a motto -- >> don't rush, look before you flush. >> reporter: just be careful you are not a human billboard. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> i don't know where jeanne finds these stories, but smart young brothers. >>genious and grossly say. >> enough. i'm wolf blitzer, and erin bu burnett's "outfront" starts burnett's "outfront" starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com "out front" the candidate and senator todd akin refuses to step aside. and judges taking a $1 million trip to maui which is nice if you can get it. we follow the money for government waste. and also, college police say that police brutality is the reason for him being punched in handcuffs, and there are video of the arrest, and do to

brutality claims add up? let's go "outfront." well, good evening, everyone, i'm erin burnett and "outfront" tonight, defining the party, and todd akin the infamous congressman who talked about women fending off pregnancy from a quote legitimate rape is sticking with the republicans even if the republicans are not sticking with him. an hour ago the deadline passed f forim to get out of the missouri state race without penalty and he stayed in. >> i have not done anything morally or ethically wrong, and in politics people do a lot of talking and to get a word in the wrong place is not a wrong thing to do, but it seems like an overreaction. >> overreaction and don't tell that to mitt romney. late this afternoon after akin had made it clear he is not going to step aside, romney

released a statement saying, quote, this fellow missourians urged him to step aside and i think that he should accept their counsel, and exit the senate race. and don't tell the republican party chairman reince priebus not to overreact. this is what he had to say last night. >> i would prefer todd akin do what is right for the candidates and prefer him not the come. >> a message pretty clear from the republican, don't let the door hit you on the way out, todd akin, but this the awkward timing, it is time to discuss the party platform, and it is convention time, and in tampa where the convention begins in six days the committee made some decisions today in meetings. since 1984, the republicans have voted to include in the platform, a constitutional ban on abortion. it is called a human life amendment, and there is no language allowing for exemptions in cases of rape or incest.

this is not something that mitt romney, the presumptive boss of the party says that he agrees with, and in fact, he has been very clear on this in the past couple of days not hedging at all. the statement yesterday on abortion in the wake of the akin scandal could not be clearer. a romney/ryan administration would not oppose abortions in instances of rape. and other republicans disagree with the platform as well. four years ago the party nominee, john mccain, tried to change the language of the republican party platform to specifically include exceptions for rape and incest, and today, republican scott brown sent a letter to the chair of the republican party saying this is a mistake because it fails to recognize the views of pro choice republicans like myself, but the language remained unchanged in the party platform today. but, scott brown is an interesting point, because when you look at the numbers, it show shows this issue is important. 67% of the republicans and 75% of the independents, and so not

even looking at the democrats here, but these are republicans and independents who could vote for mitt romney. they think that abortion should be legal in cases of rape or incest, and 59% of people who say they are pro life feel this way, too. outfront tonight, congresswoman marcia blackburn from tennessee, and she is chairman of the platform committee and voted for language to remain the same today and i spoke with her a couple of moments ago and i started by asking her about those poll numbers. >> erin, you are going to find that there are the republican party is going to support a culture of life, and that is what is reflected in the platform. now, you mentioned the issue of the exemptions and i would say that the platform is silent on that, and basically, because of federalism, since this issue back -- it will send this issue back to the states. >> and being in the republican platform now since 1980, and it

says that -- >> that is right. >> that you have the assert the inherent dignity of human life, and every unborn child has a right to life and shall not be infringed and we support a right to life amendment to the constitution, and if you got the amendment, and you say that it unborn child is a life that should not be infringed and how does that allow any exemption in the state allow a abortion in the case of rape or incest? >> well, we continue the support a federal life amendment and at this point in time as you know, the issue is directed back to the states. now, under the republican umbrella, and the umbrella of life, you will find that many of us who have the position with governor romney that you allow those exceptions of rape, incest and life of the mother, and then you will find others who have other opinions.

