tasted that and took the second bite and i bit into and i felt this real jab in the top of my mouth. the first reaction was sometimes they'll put a toothpick in. when i felt to see what it was and pulled it out and it was a

needle about one inch long. it looked like a sewing needle. it was sharp on both ends. it didn't have an eye on one end. >> did you hand the sandwich to somebody and asked what happened? >> you call the flight attendant. i showed that to them. they brought the purser who is in charge of the airplane back. she looked at it and was asking questions. she was talking to the cockpit. within two minutes a passenger on the other side rang and he said look what i just found in my sandwich. they said, oh my god. it's the same thing we had on the other side. he found exactly the same thing in his sandwich also. they took the sandwiches. the needles away and when we landed in minneapolis, they confiscated all the sandwiches and they found one more that had a needle in it.

>> all right. we're gladou're okay and they will get to the bottom of this. we appreciate your story and do let us know if you've been compensated and how things go on your next flight. thank you. >> okay. thank you. drilling for oil in the arctic has been off limits until now. there could be a gold mine of oil out there but also raises the risk for an environmental disaster. like how a little oil e can be such a big thing in an old friend's life. purina one discovered that by blending enhanced botanical oils into our food, we can help brighten an old dog's mind so he's up to his old tricks. with this kind of thinking going into our food, imagine all the goodness that can come out of it. just one way we're making the world a better place... one pet at a time. vibrant maturity. from purina one smartblend.

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no question america needs more energy but there's plenty of debate about where and how to get it. drilling for oil in the arctic has been off limits until now. after years of lawsuits and resistance from environmental groups, shell has been given the okay to drill off the coast of northern alaska. it's the first offshore drilling project approved since the 2010 bp disaster in the gulf of mexico. we go in-depth on the fight for

oil in the arctic. >> reporter: it's a massive gamble. if it pays shell oil will reap the benefit of being the first to bloish a new market for oil in one of harshest climates on earth. >> we will be drilling them like they are the most complex, most difficult wells we drilled in company history. >> reporter: the plan to sink to exploration drills in arctic water. the wells won't bring up oil but designed to confirm what shell believes is down there, at least 26 billion barrels of black gold. enough to supply 20% of america's needs. >> if shell really hits something this summer then i think things will heat up this summer. >> it's going to be a gold rush. >> it will be a gold rush under sea. >> reporter: their way of life

could be threatened. >> for the winter it comes from the ocean. the fish and the whale. it's going to ruin our ocean. >> reporter: abigail has lived in the tiny community her entire life. she is doing what she's done for years. preparing a seal skin to be made into winter boots. >> when you're 79 years old you don't look like a young lady but you have to keep working on these skins. >> reporter: she, like everyone else here, uses every bit of the animals. same goes for walruses and whales. people survive the winter by hunting whales and other sea animals during the short but

intense summer. the winter is a much different story. the ice can move like a freight train wanie i weighing a millio. about 90 miles that way is where shell hopes to drill this summer. if you look out this way, we've been here for a few minutes and in that short time the weather has changed enormously. it's a story we have heard before. tradition culture threatened by change, modern life and necessity. this time the stakes couldn't be higher. oil that could help power an american boom pitted against a way of life for people living on the edge. point hope, alaska. >> make sure to catch the special report, cold wars all this week on erin burnett outfront. "cnn newsroom" continues right now.

hello. we've got a busy hour ahead. live pictures right now out of san antonio where president obama is addressing a group of supporters. he's looking to raise some mayor cash in the lone tstar state an we'll bring you comments in a moment. police say he went on a shooting rampage at an alabama bar. the suspect has been caught. first, if it's interesting and happening now, it's rapid fire. let's go. the ceo of security firm g4s faced questions about his company's failure to recruit enough staff for the olympics. >> it's humiliating. >> it's not where we want it to

be. >> it's humiliating shambles for the company, yes or no? >> i cannot disagree with you. >> the british government has called in more than 3,000 milli military personnel to make up for the shortfall. when asked by pbs host tavis smiley if the death penalty might be imposed on the program, nothing could be ruled out. >> i don't want to take anything off the table. this is completely different than a benefits scandal like happened at smu or anything else we have dealt with. this is as systemic a culture problem as a football problem. there have been people that said it wasn't a football scandal. it was much more.

