about. >> we've reached out to them. we have not heard from the campaigns. i don't think anyone is talking about it. there's been 15 of these personhood initiatives in 15 states. seven of them have already failed. eight are still on the ballot for this fall. i don't know what happens. the track record is not been good as far as what happens with paul ryan. i think it's unclear right now. >> sanjay gupta. thank you very much. make sure you watch sanjay this weekend. thank you. now this. our two as we continue on here. a big time speech expected any moment now. that's where we want to begin this hour with the president visiting the troops. here they are. fort bliss, texas. he's there today marking the second anniversary of the end of

combat operations in iraq. ending that war was a promise that president made for his campaign. athena jones is standing by as some of these soldiers are getting the rest of them excited to hear from the president. i want to bring you in here on the phone. talk to me about the mood where you are. >> reporter: there's a lot of excitement in the room. they are sang the national anthem. people have been in this group revving up the crowd for some time. the president had a round table with service members and their family. one of the issues we expect him to bring up is this idea of improving access to mental health care for service members and their families. he signed an executive order today that would set up a task force and do a number of things to help if one of the issues

that were returning troops face. certainly this with the white house is doing is an official event is a chance for the president to remind this is a promise of ending the unpopular war in iraq. it's something that he ran on, that he campaigned on back in 2008. this was a war he was against from the start. this is an opportunity for him to do that. he was here at fort bliss two years ago. this is way to come back and do it all over again with this anniversary. >> lyme looking down at my notes because what we're waiting for is the president but we're seeing major general dana pittard. he'll introduce general lloyd

austin of the u.s. army and he will be the person who introduces the president. we're watching for that. just to make it clear that the white house is saying this is not official business. this is not campaign related. the line at this point, we're 67 days away from the election on november 6th. the line can be blurry at times, can it not? >> reporter: yes they say this is an official visit. this is not a campaign stop. we brought that up with white house spokesman jay carney in the briefing yesterday asking what make this official. certainly drawn close here but this is chance, the president is allowed to go out and talk about his record. it might seem like it's a fine line and it is as we get so much closer to the campaign and without a doubt this is something that the white house views as a positive for the

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president of the united states has just entered this room where he is about to speak there. this is fort bliss in texas. let's just listen. [ applause ] >> hello, team bliss. thank you so much, everybody. general lloyd thanks for the introduction and your leadership leetding our troops in iraq and taking care of our soldiers now that they are at home. let me say that our hearts are obviously with all the folk who is are down in louisiana, the gulf coast who are dealing with

the aftermath of hurricane isaac, our prayers are with those who lost loved ones and i've directed the federal government to keep going everything it can to help our partners at the state and local level. as a country we stand united with our fellow americans in their hour of need. i want to thank your great commanders for we canning me here today. i want to give a shout out to the sergeant major of the army ray chandler and command ronnie kelly. they remind us that our noncommission officers are the backbone of our military leading the finest enlisted force in the world.

it's great to be back at fort bliss home to the army air and missle defense swift and short. we've got guard and reserve here. of course, it's home to the first armored division old iron sides. got a lot of brigades here including the iron eagles, iron brigades, bulldogs and ready first. i also want to salute lucille pertard and the spouses and families that are here. give them a round of applause. [ applause ] i know you are grateful for the

support that you received from your civilian neighbors. i want to acknowledge two champions of fort bliss. we have congressman sylvestria reyes. give them a big round of applause. [ applause ] i've come back to bliss for a simple reason. two years ago i was here to mark a historic moment in the life of our nation and our military, the end of major combat operations in iraq. i was a chance to say on behalf of the american people, to you and all who serve there welcome home and congratulations on a job well done. in every major phase of that war

you were there, the iron soldiers. because of your speed and strength american troops toppled a dictator in less than a month. you went back tour after tour and year after year. because of your determination to succeed, you turned back an insurgency. you stood firm against sectarian strike. you helped pull iraq back from the abyss and you helped to train them to take the lead. that's what you made possible with your service and your courage. two years ago i was able to come here to bliss and mark the end of our combat mission. that night i told the american people that all our troops would be out of iraq by the end of the following year. at the time i know some folks didn't believe me. they were skeptical.