on hold whole, you will see that the republicans support a culture of life. they have and i think that you will see them continue to support this. >> i mean, i think that you are making it very clear, but i am also very interested when you say many of us, and this is an interesting question to ask to a woman and it is very different in asking it to a man, but that you, yourself as chairwoman of the party platform support the sanctity of life, but also support those key exemptions of rape or incest? >> yes. you will find individuals that are going to have a different opinions within the pro-life community, and i think that is great. i think that within our party that it is a very good thing that we have this, but reminding you whether it is prenatal or whether it is the end of life, republicans support a culture of life. we have always done that, and you are going to the see us continue to come down on the side of life. >> i mean, you know, it is interesting, because i know

there is so much politics in this, but it seems that all h humans support a culture of life and sanctity of life, but it is how you can define it and who can make the choices where all of the controversy occurs and that brings me to todd akin and you heard him say that many in his own party have overreacted. do you think that people have overreacting to his words and what he says? >> i don't. i find the his words disturbing and i was concerned when i was made aware yesterday of the statements. you know, it is a indefensible comment. >> do you think that he should step aside? are you disappointed that he did not? >> i'm deeply disappointed in the comments, and i think that this type of insensitivity that i would have liked to have seen him move aside and then move forward with someone in the race so that we can put the attention back on the issue that the american people are talking about, and you have talked about

our platform in tampa, and most of the platform is about jobs and the economy, and that is what the american people are talking about and where they want our focus, and that's what you are going to see when we give you that platform at 2:00 on monday. that's exactly what you are going to find in that document. >> peter hanby has been covering the platform debates all day, the votes and everything, and he jo joins me now. peter, let me ask you, because you are a member of the political strike team and we asked them, will the debate over abortion brought on by the akin comment, you know, causing entire interviews about the platform with the co-chairwoman to be about specifics on abortion policy rather than jobs hurt the republicans in november and our strike team voted 89%, yes, it will hurt the republicans in november and 11% said no. that is an overwhelming verdict and the strike team is made up of all independents. >> yes, erin. if you surveyed all of the

activist s activists and the republican officeholders who have been here drafting the republican party's platform, 89% of them would sayt is hurting the republican party, too, and their chances of taking over the senate this november. it is a unmistakable backdrop to the process and there is a lot of hushed hallway conversations, and a lot of hand wringing in private, but it did not come up by name in the actual committee meeting where they are drafting the platform and until late this afternoon a 22-year-old delegate from alabama brought todd akin's name up in the session, and said in a debate over contraception in what sort of language to put this the platform about contraception, and she said, hey, guys, we need to be a little bit more sensitive about this coming from a younger person's perspective when talking about things of rape and contraceptive and our perception among women. so it did come up once today, erin, but again, the talk about it here is just like the talk out of washington. a lot of people want todd akin out of the race and they want to

take the senate back in november and they are afraid they won't be able to now. >> and it is interesting, because we will look at some of this and you hear marsha blackburn having to do something she does not want to do which is yes, i support the exemptions or i would allow exceptions this the case of incest or rape, and now they will have to show what painfully mitt romney said the other day his view is on abortion that we just read. >> well, moments ago, virginia governor bob mcdonald the chairman of the committee appointed by mitt romney and the national republican committee and worked with congresswoman blackburn and john hogan on this issue, and i asked him directly do you think that mitt romney will read this platform before accepting the nomination next week and he pause and said that i'm sure that the staffers will look at it. mcdonald was careful to use the

words like this platform represented the views of grass roots leaders and not specifically the romney campaign, but saying that this is our general statement of principles that many candidates can take a look at and decide where they stand, but look, make no mistake the romney campaign was involved in the process of drafting this platform. there were numerous romney advisers in the entire high command already down here in tampa in the room when they were being drafted and a hand in specific language on certain amendments to the platform. on this one, they chose not the pick a fight, because as you mentioned when john mccain picked a fight about it, it became a huge issue with him and social conservatives, but the romney campaign was involved, and we will see if they want to talk about it in public in the next few days. >> and we know the answer to that being no with so many americans disagreeing with that platform, and that issue is not going ahead. thank you, peter. and now, party crashers, who is the obama administration

