covering this story. he is live in oak creek, wisconsin this morning. david, the southern poverty law center has been tracking page since 2000. that's a long time. was law enforcement involved at all? >> reporter: well, law enforcement wasn't involved because he wasn't showing up on the radar, not breaking the law. so he wasn't showing up in to raise any sort of interest for law enforcement. what we're learning about him now is that he held a belief of white supremacy for at least a couple of decades, dating back to when we know of, when he was in the u.s. army. we heard from an army buddy who talked about how he would talk about a coming race war and when they would challenge him on where the beliefs were coming from, they said he would duck the question. after he was discharged from the military, that's when he started showing up getting involved with rock and roll bands that are called white power bands with white power themes behind their music.

that's when he sort of started being watched by the southern poverty law center with the hate watch organization. they were keeping tabs on him just through his involvement with these bands. how these beliefs suddenly turned violent here in milwaukee though, is something that law enforcement is now trying to delve into. they are looking at this as a possible case of domestic terrorism, which does imply they are looking at the possibility that his beliefs did lead to this attack. but how that happened, they can't answer that question right now. what is clear though, completely clear, is the history of the gun that he used in the shooting rampage. he purchased it at the end of july. there was the typical and legal 48-hour waiting period. it was all done legally. that was a 9 millimeter hand gun he used to carry out this deadly attack. >> some of the people wounded in this attack, including brian murphy, shot on the scene, they

are recovering this morning in the hospital. any update on their condition? >> reporter: the last update was late yesterday directly from the doctors at the hospital. they say all three are in critical condition. but that police officer, a remarkable story, shot eight to nine times, gone through a couple of surgeries already. he's said to be resting comfortably on the mend. everyone hoping that today when we get another update we might see some improvement in the condition of the three that are still in the hospital. everyone pulling for them naturally as we move forward here. this community still trying to come together and to come to grips with what happened here. >> david mattingly on the scene in oak creek, wisconsin. thanks very much. the six victims of the oak creek shooting continue to be remembered this morning. the family of the temple president, kaleka said he died a hero. his son said the fbi told his father tried to stab wade page before he was gunned down and

may have given others just the time to run and possibly hide, including his own wife. she spoke about the terrifying ordeal just last night on "ac 360". >> i start closing my kitchen door, meantime he came in the kitchen and shot over there. then two ladies got shot in the leg, in the feet. then i grabbed everybody, run run run, to the pantry. >> his father was proud to live in america and hung a large american flag in his yard to show he thought u.s. was truly a land of opportunity. the fbi is investigating a fire that burned in a mosque in joplin, missouri. it burned it to the ground. just over a month after an arson attempt caused minor damage to the very same facility. the fire broke out early monday morning at the islamic society

of joplin. they say it is a total loss. it is the second time in more than a month the mosque was attacked. surveillance footage from july shows a suspect approaching the mosque and throwing in kind of ignited object on the roof. attorneys for jared lee loughner changing their strategy. they are expected to enter at least one guilty plea this morning for the tucson massacre suspect if a federal judge finds him competent to stand trial. loughner had already pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him. who could forget that january 2011 attack killing six people, wounded 13 others, including congresswoman gabrielle giffords. and coming up in over an hour here, 8:30 eastern time, we'll be joined by mavy stoddard, her husband was killed in the shooting. back to back roundtable fundraisers at the exclusive w hotel this afternoon, right near the white house.

at a campaign stop in connecticut last night the president rolled out a new attack line against rival, mitt romney. >> asked the middle class to pay more in taxes so he could give another $250,000 tax cut to people making more than $3 million a year. it's like robin hood in reverse. it's romney hood. >> you can tell he was practicing that one. the president claims romney's tax plan will cost middle class families additional taxes and romney team of course says those claims are false. mitt romney will be on the president's home turf in chicago, pulling in $2 million to three fundraisers this coming weekend romney kicks off a bus tour of crucial swing states in virginia and heads south to north carolina, florida and then ohio next week. some analysts wondering whether he might announce his running

mate during this trip. in the world of weather, tropical storm ernesto could become a hurricane by tonight. let's go to karen maginnis tracking the storm. where exactly is he headed? >> brooke, we'll be receiving another update from the national hurricane center in one hour. this is a compact system, however, there are plenty of feeder bans that will impact the yucatan peninsula. as a system approaches the coast there, there's speculation already that this could reach hurricane intensity sometime later on this afternoon. and should make the impact greater felt all the way from cancun down towards belize city. it interacts with the land and doesn't have that sustaining moisture coming in from the water. as it emerges over the bay of campeche, it will regain its strength before impact vera cruz, as we go into the next several days.

so this is going to have its greatest impact in that it's going to be a very heavy rain maker, 6 to 12 inches of rain could cause mud and landslides, brooke and john? >> no good. we have amazing video to show you right now. take a look at this. the first color pictures from the nasa rover curiosity's first full day on mars. we're all space geeks today. earlier photos showed the wheels on the ground and mount sharp in the distance. it is the vul destination on this trip. the rover is set to sent weather data back to nasa today. we're looking forward to that. >> i love the fist pumps from nasa, 1:30 in the morning, not that i was up but did see the video. >> most excited scientists in the history of the world, no doubt. ahead on "starting point," wrong place, wrong time. f-15 fighter jets scrambling in

the sky over long island. what triggered this frightening commotion. also, time to separate the athletes from the warriors in london. olympic decathlon and an american is favored for the gold. dan o'brien will join us next from london. you're watching "starting point." this is new york state. we built the first railway, the first trade route to the west, the greatest empires. then, some said, we lost our edge. well today, there's a new new york state. one that's working to attract businesses and create jobs. a place where innovation meets determination... and businesses lead the world. the new new york works for business. find out how it can work for yours at thenewny.com.

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welcome back, it is one of highlights of the olympics, one of the grueling endurance testing competition. tomorrow the men's decathlon begins, including the 100 meter dash, long jump, diskus, they've

got everything. >> you say that no big deal. >> no biggy. >> american ashton eaton broke the world record earning 9,039 points. until then dan o'brien held the american record for two decades. he also of course, won the gold medal in atlanta at the '96 olympic games. and dan, it is so wonderful to be with us. in the commercial break, you outed the fact you've never been to london before. hopefully you're enjoying it. it's a lovely city. let's get straight to the decathlon. all eyes are on ashton eaton, sets this new world record as we mentioned. you walked up to him afterwards and give him this big hug. bring us inside that exchange. what did you say? >> you know, after ashton broke the world record i happened to be standing by and it was one of

those moments i had been waiting a long time for somebody to score high and break my american record and he was the man to do it. i knew it was a matter of time and what do you say to a guy who just did somebody nobody else in the world has done. everybody -- everybody needs support, not just in track and field but in all olympic sports. i'm proud to be part -- i'm proud to be part of team usa and proud to be part of devry university, where people can go and set their own goals and get the support they need to achieve the things they want in life. i'm glad i was down there at the right time in the right place when ashton broke the world record. >> i hear your support. come on, did it sting a little bit, just a little bit that he took the record? >> you know, when i was younger, the records were very important to me, especially in the first five or six years after i

