good morning. you've made it as far as you have to go this week. it's wednesday. we're halfway there. isn't it wednesday? i'm robin meade, morning, sunshine. it has been exactly eight years since u.s. troops first went to fight in afghanistan. but now we may see many more americans going there. plus, a mother who was stabbed said that her baby was stolen. then she was accused of trying to sell the newborn. well, now police are saying what they think. the gentleman was standing right here in my driveway buck naked. >> what?! she's talking about a guy who allegedly broke into her house

naked. police think they can explain why he went there naked. careful there. our top story, though, today is the eighth anniversary of the war in afghanistan. and the biggest strategic decision could still be yet to come. 778 u.s. troops have died there since the war began against the taliban, a few weeks after 9/11. the u.s. took less time to defeat germany and japan in world war ii, to put that time in perspective for you. remember, in march, president obama announced he was sending 21,000 more troops there. well, now, published reports say general stanley mcchrystal is asking for as many as 40,000 more. that would put more than 100,000 american lives at stake. congressional leaders met privately with the president yesterday to weigh the new strategy. >> i think the president is directly on target here, in guaranteeing that we ask the

appropriate questions about a strategy. he made it very, very clear, nobody is talking about pulling out or pulling up stakes. >> obviously, there are many of us who feel that delay does signal uncertainty to the region. it does, i believe, signal uncertainty to the lives we've got on the ground. this is why it is so urgent. >> well, today's anniversary comes as the dynamic changes in afghanistan, one enemy's role is fading there, but another one's is gaining strength. that story, coming up in about ten minutes. new this morning, two americans and an israeli won the nobel prize in chemistry. they will split $1.4 million for their work on the structure of ribosomes. they build protein, which is essential to life. after a gruesome beating death of a chicago 16-year-old,

president obama is sending attorney general eric holder and education secretary arne duncan there today to talk about the ways to deal with youth violence. but one analyst said that this is not a problem that washington can fix. >> this is not a government issue. the government didn't come in and shoot that child. that's somebody from the community. that's somebody's child who grew up to shoot somebody else's child. the community has to begin to take full responsibility for the circumstances that are taking place within the community. we have to see what we can do as a community to move ourselves forward, empower ourselves. this is about preachers and teachers. this is about parents, taking responsibility for the fact that these conditions are killing our children. >> four teens have been charged in the beating death of derrion albert. local activists say that the streets are more violent because so many schools have been closed over the last four years. thousands of kids are bused out of neighborhoods and across gang lines. chicago police agree that mixing

students from different neighborhoods has contributed to the violence. the nation's capital could be the next place to allow same-sex marriages. a bill was introduced last night at a city council meeting and it's expected to pass. 10 of the 13 council members and the mayor support it. >> i look forward to the moment where i can ask my partner, will you marry me, as opposed to, will you civil union, or like in other places, will you domestic partner me. >> just because somebody wants to change the law does not change the definition. >> well, congress can block any d.c. decision, but it rarely does. and an aide to house speaker nancy pelosi says that the issue is for d.c. to decide. a baby who police say was kidnapped in tennessee and then put in foster care is back home now. remember media reports said that somebody claimed a family member had tried to sell him. well, now police say they don't think the parents were involved in the kidnapping. the mom was stabbed but is recovering. police say that there are significant unanswered

questions, like why the family was targeted. we have new details that you need to know about in an e-mail scam. even more people may be affected. this started with hotmail. microsoft says users were tricked into revealing their passwards in a phishing scam. others using google were also tricked. former house majority leader tom delay is hanging up those dancing shoes. he is leaving "dancing with the stars" because his doctors say he has stress fractures in both of his feet. he apparently got them just from dancing too much and shaking that groove thing and pointing at everybody. on monday he ignored his doctor's device skbrjust shook out there and performed a samba with his partner. >> i swear, he's counting. okay, i give it to hill, though. he tried. >> he really threw his heart

into it. >> i think it's the high heel shoes they're making him wear. he is wearing high-heeled shoes. >> can't get over the pants. >> that's a stress fracture. thank you. you'll be here all day. six minutes after the hour. let's find out how the weather is, it's soupy, again. it seems like every day, someone's getting rained on. >> humid outside right now. we have a lot of thunderstorm action, from atlanta all the way stretching back into eastern parts of texas. that's where the weather's the roughest right now. here's that squall line. we have one cold front with a couple of thunderstorms below that developing, and a couple squall lines too. one is your south, atlanta metro, should breeze into the airport shortly. you can see the atlanta radar, most of the heavy rain is over the city itself and back down towards the southwest, down i-85. we're going to get some of this action rolling back into the city later. but the other big story is going to be the massive amount of wind we're going to find from the great lakes all the way through