sending to the republican national convention? this is someone senior they are sending. and nike, they want you to pay more than $300 for a pair of shoes, and did the price tag add up? and did the police go too far with a college student? we have the video of alleged police brutality, and you be the judge. this malibu eco features e-assist. it offers an epa estimated 37 miles per gallon highway. this cannot be a brand-new car. what are you doing? i was looking for a cassette deck. [ male announcer ] visit your local chevy dealer today. now get a 2013 malibu eco for around $219 per month. exclusive to the military, and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. with our award winning apps that allow you to transfer funds,

pay bills or manage your finances anywhere, anytime. so that wherever your duty takes you, usaa bank goes with you. visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news. turn to senokot-s tablets. senokot-s has a natural vegetable laxative ingredient plus the comfort of a stool softener for gentle, overnight relief of occasional constipation. go to senokot-s.com for savings. of occasional constipation.

those little things for you, life's about her. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial.

you walk into a conventional mattress store, it's really not about you. they say, "well, if you wanted a firm bed you can lie on one of those. we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. oh, yeah! wow. once you experience it, there's no going back. at our biggest sale of the year, every bed is on sale. queen mattresses now start at just $599. and save an incredible 40% on our silver limited edition bed. only at one place: one of our 400 sleep number stores. our second story "outfront." joe biden, party crasher. the republicans are gearing up

for the big convention in tampa next week, and we have learned today that the vice president is also going to be in tampa for the big event. this is a pretty surprising thing and usually the v.p. of the opposing party would not go to the convention of the other party. the veep is being dispatched to speak at so-called counter rallies and the question is, you know, maybe you could send the head of the democratic committee, but joe biden, is that a sign of desperation? and out front tonight, we have our panel with us. jamal, let me start with you. >> let's do it. >> okay. in is not standard operating procedure, and nevermind it is a guy who might say who the heck knows what, but is this a sign of desperation they will send the number two guy to tampa with the republicans big moment? >> i would not say desperation, but it is aggression, and it is aggression. in 2008, i tran democratic war room at the republican convention and we brought in surrogates from all over the country and tried to make a stink and get into the news when we could, and it is tough to do, but it is clearly raising that

to another level and we saw in the end of the democratic convention john mccain announce sarah palin as his vp squashed barack obama's momentum coming out of it and the vp is now the next level of go get them. >> and what do you think that sarah palin did take the wind out of the sails and the paranoia and freak out in your camp, but tim pawlenty and others were dispatched who could have been v.p. candidates, but not somebody who spent four years in the white house. >> well, when you look at tampa, it is smack dab in the middle of one of the most competitive states, and it does matter. if the democrats were denied the gop in florida, you have radically reduced the chances that mitt romney would be elected president, and a lot of folks who believe that joe biden is a huge asset for democrats among white working class voter s

and a fair number of the society voters are in and around tampa and lot of the retirees in the region as well. >> and the graphic, and we have the youth for obama -- >> and they have old man demographic is huge on joe biden and it is a shrewd move to have him there. >> and obviously, biden and his propensity to say what he thinks as politico has purported has, you know, caused the real fights between him and the president and ban little bit of a lightning rod, this is what people have said about him recently. >> i have never seen a vice president that has made as many mistakes, said as many stupid things. >> and to see that out of the vice president biden, it was sickening to see him stoop to that depth. >> all right. will it backfire or like jamal says the more crazy and weird things he says the more coverage that the democrats will get in the republicans' moment, and so the more crazy, you are, joe, it is a win? >> well, obviously, sending vice president biden into a situation

like this, a high stakes situation is always the rolf the dice, because with biden, you will get a lot of brilliant moments and gaffes. i think that jamal is right though, that if the point of this is to upstage the gop and distract attention from the convention, this kind of infomercial that is going on, then sending biden there whatever he says is going to distract from the convention as long as it is not a massive gaffe and it will end up working in their favor unless he royally screws up. >> and so will paul ryan go to charlotte? >> i am quite confident he won't, and actually that little bit demonstrates the power of joe biden. rudy giuliani is still ticked off at joe biden, because joe biden really got under his skin by just making fun of him constantly in 2008. >> and joe biden can get under people's skin. >> and that is a great talent to have power like that and let him let the free flag fly and see what happens. >> that is not something you hear often.

