you can see the pictures there. the jelly fish stings, the storms that they were dealing with over two days. a big, big problem for nyad and her crew. th was her fourth attempt, and she said it would be her last attempt. you can see how she's looking right now. looks as if she was getting some medical attention. her lips swollen from jelly fish stings. that is our other breaking news we're following. we'll hand it off to carol costello, "cnn newsroom," beginning right now. i'm sure carol will follow both of these stories for you. happening right now in the newsroom, asking for forgiveness. todd akin in a new ad just out overnight. >> rape is an evil act. i used the wrong words in the wrong way, and for that i apologize. the fact is, rape can lead to pregnancy. the truth is, rape has many victims. >> an olive branch as the clock ticks, a deadline just hours away for the republican from missouri to stay in the race. or drop out. rough seas.

62-year-old powerhouse swimmer diana nyad battling storms, severe sun burn, and jelly fish. her journey from cuba to the florida keys cut short this morning. i knew we would outlast them. the woman who has led the charge for augusta national to admit women. martha burke this morning live on the course correction and why she thinks condoleezza rice and a financier from south carolina were chosen. plus, this. what a night. a no hitter in the little league world series. fairfield americans shutting out newcastle, indiana. star pitcher will lucas making headlines this tuesday morning. "cnn newsroom" begins right now. and gooed i good tuesday mo

you. we begin with the congressman begging for forgiveness. missouri republican todd akin admits he blundered in this interview when he spouted off on abortion and what he called legitimate rape. republican leaders just want him to go away. they are demanding he drop out of his race challenging senator chair mccaskill, an incumbent they consider vulnerable. akin is refusing to do that and is taking his case straight to the voters in a new tv ad. >> i'm todd akin, and i approved this message. rape is an evil act. i used the wrong words in the wrong way, and for that i apologize. as the father of two daughters, i want tough justice for predators. i have a compassionate heart for the victims of sexual assault. and i pray for them. the fact is, rape can lead to pregnancy. the truth is, rape has many victims. the mistake i made was in the words i said. not in the heart i hold. i ask for your forgiveness. dana bash is our senior

congressional correspondent. she's in washington. dana, this sounds like a man who is not going to quit. >> it sure does. and, boy, is that not making republicans here in washington frankly all across the country happy. they are still really hoping that by the end of business today, that congressman akin does withdraw. i'm told privately republican leaders have all but begged him to step aside for the good of the party and for his own political future. publicly, i think that's noteworthy it's not just the republican establishment, the republican chair and other top leaders. it's also a coalition of republicans that don't necessarily agree. tea party leaders, conservative radio hosts, columnists. they all say that they think he should leave. and i'm told by republican sources to expect more pressure today. and i have to tell you one thing that some sources told me that i thought was interesting is that they are frustrated not just because this could cost them the senate seat in november, it's also that they didn't want him in the first place, the republicans.

they wanted others. but he is the one who won the republican primary. they went to him privately and said, you're going to be under the microscope. you can't say things that are going to be lightning rods. and that's what he did. >> well, there's a 6:00 eastern deadline, so i guess he has -- he says he's not going to quit. so does it really matter? >> well, the deadline for him to quit without any penalty is 6:00 tonight. but he could still quit anytime between today and september 25. that could come, though, with legal and procedural and really financial hurdles, carol. missouri's secretary of state, who is a democrat, could challenge the withdrawal, and he would have to pay for reprinting of the ballot without his name on it. so it would be a lot more difficult. doable, but a lot more difficult if he doesn't do it on his own by 6:00 eastern tonight. >> i know you're going to stick with the story. dana bash live from washington this morning. right about now, todd akin needs a friend, and he is getting one, although with questionable motives.

senator claire mccaskill, the incumbent democrat, says her hobbled rival should be allowed to stay in the race. >> congressman akin and i disagree on some things, but he is sincere, and while i disagreed with what he said, he is now just in the last few hours really apologized for what he said. and i think what's startling to me is that these party big wigs are coming down on him and saying that he needs to kick sand in the face of the republican primary voters. >> mccaskill says she actually has sympathy for akin and the way his party has turned against him. but one truth remains. akin's admitted blunder is almost certain to give mccaskill a boost in the polls and possibly in fundraising. in a new outrage over how your tax dollars is spent, first

a painful refresher course. remember how the gsa was blasted for spending money on a lavish conference and a goofy video that laughed in the face of taxpayers? who could forget the clown? well, we're finding out this conference by the department of veterans affairs may be worse by almost any measure. the gsa shindig in vegas cost about $800,000 and outraged both parties. but cnn is learning these va conferences may have cost more than six times that, $5 million in all. of that, $84,000 of your money was spent on swag, things like branded items like pens and highlighters and hand sanitizers. and then there's the $52,000 doled out for an 18-minute video. unlike the cheesy clown sketch we just saw, this parody video was shot by pros from the private sector.

darrell issa has been demanding answers for months. and has set a new deadline for next monday. barbara starr is working her sources at the pentagon. so, oh, this is -- what more can you tell us, barbara? >> well, this is really all of course over the department of veterans affairs, and we are told that the va also is investigating this entire episode. it was actually two conferences in july and august in orlando, about 1800 people apiece attended each of the conferences. it was what they call a human resources conference. these are the people that the va has that engage in hiring of other people. mental health professionals, people to help wounded veterans and veterans get jobs once they come out of the military. by all accounts, the conference itself had a legitimate purpose. the question, though, is was it worth $5 million.

and as congressman issa as you just pointed out, all the things that congressman issa said money was spent on. this is part of what the va is investigating. and the secretary of veterans affairs has issued a statement. i want to read it to you. this is eric shinseki. and it says, quote, secretary shinseki has informed key members of congress and will hold accountable any individuals who are found to have misused taxpayer dollars or violated our standards of conduct. while an ig investigation is underway, va has taken administrative action to remove contracting authority of any employees in the work unit under investigation. so until the investigation is complete, no more contracting, no more spending by these guys. the investigation will have to determine whether this was legitimate expenditures. we'll see how it turns out, carol. >> you'd think they'd learn after gsa and all of the bad publicity attached to that.