the northeast. that's going to be right by that low pressure region. so that storm is going to raise on through ontario in towards montreal area later today. wind advisories, all the areas you see shaded in yellow, detroit already has a ground stoppage at the airport because of the gusty winds. they're going to gust to about 50 miles per hour. also, one severe thunderstorm warning. it's headed towards amsterdam, new york state, out of the utica area. it's this squall line right here. winds gusting to over 60 miles per hour as that cold front itself drastically just goes over towards the east. it's going to be a tough, little sharp cold front for you, no doubt. look at the rain around new york state, getting into new york city. wind for the afternoon. tropical weather, new tropical storm, henry, moving toward the west at 13 miles per hour. you see puerto rico right here, just going to be a fish storm. not worried about this at all. next couple of days should begin to lose some strength. 50-mile-per-hour winds right now. it washes out by the weekend and it's an open wave with no problems to any landmass. obviously some good news there.

speaking of the tropical-type weather, let me take you live to miami. the temperature right now, 80 degrees. the dew point, 77. that is a humid air mass over place. you can see scattered showers and thunderstorms today, 92, the high. weather still down there. more on that, robin, still down there. >> what was that? >> thong-thong-thong weather still down in miami. a couple that chose to pray for their dyinging doctor rather than go to a doctor will be going to jail. what a judge told these parents.

it is time right now to salute our troops here. our salute today is for airman first class david arnold. this is from his dad. david got his pilot's license when he was only 17 and his dad said david is living his dream by being in the air force, but obviously he's still missed at home. >> good morning, robin. this is gary arnold in virginia

beach, virginia, and i want to salute my son, first class david arnold. i know your assignment is taking away from your family, your wife, your dogs and your friends and we'll all miss sharing your 21st birthday with you and all the holidays. i'm looking forward to your return in january. i hope you swing through norfolk on your way back like you did on your way over. i love you, dave. hurry back. stay safe. >> that is the sweetest mental to your son. if you have somebody in the service, we would like to help you salute them. cnn.com/robin. two fellas who say that thieves stole millions of dollars of art from them are now the suspects in the case. the sheriff's department says the men haven't given any proof that they actually had works by van gogh, rembrandt and others. one says the paperwork was stolen too. they say it's all worth $27 million, maybe more, and that investigators botched the case. you may remember this very

moment that changed the lives of so many u.s. troops. >> on my orders, the united states military has begun strikes against al qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the taliban regime in afghanistan. we will not waver, we will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail. >> 778 u.s. troops have been killed since the war in afghanistan began eight years ago today. correspondent richard lui joins us now. the war started to destroy al qaeda safe haven in afghanistan. let's talk about the progression on that front. >> perhaps some positive news here, robin. al qaeda's role in afghanistan has faded drastically. u.s. national security adviser james jones saying fewer than 100 core al qaeda fighters remain in afghanistan and they do not have bases there or the ability to launch attacks on the west. now, some experts argue here president obama's camp may be

underestimating al qaeda's numbers in afghanistan, because the group prefers to work in the background. still, though, many believe the real battle against al qaeda is now in pakistan. okay, now the negative side, perhaps, in terms of what's happening there in the country. the taliban is making a comeback in afghanistan. defense secretary robert gates saying very recently, taliban fighters have the momentum right now and he blames a shortage of u.s. and coalition troops over the past seven years for the taliban's comeback. "time" magazine saying taliban's largest group may be local tribesmen who loosely allied themselves with the taliban because president hamid karzai's officials often pit one tribe against another. now, it adds that karzai's government may be damaged by allegations of election fraud, which haven't been resolved as of yet and the taliban is surging in that power vacuum. now to some good news that hits your home.

your heating bill could be going down this winter. good news, jen. >> and it could mean those monthly heating bills a little bit kinder. it depends on what you use for heat, but the average savings for a family is $84, according to the energy department. that's some good news in a bad economy when it comes to this winter and you being able to pay your bills. if you heat with natural gas, that's very likely, that's the major heating fuel, you're going to pay $105 less than last year. that's where a lot of the big savings are for people who heat with gas. oil, a little less, $40 less, and electric, $20 less. but big savings for propane users, $280. and these are the forecasts coming from the energy department. in the midwest, where it's yellow, in the northeast, where it's green. on average, the cheapest way to heat, just so you know, is with electricity, and electricity use for heat has been growing. the burger king may never look the same again. they're getting rid of those terracotta tiles.