>> and in fact, they have a shorter convention and you to go against the nfl kickoff game, and you are going to lose. i am sorry, am i speaking out of turn. >> you can move bide n to thursday night because of that, and so he will speak the same night as the president instead of his own night which is the traditional way of doing it, because football is going to carry it. >> and they put bill clinton against football and this is a guy who could hack it. >> and he could hold on to a nugget of rating. >> well, all right. we will see, and of course, everybody, we are watching the tropical storm isaac who could disrupt the entire republican plan. okay. thank you to all three of you. and next the skateboarder's clash with police was caught on tape and a real question of police brutality and that was caught on tape tonight. and nike says that you will probably pay $300 a pair of shoes. and is maui the very tip of a vital iceberg? and some difficult ones.

but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ the calcium they take because they don't take it with food. switch to citracal maximum plus d. it's the only calcium supplement that can be taken with or without food. that's why my doctor recommends citracal maximum. it's all about absorption. that's why my doctor recommends citracal maximum. one is for a clean, wedomestic energy future that puts us in control. our abundant natural gas is already saving us money, producing cleaner electricity, putting us to work here in america and supporting wind and solar. though all energy development comes with some risk, we're committed to safely and responsibly producing natural gas.

it's not a dream. america's natural gas... putting us in control of our energy future, now. [ female announcer ] some people like to pretend a flood could never happen to them.

and that their homeowners insurance protects them. [ thunder crashes ] it doesn't. stop pretending. only flood insurance covers floods. ♪ visit floodsmart.gov/pretend to learn your risk.

so remember when paying $100 for a running shoe or basketball shoe, i mean, it was just ridiculous and unheard of? well, now we are entering the

territory of $300 basketball shoes. nike's lebron 10 will sell for a reported $310 dollars and for those who think that is insane, there is going to be a cheaper version that will sell for a mere $180 according to nikeblog.c nikeblog.com, and still insane. but reportedly with the nike technology that shoe will have. but $310 is a princely sum, because the shoe industry says we have problems an rising costs for things like cotton and all of the things that go into the shoes and the labor costs are rising and then there's the marketing costs. look, here is the truth. they are going to make an indecent profit on the shoe, and until they pay the star whose name is on it, because nike has to pay king james the promote these shoes and wow, they pay him well. according to forbes, lebron makes $40 million a year on

endorsement deals and $10 million are a year from nike and that is a lot of money for pitching a ugly pair of shoes, but when it comes the basketball shoes, air jordan still reigns supreme. that is the number tonight. $1 billion which is the jordan brands' annual revenue right now, $1 billion and nike has successfully kept that jordan brand alive, well, kicking, jumping, everybody, and that is amazing given that it has been around since 1985. the department of veteran affairs is on fire tonight for spending $5 million on a couple of conferences in orlando, and does the price tag add up? well, believe us when we say that veteran affairs are far when it comesdoggleboondoggles. and why did china warn that this tension could spin out of control?

for fastidious librarian emily skinner, each day was fueled by thorough preparation for events to come. well somewhere along the way, emily went right on living. but you see, with the help of her raymond james financial advisor, she had planned for every eventuality. ...which meant she continued to have the means to live on... ...even at the ripe old age of 187. life well planned. see what a raymond james advisor can do for you. so what i'm saying is, people like options. when you take geico, you can call them anytime you feel like saving money. it don't matter, day or night. use your computer, your smartphone, your tablet, whatever. the point is, you have options. oh, how convenient. hey. crab cakes, what are you looking at? geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

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.