and how angry taxpayers were. >> well, you know, president obama a long time ago issued some orders that the federal government needed to stop having some of these conferences with, you know, the give aways and the freebies and that sort of thing. and to really clamp down on spending. and there is now a much more massive look across the federal government, what are all these conferences about that the federal government puts on for its work force, and are they really using taxpayer dollars appropriately and to the correct advantage. nobody is disputing that some of the conferences, some of them, may be necessary and may be beneficial for the work force. but what is the money really being spent on? and is every dollar being wisely used? that's the question on the table. >> barbara starr live at the pentagon this morning. a top u.s. military general got to see for himself the dangers facing american troops in afghanistan. that's after a rocket hit joint chiefs chairman general martin

dempsey's plane at bagram airfield outside of kabul. the plane was empty but shrapnel from the attack left two base workers slightly hurt. dempsey made an unannounced visit to afghanistan yesterday to meet with top commanders amid a spike in so-called insider attacks. he has left the country since on another plane. closer to home, diana nyad has ended her fourth swimming attempt from cuba to south florida. the 62-year-old swimmer has been pulled from the water halfway through her journey. you're looking at exclusive pictures showing the end of her quest to become the first person to swim 103 miles from havana, cuba, to key west. those are painful to look at. she was trying to swim all that way without a shark cage. you can see she suffered severe sun burn and swollen lips from jelly fish stings. and take a look at this map. it shows the last update from her blog on how far she made it before she had to call it quits. our medical correspondent sanjay gupta is with me now.

oh, those pictures. they were painful to look at. >> and it's not just cosmetic. when you're swimming like that, you can get those stings on your lips and actually your tongue. and you're trying to breathe through your mouth. you can imagine the physical endurance is takes just watching her swim. and it can be actually dangerous from that stand-point as well. it's sort of what derailed her last time, carol. you may remember as well, this is further than she's ever made it. fourth time. first time she tried it she was in her 20s. she stopped swimming for 30 years, carol, and came back in her 60s and said, i'm going to do this. i'm going to be this sort of iconic person for people who are, you know, in their 60s. but 60 miles, 63 hours, just imagine that. 63 hours of swimming. >> i just -- and i can't imagine a jelly fish stinging me on the lips either. that has to be unbelievably painful. we're all worried about sharks. but it's really the jelly fish that did her in a couple of times. >> well, and they took the precautions they could with

sharks. it's open water. there's only so much you can do. but really quick with respect to that, they have a special thing called a shark shield. and essentially there's these kayaks that go alongside diana. and they have these little poles which send out a signal. if the signal sort of detracts the sharks away. some sharks are still going to swim close by, but that was sort of the goal. but you're right. the jelly fish, box jelly fish things. she wore the special suit this time. you can take a look at the shark video there and how this thing works. did diana demonstrated that for us. but the two kayaks sending out the signal, and that's how the sharks react. >> so they need something like that for jelly fish. >> i know. she turns 63 tomorrow. so hopefully they'll come up with something. she wore the special suit to cover most of her body. the problem is you need your face and obviously your mouth exposed. >> to breathe, right? >> yeah. >> the beautiful sight, one of the few beautiful sights of her swim, was the dolphins. they were swimming with her. >> yeah. >> that was pretty cool.

>> it was really neat. there you see some of the dolphins. and obviously much better than the sharks. and it was a great, great moment i think for everybody. obviously, somebody took this video. she burned 700 calories an hour. i did the math. carol, that's 42,000 calories she burned since 4:00 on saturday afternoon when she started her swim. she is losing about half a litre of water every half hour. so you have to replace 120 litres. you know, it's amazing. just what she did. obviously, i know diana, i have been following her for a couple of years. she's going to be disappointed. she may even say she'll get right back in the water. who knows. but 63 hours in the water. it's incredible. >> good for her. i hope she tries again. but i'm starting to feel sorry for her now. >> you know, people always say this. in part, it's physical. and obviously, this is a really big physical challenge. but mental is such a big part of it. and the things that she would do to keep herself going in the water.

she would sing herself songsment you're swimming through the night. you don't have any sense of night and day. her mental fortitude is so strong. who knows if she'll try it again. but i've never met anybody as mentally strong as she is. >> she's amazing. dr. sanjay gupta, thank you. two women are helping augusta national make a dramatic change in course. they are its newest members. but is it a move that's decades overdue? at purina one, 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. we 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. it's just one way

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talk about shattering the glass ceiling. famed augusta national golf club and its all-male membership is now admitting its first two women. former secretary of state condoleezza rice and south carolina banking and business executive darla moore. women across the spectrum were applauding this move. even president obama thinks it was too long in coming. cnn's mark mckay is joining us from augusta to talk about this history-making move. so two questions. why these two women and why now? >> reporter: well, carol, we may never know the answer to those two questions. why and these two women. you know, augusta national really revolves in a cloak of secrecy. they are a private club.

it is their prerogative. even the statement billy payne -- that billy payne, the club chairman, released on monday didn't give us a whole lot of insight as to why these two women and why now. the statement said in part, these women share our passion for the game of golf. both are well known and are respected by our helpship. how large is the membership here at augusta national? we think it's about 300. how much do the members pay? we think it's $10,000. so there's a lot we don't know. and perhaps, though, much of the credit for this move, carol, should go to billy payne himself. he became chairman in 2006. but he brought and oversaw a very inclusive sporting event a decade earlier. he brought that to atlanta in 1996, the olympic summer games. >> just going back to an original question, so was condoleezza rice and this other woman trying to get into augusta? or did augusta approach them? >> reporter: no. membership was extended to them.

and accepted by both women, carol. and as you said, the reaction was wide ranging not only here in the united states, but around the world as well with president obama weighing in, presidential candidate mitt romney weighing in. even the four-time green jacket winner masters champion tiger woods saying it is a decision that is important to golf. and of course we did hear from both women as well. condoleezza rice saying i have visited augusta national on several occasions. i look forward to playing golf, renewing friendships, and forming new ones through this special opportunity. and darla clark said, i'm fortunate to have many friends who are members at augusta national. so to be asked to join them as a member represents a very happy and important occasion in my life. there will be another happy and important occasion in both of their lives when they are presented with their green jackets here at augusta national this fall, carol. >> mark mckay live from augusta this morning. thanks. u.s. colleges are seeing a big jump in enrollment along a