stopped competing, i liked having the records. here we are 20 years later since i had that american record from bruce jenner and i thought it's about time somebody scored high enough to get that record. i knew it was going to be him. ashton was young enough and he didn't just beat it, he blew it out of the water. so it's gone now and i told my wife at the beginning of that morning, at the end of the day you'll be married to just a former american and world record holder. is that okay with you? >> we have politicians coming in and you gave a more astoout answer thaen they can. how do you pace yourself over the next few days to get through the final event, which is the 1500? how can you make sure you have the energy to do that by the time you get to the end? >> incredible. it's all in the long-term

training and ashton eaton has a fantastic coach. it's about work and recover. you train your body to go 100% then recover from it. what gets guys off track is they get all excited in the first five or second hours and then they got five or six hours to go. these are going to be extremely long days, 9:00 a.m. starts and 10:00 p.m. finishes, not getting too up or down and turning it on when you have to and turning it off in the down time. there's a lot of down time. sometimes you have to wait 15, 16 competitors in between the long jump and shot put. i kind of -- dave johnson, my rival back in the day used to say it was like a 24-hour driving marathon, you have to pay attention and be ready for anything. >> you mentioned dave there. what is the toughest event? what's the biggest pit fall. you had problems with the pole vault before the 1992 olympics.

what event do you have to watch out for the most? >> for some reason it's the second day event the discus, you only get three attempts, is the first is poor, you worry a little bit and hold back, but it is all about movement and trust and staying in the ring. the discus seems to throw people off. he doesn't worry along those lines at the 300 meter. weather could be a concern as well. we'll see. we'll look for ashton to be a little concerned in the shot put and discus, we're looking at each other, like really? that's interesting. a lot of us have been following, you're a superstar, michael phelps a superstar, broke the medal count in terms of number of medals for any american. he says he's finished with swimming, do you think he should keep going? >> well, he's been to so many

olympic games and i'm not sure you get better as you get older. he seems to continue to win gold medals but it's probably about time that he wrap it up. it's so intense training all those years and years. and the interest being thing about it, he's doing it at the right time. going out on top, why not go out on top? this is all about -- and i think he's done a great job and been a great role model for o young olympic athletes, it's a matter of time. i think it's a great time for him to go out. >> dan o'brien, thank you so much. >> advice from one superstar to another. >> we were talking to dan, dave ads. >> the u.s. is right behind with 63 and russia moved into third place with 42. some of the big events today, the final day of gymnastics, gabby douglas trying for their third gold medal in the balance beam finals. we also have the finals of the

men's high jump and women's 100 meter hurdles and the men's triathlon. >> quickly, the women's soccer game, i flew in, you were telling me on the phone. >> screaming all by myself watching the game. so exciting. >> still to come, you have a facebook account, you may want to make sure you do if you want to get a job? we're going to explain that. forget the long waits at baggage claim, the airline that's about to start a special suitcase delivery service at a price of course. you're watching "starting point." fore! no matter what small business you are in, managing expenses seems to... get in the way. not anymore. ink, the small business card from chase introduces jot an on-the-go expense app made exclusively for ink customers. custom categorize your expenses anywhere. save time and get back to what you love. the latest innovation. only for ink customers. learn more at chase.com/ink

a couple of today's top

stories, the mississippi church that barred a black couple from getting married is apologizing. the hendersons and wilsons never should have been asked to relocate their wedding, but the wilsons call the statement an insult and misleading. if you opted out of facebook or twitter, you could be hurting in terms of your job prospects. forbes said many employers are suspicious of job candidates who do not use social media. they worry the person could be hiding something or the account was deleted because of red flags. >> you're told to be careful if you post on facebook, if you erase it, they are suspicious too? >> doesn't seem fair. >> apple stock near an all-time high even after missing earnings estimates last month. >> alison kosik joins us now. it's skyrocketing. some people think it's a good

value. >> it is. the ratio shows that apple is trading at 14 times its expected earnings for this year. but then you look at stocks on the nasdaq, they trade at 18 times when they are expected to earn. apple at 624 bucks is still considered cheap. you know when it's not considered cheap, $775 a share. that's when it not considered a bargain anymore. you look at shares in the premarket. you never think that apple misses its estimates, it's trading $624 right before the opening bell today. just shy of $644 all-time high, look at it since the beginning of the year, it's up more than 300% in the past five years. why didn't i own this think way back when? now, of course, the exciting is building over the iphone 5. rumor is is goes on sale in november. if you can't afford the new one coming out, there are great deals for older versions, sprint

over the weekend announced its offering a two-year contract for the iphone 4s for $150 and verizon offering the iphone 4 for $99. if you're an investor, it's good for you too, dividend payments to shareholders within the next week and there's chatter apple may decide to split its stock and that means the company shares will be cheaper, more accessible to the average investor and makes it likely it could be a member of dow industrials, it has a better chance of showing up in your 401(k). right now before apple is so expensive, it would single handedly sway the index on a daily basis. and split before -- >> and my iphone 5, does that mean i hold out for the iphone 5? >> you do get a bargain for the old iphone. >> i'm so embarrassed by this. we all get frustrated because

we're paying more for x, y and z and now we're talking off the plane pay more. >> this is at the premium rate. american airlines is offering this. it starts this week and what you can do is pay for the service, either when you're making your ticket flight or just two hours before your flight, pay the top dollar there. that is the menu. if you don't have the time -- or inclination to wait five minutes, they'll deliver it for you. that's kind of expensive, but you pay for convenience. if you've got a lot of kids or a million bags. >> i guess if you have a bunch of little ones hanging on you, i might pay the $30. >> ultimate in laziness, come on. >> if you're that family. >> you can't wait five minutes for bags to come and pay that much money? >> i would be worried about the fact it would give the airlines another chance to lose your

bags. >> that could make even more money -- >> ahead on "starting point," forget robin hood, it's now romney hood, that's how the president describes mitt romney's tax plan and you'll hear how republicans are firing back. it is, it is now lie, how honesty can make you healthier. pay attention. you're watching "starting point." >> we want you to join the conversation, tell us what you think about today's hot topic, send us a video of your end point and you could see it on the show later this morning. upload your videos at cnn.com/starting point. do it now, we're coming back in a moment. [ male announcer ] this is the at&t network.