the 12,000 food joints are up for a massive overhaul. they want to turn them into sit-down restaurants. they look pretty cool. they say they're going to be contemporary with an industrial look, red flame chandeliers, brick walls. the franchisers will have to pay for that. it can cost, in the neighborhood, of about $500,000 to remodel a fast food restaurant. they want them to think like a chipotle or panera instead of a fast food. a burglary suspect, he really made himself at home in somebody else's house. he took off all his clothes and just got comfy -- the only problem, there was a security camera.

in the words of one baseball player, this is the most unbelievable game i've ever played or seen. larry smith is here now with the highlights of last night's instant classic. >> good morning. i had to stay up and watch this one. like not another inning, but it was really good. the minnesota twins had a losing record back on september 12th, but here they are in october emerging as the american league central division champions. bottom of the 12th inning, they kept -- detroit would score, the twins would come back and tie it, the game-winning hit and the mad celebration up in metrodome. twins, improbable champions. the tigers, meanwhile, that

three-game lead with four games left in the season and yet they'll go home. no playoffs for them. in that same building one night earlier, the scene of the largest cable tv audience ever. 21.8 million people tuned in to see star quarterback brett favre and the minnesota vikings beat his former team, the green bay packers. the vikings victory was the highest rated telecast in espn's 30-year history. the st. louis russians. rush limbaugh says he is teaming up to buy the st. louis rams, at least he's bidding. the team is valued at $929 million by forbes magazine. it isn't clear how much of the team limbaugh is attempting to buy. there were a lot of tall millionaires on college campuses this summer. "the new york times" reports that 45 nba players returned to work on their degrees. among them, that guy, chris paul. also kevin durant and russell

westbrook. they believe the numbers are up from previous years. good to see these guys going back to campus and not relying just on the millions, but also getting those books together as well. >> so they'll be rich when they're retired too. >> absolutely. hold on to that money. have you seen "the joy behar show" here on hln? you've got to check out why she's talking about mel beggibs run-in with the law three years ago. it's her "not for nothin'" commentary. >> today, a judge in beverly hills granted mel gibson's request to expunge his dui conviction as he completed his three-year probation. let me refresh. malleable police pulled mel gibson over in 2006 because his car was weaving all over malibu. he was drunk and not raving in a good way, he said the jews are responsible for starting all the efing wars in the world and then

asked the cop if he was jewish. why did he need to know that? did he need a suggestion for a good bar mitzvah give? he's an antisemimite. as far as the dui being expunged, let me say this, mel, you can run, but you can't hide. you're famous, and not necessarily for being a movie star. i mean, more people saw your mug shot than your last three movies combined. look, i can understand you want a do-over, who doesn't? i wish i'd never eaten those first ten ka knollies because i can't have them expunged from my thighs. i wonder if that judge does liposuction? here's a career suggestion for you, if you want to make peace with the jews, and who doesn't? do a re-make of yentil, only in your case, call it mental. that's just me. >> you can catch "the joy behar

show" every night at 9:00 p.m. eastern her on hln. 20 minutes past the hour. hi. so you're just kind of watching us there in the terminal. we're thinking about you. where do we have the rainy spots today, because that's nine times out of ten where your delays are. >> no doubt. and they generate mostly from atlanta this morning. let me take you live to the atlanta tower cam. i want to show you what's happening. seems like the last couple of weeks, have been starting with this tower cam, you can't even see the buildings on the left part of your screen. the rain is out there and a thunderstorm directly overhead. a delay right now of about 22 minutes in atlanta. here's what it looks like on the flight explorer, saber. here's atlanta, the rain is overhead. it's going to be there for the morning, training over the region. watch for hour-more delays to pop up right there. for the delay, the lengthiest ones will be in atlanta and also in new york city metros and philly and d.c. wind today up to 50 miles per hour. in fact, detroit has a delay of 25 minutes because of a 36-mile-per-hour wind. a lot of numbers there, but we'll see a lot of delays too.

can you make your house 100% floodproof? how about this. making it float.