it was that but much more. >> the ncaa has shut down only one football program for recruiting violations back in the 1980s. an unbelievable catch caught on video. look at the window. that's a 7-year-old autistic girl falling from a air-conditioner. a city bus driver positioned himself to break her fall. >> i ran over there hoping that she wouldn't fall. when i got there she was still standing there. i just positioned myself. hopefully i would catch her. >> the bus driver steve st. bernard suffered only a muscle tear. the girl is fine. i'll speak to st. bernard about the rescue in the next hour. movie stars on capitol hill shining a spotlight on a real life tragedy. actress jada pinkett smith is an

advocate for the group don't sell bodies. >> fighting slavery doesn't cost a lot of money. the cost of allowing it to exist in our nation and abroad are much higher. it robs us of the thing we value the most, our freedom. we know what that freedom is worth. we've paid a high price to defend it here and abroad. >> she says her daughter drew her to the attention of the problem of human slavery. the fbi is investigating sewing needles founds inside sandwiches on four delta airlines flights. all the flights originated in amsterd amsterdam. all were headed to the united states. one passenger was slightly injured. in just a few hours we'll be hearing from maricopa county

sheriff. he plans to release his findings into president obama's citizenship status. he and his cold case posse have been looking into the origins his birth certificate. just how ugly is the presidential race getting? first president obama's deputy campaign manager suggested that mitt romney committed felony. now the national co-chair for romney's campaign is calling the obama campaign a bunch of liars. he also said this. >> the man and women all over america who have worked hard to build their businesses from the ground up is how our economy became is envy of the world. it is the american way and i wish this president would learn how to be an american. >> in response the obama camp says team romney has gone off the deep end, unquote.

now back to san antonio where president obama is speaking to supporters. let's take a listen. >> the way i ended the war in iraq. doesn't want to set a timetable for ending the war in afghanistan. i'm looking around the country and i know from our history, from world history that no nation has always been stronger than its economy. that's an issue of our national defense. and, so, because of our outstanding men and women in uniform we know we've got the greatest military on earth but we also have to have the best economy on earth to support those troops. that means let's start investing rebuilding roads and bridges and laying broadband lines in rural communities. let's rebuild schools that are overcrowded and give them state of the art science labs. let's rebuild our ports and

runways. that's what america is about is rebuilding. we've got thousands of construction workers out there that are ready to get to work. let's put them to work. that will be good for our economy, and over the long term will be good for our strength. that's the difference between myself and my opponent. as long as i'm commander in chief we're going to make sure that our veterans are properly cared for. we have expand our funding and improved how we are working with our veterans. we've got more work to do, and that requires resources. we're sure not going to spend that money better on tax cuts for me. i want to make sure that a young man or woman who has served our country who has fought for us shouldn't have to fight for a job or a roof over their heads

when they come home. >> president obama talking about the economy and veterans. you can see all that on cnn.com. we've got a lot more ahead in the next two hours. just take a look. still no clues, still no answers. still no sign of two missing iowa girls. >> it's baffling to try to figure out the pieces to the puzzle. looking at it, it doesn't make sense. >> it's as though they disappeared into thin air in bro broad daylight. >> police are draining the lakes where the bikes were discovered. sounds too good to be true. pop a pill, lose weight. do if side effects of the new diet drug outweigh the benefits. at 83 years old she's going to the u.s. supreme court. meet the woman against the case against defense marriage act could be the one to overturn it. [ taste buds ] donuts, donuts, donuts!

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just moments ago alabama police confirmed the arrest of the man who opened fire at a bar hurting 17 people. four were critically injured. surveillance video shows a man with a gun at the copper top bar around midnight. a hail of gunfire followed. >> it was so loud we couldn't tell what was going on. next thing you know they started getting away from the gunshot going out front and that's where the shooting took place at. all we seen was sparks and people ducking and the glass busting. we never saw the guy shooting. >> police say they have recovered 11 shell casings. families do it every day. they let their kids go out and ride their bikes but this time these two iowa girls have not

come home. after five days of searching families of cousins 8-year-old elizabeth collins and 10-year-old lyric cook are no closer to knowing if their children are victims of an accident or a crime. >> it's as though they disappeared in thin air in broad daylight. >> more than 900 people searched for the girls over the weekend care fully scouring the lake. >> that's been hard and very stressful. we know it's a very necessary measure that they need to take to rule out anybody that's close by. >> jim spellman is live with the latest on the search. authorities trying to rule out the possibilities that the girls may have drowned in this lake where there was a swimming ban in place, right? >> reporter: that's right.