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the republican national chair on cnn's erin burnett out front. >> listen, what he said, erin, was biologically stupid. it's something that nobody on either side of the aisle agrees with. it's a bizarre statement. and it's something that i think he needs to seriously think about. and if it was me, i would step aside and let someone else run for that office. >> but democrats are eager to tie mitt romney's running mate to akin's bizarre statement. they say congressman paul ryan worked closely with mr. akin to pass laws that would ban abortions in all cases and even narrow the definition of rape to forceable rape. a term mr. akin told mike huckabee he actually meant to say. >> what did you mean by "legitimate rape"? were you attempting to say forceable rape, or was that just -- where did that come from? >> well, yeah, i was talking about forceable rape.

and it was absolutely the wrong word. yeah. >> paul ryan believes abortion is wrong, even if a woman is raped. mitt romney believes rape and incest victims have a right to an abortion. and keep in mind it's romney who would be president. talk back question today, will akin's legitimate rape comment hurt romney? facebook.com/carolcnn. your comments later this hour. now to a first on our nation's campuses. hispanics are now the largest minority enrolled in colleges. and the rise has been impressive, from about 3% in 1972 to nearly 17% last year. joining me now is rafael christine romaroa romo. that is incredible. that's an incredible jump. >> it is just an incredible number in the last 39 years. it went from 2.9% to 16.5%. more than a fivefold increase. but that reflects basically the

growth of the hispanic population. most of these kids are not necessarily immigrants themselves. they were kids born in the united states. american citizens. and now they are reflecting the growth of this population. so no big surprise there. although it may surprise a lot of people listening to us this morning. >> i think so. so are colleges having to adjust? or are these just like american kids who happen to have hispanic parents? >> not necessarily. some have done it. but the reality is that sooner or later they will have to, because not only are hispanics 16.5% of all college students, but when you take a look at numbers from public grammer schools, the public is more like a quarter, 25% of all kids. so that means in the next few decades, you're going to have that percentage going to increase at least to that number, to 24%, to 25%, if not more. >> ok. so a lot of people are wondering

what's the secret? because this is great for the hispanic population. that so many kids are choosing to go to college. >> well, the reality is that it's only reflecting what's happening in terms of population. this is not like all of a sudden this group is going to explode. it's just a reflection of the more than 50 million hispanics that live in this country, which are also 16.5% of the population. so for many, many decades, it was a very difficult barrier for hispanics to get to college. and now for the first time ever, they are on pace with the numbers that they reflect in the general population. that's simply what's happening here. >> rafael romeo, thank you so much. >> thank you. letting off a little steam off a tough exam is a time-honored college tradition, especially at west virginia university. according to a survey by the princeton review, west virginia is the biggest party school in the entire country. and the mounteers also came in first in the lots of beer category.

if you are wondering if your school made this list of top five, the mountaineers were followed by the university of iowa, ohio university, the university of illinois/urbana-champaign, and the university of georgia. west virginia's university says the list has absolutely no merit. in less than a week, mitt romney will step on this million dollar stage. it's actually a multimillion dollar stage, to accept the republican party's nomination for president. but it's not just the stage that republicans want voters to see. it's a whole different mitt romney. we'll tell you how the design of the stage enters into romney's image. read it

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u.s. stocks poised to open higher today on hopes of some progress on the european financial crisis. just moments ago, joseph barato rang the opening bell. he is the ceo and founder of arrow investment advisers. you know alison kosik. she is live at the new york stock exchange with an early look. >> it looks like stocks are modestly higher in the first few seconds of the trading day. it will be another quiet summer session, but there is one stock on the move. but it's moving the wrong way. i'm talking about best buy. best buy is tanking, about 10% right now. because best buy reported quarterly profits that fell short of forecasts and even stopped giving guidance about the future because it's not sure what's going to happen in the second half of the year. this is a company in a whole lot of trouble right now. sales fell in eight of the last nine quarters. what seems to be happening here, carol, is that customers are using best buy as a showroom. you know, people are going in

there and trying out the products but ultimately not buying anything there but buying the products online for a better price. that certainly doesn't bring in the money. carol? >> no. that's what i do, though. let's talk about your 401(k). because the government is going to require all those hidden fees that people probably didn't even know about to be listed. tell us about that. >> exactly. and that's the thing. it's like a big surprise. surprise that you know that you do pay fees when you have a 401(k). so what's going to happen is you're going to get this new information about these fees in two phases. so if you're in a 401(k) you're going to get an annual. and you'll get a quarterly statement about your investments. the first statement should show up in your mailbox at the end of this month. and what's going to be on it will include details about how your plan is structured. plus a current list of investment options. also, you'll get some performance data with comparisons to how the broader market performed. now phase two will come in october. that's when the quarterly statements come.

and what these are going to have is actually going to lay out all the administrative and investment fees that you pay to whoever is servicing your 401(k). but one thing this won't do, you're not going to be able to compare these fees that you're paying to other employers' 401(k)ifiy fees. but you can get more information about the fees you're paying, something we didn't get before. carol? >> that is a plus. alison kosik, thank you so much. other stories we're watching right now in the news room, president barack obama sends a stern warning to syria's president bashir al assad. >> a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. that would change my calculus. that would change my equation. >> and the president says that could provoke a military response. meantime, opposition activists say that 30 people have been killed across syria today. 150 killed yesterday.

in afghanistan, shrapnel from two rockets damaged the plane america's top military officer, general martin dempsey, was about to fly in. dempsey is the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. he was in his room at the time. he was unharmed. two base maintenance workers were slightly hurt. dempsey left on a different plane. lance armstrong, the seven-time tour de france winner, has lost his latest court battle. a federal judge dismissed his lawsuit aimed at stopping the u.s. doping agency's case against them. he is accused of using, possessing, and giving others performance enhancing drugs. in florida right now, the rnc platform committee chairmen are meeting on what it means to be a republican. they are working to define the party's platform on key issues like abortion, same-sex marriage, and national security before the republican national convention begins next week. cnn obtained exclusive platform draft language on their position

on abortion at least. this is what it says. we support a human life amendment to the constitution and endorse legislation to make clear that the 14th amendment protections apply to unborn children. republicans are also planning a grand old show for their national convention. the rnc has now revealed its grand stage for 2012. it's a doozy. the reportedly $2.5 million setup includes 13, count them, 13 wood framed video screens. i mean, giant video screens, surrounding an intimate stage for mitt romney's primetime acceptance speech. his image team members hope it will showcase an open, more approachable potential president. and charlie wortszel is here. you know how important staging is. tell everyone else how important staging is, even for republicans at a convention. >> well, it's an incredibly