some thought the end of combat was just word games and semantics. i meant what i said. you kept training up those iraq. the last american troops came home including the fourth brigade combat troop from bliss. [ applause ] after nearly nine years our war in iraq was over. today iraq has a chance to forge its own destiny. there are no american troops fighting and dying in iraq. on this anniversary we honor the memory of all who gave their

lives there. we salute all who serve them. when i was here two years ago i told you something else. we have more work to do, including taking the fight to al qaeda. there too i meant what i said. we've taken out more top al qaeda terrorists at any time since 9/11. thanks to the courage of our forces all al qaeda is on the road to defeat and bin laden will never threaten the united states. [ applause ] i told you we'd keep up the fight in afghanistan. i know that some of you recently

got back. on behalf of a grateful nation welcome home. some of your buddies are in afghanistan right now. our thoughts and prayers are with all the troops from bliss around the world. i know some i don't have you will be deploying later this year. i've got to tell you the truth. this is still a tough fight. you know this. you carry in your hearts the memory of comrades who made that ultimate sacrifice, including six heroes from bliss who gave their lives on that awful day last month. i just had the opportunity to meet with some of our gold star families. our message to them is this. your loved ones live on in the soul of our nation. we will honor them always because of their sacrifice,

because of your service, we pushed the taliban back. we're training afghan forces. the transition to afghan lead is under way. as promised more than 30,000 of our troops will have come home by next month. just as in iraq we're going to end this war responsibly. next year afghans will take the lead for their own security. in 2014 the transition will be complete. even as this war ends we will stay viligent. we're not just ending these wars. we're going it in way that keeps america safe and makes america stronger. that includes our military.

think about it. just four years ago there were some 180,000 american troops in iraq and afghanistan. by next month we will have cut that number by nearly two-thirds. most of our troops have come home. as more afghans step up, more of our troops will come home. what does that mean for you? well, after ten years of continuous operations it means fewer deployments. it means more time for training. it means more time to improve readiness. more time to prepare for the future. it means more time on the home front with your families, your spouses and your kids. make no mistakes ending the wars responsibly makes us safer and makes our military even

stronger. ending these wars is letting us so something else, restore american leadership. if you or anyone trying to say that america is in decline or our influence is waned, don't you believe it. here is the truth. our aligliances have never been stronger. around the world there's a new attitude toward america. new confidence in our leadership. when people are asked which country do you admire most, one nation always comes out on top. the united states. [ applause ] that's the progress we've made thanks to your incredible service. we're winding down a decade of war. we're destroying terrorist ne

networks that attacked us. today everybody american can be proud that the united states is safer, the united states is stronger and the united states is more respected in the world. when i was here last, i made you a pledge. i said that as president i will insist that america serves you and your families as well as you've served us. there again, i meant what i said because part of ending wars responsibly is caring for those who fought in it. that's why i wanted to come back to bliss on this anniversary to reaffirm our obligations to you and your families. we may be turning a page on a decade of war, but america's responsibilities to you have only just begun.

hey. i hear you. here is my pledge to you. in a world of serious threats i will never hesitate to use force to defend the united states of america or our interests. i will only send you into harms way when it's necessary and when we do, we'll give you the equipment and the support back and the strategy to get the job done. we owe you that. [ applause ] >> our military will be leaner but we'll keep making historic investments to keep you the absolute best military in the world bar none. the united states will always maintain our military superiority. we have the best led, best trained, best equipped military

in human history. as commander in chief i'm going to keep it that way. you've been hearing some folks out there trying to talk about the budget, trying to scare you. last year congress pledged to find a plan to reduce the deficit and they said if they couldn't agree there would be big cuts across the board including defense. understand nobody wants these cuts and that's why congress threatened them to force themselves to make hard decisions. here is the thing. there's no reason those cuts should happen. folks in congress need to come together and agree on a responsible plan that reduces the deficit and keeps our military strong. that's what needs to happen. that's what you and your families sderve.

that's how we're going to keep america safe and strong and grow our economy at the same time. that's a pledge we need to make to you. just as we give you the best equipment and technology on the battlefield, we need to give you the pest support and care when you come home. we just had a round table with some soldiers and their families talking about how coming home can be its own struggle especially for our wounded warrio warriors. we've poured tremendous resources into this effort. unprecedented support for our troops with traumatic brain injury. our troops and veterans with ptsd, more counselors, more care, more treatment. i know you've been a leader on this here at bliss making it clear that every one has a responsibility to help a comrade who is hurting.