the number of school kids killed in chicago doubled over the last three years and after the beating death of a 16-year-old, president obama is sending attorney general eric holder and education secretary arne duncan there to talk today about ways to deal with youth violence. looks like more americans are happy with the way that president obama is doing his job. a new associated press gfk poll has his approval rating at 56%, and that is six points higher than last month. it is the first time that his approval rating has gone up since inauguration. police have arrested more than 60 people during anti-war protests outside the white

house. today, did you know, is the eighth anniversary of the start of the afghanistan war. 778 u.s. troops have died. "the washington post" reports that protesters will mark the day with dozens of rallies around the country today. president obama told congressional leaders yesterday that withdrawing is not an option that he is considering. good morning. appreciate your time today. it's wednesday, i know, right in the middle of your work week. i'm robin meade. morning, sunshine. president obama faces huge decisions about whether to risk more american lives in afghanistan. many republicans are pushing him to send more troops quickly. others say that more troops will not solve the problem. correspondent richard lui has more now on the debate about whether to send more american troops to afghanistan. good morning. >> yeah, good morning, robin. the debate right now may center on counterterrorism versus counterinsurgency. of course, there's been a lot of focus on published reports saying that the top u.s. commander in afghanistan,

general stanley mcchrystal, who made a speech last thursday that much focus was put upon, is calling to almost double the number of u.s. troop there is in the country. now, he wants up to 40,000 more troop there is. and add that to 62,000 troops already serving there, many republicans are slamming obama for not acting faster. but a top house democrat reportedly warned the president yesterday that escalating the afghanistan war could result for the u.s. being stuck there for another 20 years of conflict, robin. >> you put that in perspective, we've been there eight already. some say that more troops will not help end the conflict there. so if those people are proposing that, what are they proposing to do? >> vice president biden and other administration officials are pushing for a counterterrorism strategy using unmanned drones and special forces to fight al qaeda and the taliban. they do not want to involve additional troops. administration officials telling "the new york times" strikes

recently captured members in pakistan. >> richard, thank you very much. appreciate it. we are hearing more this morning from the father of missing 5-year-old haleigh cummings. he's moving to divorce the child's stepmother. ronald cummings talked to hln's nancy grace. >> miss nancy, i'm not sure what's going to happen in the long run. i can't predict the future, but i would sure hope that just -- with the family problems and everything else, it's too much on the relationship. >> when you say family problems, are you referring to the fact that her family says she's not telling the truth about the disappearance of your little girl. her mother, her brother, and others? >> well, it's not only that, it's also, you know, the fight and everything -- it's just everything. >> well, the sheriff's department says that misty cummings won't talk about what she was doing the night that

haleigh disappeared. she's denied any involvement in the case. her attorney says that he hasn't even talked to her about the divorce. and, of course, nancy's going to have all the latest news on the haleigh cummings case tonight at 8:00 and 10:00 eastern on hln. republican senator john ensign denies breaking ethics laws after admitting that he had an affair with a woman on his staff. well, last week "the new york times" reported that the nevada senator helped the husband of his former mistress get a lobbying job and that the husband has lobbied the senator, which would have violated senate rules. >> i said, in the past, i recommended him for jobs just like i've recommended a lot of people, but we absolutely did nothing except for comply, exactly, with what the ethics laws and the ethics rules of the senate state. >> well, the senate is investigating. ensign has said that he will not resign. police responding to a 911 call ended up finding an

elaborate marijuana operation. someone at that house called for help, saying somebody was sick. police say that when they got there, the place reeked of pot. >> for us, just walking to the house, the odor was ev overwhelming. the people liveing there claime they didn't notice it. >> police found about 20 plants in the attic worth about $15,000. there were heating lamps, timers, and special air meters. somebody knew what they were doing. the u.s. military is airlifting relief supplies to the philippines after incredible flooding there. torrential rains killed 246 people and displaced 380,000. 2 million homes are blooded. u.s. soldiers based in japan have been delivering food, clothes, and cleaning supplies and even mosquito nets and tents. 35 minutes past the hour. okay, here come the fall temperatures, right? so why are we having spring-like

rain storms. >> secondary severe season, we're in it right now, october, november, cold front's real strong, start to drop down out of canada, breeze through the country and you can get those big-time thunderstorms developing ahead of it. this weather brought to you by tylenol. across the region, big picture. showing a cold front dropping down out of new york state, all the way down across texas. ahead of it, it's warm, it's humid, and it's really unstable. when you get behind it, it's cooler, it's drier, but the wind is whipping around. rain is pretty heavy at times, specifically around atlanta metro just south of birmingham, atlanta, and that line is stretching down to the south. you can see the way it connects itself up through alabama, into mississippi, northern parts of louisiana. it begins to dry out a touch across eastern texas, but places like houston, probably get a couple thunderstorms later on this afternoon. up to the northeast, here comes your cold front. it's a quick mover. it's moving right through basically the catskills, getting back on through the adirondacks. it's a fast-moving storm system, but behind it, winds are really