important moment for mitt romney, for republicans, and really what i think they are trying to do is be able to control the message as best they can in the micro managed way that, you know, the campaigns have been about this entire cycle. and so this is an opportunity where mitt romney is going to be standing in front of, you know, supporters and delegates. he's not going to have to be debating anyone like he will in october with barack obama. this is a very accepting stage for him to lay out the platform and present that to a group of people who are seeing this maybe for the first time. there's a lot of people around the country who aren't following this race as obsessively as, say, you or me or, you know, politicos around the country. so this is an opportunity for him to come into those homes. and they need to make sure they have this message down to a t. and they project the exact image they want of the candidate. >> they brought in producers from broadway, the control rooms

of nbc, and the design studios that created the sleek sets for oprah winfrey and jon stewart. i mean, this sounds more like the oscars than a convention. is that a good idea? >> well, you know, it's kind of just indicative of the way that, you know, politics has been playing out. you know, if you look at just the way that debate sets have been in all the primary debates. the ante is upped every year. people are trying to find new and different ways to make this fun and engaging. politics is something like i said earlier that a lot of people in the country only pay a small amount of attention to. so if you can try to find a way to integrate social media, to, you know, have 13 screens, one that is, you know, nearly 30 feet, you know -- >> tall? >> it really brings people into the experience in a way. and they have to make sure that people aren't going to change the channel. networks are covering this far less than they have in the past. >> let me ask you this question.

it's going to be in a big room. you'll have these giant screens. but they'll be framed in wood. the goal here is to make mitt romney appear warmer. so if you create a warm space, does that necessarily translate into a warmer seeming candidate? >> you know, i think it's an effort to just control absolutely every facet of this entire process. i don't know necessarily that having a staircase that looks like a staircase you might have in your house that slopes down to the audience will actually make people say, hey, mitt romney is, you know, my kind of guy, and he is a normal kind of person. i think, though, that it's an attempt to make sure that every still image that was taken from these conventions, you know, every single frame of video, fits exactly how they want mitt romney to be projected. i know that they're going to bring in some scenes for the first time talking about his religion.

and being a mormon for the first time. and, you know, it's an ability to in a very controlled environment tailor and craft this message exactly the way they want to do it. i don't know necessarily that, you know, people are going to say, hey, that looks like my house, and this is a -- you know, this is really -- this is a down-to-earth candidate. but at the same time, it really helps people -- it really helps the republicans make sure that nothing is going to slip out there, you know, and every moment in still frame won't be taken out of context. this is an important moment for him. >> sure is. charlie warzel, thank you for being with us this morning. >> absolutely. thank you for having me. it's been all-male for 80 years. but for the first time, women are going to get some green jackets at the home of the masters. we'll talk to the woman who helped bring about this big change at augusta.

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42 minutes past the hour. checking our top stories now, the transportation department slaps orbitz with a fine of $50,000 for not properly displaying baggage fees. previously, customers booking flights had to scroll to the bottom of the page to see the charges, and that is a violation of the d.o.t.'s mandate for clear and prominent fee information. the federal appeals court blocks parts of alabama and georgia's immigration laws. alabama tried to make it illegal for an undocumented worker to hold a job. georgia wanted to make hiding an illegal immigrant a crime. the court denied the provisions but said police can check the citizenship of criminal suspects.

you can see the effects of the drought on the mississippi river. it is so low in places that an 11-mile stretch of the river near greenville, mississippi, is now closed. that is stranding barges and large boats. the army corps of engineers says the low water is too dangerous, even as it continues dredging the river's shipping channel. try and try again. but the result is sadly the same for endurance swimmer diana nyad. this morning she had to end her fourth attempt to swim from cuba to the florida keys. these are new pictures of diana ending her journey. the effort was cut short by severe jelly fish stings to her lips and a lightning storm. gusts of wind forces an ultra light plane into some trees as the pilot was trying to land at a local airport. the pilot's only injury, a cut on his thumb. this is the second time he has crashed into some trees. at usaa, we believe honor is not

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augusta national golf club in georgia. the home of the masters tournament will now have something it has never, ever had. female members. the club admitted former secretary of state condoleezza rice and south carolina millionaire businesswoman darla moore. activists protested a decade ago, bringing international attention to the club's all-male policy before the masters 2003 tournament. martha burke led that movement, and she joins us now. good morning. >> good morning. >> so i just went online, and i just wondered what people were saying about you. let's say back in 2006. this is from a blog called "travel golf." it says, how low can martha burke go? she's already become the least effective activist of all time. it's so bad for burke that hooty johnson's replacement, billy payne, is effectively outright mocking her. when payne received a letter

from burke requesting a meeting, he did everything but laugh at her publicly. so that is 2006. and today, two women members at august a. so how are you feeling today? >> well, i feel vindicated, obviously. if we hadn't raised it almost 10 years ago, it wouldn't be happening now. and we know that. i think it's a great victory for the u.s. women's movement. all the women that stood behind and with me, including some members of congress. and people from around the world. the sports journalists were very much a part of this as well, because they helped make it an issue. and it paid off. it paid off for women. and as far as billy payne is concerned, well, you know, too bad, billy, you had to change your mind, didn't you? >> why do you think he changed his mind? because he didn't have to. >> well, i think he did. i think history overtook him

basically. we were successful. and by that i mean the women who raised this and kept it alive, and we did do that in the courts. it hasn't been reported very widely, but we did. anyway, you know, 10 years ago, it was about, well, isn't this a private club, can't they do what they want to and so forth. now it's about sex discrimination. and it about sex discrimination and it's a lot harder for them to defend outright sex discrimination. times have changed. we know we were a part of that. he had to change along with it. i think the companies involved could no longer stonewall either. with the new ceo of ibm being female, that was a great embarrassment to both the club and to ibm itself, the way she was treated this last april and they couldn't do a repeat performance of that. >> because normally they would make the sponsor a member but

they couldn't because they didn't admit women. let's talk about the two women that augusta admitted. they don't live in georgia. they live in other states. does that mean anything? >> no. it's the same with the men. they live all over the country, mostly in fortune 500 corporations. so these women are of equal stature with the men. i'm delighted of the women that were chosen. one from business, one from public policy. and they know when they are making historic change. they've already done it. and i think they are just excellent choices. >> so when do you think more women will be admitted? not for a while? >> this is a big question and the club needs to answer it and answer it pretty quickly because what they have done with the

african-american men that were admitted some 12, 15 years ago when the controversy is raised, is they have marginalized those men. i hope that doesn't happen with the women. i don't want to see the women tokenized. they certainly deserve much better than that. that's going to be up to the club and the members that are already there, the men, need to see that that does not happen because i think it would be a very sad state and it would be greatly disrespectful of these two very prominent women. >> martha burk, thanks for sharing your thoughts this morning. >> thank for having me. we have been asking you to respond on one of the big stories of the day. will congressman todd aikens'