today we're taking another step. i've signed a new executive order to give our troops, veterans and families better access to mental health care. we're going to increase the number of folks manning those crisis hot lines so help is there when you need it most. we're going to add even more counselors and mental health providers. we're launching a new awareness campaign starting tomorrow. i'm directing a new task force to find out what works best so we're doing everything we can to help those in need and save lives. i know that you join me in saying to everyone who has worn the yun formg, if you're hurting, it's not a sign of weakness to seek help, it's a sign of strength. we are here to help you stay

strong, army strong. that's the commitment i'm making to you. >> armstroy strong. we're going to break away right now. if you want to continue watching go to cnn.com/live. part of the iraq war and ending the mission that he made that announcement two years ago today and talks about winding down this decade of war and really now emphasizing so many veterans said it's so important to hear not only the president but also mitt romney talking about the war in afghanistan, specifically and getting help to these veterans when they come home. you heard the president mention he's addressing or he's putting together this new awareness come pa campaign when it comes to the unseen wounds of war, ptsd,

brain injuries and jobs. coming up, the man who wants the president's job is in louisiana today after changing campaign plans to tour the damage from isaac. that's next. great shot. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, 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. i don't have to use gas. i am probably going to the gas station about once a month. drive around town all the time doing errands and never ever have to fill up gas in the city. i very rarely put gas in my chevy volt. last time i was at a gas station was about...i would say... two months ago. the last time i went to the gas station must have been about three months ago.

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i want to take you back to the gulf and tell you people are digging out of a muddy, muddy mess. isaac is churning north ward. so many people evacuated leaving precious parts of their lives behind. >> this is our house. >> it's got me shook up now. >> we had to leave my dogs and my cat. >> so much emotion as so many people had to just up and leave. the mayor of new orleans says 11 people were hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning because they used generators inside their home. others are without water, power, food.

one woman said she is never returning to her home ever again. >> i'm scared. >> where are you going to go now? >> we're going to try to get a rent a car where ever we stop at and go to georgia. i'm not coming back. i can't take no more hurricanes. i can't. >> i want to give you an update on this dam. this is percy quinn dam. it's holding up for now. emergency officials say it's damaged but the damage is not leaking as of this moment. two deaths are reported in louisiana. the bodies of a man and woman were found floating in seven feet of water in a kitchen inside one of areas hardest hit. mitt romney is in louisiana right now touring some of the storm damage there. he is planning to thank first responders. he is visiting a small fishing town in louisiana.

the floods hit this town hard. the town's mayor was in his office with waist high water. that's how bad it was. this is mitt romney's second big stop of the day. earlier this morning here he was in lakeland, florida with paul ryan. you have seen cnn's incredible documentary in the life and career of mitt romney and as the democratic national convention inches closer to us, we're doing the same thing for president obama and our chief white house correspondent got incredible access to the president. here what surprised her the most, next. go ahead of him and win fifty thousand dollars. congratulations you are our one millionth customer. people don't like to miss out on money that should have been theirs. that's why at ally we have the raise your rate 2-year cd. you can get a one-time rate increase if our two-year rate goes up.

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we saw the president just a little while ago in fort bliss in texas b

in texas. the democratic national convention begins tuesday in charlotte. officials have been watching the weather for next week as it happens at bank of america stadium. a convention official says they are developing a contingency plan should bad weather hit. the dnc announced that mark anthoan t tho marc anthony will be singing. i want to bring in our own star in ore own right. jessica yellin. it's a pleasure to see you. i know you and a crew have been working on this documentary. you have this amazing access to the president. you've been covering him since 2008. tell me something you learned that you didn't know. >> we interviewed secretary

clinton. they described him as cool. when he's doing national security, taking on those kinds of issues it's a real advantage because he can be very steady. it's also become a challenge because some people say he's been aloof in washington when it comes to relationships with members of congress so we explore some of those issues. >> i want to go to a quick clip. let's take a look. >> reporter: reggie love knows the president as a strong mid range shooter. >> he'll attack the basket and knock down open shots. >> reporter: the kind of guy you want on your side and love has been on the president's team since the campaign days. >> what's he like when he's just hanging out? >> he's like a guy. he likes the bulls.

he likes the bears. like most guys that i know which i think can sometimes be hard for some people because they are taken back by it. he's sort like me. >> reporter: as his personal assistant love has seen the president as few others have. >> he's very much a person who enjoys the simple things in life. he enjoys watching a good game, enjoys a good cocktail. he's competitive at everything he does. if it's bowling or pool. there isn't anything i'd think he'd be okay at losing at. >> he says he's just one of the guys. is he really one of the guys? he's the president. >> i think he has a public face and a private face like many public figures. he's unlike many politicians in that he doesn't seem to crave endless new relationships.