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welcome back to "starting point." let's get to the top stories, president obama's campaign visit to connecticut trigger a commotion in the sky. amateur video of two f-15 fighter jets intercepting a small plane that strayed into the president's air space over long island. half an hour later, another small plane was intercepted near new haven, connecticut, the secret service right now is investigating. also this morning, federal prosecutors say three booth assistants stole $400,000 in parking fees at the smithsonian. these attend aenlts, two women, one man, are caught on video, unplug, electronic video

counters that let them steal. they were arrested over past weekend. a small indiana town continues to bounce back from this spring's tornado. one of the most memorable images from the twister was the sight of this school bus that slammed into budroe's cafe. the diner has since been renamed by owner sherman sikes. >> it was budroe's bus stop, the bus pulled in here and stopped. >> terrifying moment before the tornado, sherman moved workers and customers to the safety of the basement. no one was on pt bus. i love the new name of the diner. >> in today's a.m. house call, 25% of parents spank or use other forms of physical contact to discipline their kids in public. researchers studied caregivers in the public settings, i'm talking parks and fast food restaurants and saw more than

100 incidents involving parents or guardians spanking or using other forms of quote/unquote negative touch on their young kids. >> i have to say, this got my attention this morning. if you till a lie, it could hurt your health. that's according to researchers from the university of notre dame. the fewer lies people tell, the fewer health complaints they report. experts say being honest could help ward off depression and increase self-esteem. >> you look surprised. >> i am, i lie to myself every day, you look great. >> two robbers hold up a pizza joint in pennsylvania on sunday. one filmed the crime on his cell phone and told the victims, part of a reality tv show called you got robbed. >> i thought it was a joke. i was like really, good joke, now let me go and real quick it was -- it got real real real quick. the guy filming grabbed me by

the throat. there's my wall et, you can have whatever is in there, $20. >> the suspects were arrested and charged with robbery, assault, harassment and disordersly conduct. >> mitt romney is campaigning in chicago today. president obama had back to back fundraisers in washington, d.c. and the president may have a new catch phrase to use. >> think he's going to use this over and over. >> i'll bet you a jillion dollars. >> in stan ford, connecticut, here he was. >> asked the middle class to pay more in taxes to give another $250,000 tax cut to people making more than $3 million a year. it's like robin hood in reverse. it's romney hood. romney's camp responded

saying the biggest regret of his first term was not telling better stories and trying to make up for it now and the stories aren't true. there's only one can dade who's going to raise taxes on the american people and that is barack obama. >> joining us now is independent senator from connecticut, joe lieberman. his book is available now. you told us one of benefits of being independent, you no longer have to go to fundraisers. >> this is true, you don't have to go to fundraisers or either party convention. think about the extra time i have to be a good senator and maybe a good family guy. >> you heard the president near your hometown in connecticut using this new phrase, romney hood. >> what do you make of that? do you think this campaign is getting too negative, too nasty? >> you know, the campaign has i think already set records for nastiness and negativity. it's the opposite of what the country needs. part of what our countries needs now is a healthy dose of vision

about what both of these candidates will do if they get elected instead of scaring the rest of us of how terrible it will be if the other one gets elected. it diminishes our confidence, which we need to get out of the recession and start growing jobs again. and hope it changes. i hope this name calling changes to actual discussions about what they would do about tax reform and spending and entitlements and how they balance the budget. >> senator, we went digging for hard numbers in terms of negative campaigns, we weren't sure how much the uptick had shown. 70% of campaign ads run up to may this year were negative. 70%. do you think as americans go to the polls in november, it's more about who you don't want as president versus who you would like to lead the country? >> i'm afraid the numbers are interesting and they are important too. we're running the risk that most people, more than half of the people who go to vote in

november will be voting against the other candidate instead of voting for the candidate. >> that's a problem. >> that's bad. first because it doesn't give confidence about what their candidate is going to do for the country. secondly, you know, it's as if there were two departments and one store attacked the other department store, the net effect is people would look for a third place to shop. this is not a department store we're talking about here. it's the future of our country. so i -- it's part of why i'm not running again, campaigns, got too negative and much too expensive and much time time spent raising a money. >> you have been a third place to shop, you're an independent now. i want to put you on the spot. up in this point you refuse to say who you will support right now. some recent polls show only 4% of american voters are undecided. it's hard for me to believe that

you senator are truly undecided. have you made up your mind who you're going to support? >> i'm certainly decided that i'm not going to announce who i'm going to support. but i am undecided. and the numbers of of the undecided voters go somewhere from 4 to 10%. i think that's an important number because it's going to be a close election. i'm honestly watching and listening because i'm not in elective politics for the first time in more than 40 years and loving not being in elective politics. i decided i'm going to take the opportunity to do what most americans do and just vote in the privacy of the booth. xbr but you are decided? >> i'm undecided. haven't decided who to vote for. >> really? >> really. we're doing eyeball to eyeball. >> you're giving me the cross-examination look. and i haven't because i can think of positives and negatives about both of these people in terms of the kind of president

they would be. i hope that during the rest of the campaign i'll hear more positives about both of them and perhaps in their debates particularly, get a better sense of who i have most confidence in. >> what about this, because we all love to read in the political tea leaves, we know mitt romney is going on this bus tour and several names floated of course as potential vp picks. you were reported by vetted for a vp pick for mccain. i'm curious what that experience is like if this future number two knows right now that he or she is the chosen one and has to keep quiet. what's that like? >> it happened to me 12 years ago that vice president al gore announced he asked me to run. >> happy anniversary. >> thank you very much. it's so full of so many memories. but no, up until -- we were led to believe it happened to be a sunday night in august of 2000,

the vice president was going to make the choice that night. interestingly we were told mostly from the news media it was down to john kerry, john edwards and me. and i actually got a call from somebody on my staff who heard from somebody inside one of networks, not cnn of course, that it was john edwards who had been chosen. my family was anothermy house, took out a bottle of wine, what a great country, came this far. toast america, go to sleep and wake up in the morning and turn on local news and the reporter before the -- let me repeat this very exciting story, the associated press is reporting that al gore has chosen our very own senator, joe lieberman to be his running mate. all heck broke loose. >> you thought it was the wine talking. >> i thought it was a ha lus that tri hangover. >> but it was not. >> if governor romney has chosen a running mate now, that person doesn't know and probably won't

know until probably the eve of or day before. it's a very sing you lar exercise of power. it's up to mitt romney and mitt romney alone. hopefully he chooses somebody we'll feel is capable of being president. he'll want somebody who may help him get elected and there's a person factor. does he feel comfortable with the person. it's an interesting moment. >> a bold choice. we'll see. >> okay. >> yeah, again, happy anniversary. >> if you hear the choices, let us know. we're a phone call away. >> you'll be first call, believe me. >> thank you so much. >> take care. >> next on "starting point," intense shelling in neighborhoods in syria as the prime minister leaves the country. what his deinfection means. >> a piece of driftwood, was it from pieces of the titanic, the history detectives are on the case and they'll join us live on

this tuesday. thanks for being with us. you're watching "starting point." ♪

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reports of 11 deaths across the country in this amateur video showing bombs being dropped in homs. >> right now cnn cannot independently confirm the authenticity of this video as fighting in the country's largest city aleppo, rages on with heavy artillery shelling. ben wederman is on the phone.