take a look at the lake here. you can see how much the water level has gone down. they have first responders teams out here as the water goes down looking for clues. you mentioned there were hundreds of people out here searching along this shore and in these wooded areas. they found basically nothing. to be absolutely sure that they can rule out this lake, they want to drain it as much so there's no lingering doubt there might be a special clue or something in this lake. by late tomorrow or early the next day that part of the investigation should be done. >> the lake is about five acres. how long do they expect this to take? >> reporter: they think they should be able to have it done by late tomorrow or maybe the next day. the other part of this investigation has been expanded. they brought in fbi who brought in two search dogs. last night on the far side of this lake they lined up family

members. the dogs were able to sniff them to eliminate their scent and go to where the bikes wiere found. they hit on a scent and went toward the woods. >> was the grandmother able to provide any helpful information? she was the last known relative to see them on friday. >> reporter: that's right. this is a really nice neighborhood. i think anybody would assess it as safe. it's the kind of place where you would feel comfortable letting your kids go out for a bike ride. they had been staying with their grandmother, these two cousins. one of mothers got a new job. they haven't been able to narrow it down since then. they go for a bike ride and they later find their bikes and a purse that one of girls had near this lake. they haven't found anything in the lake, not even something like a flip-flop or something

that would show up if somebody had an accident in the lake. they want to empty the lake to rule it out. no sign of a struggle or anything like that leaves them searching for which direction to take this investigation. the family waits. the whole community is waiting to find out what happened to these girls. >> thanks so much. we know they have been questioning people on the registered sex offender list in that area. thank you so much. an 83-year-old woman loses the love of her life then she has to pay more than $300,000 in federal estate taxes. why? because she's lesbian. she is taking her case to the supreme court. male spirit present.trong it's the priceline negotiator. >>what? >>sorry.

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she's 83 years old and she is suing the federal government over the defense of marriage act. edi got hit with a $360,000 tax bill when her partner of more than four decades passed away. they had gotten married in

canada but since gay marriage is not recognized by the u.s. government, she was hit with state tax. good to see you. you're suing the federal government to overturn the defense of marriage act which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. was this tax bill the inspiration for that? >> you're asking the inspiration for doing that? >> correct. >> right after thea died i had a heart attack. i was quite sick. i was devastated by the great love of my life and had to deal with pulling enough money together to pay the taxes. it was deeply upsetting. there's a film about me and thea. i thought i have documentation of a real marriage and if my

government can't see it and accept it, i have to fight for it. that's really how it came about. >> the two of you were together for 40 years. did you really think you had seen it all? did you think all the fights that had to be fought had been? >> after 40 years of being together did you feel that you were past having to do this? you're 83. there are a lot more ways you can be spending your time right now. >> there were a couple of things. there used to be a thing called common law in which case we would have been married just by the number of years in which we lived together as married. we had no idea that being married would be drastically different in our lives. we lived together as if married. we never considered ourselves

single. we received, when the notice appeared in new york times we received letters from people from every walk of our lives and from every age. play mates and schoolmates and colleagues, just everything, wishing us joy and well. everyone treated us differently. >> you're taking this case to the supreme court, what is the heart of your argument? what do you want to see happen? >> what i want to happen altogether, what my suit is about is i would like to receive my money back. new york state accepted my marriage as a marriage. i believe and the justice department and the president agreed with me that the law doma is unconstitutional. doma is cruel. it discriminates against us for

absolutely no value to the country. we'd like to see that defeated altogether. i'd like other people not to go through what i went through. >> taking on the status quo. thank you so much for being here. we're sure that thea would be very proud of you. thank you so much. >> thank you. squirmishes in syria are found outside the capital city, but now there's a battle in damascus. neutrogena® wet skin . ordinary sunblock drips and whitens. neutrogena® wet skin cuts through water. forms a broad spectrum barrier for full strength sun protection. wet skin. neutrogena®.

syrian rebels are saying the fight for damascus is on. government tanks and troops fanned out today across the city. explosions caused by government shelling shook the western suburbs. government helicopters fired on a neighborhood near the city center. the rebels claimed to have launched a final assault. some say that's opened a question. reports out of damascus say the armed opponents are probing new parts of the government to test the government's reach.