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we asked you to talk back on

one of the big questions of the day. will congressman todd akin's comment hurt mitt romney? and steve says, if biden's mega gaffes aren't enough to derail the obama train then this, too, shall pass. and tim says, who else are the values conservatives going to vote for? obama? gary johnson? the green party? and from ivan, akin's not sorry. he's sorry he got called out on it. more of your spoons in the neren the next hour of newsroom. joining us in the next hour of newsroom, the nevada secretary of state. [ male announcer ] drive a car filled with

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stories we're watching in the newsroom is stupid bizarre, deeply offensive, that's what people are saying about congressman todd akin's statement. he's put out an ad asking for forgiveness but is it too late? diana nyad had to give up her swim from cuba to florida. and a powerhouse pitcher caught up in a steroid controversy. roger clemens is back and he's playing in a far different league. newsroom starts right now.

good morning to you. i'm carol costello. we begin with the congressman again begging for forgiveness. todd akin admits that he spouted off about abortion in which he termed as legitimate rape. they are demanding that he drop out of the race against claire mccaskill. akin is refusing to do that and he's taking his case to voters in a brand-new tv ad. >> i'm todd akin and i approve this message. rape is an evil act. as a father of two daughters, i want tough justice for predators. i have a compassionate heart for victims of sexual assault and i

pray for them. the fact is, rape can lead to pregnancy. rape has many victims. the mistake i made was in the words i said, not in the heart i hold. i ask for your forgiveness. >> dana bash is our senior congressional correspondent. she's in washington. it doesn't appear that akin is going to quit. >> as of that new ad, it doesn't sound that way. but republicans are doing what they can to get him out voluntarily by tonight. the deadline is 5:00 p.m. local, 6:00 p.m. eastern. they believe the real deadline is september 25th. that's technically true. he does have until september 25th to petition the state government and get his name off the ballot but that would create a big headache for republicans logistically and keep the nightmare going for them politically which they absolutely don't want. akin staying in the race is a

democrat's dream and that's why he is trying to unseat claire mccaskill. she came out, oddly, in his defense. >> congressman akin and i disagree on some things but he is sincere and while i disagreed with what he said, he is now, just in the last few hours, really apologized for what he said and i think what is startling to me is that these party bigwigs are partying down on him and saying that he needs to kick sand in the face of the republican primary voter. >> carol, when the democratic senator is trying to defend the republican primary voters, you know this whole thing is turned on its head and it's a big, big problem for republicans? >> oh, yeah. dana bash, you'll keep following the story, i know. thank you so much. now we turn to your tax

dollars and outrage over how that is spent. first, a painful refresh you are course. remember how they got bashed for spending money on a lavish conference? come on. who can forget the clown? well, we're finding out this conference by the department of veterans affairs may be worse by any measure. the gsa shin dig in vegas cost nearly $800,000. it may have cost $5 million for the va conferences. of that, $84,000 was spent on swag, pens, highlighters, et

cetera. and then darrell issa has been demanding answer for months and set a new deadline for next monday. barbara starr is working her sources at the pentagon so is the va commenting about this? >> well, they are indeed, carol. let's lay out what we are talking about here. two departments of the veterans affair, 1800 people attended each of them. va employees in the human resources department, people across the country in charge of hiring for the v.a. that's what's on the table. but a $5 million price tag? that's the question now. what did they spend the money on and was it appropriate? congressman issa is livid about this, why it would cost so much money. what was the parody video about? the v.a. is saying the

following. that secretary shinseki has, quote, informed key members of congress and will hold accountable any individuals who are found to have misused tack pay payer taxpayer dollars and v.a. has taken the administrative action to remove contracting authority from any of the employees in the work unit under investigation. the first thing is, the people involved in planning this con fr conference won't be spending any more taxpayer dollars. congressman issa saying that people flew around the country looking for venues and got helicopter rides and show tickets from hotels, trying to convince the v.a. to stay with them. carol? >> barbara starr live at the pentagon this morning, thank you. let's talk about diana nyad. her fourth attempt to swim from

cuba to florida, it's over. she suffered jellyfish stings on her lips and severe sunburn. that just looks so painful. i'm going to show you a map that shows how far she actually made it before she called it quits. she made it about halfway. our chief medical correspondent knows diana nyad. are have you been able to talk to her at all? >> we have not talked to her but we've spoke to people on the boat. as soon as she gets into cell range, we're going to have a conversation. it was 63 hours from the time she left until she called off the race. the storms were so bad sunday night that she did have to get into the boat for period of time and then she got back in the boat again at 12:55 this morning. they officially called it off at

s sunrise and said it's not going to go on. getting in the boat was something that we are just learning because that's obviously something that you don't get to do unless, we're told, the weather is so bad that it becomes a safety issue. >> so was it the weather that thwarted her or the jellyfish stings and the sunburn? >> i think it was a combination of those things. also, she got blown off course, which is no insignificant problem. you have a tra jejectory that y are going to follow. you can suddenly veer off significantly and add a bunch more miles on to the swim. you saw those pictures of the jellyfish stings and besides just looking bad, that can actually be dangerous as well because you are breathing through your mouth, you get swelling as a result on your lips, even your tongue. she had the same thing happen last time which sort of derailed her. but her actual swim time was closer to 41 hours.