>> dropping bombs on the old city of aleppo, very near the ancient citadel and dropped two large bombs. and this is really just the latest in a -- which started just before sunset, heavy bombardment of civilian areas controlled by the syrian army, sounded like an incoming artillery round hitting an area very much in the confines between the syrian army and the free syrian army or the rebels. the destruction of some of the areas is intense. earlier this morning we were walking around the civilian area and watched about 100 people lined up for bread at the only bakery working in that particular district. people say that they are

sleeping on the lower houses, lower floors of the apartment building or in the stair wells, to stay away from possibility of shattering glass during the bombardment. many people also i see many store owners packing up goods on pickup trucks and taking them out of the city because the worry is the syrian army is about to launch an offensive to retake those parts of the city occupied by the rebels. >> ben wedeman live on the phone. please take care of yourself and we'll check with you later if we can. >> fighting in aleppo seems like it's been going on for a week, the biggest city in syria. ben is also on twitter at ben cnn. this mystery from history solved. the origin of the family heirloom connected to one of the greatest disasters at sea.

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welcome back to "starting point." it could be a simple picture frame or a piece of history from the "titanic." >> it is a family mystery that begins a century ago in the dark waters of the atlantic. an irresistible case for history detectives on pbs. >> i always had a picture in my mind of my great-grandfather in a rowboat reaching into the water. >> and he pulled the wood out of the water. >> and he had it fashioned. >> into this picture frame. >> into this picture frame. >> the lusitania. >> this ship was called "the titanic." >> and rob brought the frame to alise and her team on "history detectives." welcome and good morning to both of you. i know this is so exciting. and we are going to give away just part of what's going to

happen a little later on the show. but let me just begin, rob, with you. so you grow up and this piece of driftwood, this 2x4, basically collecting dust on your grandfather's shelf. >> it was on the wall forever. >> and you're thinking, what could this be? >> we were always told it was from "the titanic." that was the story we always heard. >> when did it go from, we were always told, might it be the "titanic"? either way, it's very old, from 1915, what then made you take this question to this show? >> well, my brother, paul, decided to look into it and see if the oral history of my family was true. >> now, you know, two pretty famous ships. you're dealing with two of the most famous ships. but alise, when they first came to you, you were pretty skeptical that this picture frame came from "the titanic." why? >> well, family folklore is always abundant. and it usually doesn't pan out.

and we hear it over and over and over again. and with the 100th anniversary of "the titanic" this year, a lot of people were saying they had things from "the titanic." and it's beautiful. >> that's the same thing i thought. yeah, right, "the titanic." whatever. no way. >> but then with the trusty detective work of yours, elyse, you go to -- you basically start looking at the tree rings. you're really looking closely, you know, at this particular piece of wood. let's just play one clip of this. >> using image scans of the frame, colin measures the width of the tree rings. each ring reflects the amount of growth in a year and the series of measurements create a pattern. >> in a better growing season, it will make a ring that will grow up higher. it a poorer growing year, it will create a lower ring. >> profiles from the irish and scottish forests drawn from the

international tree ring database. >> so could you translate that for me? when we're talking tree rings, right, how the heck did you figure this out? >> well, it's actually done chronologically. we went to a specialist. he could figure out where the rings came from. did they come from scotland or ireland? because that would determine which ship it would be from. one of the ships used wood from ireland. and one used wood from scotland. and through, you know, researching the rings, there shall able to tell that the wood came from ireland which ruled out "the lusitania." >> the big reveal. >> it didn't rule out did it come from "the titanic"? we still had to prove that. that was the very first step in the investigation. that's not even towards the end. great, "the lusitania" is almost ruled out, but is this really from "the titanic"? that's the toughest part. >> rob, when you heard the ultimate conclusion, was there

some sense of satisfaction or vengeance on your cousin or something? >> no, nothing like that. my cousin, that part of it, there was never really any bad blood or anything about that. it was really just about the relief of hearing that it was really what we thought it was. >> from your great-grandfather, right? >> yeah, yeah. >> pride, i would imagine, to know you have something that significant and historical is amazing. >> yeah, it's fantastic. >> there's even more. we won't give it away because they even found out -- correct me if i'm wrong, rob -- they were able to find out where on "the titanic" this particular piece of wood was from. so that is why you have to stay tuned to the show, "history detectives," tonight. >> mm-hmm. >> thanks to both of you. we appreciate it. it's amazing. >> very, very, very cool. >> thank you. >> on your grandmother's shelf. >> she just kept sugar packets she stole from restaurants. ahead on "starting point," history will be made thursday night when a woman takes the field as nfl's newest official. but not everyone thinks she's up

to the job. don't miss this morning's "tough call." also, we are piecing together a clearer picture -- clearer background of this man, wade michael page, the man identified as the sikh temple gunman. hear from the organization that has been tracking him for 12 years. you're watching "starting point." [ female announcer ] the coffee house. the lines, the cost, the hassle. ♪ express yourself [ female announcer ] why not try coffee-mate? with over 25 delicious flavors for a fraction of the cost of the coffee house. add your flavor,

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and a good tuesday morning to you. i'm brooke baldwin. >> i'm john berman. soledad is off this week. our "starting point," a white power past. new details this morning about the suspected gunman who opened fire on a sikh temple. and hear from the organization who's been keeping an eye on this man for 12 years. also, today, a possible plea deal, jared lee loughner charged with killing six people trying to assassinate congresswoman gabrielle giffords may now admit today he is guilty. get this. it's called romneyhood. the obama campaign's new catchphrase? >> it's like robin hood in reverse. it's romney hood. >> jam-packed hour coming up including former new jersey governor christine todd whitman, olympic runner marla runyan, the first legally blind athlete to compete in the olympics, and the girl known as honey boo boo from the show "toddlers and tiaratia"

wait for it. it should be interesting. >> sure will. it's tuesday, august 7th. "starting point" begins right now. it's going to be an interesting hour, folks. we want to welcome the lovely men and women to my live, congresswoman ann hayworth, good morning, republican from new york and the only female physician member of congress. also, we have democratic strategist hank shinecock, aka, the terminator and my birthday twin, washington correspondent for "the new yorker." lovely to see you all. >> we're going to begin right now with our "starting point." disturbing new revelations about the man police say is behind the deadly wisconsin sikh temple shooting, including that an organization which tracks hate groups has been monitoring wade page for more than ten years now. police are now looking into the 40-year-old page's ties to white

supremacists. this photo you're looking at right now in front of a swastika is from a facebook page. it's since been taken down. we also note page was the front man for a white power rock band who's music was pronoted on neo-nazi websites. neighbors say page was antisocial. >> like a recluse almost. he didn't talk to us at all. i'd say hi and he'd just go "uh." >> she was nice and when he moved in, she changed. you could tell he was running the show. she wasn't as friendly anymore. she wasn't -- it was kind of like she wasn't allowed to, like, talk to anybody anymore. >> david mattingly is on the ground in oak creek, wisconsin, covering the story for us. david, what's the latest? >> reporter: john, wade page's beliefs in white supremacy were no secret to the people who were close to him. this, we're finding out now in the last 24 hours, that even