welcome back to the second half of "outfront." we start with the stories that we care about and focus on the reporting from the front lines so we begin in dallas to ni. dallas county officials confirming the 11th west nile

death. a cdc official tells eye outfront" that the teams are arriving in texas to assist the public health officials with advice on west nile virus prevention. this is after the officials declared a state of emergency in the county last week. there have been 693 west nile cases reported this year, and half of them just nearly half have been in texas. well, new satellite images show north korea has successfully placed a dome on top of a nuclear reactor. these were sent to us from gijoe andssijane. you can see the date is june 24th, and you can see the dome sitting beside the building, and now, there is a new picture and this is the picture on august 6th and you can see if you look that the dome is in place. the ihs jane's calls it a new development, and it is unclear

how soon they could make a nuclear weapon, but north korea says that the reactor is going to be used to produce civilian electricity. iran has developed new weapons, and they have a new upgraded missile and in addition they say that military have started construction on a new website with mahmoud am din jad saying that the weapons are for defense only, and we spoke to a spokesperson who said that iran has been making the investments for years, and this does come as israel's channel 10 today reported that benjamin netanyahu is determined to attack iran before the presidential elections, and this is an area that is a big area of concern for the united states and spring and talked down, and if this is moving forward, it is significant. a couple of weeks ago, we told you about a massive patent battle between apple and

samsung. apple says that samsung says it copied the designs and samsung says that apple is using the technology and they could not settle it and that case is going to the jury. it is really complicated and the judge said it is going to quote put everybody in a coma. i looked at the instruction sheet and it is outrageous and 900 pages long, and that is what we counted. 84 instructions and you have to go through patent this and that and is it gray or black or check this or check that, and it is crazy. the form that the jurors will use to record the verdict is 20 pages long. >> well, it has been 383 days since the u.s. lost the top credit rating and what are we doing to get it back? standard and poores says that the chances of recession have raised and the european crisis and the fiscal cliff and the hard landing for china have added greater uncertainty for the u.s. and now the third story eye outfront." government waste or the cost of

doing business? we had an interesting segment today. we found out that the federal government spends more than $15 billion a year on travel which is half of the size of the entire budget for the u.s. justice department. and according to the senator tom cole bur coleburn is wasteful and some of them are conventions where you do zip lining, and who is doing them? according to darrell issa, everybody. the department of internal a affairs is being invested for spending $5 million on two conferences in orlando last summer. this headline comes after the 9th circuit court of appeals, one of the most influential courts spent millions in maui. tom is with us, and he tracks waste and fraud.

and i want to talk about the veterans affair before we get to the maui situation. two conferences in orlando, and representative issa says they spent $52,000 for a video for the training conference, and then $82,000 on pens and hand sanitizers and i mean, i feel badly make a joke about this, but isn't that absurd? >> it is absurd because the gsa conference scandal has occur and the usda has been investigated for conferences and every agency is a abusing the travel budgets and unfortunately, erin, congress has not done anything to stop it. the house has passed a bill and the senate has passed an amendment to restrict to ament of money for conferences and the amount of people who can go outside of the country for conferences, and they have not sent that bill to the president's desk where he would sign it. >> and of course, why not? because we have heard of

congressmen skinny dipping in the dead sea doing it on who knows what budget that was on, and is this a case that people don't want to shine the light too brightly on other people's budget, because it could be shining right back on theirs? >> well, popularity has hit another new low. the house passed a bill and the senate passed a bill on the postal bill and then an amendment, and then the house didn't pass the postal bill and the senate didn't pass the transparency bill -- it is a mess. it typifies what is going on. and even the most severe example of government waste can't be eliminated by congress. >> and now, this court of appeals situation, 600 people went to maui and they said too late to cancel, because it was booked two years ago and they said, look, we booked it two years ago when the economy was in better shape. well, the economy went into