fighting across the country has claimed 45 lives today. what we're looking at here is an attack by government forces. jill is joining us now at the state department. how seriously is the u.s. government taking the claim by the syrian rebels that they have launched an offensive against the capital city damascus. that changes everything. >> reporter: i just asked that question here at the briefing here at the state department. they are watching this very carefully. they are saying this is the most sustained and widespread fighting in the capital since the conflict began. they also say there's fighting throughout the country and the latest statistics nearly 140 deaths yesterday, and a total since the beginning of 17,000 people who have died. whether this is a decisive

moment it's hard to say. these opposition groups are not necessarily united into one group. they get one information from various groups. they are a very sustained effort by the opposition to show they are really taking it to the assad regime. in any conflict that's what happens. you take it then you advertise the fact that you're doing that and you're seeing these videos right now trying to weaken the resolve of the assad regime. will that be enough? hard to say. there's also a lot of sustained action now on the diplomatic front as well. >> when you look at what's going on here, clearly the rebels by saying the fight is now in the capital, in the state capital, this humanitarian crisis will be waged right in his backyard. are events on the ground in syria beginning to accelerate faster than the obama administration may have

expected? >> reporter: obviously what they want is for assad to step down. if this was to force them to step down that would be the scenario of having them leave. when you get into conflicts like this it's not quite sure how it's going to work out. what they would prefer to have happen is have some type of diplomatic resolution. force him to step down. he leaves and then a police transition happens. all bets are off. it's not very clear to kpeem here at the state department or any department what will be the next step. >> thank you very much for something we're going to keep an eye on and follow up within our next hour. mitt romney and barack obama are on the campaign trail today in big states with big promises.

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when you run a campaign you need money and president barack obama is a money making machine today. he wrapped up four fund raisers in texas. he will almost certainly lose that state in november but texas has enough big money donors that it's definitely worth his time. dan is at the white house. dan, the president did not let up on his outsourcing attacks on romney in this speech. let's take a quick listen. >> my opponent has a different idea. his main calling card for wanting to be president is his private sector experience. we asked the voters to examine that experience. he invested, he made money investing in companies that have been call eed pioneers of

outsourcing. i don't want pioneers of outsourcing in the white house. i want somebody that believes in insourcing. let's bring those jobs back home. >> dan, there he is. he's talking about the economy. is that something he will be talking about at the fund raisers trying to drill that in to the people who are there to support him? >> reporter: he is. the reason for that according to campaign officials is they believe it's working. they are taking a look at state by state polling that shows more and more voters are asking questions about the time that mitt romney spent at bain capital. the campaign will continue pushing that even as there's this strong defensive from the romney campaign. in addition to bain capital, you're also hearing the obama team going after romney for not releasing more of his tax returns. that's the message in a new tv ad that the obama team put up in the battleground state of

pennsylvania today. there's a big fight going on for that state. it's a state that the president won by ten points back in 2008. that state very much in play this time around. the president hitting romney hard. romney on the ground at a rally outside pittsburgh where he was fighting back saying the president's policies have failed. the fight is on for every vote in that key battleground state. >> both really appear to be on a roll in terms of fund raising. how much money is president obama expected to bring in? >> reporter: you're very right. the president has been lagging behind mitt romney in terms of fund raising effort. the obama team has used this to energize its base. if you look back now over some of the e-mails that have come out from the obama campaign over

the last couple of months, they always start out by telling their supporters that we are being out raised and we will be out spent and if it continues to be this way we will lose this race. they're aware of the money factor, if you will here, they're trying to use that to energize supporters to their campaign not only just to come out and support the president but also support his financially. >> sure. a lot of big money out there. thank you so much. rival mitt romney visiting a state that no republican nominee has won in 24 years. pennsylvania where polls show him trailing the president. romney just wrapped up the rally in the pittsburgh suburbs. jim, romney really went after something the president said on friday. >> reporter: that's right. let's play what mitt romney had to say. this was a feisty speech from

the gop contender. he went right after the president today in this war of words that's been going on for the last week. let's listen. >> he said if you've got a business, you didn't build that somebody else made that happen. we value school teachers, firefighters, people that build roads. you couldn't have a business if you didn't have those things, but we pay for those things. the taxpayers pay for government. what the president said was both startling and revealing. i find it extraordinary that a philosophy of that nature would be spoken by a president of the united states. >> reporter: now, mitt romney continued with that theme during the speech at one point saying i'm convinced he wants americans to be ashamed of success. he also claimed that the president is the one to blame for this war of words saying he