back in the '90s when he was in the u.s. military, part of the u.s. army, an army buddy tells us that page was frequently talking about the idea of a pending race war that was coming up in this country as something he believed very strongly in. when they pressed him about where those beliefs were coming from, they said that he would try to duck the question. and then after he was discharged in 1998, he started showing up on the radar screen of the hate watch organization from the southern poverty law center. they were tracking him with his involvement with what is described as white power rock 'n' roll bands. so they were watching him, but at no time did his behavior or anything that he was doing was something that they felt they needed to alert authorities about, that they saw no violent tendencies with him, nothing to

suggest that he would end up carrying out these shootings. >> david mattingly on the ground in oak creek, wisconsin, thanks very much. >> and david just mentioned wade page was a known name to this nonprofit group, the southern poverty law center. they've been tracking him all the way back since 2000. and a little earlier this morning i spoke to one of its senior fellows who knows all about him. this is mark potock. take a listen. do me a favor and just first tell me, you've been tracking page for 12 years or so. what was it about him that first, i don't know, started sounding the alarm? >> well, i wouldn't say that we were particularly alarmed about this man, but in the year 2000, he very clearly entered the white supremacist music scene. he began to play in various bands, hate rock 'n' roll bands, groups with names like intimidation one, blue-eyed devils, that kind of thing. you know, these are very well-known bands on the white supremacist scene. so we noticed him.

in 2005, then after playing with various groups, he actually started his own group called end apathy. at the time what he said about that was the name reflected his attitude toward the white supremacist movement in general. in other words, he felt that the leadership of the movement, the groups and so on were essentially a lot of talk and no action. >> let me jump in. >> he didn't speak specifically about what he was going to do. he didn't talk about violence or hating muslims or sikhs or anything like that, but he -- and this is a very typical thing on the white supremacist scene -- felt the people weren't doing anything and that somebody had to act. and i'm afraid we saw the result of that over the weekend. >> unfortunately, we did. and i think to your point, perhaps this is sort of coded language, and i just want to quote something. this was an interview he gave for the band's label website. this is where he talked the lyrics. i'm going to quote wade michael page's 2010, the topics vary from soesh yoe logical issues, religion and how the value of

human life has been degraded by being sub missive to tyranny and hypocrisy we are subjugated to. translate that. what's he really saying? >> well, the translation is white people are under assault. a genocide is being carried out by, quote, unquote, the jews against white people, the aryan race, quote, unquote, is the most endangered species on the planet. it's that whole idea. we are a shrinking minority. we're under attack. the multiculturalists, the politically correct leaders are destroying us. and if we don't act now, you know, all will be lost. that's really the translation. >> mark, when you talk about how alarm bells really didn't go off for you and your group, your group tracks extremists such as page, i'm just curious, you were quoted this morning saying really he's one of thousands out there which makes me nervous just hearing that. what is it about someone that goes from perhaps an individual you track to someone you

actually pick up the phone and call police and say, this is a really bad guy? >> well, i mean, we will call authorities if we have the slightest inkling of a criminal plot, having been carried out or being planned. we don't play police. that's not our business at all. but, you know, i don't mean to diminish what this guy was. what he talked about, the people he hung around were really scary, violent people. but as you suggested, there are large numbers of these people. what they say is essentially 100% protected by the first amendment, so you can't be running to the fbi with every person who says, you know, we've got to kill a group of people and so on. unless there's some evidence that they really mean it. so, you know, the sad truth is there are so many of these people, you know, you simply can't put authorities running after each one of them because, you know, in most cases, they haven't done anything illegal.

and you really have no right to be following these people around and trying to build cases against them. >> sadly, as you very well know, there are many of these people. and you mentioned this tool of music almost like this recruitment tool i know for these men and women as well. i just want to play a little sound because anderson cooper, he was in wisconsin last night. he talkeded to a former skinhead who really talks about the role of music in this particular movement. take a listen. >> i give the kid a newspaper to read, he might read it once, twice max. if i give him a music cd, committee listen to that thing hundreds and hundreds of times. if that song gets stuck in his head, that's propaganda you cannot get rid of. they were going after kids who were in junior high, high school, i mean, even one guy a few years back said he wouldn't have a problem going after kids as young as 8 and 9. >> well, listen, i agree with what he said 100%. we found over the years, there's no question that music or this kind of music is probably the number one recruiting method for

these groups at least with regard to young people. and it's true. the lyrics really do seep into your head. and of course most people who get attracted to this world come in at 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 years old so it coincides with the natural rebellion against one's parents anyway. what can be done about this? that's a very difficult question to answer. again, the music, like so much else on the scene, is utterly protected by the first amendment. that, of course, is not true in most european countries. this kind of music is completely legal in places like germany or austria or a number of other western european countries. but, you know, in our case, the first amendment, you know, i think is a very good thing. i don't mean to suggest it's not, but it creates problems if one's aim is to really crack down on this scene. so, you know, the best i can say it parents need to keep an eye on their kids and know what they're up to. i mean, most kids discover this

music initially on the internet. and then comes the fateful day when they walk out of their parents' house and actually go to a skinhead concert, and that's when real recruitment happens and the trouble begins. >> beyond the recruitment, i guess my real question is what's the tipping point? apparently everything i've read about page, there were signs he was referring to non-whites as dirt people. you know, you track these extremists. many of them are part of this movement. they listen to this kind of music. but what is it that takes -- what's the tipping point for someone to just be learning and a participant then to take them to the extreme? >> well, i think it's different for different people. but for very many of them, it's a sense of desperation. you know, i think back to james von brune who shot up the holocaust museum and murdered a guard there several years ago, you know, he was nearing the end of his life and felt that nothing was happening to sort of save the aryan race and so on

and decided he would go out in a blaze of glory. i think page had probably had some trouble in his life recently and decided it was time to act. i wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that he essentially expected to die. you know, but the real answer to your question is it is almost impossible to say especially when it is these kind of lone-wolf attackers. these are people very often who don't confide what they're up to, don't tell their friends that they're preparing some major action or massacre. and simply one day walk out of their house and begin shooting. so from a law enforcement perspective, it is incredibly difficult to make predictions about this kind of attack. it's quite different, you know, when a large up groo up of peop are planning an action. >> the frightening part, mark, and we've talked about this before, you talk about an explosive growth, quoting you in terms of these sort of extremists, these militant white

see pr supremist groups, and you've told us it's because we have an african-american president, and that's just one reason, correct? >> that's right. and it's really what the black president, president obama, represents. what he represents in the minds of these people is the changing racial demography of the country as a whole. the census bureau has predicted whites will lose their majority in the united states by the year 2050. for these people, it's the end of the world as they know it. so there's a kind of desperation and fury setting in that really is worrying. and as you suggested, i think directly as a result of obama's election and as i say, what that represents, we've just seen an explosive growth not only in white supremacist groups but in anti-government groups, militias, all kinds of groups on the radical right. it's really been quite frightening. >> it is very frightening, mark potak, thank you so much this morning for being with me.