crisis in 2008 and not 2010, so i don't even understand the excuse. >> this is another example of abuse. the judicial branch in particular doesn't feel particularly responsible for spending money and you can't fire the judges of course, but the oversight committee has said, and made the point that they need to be accountable and finally they cancelled next year's event and four of the nine conferences that they have had and they are head quartered in california, and so 4 of the 9 have been in hawaii and they is been abusing the budgets for the decade, but finally got caught. >> can they be reprimanded for this? >> they can't be reprimanded other than congress reducing the amount of money that congress uses for the conferences, and that is something to be done and the white house has proposed a 30% cut and the congress has gone along and senators coburn and hatch say a 35% cut, and this is something to be done and it is not a huge amount of

money, and $15 billion or whatever it might be and there are conflicting numbers, but it is an easy thing for anyone else to reduce travel when they are having financial problems, and everyone here in washington does not get it that they are driving the country over the cliff, and they need to be stopped with even the most minimal spending compared to the $4 trillion budget mess. >> i am wondering when you do the math and add it up, how big are the numbers? obviously, you want to get rid of waste and abuse regardless of the numbers, but we are in a debate over how much revenue to race and it is hard to have the conversation when you don't know how much is being wasted in the first place. until a report like this. >> yes, and there is some times savings one year and then over the next few years, there is not. and congressmen sessions have showed duplication overlap and they estimate $400 billion a

year in duplication overlap which is 11% of the entire budget and nobody would argue that is too much to cut out of the federal government. >> thank you, tom. good to see you and appreciate it. and now the fourth story outfront. and u.s. marines began serious month-long exercises in the western pacific. some of the military exercises will be done alongside american ally japan which has china mad as a hornet. in an editorial, they said not to fan the flame in the region. the tensions are extremely high thanks to a dispute between japan and china over uninhabited e islands in the xhi china sea and both groups claim to own that and then activists landed on the island and unfurled the flags and those actions sparked anti-japanese protests across the nation of china. pentagon correspondent chris lawrence is outfront tonight. >> reporter: it is a frightening scenario. american troops and their

japanese allies are drawn into a conflict with china and fighting over something more than an uninhabited islands and nothing more than rocks. and they have been practicing exercises of how to recapture this island and they say it is part of the annual training and not directed at any particular nation. china does not see it that way. on tuesday, a state editorial warned the u.s. not to quote fan the flame in the region. it suggested that the situation could spiral out of control. >> tensions are clearly rising. >> reporter: all of this over a small cluster of islands that nobody even lives on. the sen qaa cues are privately administered by the japanese, but the japanese claim they are the rightful owners. >> they have to work it out and we won't take a side on it. >> reporter: while officially neutral the u.s. defense treaty means it would have to back

japan in a military confrontation over these islands. >> so i think that behind the sce scenes the united states is probably encouraging all parties, including japan to not take any actions that are going to further cause tensions to potentially spiral out of control. >> reporter: like recent incidents in which the chinese protesters turn violent. and japanese nationalists wave their flag. >> translator: this is japan's territory. >> reporter: the u.s. is signaling it will support japan's security if not the sovereignty claim. the pentagon has traditionally conducted surveillance flights for anti-submarine warfare operations near japan. >> we have upgraded the capabilities and we are now going to in the potentially fly the drones over the area which would provide better surveillance capabilities so that there would be more situational awareness of

actually what is taking place in the region. >> so, chris, when you talk about this and talk about the fear factor that we hear about with the cuts coming that the defense department is taking unprecedented cuts and the force will be hallowed out, and the navy will be weaker than it has been in decades if not more, and are we really building to get bigger in the pacific? >> well, erin, if you listen to the promises and all of the plans, this certainly sounds big. i mean, we have been pulling troops out of europe for the last couple of years, and winding down the war in afghanistan, and now, you are seeing new partnerships with militaries of other countries in the region like vietnam. the navy says that within four years, it is going to have about 60% of the assets there in the pacific, but really is all going to come down to money, and remember that congress is expected to cut $50 billion a year in the next decade from the