the process took 63 hours but between the time she was on the boat, because of the storm, it was closer to 41 hours. >> the jellyfish stings, i mean, i've had one. they are so painful but your lips are one of the most sensitive areas of your body. >> yes. >> how can you stand that? and she got more than one, right? >> she did. and so between last year and this year, she wore a different kind of suit. we saw it. it looks like a black suit to protect most of her body but you can't protect the face that well. it is very painful. she had someone on the boat who is specialized in treating jellyfish stings for that reason. besides that, the pain, knowing diana, that's something she would fight through. but it becomes a bit of a medical problem as well in terms of your breathing. >> okay. so you're going to try to get ahold of her. and when you do -- >> we'll let you know, yeah. apparently she's up and talking. she recovers pretty quickly. last time she needed four liter

bags of i.v. fluid. no surprise, a very physically dep demanding thing. >> dr. sanjay gupta, thank you. jetblue is in violation of your rights as a passenger and now has to pay out $92,000. alison kosik is live at the new york stock exchange. >> that's a very big oops. jetblue failed to tell passengers that they could get off the plane in march after it sat at the gate for more than two hours. airlines may not leave passengers stranded indefinitely aboard an aircraft whether on the tarmac or at the gate. airlines actually have to announce if passengers are allowed to get off the plane. it's supposed to make these announcements every 30 minute. that didn't happen on this flight. this is the only second time

that an airline has been fined for violating these rules since it came into effect in 2010. they are saying, we screwed up. they are telling cnn money that they are going to comply with the d.o.t. ruling and said they went wrong by not giving regular updates. the passengers, even though the door was opened, and passengers were allowed to get off the plane. the $90,000 isn't going to kill the company which had a profit last year. they are doing their best to make all of these fines public. it's issuing a press release each time a fine is handed down. the bad publicity is probably a worse punishment than the actual fine but the combination looks to be enough of a deterrent to not violate the passenger rights. carol? >> alison kosik at the new york

stock exchange. congressman todd akin and his comment about forceable rape. actually, republicans want him to get out of the race for the u.s. senate. he is refusing. we're going to talk about that, next. there are a lot of warning lights and sounds vying for your attention. so we invented a warning you can feel. introducing the all-new cadillac xts. available with a patented safety alert seat. when there's danger you might not see, you're warned by a pulse in the seat. it's technology you won't find in a mercedes e-class. the all-new cadillac xts has arrived, and it's bringing the future forward.

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. missouri congressman todd akin says he's no quitter and he's certainly proving that. the man responsible for the legitimate rape line has released a brand-new tv ad apologizing again. >> my name is todd akin and i approve this message. rape is a strong word and for that i apologize. i want tough justice for predators and have a couple passionate heart for the victim of an assault. the fanct is, rape can lead to pregnancy. the mistake i made is the words i used, not in the heart i hold. >> akin is running for the u.s. senate. many, many republicans want him

to drop out of that race but there is one person who wants akin to stay in and that would be his democratic opponent, claire mccaskill. >> akin and i disagree on some things but he is sincere and while i disagreed with what he said, he is now, just in the last few hour, really apologized for what he said and i think what's startling to me is that these party bigwigs are coming down on him and saying that he needs to kick sand in the face of the republican primary voter. >> okay. let's talk about this. democratic strategist maria cardona is here along with ana navarro, republican strategist. >> thank you, carol. >> that was so, so nice of claire mccaskill, wasn't it? >> wasn't it, though? >> i mean, is it a sure thing that if akin stays in the race that she's going to win?

>> it's certainly not a sure thing. we know there's nothing in politics that's a sure thing but certainly makes it easier and she's right in that he is sincere and that is the danger for him and for the gop as a whole. he might have apologized, carol, but it is absolutely clear that the view that he espoused in that interview is a view that is held by an ultra extreme right-wing pro life part of the republican party. so it's not anything new that he espoused and i don't think voters believe that he doesn't believe it. that's the danger, that he does believe that. and this will give democrats an opportunity, they've already started doing this, of linking paul ryan to this because of the co-sponsorship of the 2011 legislation that talked about forceable rape and also gives him a chance to link mitt romney when he talked about how he would agree with personhood

amendments. that is the big danger for the gop here. >> ana, certainly republican backers in missouri nationally knew that congressman akin held these views. this can't come as a surprise, can it? >> well, carol, that's the reason that most national republicans were not supporting akin in the primary. the one who was supporting akin in the primary was claire mccaskill. she actually spent money on his behalf and it has turned out to be the smartest thing she's done, is to actually help him win the republican primary. she must have known what we didn't, when he opened his mouth, bad things would happen. i just saw claire mccaskill. it seems to me that if todd akin gets the biggest idiot award, she certainly is a top nominee for best supporting actress because that famed sincerity about his forgiveness, all she

needs to do, if he stays in this race, is play that interview he gave over and over and over again. that's her campaign commercial. that's the entire campaign. there's certain things you can't erase. there's certain things you can't take back. what congressman akin said is one of those things. if he wants to retain a shred of dignity, if he wants to do the right thing, he needs to drop out of this race. he's got eight more hours to do so, until 6:00 p.m. eastern time. todd, pack your bags. it's a nice time of year in rio right now. it's time for you to leave the senate race. >> but what if he doesn't. he appears he doesn't want to quit. he released this brand new tv ad. ana, what if he doesn't quit? >> if he doesn't quit, he doesn't quit. we live in a democratic society. we have democratic parties. we can't -- certainly we can't go drag him out from underneath his bed and make him go quit. he's the only one that can do

it. and if he doesn't want to quit, he's just going to lose and he stands the risk of being the party spoiler. he may be the difference between the republicans winning control of the senate or not. but, listen, he's not -- john cornyn has basically said to him, we're not spending a dime on you. we're going to pull out our $5 million that we had committed to your race crossroads and other super pacs are also pulling out of this race. so if he think he he can win this race, all by himself, him, himself, and his son, he was the toast of the town a few weeks ago. right now he's just toast. he needs to accept that, come to terms, and he needs to do the right thing and get out. >> okay. so maria, what i want to ask you about -- and i heard what you said, that akin could hurt the romney team, but i kind of have a hard time believing that because i think that voters can

differentiate between voters, number one, and they don't have long memories, really. >> well, and that's where the democratic party campaign will come in, carol. because as much as ryan and romney want to distance themselves from akin's comments, they can't really distance themselves from their own rhetoric and their own positions. and, again, what you will hear from democrats is continue to reiterate that paul ryan co-sponsored with todd akin, i should add, this extreme legislation that redefines rape to forceable rape, like as if there was any other kind, and it would essentially take away a lot of the health care for women on reproductive issues and women issues and, frankly, mitt romney is not far behind when he actually supports personhood amendments where he supports a human life amendment to overturn row v. wade. and by the way, let's not forget that the rnc platform committee

has draft language that essentially outlaws abortion in every case, including rape and incest. so this is not going to go away for the gop. it's going to be a big burden for them, especially with women voters. we all know that romney currently has a problem with women voters. this is not going to help. >> ana navarro and maria card don't n cardona, thank you so much for joining me today. >> thank you. will his legitimate rape comment hurt presidential candidate mitt romney? we want to know what you think. facebook.com/carolcnn. we're at walmart with anita and her son brian.