he seems good being around his family and with his old friends. i asked him about that in my one-on-one interview with him. you'll get to see a bit of that at 5:00 p.m. >> 5:00 p.m. and then monday night at 8:00 eastern. we'll look forward to it. it's being called a flagrant abuse of the justice system. hundreds of miners out raged after prosecutors use apartheid laws to charge them in death of their own coworkers. victims who were shot by police. that's next. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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blood shed, massacres and fear.

this is what people living in syria have been dealing with, coping with for the last 18 months. syria forces continuely battling these fighters. these images are tough to look at. this is the horrific scene in aleppo. these people were waiting in line for bread. you see the bodies on the ground. they were attacked by their own government. at least 20 people were killed. they say it isn't the first time this has happened. >> reporter: on ten occasions government forces have attacked bread lines using helicopters and fighter jets. several killed and wounded dozens of civilians. >> the security council met yesterday. president bashar's regime says terrorists are responsible for those killings.

in south africa, 270 miners are charged with murder and the deaths of their fellow workers. you remember this? we showed you this video. police fired away on these striking miners about two weeks ago. our correspondent in africa tells the rest of the story. >> reporter: the decision by the police service and the national prosecuting authority to invoke this very controversial apartheid error doctrine and charge 270 miners with common purpose murder has sparked huge outrage. the congress of south african trade unions says this has exposed the police lack of professionalism saying it totally undermines the commission of inquiry that was set up by the president to get down to the bottom of what went wrong on that day.

a prominent law professor calling the decision outrageous, bizarre and shocking saying it's a flagrant abuse of the criminal justice system. people on the streets are also talking and this is what they had to say. >> i think it's outrageous because it's clear that police are the ones who shot them. >> i don't know why the prosecution have revived the doctrine of common purpose. they could prosecute groups of black people protesting. >> i think it's absurd for the state to charge miners who are exploited on a daily basis with murder. they have a right to protest. >> reporter: the minister of justice has decided to intervene. he's requested the national prosecuting authority to furnish him with details of how they came to this decision. we're expecting that when these

270 men appear in court next week thursday for a bail application we'll hear arguments for and against the inclusion of this controversial charge and at the end of the day it's the court's here in south africa that will make the final decision. the police and the national prosecuting authority have been accuse t in the past of allowing political interference in their work but people in south africa have confidence to rule fairly and independently. that's what they are looking for the courts to do. jump starting the sluggish economy, ben bernanke gives a speech at what might be ahead.

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ben bernanke has harsh words for the u.s. economy. he stopped short of announcing a specific plan to revive it. the federal reserve chairman said the u.s. economy is far from satisfactory. there's waste of human talent. also he made his strongest pitch yet for more stimulus to help boost the economy. he hinted the federal reserve may provide easening or financial asset purchases even if the u.s. economy stays the same. then you ask what's the big deal here about ben bernanke's statement. previously the fed pled to do more stimulus if the economy gets worse. now he appears to be giving the fed some room to act before any economic jolts. i know many of you are asking us about retirement planning, is it too late to start saving? poppy harlow has answers now.

>> hey there. today on the health desk we're focusing on planning for retirement. very important no matter what age. ryan, take a listen to this question. >> my husband is self-employed. i would like to know if it's too late to get a retirement plan? >> assuming he's sort of middle age, what do you think? >> absolutely not. you have the simple ira. the savings incentive match program. if you have between five and ten employees put up to maybe 10 to $12,000 a year. you have the sep ira. very flexible benefit program and then there's the dinosaur program, the defined benefit program. not as much out there. that could be an option for him as well. >> i think one of the positives if you do something like that you can sock away a lot more

than you the when working for a traditional employer where the contributions are capped at about 17,500 a year. you can be in better shape. >> it's never too late. is it too late? absolutely not. >> it's never too late. >> thank you. appreciate it. if you have a question you want our experts to tackle just upload a 30-second video to ireport.com. >> thank you. no easy day. we've talked about this book. this is the tell all about the osama bin laden raid already on the best seller list on amazon. it hasn't come out yet. if officials at the pentagon get their ware way the author will not get a dime. we'll take you to the pents gone for that next. they're about 10 times softer and may have surface pores where bacteria can multiply. polident is designed to clean dentures daily.