is always looking for somebody to blame and mitt romney at one point said that all of these attacks that have been happening lately on his private business record took him and his family by surprise. he mentioned his family. it's a sign that he is taking this personally and his family is taking it personally and he expressed that today. >> we talk about a war of wofrd but let's be clear. his campaign chair that obama has to learn how to be american. he's also called him a liar. it seems that not only the gloves coming off but look likes the knives are coming out. >> reporter: that's right. mitt romney, yesterday, in an interview on fox said that he's been accused of a crime, and when that happens he's going to respond in kind. it's no surprise that john would

come out today with those tough words. that was in a conference call with reporters this morning. there was another person on that call, a local businessman from ohio who said that president obama believes in socialism. we're almost right back where we were in late 2008 when the cajo mccain campaign and the obama campaign were going after each other. those attacks were going on in october. these are happening in july. it's extraordinary to see this level of personal attacks going on so early in the campaign. >> this could be a really ugly one. thanks so much. really appreciate you bringing us that. on the lighter side of politics, it took a couple of tries but president obama laid one on his first lady during team usa basketball game last night. they were a little shy when they appeared on the kiss cam in the

first quarter even getting booed by the crowd. they got a second chance and president obama did not disappoint. two americans in egypt kidnapped and then freed. >> let us down. >> a cnn exclusive conference with the former captives. that's coming up next. i didn't know how i was gonna to do it, but i knew i was gonna get that opportunity one day, and that's what happened with university of phoenix. nothing can stop me now. i feel like the sky's the limit with what i can do and what i can accomplish. my name is naphtali bryant and i am a phoenix. visit phoenix.edu to find the program that's right for you. enroll now.

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from three days of kapttivity to the first full day

of freedom. two americans talking about their experience in the hands of kidnappers in egypt. they were released yesterday. the two are from boston. both were on a bus headed on a church mission when a man got on board with guns. they first grabs alphonso and then the pastor stepped in and asked them to take him. this was a tricky one. the gunman wanted the release of one of his uncles. how did this couple get through this ordeal knowing they were being ransomed. >> reporter: that's right. essentially, it's a very lawless area. this is very common these kidnappings. they will kidnap some americans and let them go after a couple of days with some money.

this is much more complicated because the leader of the tribe, his uncle was arrested in another egyptian city on drug charges. they wanted to get them released. michel louis and lisa said they put their faith in god and that everything was going to be okay. let's listen to what michel told us a short while ago. >> they said if they kidnap two american people and they will make big news and also when i talk to them i said okay. the only thing they want, they don't want no money. they don't want nothing from us except for his uncle to be released. >> reporter: they put their faith in god that everything was going to be okay. they had these guns pointed at them. they were moving around every

night. they didn't keep them this one place. they only had their belongings. michel didn't have his medication. they didn't know if they were going to get out alive. >> it's amazing because he offered himself of so. you also spoke to lisa, what did she have to tell you? >> reporter: well, she was really surprised that there were no women. she doesn't know anything about the culture. the tour group was there retracing on these biblical steps of moses and they take them to this tribe. she was surprised at what she found. take a listen. >> all the time we went to different place and there's so many, it was only me as a lady. >> there were no women there? >> only me. only me. every night they change. i sleep with them. i always say jesus protect me.

they did nothing. nothing. >> reporter: deb they had a short negotiation between egyptian officials and the kidnapped. they were able to be let go and they are continuing their tour. they crossed over the border into israel and visiting some sights here. >> pretty remarkable. what about the kidnapper? is he still free? is he still out? >> reporter: his uncle was not released. they didn't meet his demands. he did have a conversation with egyptian authorities. the officials said they will take his concerns into account. >> all right. thanks so much. good interview there with those former hostages. it could be the next diet drug to be approved by the fda

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want to lose weight? you're getting more options. last month the fda approved the first weight loss drug in 13 years. a miracle pill is expected to get the nod from the fda. people weighed in at an average of about 227 pounds. they lost about 23 pounds each by taking this drug. they did it by keeping track of what they ate and also exercising. we've got meg evans with us today. you took this pill for two years during the trial. during first year you lost 48 pounds. how much do you think the pill contributed and how much do you

think curving calories and exercising contributed to that? >> the pill probably a third. watching what i eat a third and exercising a third. >> the second year you decided your weight loss was so successful that you decided to stay on for the second year of the trial. you only lost two pounds and then put on 20 pounds. this pill, did you find that without the pill or even once you did stop taking the pill you went back to the behaviors that caused you to gain the weight in the first place? >> a combination. i didn't watch my diet as hard and faithfully as i should and exercise in the last year i've really cut down to zero. that's hurt a lot. that's a major part of the thing. i think the pill helped me. i think it helped curve my

appetite how or the other though i never felt it but it appeared to have worked. >> it was a really incentive. it was a motivation. you wake up and take the pill. all of a sudden you're able to move on. stay with us for a second. elizabeth cohen had some questions to ask meg. she's going to be doing that right after this break. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] what's the point of an epa estimated 42 miles per gallon if the miles aren't interesting? the lexus ct hybrid.