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now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the question for you this morning, will congressman todd akin's legitimate rape comment hurt mitt romney? he's not going away, at least not yet. he says he's no quitter and will continue his run for the u.s. senate. republicans are not happy. the republican national chair on cnn's erin burnett "outfront." >> listen, what he said, erin,

was biologically stupid, something that nobody on either side of the aisle agrees with. it's a bizarre statement and it's something that i think he needs to seriously think about. and like i said, if it was me, i would step aside and let someone else run for that office. >> but democrats are eager to tie mitt romney's running mate to akin's bizarre statement. they say congressman paul ryan worked closely with mr. akin to pass laws that would ban abortion in all cases and even narrow the definition of rape to forceable rape. a term that he told mike huckabee that he actually meant to say. >> what did you mean by legitimate rape? were you attempting to say forceable rape or was that -- where did that come from? >> well, yeah. i was talking about forceable rape and it was absolutely a wrong word. yeah. >> paul ryan believes abortion is wrong, even if a woman is

raped. mitt romney believes rape and incest victims have a right to an abortion and keep in mind it is romney who would be president. the talk back question today, will akin's legitimate rape comment hurt mitt romney? facebook.com/carolcnn. your comments later this hour. paul ryan is a devout catholic. he believes abortion should never be allowed, as i just told you. but it's his budget policies that might scare of more critical catholic voters who worry his budget plan will hurt the poor. buying this juicer online was unbelievable.

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into it is 30 minutes past the hour. checking the top stories now, you can see the effects of the drought on the mississippi river. it's so low than an 11-mile

stretch of the river is now closed barring barges and small boats. the states of alabama and georgia and immigrant advocacy groups are claiming victory after a federal appeals group ruling over immigration laws. most of the laws were upheld but parts of the laws were struck down, like georgia's law dealing with the transporting of undocumented immigrants and an balance ma's law making it a crime for undocumented immigrants to seek work. in afghanistan, joint chiefs chairman martin dempsey's plane was outside of kabul when it was hit by shrapnel by two rockets. two base workers were slightly injured. dempsey eventually left the country on another airplane. now to the presidential campaign and the fight for the catholic vote.

mitt romney's v.p. running mate paul ryan is a devout catholic and is pro life. at a recent campaign stop, the candidates talked about ryan's faith in a light moment. >> we will get things done and the way we're going to do this is we are going to elect leadership at the 11th hour. [ applause ] >> only a catholic guy would be able to get the bells to toll just at the right time. you know that? father, you did that for him, i know. >> ryan's conservative positions on issues like abortion are favored by the catholic church but when it comes to his budget policies, many catholics worry that those policies go against church teachings.

lisa sylvester is in washington and is taking a closer look at this. tell us more. >> hi there, carol. joe biden, paul ryan, they are both catholic and catholics are represented in swing states. the fact that ryan is a catholic played a role in why he was elected to be mitt mney's running mate. ryan is getting major pushback from catholics that oppose him in one area, his budget policies. the nuns on the bus traveled 2700 miles this summer railing against congressman paul ryan's budget proposal that they say would slash social programs and hurt the poor. >> congressman ryan claiming the catholicism mantel really set our teeth on edge and probably wouldn't have been on the road if he hadn't done that. >> the nuns were not alone. the catholic bishops went on record opposing the ryan plan. but he said that a tight fiscal

policy isn't keeping with catholic teachings. when government gets out of the way, local communities and individuals fill the gap. >> i don't believe that the preferential option for the poor means a preferential option for big government. >> but now that ryan has been named as mitt romney's running mate, there's been a fresh round of outcry from catholics who oppose deep slashes in nutrition programs and other safety net programs. michael winter is a reporter. >> if you're somebody that society doesn't take care of, the catholic church cares about you especially. >> but the story is not so simple because while ryan main alienate some catholics, they took issue with president obama's health care plan requirement to offer birth control benefits to employees of religious institutions. and a cnn orc poll says that in

the home state of wisconsin, 52% of catholics support mitt romney. 43% back president obama. some say it may all come down to the catholic vote. >> how important is the catholic swing voter? >> ohio, pennsylvania, florida, hugely large catholic populations, catholics will decide the election. >> now the ryan debate is causing a divide among catholics. we like to talk about the catholic group but you have progressives and then you also have your more conservative catholics lining up behind paul ryan and the question is, which group will have the largest turnout in november, carol? >> catholic kind of vice president minds of their own, don't they? >> yes. uh-huh. >> lisa sylvester, thank you so much. president obama and mitt romney sit down and open up about their religious beliefs. we'll tell you how they make it work while living a public life.

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key agreements supported by politico support the concept of traditional marriage between a man and a woman. other positions that they plan to define include national security and states rights. we'll keep you posted. and while that committee plans to support a party's decision, both candidates have been candid about their beliefs and have been careful not to make their faith a focal point. reverend francis wade is the interim dean at the washington national cathedral. welcome. >> thank you. >> reverend, i understand that you sat down and had exclusives with both men. are there more similarities than differences or the other way around? >> i really think there are more similarities. we were talking about their faith and where their faith comes from. while they have been on different paths, they are both traditional christians. they have a traditional christian point of view and i

think the commonality is far more the same than different between them. >> it was interesting, the president allowed them to take pictures of them as they went to church. mitt romney allowed photographers to shoot him and his wife as they went to mormon ceremonies. for mitt romney, this was really unusual. did you find he was more comfortable in talking about his faith? >> well, yes. he is. i mean, is he a man of deep faith and he's very articulate about his faith and i don't know -- i don't know about how it plays out in campaigns and things like that. but both president obama and governor romney are people who know what they believe. they are convinced of it and convicted about it and they are comfortable about it. i think it had to do with the venue and there is a roll of a house of prayer for all people and a spiritual home for the

nation. we're trusted in that and i think they felt safe in talking with us and hopefully we have been good stewards of that and that trust. >> is governor romney aware that some in this country don't quite understand his religion? >> oh, i'm -- yes, i'm sure he is. i think that he must be i wear of that. i do not know that specifically in terms of a direct answer to a direct question but certainly i think he's aware of that. i think that president obama is also aware that his faith has been widely misunderstood as well. so both of them have a reason to want to be clear about where they are coming from and what they are saying and both of them, frankly, come out as being very orthodox christians. >> what's the biggest difference between the two? >> well, clearly how they would implement what their faith calls them to do is different and that has been the gist of the campaign. but governor romney, in

describing his faith, speaks very eloquently and powerfully involved in his church as institution and how formative that's been for him and president obama talks about the mentors he has had, his mentor and guide and the people that he turns to and how those people have been -- and others that he regularly turns to -- are a source of strength and guidance for him. his faith is articulated as being a little more private, a little more personal whereas governor romney's faith has been carried out and shaped in the public arena in the life of his church. both of them coming really to the same orthodox conclusions but that slight difference in the manner in which they express and live their faith. >> interesting. reverend wade, thank you so much for joining us this morning. >> thank you very much. for more stories on faith, check out our popular belief blog at cnn.com/belief.