pentagon's budget, and there are a lot of people questioning whether the u.s. could ever afford say a second aircraft carrier group or new base in the pacific with those kinds of cuts comi coming. >> it is going to be interesting to see what happens and if china were to ramp that up, and chris, china came out to say, forget it, and back off. did the u.s. heed that warning or are we responding at all or we are ignoring them? >> well, military officials say they are going ahead with the exercises. they say, look, the marines have to be requalified, a nd tnd thas exercise is taking place 1,000 miles away from the actual disputed islands, and it has nothing to do with it. and they are saying, china and japan hopefully can just come to some agreement eventually, and they don't want anything to spark a conflict in that area right now. >> chris lawrence, thank you and out front, a college student says he is the victim of police brutality and difficult to prove it and the officers said to him

they didn't beat him up enough he is still a smartass. and arwa damon witnesses a fierce gun fight from the front lines today. [ male announcer ] now you can take a photo right from video, so you'll never miss the perfect shot. [ hikers laughing, commenting ] at&t introduces the htc one x. now $99.99. rethink possible.

it's me? alright emma, i know it's not your favorite but it's time for your medicine, okay? you ready? one, two, three. [ both ] ♪ emma, emma bo-bemma ♪ banana-fana-fo-femma ♪ fee-fi-fo-femma ♪ em-ma very good sweety, how do you feel? good. yeah? you did a really good job, okay? [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, thank you, from johnson & johnson. [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, the wheels of progress. seems they haven't been moving much lately. but things are starting to turn around because of business people like you. and regions is here to help. with the experience and service to keep things rolling. from business loans to cash management,

we want to be your partner moving forward. so switch to regions. and let's get going. together. you walk into a conventional mattress store, it's really not about you. they say, "well, if you wanted a firm bed you can lie on one of those. if you want a soft bed you can lie on one of those." we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. welcome to the sleep number store's biggest sale of the year. not just ordinary beds on sale, but the bed that can change your life on sale. the sleep number bed. never tried this before. this is your body there. you can see a little more pressure in the hips. take it up one notch. oh gosh, yes. when you're playing around with that remote, you get that moment where you go, "oh yeah" oh, yeah!

... and it's perfect. right now, every sleep number bed is on sale. queen mattresses now start at just $599. and save an incredible 40% on our silver limited edition bed - but only while supplies last. once you experience it, there's no going back. wow. don't miss the biggest sale of the year on the bed that can change your life. the sleep number bed. sale ends soon! only at one place: one of our 400 sleep number stores. we are back with tonight's outer circle where we reach out to our sources around the world. we go the lebanon where conflict in neighboring syria is spurring

over and spurring sectarian clashes. our arwa damon was there. >> it is difficult to see where it is exactly coming from. this part of tripoli is a historic sectarian faultline between sunni and allawite neighborhood by a street called the syrian street. the lebanese army was firing on both sides trying to beat them into submission, and realizing it needs to keep control over the situation. some residents were evacuating and moving through makeshift holes blasted through walls, and crawling down staircases that have been put into place to allow them to safely move up or to allow them to allow the fighters to mo into ve into pos. the situation is worrisome, because residents fear that a generation of lebanese will grow

up only learning the lessons of war. >> thank you, arwa. our next story "outfront." venice college student says that he was wrestled to the ground and put in handcuffs. you are looking at cell phone video that captured the arrest of ronald weekly, jr., and including the part where it looks like the officer punched the 20-year-old in the face. all right. you can see this happening right here. you can see the altercation on the ground, and again, he was skateboarding down the street. get the background here with our own casey wian who filed this report. >> reporter: as ronald weekly, jr., approached reporters to describe being arrested and beaten by los angeles police officers saturday evening, allegedly after a skateboarding traffic infraction, he struggled to fight back tears. >> he hit me twice right away, and i started screaming and yelling, because i thought i was going to die. i needed someone to see what was going on. >> reporter: someone did.