>> thank you. a pleasure. sort of a fascinatingly bothersome, you know, conversation i just had with mark. >> that was a great interview. >> thank you. but listening to all of you all sort of picking out different pieces of it, i want to go back to your point, the fact that, we were making the point that this man is one of thousands in you say free society. it's a good thing, it's a bad thing. >> the good news is the first amendment. the bad news is the second amendment. people can say whatever they want, but they can also have access to guns. they may be guns. they're traveling across straights. they're doing bad things to people. they're in the wrong hands of people. the best thing is more control. the second amendment, people won't like that, but here are facts. we are losing americans on a regular basis by crazy people. when does it stop? >> devil's advocate, one handgun, got it legally. this is not the same case as we saw in aurora. >> the problem with the handgun control is the solutions to

something like this are fairly radical, right? we're not -- >> not necessarily true. >> we're not going to get rid of handguns in this country. if you want to prevent this kind of crime, you have to go pretty far in the handgun control direction which i don't think many democrats and most americans aren't willing to go there. you're not going to be able to stop somebody like that. >> it's tragedy, how do you get rid of hate? what do you say to people to get rid of these kind of feelings? >> the kind of discussion that you've just had with mr. potak obviously helps enlighten all of us when we're trying to understand. a mad man's actions are beyond understanding, but if we, as a society, can talk about all the issues and all the troubles that lead to these kinds of phenomena in an open way and in a way that's compassionate toward people who are very troubled and hurt by these situations, i

think it's very helpful. and we desperately need to have more useful, full-time work for especially our young men and women who need gainful employment so that there is less temptation to engage in these sorts of activities. >> tough questions. tough, tough questions. very tough topic. >> we'll keep the conversation flowing for sure. it's 16 minutes after the hour. ahead, this thursday for the first time, a woman will be officiating an nfl game. >> did you hear about this? >> some people say she doesn't belong on the field. they actually fear for her safety. that's our "tough call" coming up. >> i hear the grumbles already. also, more name calling in this already nasty, negative campaign. the latest, president obama zinger calling mitt romney the reverse robin hood. hear the president and, of course, the republican response next. you're watching "starting point." i'm feeling a very strong male spirit present.

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welcome back to "starting point," everyone. president obama with a new jab at mitt romney. here he is last night addressing supporters in stanford, connecticut. >> we need to ask the middle class to pay more in taxes so that he could give another $250,000 tax cut to people making more than $3 million a year. it's like robin hood in reverse. it's romney hood. >> the romney camp has fired back, quote, saying president obama recently said the biggest regret of his first term was not telling better stories. he's trying to make up for it now, but his stories just around true. there's only one candidate in this race who's going to raise taxes on the american people,

and that's barack obama. that, of course, coming from the romney campaign. christine todd whitman is the former republican governor of new jersey. she also worked in the bush administrations heading up the epa, now co-chair of the case energy coalition. and governor, i have to ask you this. in the republican primaries, you actually went out on a limb and supported jon huntsman and were part of this movement for a third-party organization. >> third way to get on the ballot. >> a third way to get on the ballot. when you see this kind of rhetoric going back and forth, romney hood. >> dirty liar and other things we call each other, yeah. >> what do you make of the discourse right now? >> high level of discourse. i think it's shameful on both sides. when you combine that with the money being spent, we can do better and we deserve better because our issues are enormous. we have a deficit spiraling out of control. we don't have policy on energy. we don't have policy on what we're really going to do about reforming the health care system. i mean, we have so many issues that we need to hear being

discussed by our candidates. and all we're getting is name calling right now. >> it is easy -- you know, we all criticize negativity in campaigns, but is there one thing you would hear and say, i support that candidate? >> oh, i'd love to hear someone actually stand up and say, you know what? we're all going to have to pay a price if we're going to solve our economic problems. there is no easy way to do it. we can't tax our way out of this problem, and we can't just cut spending to get us out of the problem. it's got to be a combination of both, and we've got to put everything on the table. >> compare the partisanship now versus when you were, you know, at the helm in new jersey or working with the epa under president bush. it is much more divisive? >> yeah, and it's getting more so all the time. >> why? >> in answer to your question, i would actually say that the short sound bite answer that would get me to vote for someone is the first person that stands up and says when i take over in office, we are going to start with bowles-simpson. and that's how we're going to

start to address the fiscal issues. why has it gotten worse? because we are -- it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. you look at the average voter turnout in primary elections today in this country is 10%. when congress is atop the ticket, it's about 32% and we think we've done a bang-up job on presidentials when we get above 50%. the problem is you don't need many people to come to the polls in order to get elected particularly in primaries. who do you worry about? your base. and your base tends to be those people who do vote in primaries and are now voting more tend to be the people who are the most partisan. and so they respond to the red meat, as we call them, issues that aren't necessarily the ones that determine our everyday life. i mean, how many people wake up and they sit down at the breakfast table and say oh, my god, a gay couple moved in next door. that's not what they talk about. they talk about, am i going to be able to afford the rent? what's going to happen to my child's education? how do i afford health care? those are the issues we need to

have discussed. >> you're a veteran of some of these internal battles within the republican party. as you watch romney campaign, as you watched him through the primaries, do you think he's done a good job standing up to the base of the party? do you think he's been tough and willing to, you know, not cave into the base of the party? >> i have seen some moments where i thought he had a freebie to do that. >> which ones? >> and he didn't. well, the one that comes to mind the first and is really etched in my memory is the debate that was sponsored by the tea party when a young soldier serving our country overseas -- i can't remember whether it was in afghanistan or iraq -- was on the video asking a question. he was gay. and the audience booed. and i waited for one of those candidates to stand up and say, look. you may not agree with his lifestyle, but this fellow is over there in uniform fighting to protect your life. so give him some respect. >> that's why governor, we call them profiles in courage. you know why? because there aren't that many.

and when they occur, we say wow, that's great. >> a sister soldier moment you're looking for. president obama had that with sister soldier. mitt romney needs that -- i'm sorry, clinton did that with sister soul -- soldier. mitt romney needs that. >> sister soldier was a controversial rap star in 1992 that clinton criticized. and you haven't seen that with romney yet? >> i haven't. >> governor whitman, thank you so much for coming in. it was great having you here. >> my pleasure. for the first time in history, a woman will be refereeing an nfl game. and not everyone thinks she is quite ready for the job. this is our "tough call." we'll marinate over this one. tweet us @brookebcnn. "starting point" back in a flash. . ♪ you feel that? no. the eassist is working. right now. that's spandau ballet, man. you did this all the way to the restaurant. yeah. we were going up a hill. getting extra horsepower.