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the pentagon is threatening legal action against an ex-navy seal whose book on the osama bin laden raid just came out. developing news here, the former seal is responding to this. the book is called "no easy day," had some major, major revelations of the actual killing of the al qaeda leader in may of last year. like the detail, the directive was to detain him alive if possible. the author spoke to cbs news in disguise. he was trying to conceal his identity. >> these crazies on either side

of the aisle want to make it political, shame on them. this is a book about september 11th and it needs to rest on september 11th, not be brought into the political arena. this has nothing to do with politics. >> now, after reviewing the book, the department of defense is going after mark owen, the name used in its letter for violating his confidentiality agreement with the military. and owen's attorney has written back. cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr is live for us at the pentagon with this angle of the story. so what is the attorney here now saying? >> well, you know, whether you call him mark or matt, it is remarkable, isn't it, to see one of the men that put a bullet into osama bin laden? and the pentagon never wanted you to see him. this was a classified mission. everybody's identity, everything that happened that night was supposed to stay secret. or if the administration was going to talk about it, they would declassify the

information. they do not really take kindly to one of the seals on the mission doing it. so the pentagon position, let's get to that first. jay johnson, who is the general council, the top attorney at the department of defense for the entire u.s. military wrote a letter yesterday. and it says "you are in material breach and violation of the nondisclosure agreement you signed. further dissemination of your book will aggravate your breach." now mark owen's attorney has fired back. and he has said very simply that the seal author and i quote "he has earned the right to tell his story." his state's attorney, bob lus kin is making a very adamant case that the nondisclosure agreement was not all that mandatory and did not cover everything that matt wrote about in the book. but when you talk to military people, i have to tell you,

everyone i know in the u.s. military with a security clearance signs these nondisclosure agreements. they are mandatory. and they are in violation of the law if they don't live up to them. and one of the requirements is, if you are going to write a book, and it's going to deal with anything that involved classified military information, you have to put it through security clearance at the pentagon. the author did not do that, brooke. >> sounds to me this is the beginning of a legal road you will follow for us. barbara starr, thank you. >> sure. college football season. can you believe it's here? and for the players at penn state university may not be a moment too soon. they can now focus on football. coming up next, hear what some of the players are saying. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you've been years in the making. and there are many years ahead. join the millions of members who've chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan

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a fall tradition resumes tomorrow on the campus of penn state university. football is back, but this season is like no other. it's all because of the changes put in place following that child sex abuse scandal involving jerry sandusky at penn state. and jason carol sat down with some of the penn state players who are getting ready for a new season. >> this whole situation's been a life lesson starting back in november. you have to go through struggles to, you know, have a successful life. >> you can place blame, you can say things were fair or unfair. you can do all that. but at the end of the day it is what it is. and this is the situation we're in. >> what are your thoughts on those who have decided to leave

the team, transfer out? >> it's definitely tough. you've built a relationship with those guys. you've worked out with them the past couple years, hung out with them, gone out with them. you build great relationships with them. >> we lived with guys that were friends with some of those guys, but at the end of the day as an individual what you have to do as a man, that's what you got to do. >> did any of you consider, maybe i will switch? maybe i will transfer? >> as a younger guy, it runs through your head. but these guys right here, i'm not leaving these guys. these guys are my brothers. we went through a lot together. >> joe paterno, a man larger than life in some respects, your thoughts. do you miss him? what are your thoughts on joe paterno? >> to have a guy like that in your life and to be, you know, the kind of man that he was and i'm just happy i was around him for the four years. he'll be greatly missed. >> as crazy as everything was that happened and as much respect as we have for him, we have to understand that we are with coach o'brien right now and that's the guy who's helping us get through all of this.

>> september 1st is becoming so much more about football. it's, you know, we're playing obviously for ourselves and our coaches, but now we're playing for the alumni, we're playing for the fans, we're playing for the past, present and future of the penn state football program. and we have the opportunity to make history. >> reporter: the players also discussed another important topic to them, and those are the ncaa sanctions issued against penn state in the wake of that last month. nine players have decided that they were going to transfer to other schools. and i talked to the players about how that affected them, how that affected the team. they say because of what has happened here, because of this scandal, they say the team is actually stronger and closer given all that has happened to them. jason carol, cnn, state college, pennsylvania. >> jason, thank you. and a final farewell today for neil armstrong, the first man who took the world with him to walk on the moon. that was 43 years ago.