the cell phone video shows four officers on top of weekley and one appears to punch him in the face. weekley's attorney says he was hit four times and sustained a broken cheekbone and nose and concussion. >> and the question, why did they confront and assault this college student? because he was skating on the wrong side of the he was the wr color? >> reporter: what prompted police to stop weekly on his skateboard on this busy street in the first place is very much in dispute. the los angeles police department says he was skating in traffic. weekly's father says the arresting officer told him that he was skateboarding on the wrong side of the street. weekly says officers simply grabbed him. the lapd says weekly is being charged with resisting a police officer with force which allegedly happened before the camera was rolling. the lapd is investigating. >> my plea to the community is let the investigations proceed. they will be independent.

they will be reviewed at the highest levels of the lapd. more importantly, they will be reviewed by the independent inspector general as well as the independent police commission. >> reporter: representatives of the civilian oversight authority monitored tuesday's news conference but declined to comment. weekly's attorney plans a lawsuit and is demanding the officer who threw this punch be held accountable. casey wian, cnn, venice, california. >> ronald weekly jr. joins us, along with his attorney. let me just ask you what happened. you were skateboarding down the street. and just tell me from there what happened when the officers came over. >> i was just skateboarding down street. about to enter my house. when i was immediately grabbed by my hair. i didn't know what was going on. they grabbed me by my hair, my shoulders, my back. they immediately threw me on the ground. i realized what was going on. i wasn't going to resist

whatsoever. i said, you guys have my hands. they cuffed me. the officers jumped on me. as the other officer put his knee on my back. and just started punching me in my face. and that's when i screamed, you know, somebody help me, help me. >> ronald, had you seen the officers before this happened? i mean, did you even know they were there? had you said anything to them or was this literally out of the blue? >> this was completely out of the blue. >> so, why do you think they did it? >> when i was in the back of the patrol car throwing up, one of the officers said to me i was a dumb a-hole because i didn't stop at the stop sign. >> so stop at the stop sign. why do you think they arrested

him? >> well certainly erin, i think it has the pretext of race. venice california's known for being a culture of skateboarding. they don't stop anybody from skateboarding. it's a civil infraction. it's a civil fine. it's nothing that you assault a law-abiding citizen for, for skateboarding on the other side of the road. really, it comes down to it wasn't the wrong side of the road. they came and attacked him because he was the wrong race. they g thank god for this videotape. he got punched four times. there was no reason for them to hit him in his face those four times. >> i want to read to you the response from the lapd.

they say till we fully complete the investigation and look at the circumstances of the incident, it would be inappropriate to discuss further details of the arrest or the use of force. it's a standard procedure that with all use of force incidents, we will thoroughly investigate it. it will be reviewed at the highest levels of the department. are you open to the fact that when that video was not rolling, that something else may have happened that would change the way you see this? >> absolutely not, erin. there were so many witnesses out there that watched this from the very beginning. and the thing that is so unbelievable is that the cop knew that people were watching and yet he still punched him in the face four times. and it goes to the simple fact we want that officer held accountable and immediately suspended pending this investigation. and we want the l.a. county district attorney to drop these trumped up charges against ronald weekly jr.

his whole college career and everything has been turned upside down because this assault and battery by lapd. >> all right. well, ronald jr., thank you very much. benjamin crump, also appreciate you taking the time. benjamin crump also representing the family of trayvon martin. wow, did they take a painful punch in the gut. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help.

cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help.

go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. go to cymbalta.com it's something you're born with. and inspires the things you choose to do. you do what you do... because it matters. at hp we don't just believe in the power of technology. we believe in the power of people when technology works for you. to dream. to create. to work. if you're going to do something. make it matter.

so, as antiquated as the united states postal service's business model may seem and as poorly as they've been doing lately, they are here to stay. with 574,000 people on the payroll, the postal service ranks number three in the united states of america behind only the federal government and walmart in the number of employees. but in their latest publicized gaffe, the post service inspector general has announced a $1.2 million loss from the printing of commemorative simpson stamps. yes, this marked the 20th anniversary of the cartoon family. it seems the postal service ordered a billion of the stamps into print and wound up selling less than a third of them. which left them with a stockpile of 682 million unsold bart, marge, homer, maggie. you might ask, why can't they sell them? because they have 44 cents printed on every