354 major league games won but roger clemens has had more headlines in the courtroom. the question now, why he is planning to pitch again for the skeeters? we'll discuss. ♪ [ male announcer ] its lightweight construction makes it nimble... ♪ its road gripping performance makes it a cadillac. introducing the all-new cadillac xts. available with advanced haldex all-wheel drive. [ engine revving ] it's bringing the future forward.

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creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco. talk a little baseball. roger clemens turned 50 earlier this month but that's not stopping him from making a comeback. he's going to be pitching for skeeters. back in june he was acquitted on charges of lying to congress about the use of performance-enhancing drugs. carlos diaz from hln sports is here to talk about why roger clemens is doing this. >> i so badly wanted him to go, i'm 50, 5-0, i can stretch -- no. here's the thing. it's brilliant on rogers

clemens' part that he's coming back right now. that resets the clocks as far as the hall of fame goes. it's five years after if he does get back to the major leagues, five years after that date and now it gives us something to look at, images for us to see of roger clemens not coming out of a court. even though he was acquitted, now we're going to have images of him back on the mound. he really can't lose. if he does poorly, people say, well, he's 50. guys that are 50 shouldn't play that well. and if he does well and he makes it back to the majors next year, now you've got this comeback story that takes the place of the alleged steroid story. >> so if he comes back and pitches well, all of those allegations of steroid use goes away? >> well, if he comes back and pitches well, how can you say, it's definite that he was on steroids because he's pitching well at 50, 51 years old. and keep in mind, the one team

he's playing for, the skeeters, they are located 20 miles outside of houston. if he comes back and plays for the astros in the next season, they are in the american league next year, which means he doesn't have to hit. they have designated hitters. so basically this all works for him. he lives in the houston area. this all works for him if he can make a comeback next year with houston, a team, by the way, that doesn't have any draw. so he would be a perfect draw as far as butts and seats next year in the stadium. >> so his ultimate goal is to become eligible for the hall of fame? >> we're going to know more about that at a press conference which happens in about an hour. he's having a press conference to talk about why he is doing this. but the initial reaction would be so that we can -- so he can show us that he still has it on the mound and so far the team officials from the skeeters say

that they've seen him pitch. they've talked about this for months and he is pitching as well now as he did five years ago when he was pitching for the yankees. >> he's pitching like 84 miles an hour or something like that. >> he's doing well. in a high school or small college, that's some heat. and major legal baseball, you have to be in the 90s but it's still great for a 50-year-old. so this is going to be a very interesting comeback for rogers clemens. in my opinion, he cannot lose. because if he doesn't make it all the way back, well, he's 50, we forgive him. but it gives us a story to remember him by rather than the story of alenlleged drug abuse steroid abuse and into court every day. >> we'll await the press con fren. carlos diaz, thank you, by the way. >> he's 50. >> he's 50. he stepped from the political arena into the octagon of mixed martial arts.

his day job is as a politician. he serves as nevada's secretary of state but by night, take a look. (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. ♪ you want to save money on car insurance? no problem. you want to save money on rv insurance? no problem. you want to save money on motorcycle insurance? no problem. you want to find a place to park all these things? fuggedaboud it. this is new york. hey little guy, wake up! aw, come off it mate! geico. saving people money on more than just car insurance.

some politicians throw their

hat into the ring. you're about to meet one who throws punches and kicks, too. see the man in the white trunk? that's ross miller, nevada's secretary of state. he stepped into the octagon of mixed martial arts and with a perfect record of 1-0, he and announced his retirement. ross miller joins us from sparks, nevada. welcome. >> thanks for having me. >> mixed martial arts can be a pretty brutal sport. the most obvious question is why? >> you know, i'm just very passionate about the sports. i got into it a few years ago and i just love the training. it's obviously a significant physical challenge but more than anything it's the mental challenge that appeals to me. you train every day on the sport, get beat up both mentally and physically and you've got to have the strength and resiliency to get through it.

>> well, you're secretary of state, you're involved in nevada's elections. how do you fit your training? >> i try to fit it in whenever i can. i get it in in the morning and sometimes at lunch. i live up in reno and fly down to vegas about once a week and workout in the ufc building if i can. you try to work out when your schedule can accommodate it. >> in the first round you were a little nervous? >> you know, the first round didn't go exactly according to plan. my idea was to throw a couple jabs, take him down, and try to work some ji jit sue because he didn't appear to be familiar with that. in the second round we exchanged prit heavily and i caught him with a couple body punches and finished with my hand up in the

air at the end of the night. so it all worked out well. >> so you're done now. you go out a winner. has this prepared you at all for your upcoming job? >> you know, i think there is some similarities in politics. you know, it requires mental strength and resilience and overcoming adversity. and so i think those are character traits that apply well towards being a politician or an elected official. >> i think we need you to come and do some of that in washington. you know, i'm talking about the mixed martial arts. ross miller, thank you so much for joining us this morning. >> thank for having me. your talk back response is next. ♪ (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go,

the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities.

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but school can can also be a place where germs and viruses are swapped around. there are simple ways to keep your kids out of the nurse's office. >> first off, make sure your child's vaccinated. vaccines are very effective and, of course, when we talk about influenza, there's an annual flu vaccine that will help your kids from getting sick. 20 seconds of soap suds, warm water, that can prevent so many germs from being transmitted and causing sometimes up to ten colds a year that kids get. the other thing that parents forget is, if your child is sick, don't send them to school because children are germ factory. their friends are going to get sick, their friends' parents aring going to get sick. in summary, vaccinate, good hand washing hygiene and if your child is sick, go ahead