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i'm mark allen of fidelity investments. the expert strategies feature is one more innovative reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. now get 200 free trades when you open an account. so time for today's "tough call." for the first time this thursday a woman will officiate an nfl game, shannon eastman. she will serve as line judge this thursday. this is a game between the san diego chargers and green bay packers. she has 16 years experience. she spent multiple seasons as a ref in the mideastern athletic conference, but -- >> there is a criticism, it is not mine. the deal is she's a replacement ref, and some say she's not ready for competition at this level. she's never officiated this level of size and speed. so guys, my question to you, is

this, in fact, a tough call? should this woman be taking the field thursday night? >> of course she should, you know, lots of people are told that they're not ready for something, and they step into it, and she'll be fine. come on. who's going to say the opposite of this? >> not me. not me as i raise my hand. you're looking at me. really, brooke? this is from yahoo!. this female nfl contributor. here's what she said. the female official, she thinks there should be someone else. she's been working forever and forever. she says this is a colossal mistake. that this first goes to this particular woman instead of someone else who's refed d-i games, that this is not history paving the way it should be. >> once the door is opened, it's not going to be closed. she may not be the best at this particular moment, but who cares? get the door open and worry about it later. >> to play devil's advocate, people are saying she's not prepared, she could get hurt, you're standing on the wrong place on the field, you get run over by a 300-pound linebacker, that's the other side. >> but the male refs, they're

outnumbered by the players by 200 pounds as it is. >> what are you going to do, put a scale on the field? you weigh this much, that much? >> she's very fleet afoot if she's been doing that kind of game. >> we all agree, this is all in agreement. >> my question is why do you want to be a ref? you take so much abuse. >> hopefully she's a good one because there aren't enough good refs in the nfl. >> she'll be beat around by reporters and her own constituents. why not? >> i admire her. >> we admire her. go, girl. >> it's another, you know, career for you. if congress is not tough enough. >> when they said she knows nothing about the game, i'd say, you're absolutely right. that's true. coming up here on "starting point," tucson massacre suspect jared lee loughner is expected today to change his plea to guilty at this court hearing, and one of his alleged victims, she's going to join us live to

tell us why she is thrilled with this reversal. and get ready for it, here comes honey boo boo. >> you can't wait. >> the 6-year-old pageant queen has her own new reality show, and she's going to be here to talk about it. you'll want to see it. you're watching "starting point." siri, what's my day look like? [siri] another busy day today. are you serious? [siri] yes i'm not allowed to be frivolous. ah ok, move my 4 o'clock today to tomorrow. change my 11am to 2. [siri] ok marty, i scheduled it for today. is that rick? where's rick? [siri] here's rick. oh, no that's not rick. now, how's the traffic headed downtown? [siri] here's the traffic. ah, it's terrible, terrible! driver, driver! cut across, cut across, we'll never make it downtown this way. i like you siri, you're going places. [siri] i'll try to remember that.

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welcome back to "starting point" on this tuesday morning. you know, america still trying to recover from two horrific mass shootings that happened just 16 days apart. police are investigating the shootings in that colorado movie theater and a wisconsin sikh temple as another tragic case heads to court today. here he is, the suspected gunman here, allegedly killed six people, wounding 13 others during the shooting spree in tucson, arizona. jared lee loughner goes before a federal judge today. his attorneys are expected to change his plea from not guilty to guilty.

his mental state really has been central to this whole case here. before he accepted -- before i should say his plea is accepted, the judge will rule on whether he is, in fact, competent to stand trial. that shooting happened last january during that meet and greet with then-u.s. congresswoman gabrielle giffords who was among those injured in that shooting. also, among those killed was 76-year-old dorwin stoddard. he took a bullet to protect his wife, mave. she was also shot. she survived that attack. i want to bring in mavie who joins me live from her home. good morning to you. i would imagine this is perhaps a day where you're full of emotions, though i've read you said you just want it to be over. when you hear that he'll be entering this guilty plea, how does that make you feel? >> i would be very glad if that's what he says, but i'll believe it when he says it. >> why don't you believe it just yet in fact?

>> because it's impossible to believe it until you hear it from his own lips. >> you have said this man, being jared lee loughner, this man took my life because dory, your husband, was my life. if he enters this guilty plea today, that means the death penalty in the state of arizona is off the table. why don't you want the man who took your husband to be put to death? >> because i think life in prison would be a lot worse, and also because i think he might have a chance if his mind is kept under sedation to the point that he's whole, he might learn about the lord. and that's important to me. >> i just want to open this up also talking about, of course, i'm sure you've been following these horrendous two mass shootings as we just mentioned

happening within something like 16 days of one another. you have aurora, colorado, and of course what happened in wisconsin at the sikh temple. and there's this new ad campaign demanding this end to gun violence. and i just want to play this for you. take a look. >> i'm a veteran. >> a mother. >> a teacher. >> we are survivors of the tucson shooting. >> our leaders gave us a moment of silence then. >> but they haven't given us a plan. president obama -- >> governor romney -- >> we demand a plan. >> we demand a plan. do you feel like you have heard enough, mavy, had it comes to our guns in this country and preventing another one of these massacres? what do you want to hear from either a mitt romney or a president obama? >> that we demand a plan. we demand a plan to fix our gun laws. i've been fighting for this for months and months. with chris coshner out of mayor

bloomberg's office in new york. he's been backing us. and he's got 700 mayors with guns against violence. fixing the gun laws. they have got -- it's got to be done. if not, people are going to continue to do this. we need no assault rifles, and we don't need the clips that are 33 and 34 amounts to each clip on the market. these were bought at walmart. that never, never should be. >> ammunition and in the aurora shootings, something like 6,000 -- 6,000 bullets there. final question for you, mavy. if jared loughner was sitting across from you right now, what's the one thing you would say to him? >> i don't hate you and i do forgive you. >> powerful words from mavy stoddard who lost her husband in that january shooting.

mavy, thank you so much. >> uh-huh. still to come on "starting point," she was the first legally blind athlete to compete in the olympics. now marla runyan is helping to inspire others. hear her story coming up. also this. the breakout star of "toddlerstiaras" gets her own show. she is honey boo boo. she is live in studio with her mom next. you're watching "starting point." mid grade dark roast forest fresh full tank brain freeze cake donettes

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welcome back to "starting oi point." the popular reality show "toddlers & tiaras," one of the

breakout star is pageant contestant alanna or honey boo boo as she's called. she is known for her hyperactive outbursts after drinking something called go-go juice and for outrageous sayings like this. >> they must be crazy if they think they're going to beat the honey boo-boo child. >> i sit with the judges and walk her through her routine. she knows she needs to show the tummy to the judges. show the judges. >> this is what i show the judges. >> honey boo-boo is now the star of her very own reality show called "here comes honey boo-boo." it airs tomorrow on tlc. we welcome honey boo-boo who also is alanna. she is wanting to be called

either one. and also her mom, june. >> good morning. >> why is she in pageants in the first place, and how old was she when she first started? >> she was 4. we started off in mall pageants. people said she looks like a porcelain doll. we decided to start at the local mall pageants. and then it kind of snowballed. we started natural pageants and then to the glitz side. we prefer the glitz side more because she loves to be all glammed up. as you can see, she likes to be all glammed up this morning. >> she changes. you like the cameras, don't you, alanna? >> yes. >> you like the cameras? >> yes. >> what do you love about the cameras? >> what do you love about the cameras? >> do i look like i know? >> do i look like i know? >> you know there is a lot of criticism at times about these child beauty pageants right now. i saw some clips yesterday, some