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and deep wrinkles than professional treatments. an intense burning sensation i woke up with this horrible rash on my right side. like somebody had set it on fire. and the doctor said, cindie, you have shingles. he said, you had chickenpox when you were a little girl...

i said, yes, i did. i don't think anybody ever thinks they're going to get shingles. but it happened to me. for more of the inside story, visit shinglesinfo.com the fda is expected to give the green light to a new prescription diet drug called qnexa. an advisory board voted against its approval because of safety concerns. the side effects are increased heart rate, confusion, language problems, birth defects. meg you lost 50 pounds as we were talking before the break. did you suffer any of these side

effects? >> no, not a one. >> you were happy with the results? >> i thought i was on the placebo because there was no side effect that i could feel other than lack of hunger pains and that's it. >> that's what this drug does. it staves off the hunger. i want to bring in elizabeth cohen. one of the ingredients is something called qnexa. we know about the problems back in the '90s with phen-fen is they were causing heart defects. that was taken off the market. can we expect the same problems with this drug. >> that's not such a drug. it was the phentermine that was the safe half. i want to talk about birth defects for a minute. meg didn't worry about that

because she wasn't of childbearing age when she took the pill. when stla had children have seen an increased risk of cleft lip and cleft palate. >> what's fascinating is one of things we were talking about is that you are encouraged to be on birth control while taking this weight loss pill. >> right it's more than just encouragement. it's we're going to give you this pill but you'll have to be on birth control. they told the women to go on birth control but still a couple of thousand women they had 34 pregnancies so either the women didn't listen or the birth control failed. the fda really looked at this hard while considering this drug. >> meg, one of the interesting things is when we were talking to meg earlier and the fact is that the pill is an incentive to be counting your calories, to be

doing exercise. how much of it is really psychologic psychological? how much is the fact that you have this feeling of being full? >> i think it's more than an incentive. it make yous feel fuller faster. you can eat less and feel fuller. i think it's important to note that meg and others in the study received nutrition counselling and received exercise counselling. she said it right here it's not just the pill. she knew how to eat healthier and worked out more. >> she even thought she was on the placebo which is fascinating and i'd probably stop taking it. meg said she lost 48 pounds the first year and only lost two and when she was off the drug she put 20 back on. the huge weight loss comes at

the beginning, not necessarily after that. >> the bigger weight loss is in that first year and the next year are maintenance. i asked the director of this company about that and other people as well and what people have said is some people may have to be on them forever. that may be the case. we gained back a good chunk of that weight. >> meg we want to ask you another question. is this the kind of drug you would take again once it becomes available. were you frustrated that you put the weight back on? do you want to go back on the drug and see if you can lose however much weight you want to lose the second time around? >> definitely frustrated i put it back on and would love the opportunity to try it again. >> was it something in terms of exercise? did you just lose the motivation? >> i pulled an achilles tendon playing soccer.

i'm still in the recovery phase of that. >> we saw you playing soccer. you looked great. thank you so much. we really appreciate it. thank you. there's meg. you can see some of the pictures there. syrian rebels are saying the fight for damascus is on. troops fanned out today across the sprawling city of 1.7 million people. government caused by shelling shook the suburbs and attacked helicopters fired on a neighborhood near the capital center. the rebels claimed to have launched a final assault. that is open to question but reports say the regimes armed opponents are probing new parts of the capital to test what the government will do. fighting across the country has claimed 45 lives today. what we're looking at here is an attack by government forces on the besieged city.

one of the single most horrifying moments in syria occurred late last month. scores of people died in a town called douma as a result of government shelling. nearly three weeks later, we have our hands on video documenting this tragedy. she's live with us. take us back to what happened in douma on june 29th. >> reporter: the reason why it's taken three weeks to get our hands on that video is because the activists that wanted to shoot it were stuck there for well over a week and it was an ordeal to get the footage from damascus to us here in lebanon. we have to warn that the images are disturbing. the power is out in the streets. the three activis