of the outfits. you were in a daisy duke outfit? >> yes. that's one of our popular outfits. >> there's a sexualization involved, there's strange outfits. how do you respond to this criticism? >> like i've said before on anderson a few months back is if you're looking at my child or any child in a sexual manner, it's not something wrong with us parents, it's wrong with the person that's looking at it because that's just nasty that people would look at a child in that kind of manner. you know, there's people who wear clothing, you know, bathing suits, bikinis on the beach, and it's just a costume when we get off the stage, the hair and makeup comes off and the outfits come off and she becomes a normal child. >> we're mesmerized by the smile right now. >> yeah. let me just ask you. you're sitting here. you're hearing your mom talk about how i'm sure some of the criticism, and you know a little bit. people are wondering why are you doing this at such a young age? you're looking at me with

eyeliner and blush and lipstick on. do you enjoy what you're doing? >> yes. >> why? >> because it's fun. and i like it. >> what does being beautiful mean to you? >> what do you tell everybody when they tell you you're beautiful? >> i feel like a pageant queen. i feel like i just won ultimate grand spring. >> what if you're not in the j pageants and you don't have the makeup on? >> i feel like a normal person. >> what do you like better? >> a normal person or hair and makeup? >> hair and makeup. i feel like a beauty queen. >> feeling like a beauty queen. lizzie, you have little ones. >> they don't do pageants. two boys. the thing that i always hear about this show is when i told people, you guys were going to be on this morning, people say, oh, i feel like that show is exploiting that family. i feel like tlc is almost mocking this family. intruding on their life in this sort of almost people feel sorry for you guys.

have you heard that? do you get that criticism? >> i mean, there's negative and positive criticism we've had over the thing. the thing when we did this, "here comes honey boo boo" is because america did fall in love with her, and they want to see what we do in a normal life. in the ten episodes, y'all will see we're a close family. we love to get muddy. >> we have a clip. let me stop you right there. roll it, john. >> we've got a lot of work to do before the page eant. >> is somebody going to [ bleep ] help me? >> it is summertime so we've got to make time for some fun. >> our family is crazy. >> who is it? >> you like us, you don't like us. we don't care. we love our life and we have fun doing it. >> close to family. like to get muddy. you like the mud? >> yea! >> we do a lot of mud bogging, a

lot of four-wheeler riding. >> lots and lots and lots. >> so she can be dress up and be beautiful, but she likes to get down and dirty. >> we are a redneck. >> you are a redneck? >> tell her your new saying. >> you better redneckognize. >> i think that's the perfect place to wrap up. >> on tlc. >> and you'd better redneckognize. >> "starting point" back in a moment.

welcome back to "starting point," everyone. she was the first legally blind athlete to compete in the

olympics. at the 2000 games in sydney. today marla runyan is helping inspire other young children with visual impairments. here's dr. sanjay gupta with this week's "human factor." >> good morning, camp ability! >> reporter: every day at camp abilities starts the same way. with care to share. >> seven more shots on the basketball court last night including three in a row. >> i ran three miles. >> i did my first back flip on the rings at gymnastics. >> reporter: all these children are visually impaired. and they've come to camp abilities for a one-week developmental sports camp. their inspiration this year is marla runyan who was diagnosed with a form of juvenile onset macular degeneration. she was diagnosed when she was just 9 years old. >> running became my choice of sport after i kind of abandoned soccer and i had such trouble

seeing the ball, obviously, so i went out for my high school track team. >> reporter: and boy, could runyan run. after running track and field in high school and college, she turned pro, eventually becoming the first legally blind athlete to compete in the olympic games. runyan says she was able to reach her full potential by competing against the best athletes in the world. and now she's giving these campers their first taste of competitive sports. and there's a lot to choose from. sports like beat baseball, goal ball. they learn to ride bikes. practice judo. and, of course, run track. >> our motto for camp abilities is believe you can. >> believe! >> reporter: dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, reporting. >> that is so nice to see. our "end point" is next. hey! did you know that honey nut cheerios has oats that can help lower cholesterol? and it tastes good? sure does! wow.

it's the honey, it makes it taste so... well, would you look at the time... what's the rush? be happy. be healthy.

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so now for the "end point" of the show, congresswoman, why don't you begin. >> in the past hour we've talked about some very dreadful events, but we've ended on a really high note with marla runyan's overcoming a tremendous challenge in her life, to be a champion, and now to be a champion for others. and that's -- when we look at the strength of america, that's really what it is, that we can use our initiative and talents for good. and that's the thought i'm going to take with me. >> makes us proud, doesn't it? >> it does, very proud. >> i just want to go back to what former governor christie todd whitman from new jersey, one of the last remaining

moderates in your party. but made some news there. criticizing mitt romney for not having a sister soldier moment, criticizing romney for not standing up to the republican base, something we haven't heard that much in this campaign. we haven't heard moderates going after romney that way. i don't think there are many moderates left in the republican party. but it will be interesting to see what the romney campaign's response is. >> we're all on either side of the coin here. i want to go back to the human condition. we've seen the worst, that's the human condition sometimes, but then we look at ms. runyan and we see the very best. we look at the police officer who risked his life to save those people in wisconsin. and we ought to be spending more time in this country and the world looking at the best and not the worst. >> suffering nine shots and giving his boss a thumbs up. thank you all so much and thanks for happening out. should we do it again tomorrow? >> let's. >> for now let's go to atlanta to carol costello.

"cnn newsroom" begins right now. >> thanks so much. happening now, profile of a killer. new details about wade michael page, his military service, his music, his beliefs, also new, his family speaking out. >> what has changed him, i have no idea. and obviously, we're never going to know. >> whee're in oak creek, wisconsin, as a community tries to heal. price shock. gas prices spiking overnight, now almost up 30 cents in just a month. what's behind the price at the pump and what you'll be paying come labor day. the big one. startling new report out saying oregon could get rattled by a major earthquake just like the one that struck japan. a 9.0, not if, but when is the northwest ready? and robin hood, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. the mythical character now front and center in the political fight over your taxes. the president has a brand-new punch line aimed at mitt romney.

>> it's like robin hood in reverse. it's romney hood. >> sherwood forest hasn't seen anything like this. "newsroom" begins right now. and good morning. thank you so much for joining us. i'm carol costello. we begin with new details of heroism emerging this morning from that deadly shooting rampage near milwaukee. satwan singh was president of the sikh temple, and he died trying to protect his fellow worshippers. he was armed but only with a butter knife. police say he saved lives by delaying the killer just long enough for others to escape. and this is lieutenant brian murphy, the first police officer to arrive on the scene. the gunman was waiting as murphy attended to a victim, the killer walked up and shot him nine times, even critically wounded murphy's greatest concern was for the other victims.