starting to pick up. near 40-mile-per-hour winds right now in detroit, gusting up to 50 miles per hour in areas from boston all the way down through the appalachians. live to boston. here's what it looks like trying to travel in or out of the city. low clouds to start the day. delays first at logan and later today winds will be gusting to 45 miles per hour in boston itself. so wind advisory for the entire area around boston. the rest of new england, down through the south. back to the radar picture, up to the west, amsterdam and albany, about to get slammed. getting slammed right now in schenectady. a couple playoff games. the yankees play the twins in the evening, gusty winds, no rain. philadelphia plays first at 2:30, gusty winds at 40 miles per hour. rockies, philliephillies, affec the rain as well. none of the people in a

florida car crash was hurt, but a dog had to be rescued. the bulldog was riding in a carrier in the bed of a pickup and when it crashed, the carrier flew out and off the side of an overpass. poor doggy. the dog has a broken leg, and if you want to call it a wrist, one wrist was dislocated. the vet says it's amazing that the dog survived. and i'm glad that the rescue people went to such lengths to help him. the airlines are grabbing for your wallet again. yeah, they want more money for those times when you really want to travel.

the supreme court will hear arguments today in a case involving a cross that's been around for 75 years. it was built in the mohave national preserve in california to honor world war i troops, but someone sued to have it removed. he says it violates the ban against government sborendorsem of religion. seems like everybody's weighing in on health care reform, doesn't it? and what should be done about it? so listen to comedian lewis black as he talks to joy behar last night. >> they started to say, oh, we have a death penalty, we're going to kill grandma, i would go, my grandmother's dead, i don't care. what are you going to do, are you going to dig her up and kill her again? if you can do, we'll have really great health care. >> catch "the joy behar show" every night at 9:00 p.m. eastern right here on hln. are you feeling down lately.

maybe it's your drinking habit. but it may be not what you think. what an incredible study that says those who don't drink are the party poopers, basically. that's new for you in the next 20 minutes. first, though, a big baa humbug for the airlines. they're planning to charge you an extra fee if you're flying during the holidays. our money expert jennifer westhoven is looking out for you. this is on top of the already huge fare they charge you during the holidays. >> you know they charge higher fares, but they're also tacking on, if you travel around the days around thanksgiving, they're going to hit you with $20 in fees round-trip and they're also adding them to the christmas fees too. if you want to say no to the fees, southwest and jetblue are not chargie ining them at this . but they're saying, these are some of the busiest travel days in the season, they're going to

get you a little bit more. and southwest, their on-time arrival percentage, 83%. the best in the major carriers. the worst, airtran, you've got a one in four chance of not getting there on time. what would you want for the holidays if you could -- if money was no object? if you -- you know, if i were a rich man and all that. it's the neiman marcus holiday catalog. and i was surprised by what was not in there. no $1 million gifts this year. the price tag on some of those, these, is still -- we'll show you some of the outrageous ones. this is a cupcake car. it's $25,000. is that like a kid with a little hat on driving it? i think so. >> so it goes on the sidewalk. it's not road worthy? >> no. but it's got an electric engine and everything. i guess you can get strawberry or chocolate. >> why would you want one of those for $25,000? for the person who has everything. >> you know, i -- yeah. trust fund babies.

>> okay. >> i don't know. this is a sports aircraft for two. it can fly up to 10,000 feet and costs $250,000. >> and it doesn't really say, is it a plane, is it a helicopter? >> i don't know. and it's kind of like, they've got this real wow factor, because in a way you see these things and go, oh, my gosh, what do people spend their money on, but it's also kind of fascinating. but who biuys this stuff? >> here's a little bit of information. i says, who buys this stuff, and one of our copy editors said she worked in the credit department of neiman marcus for years and years and years and that these would always get sold, people would buy these things. amazing. >> okay. a youthful ball team wouldn't play in a game because the other team had a girl on it. that made the coaches furious and things got ugly. come on, coaches.

the dallas cowboys' practice facility, remember, that collapsed last spring, should have been able to withstand the high winds that brought it down. larry smith has an update. good morning. >> good morning, robin.

12 people were injured in that horrific scene, including one team assistant who was left paralyzed from the waist down. he and another assistant coach are suing the building's manufacturer, summit structures. a federal agency has investigated the site and determined the building was engineered to withstand winds up to 90 miles per hour. in that storm last may, the winds reached 55 to 60 miles per hour. summit's attorney says the agency's report contains incorrect assumptions. the agency maintains a catastrophic weather event contributed to the collapse. bad behavior could but braylen edwards on the sideline. he allegedly punched a man at a nightclub can early monday morning. the man is a friend of nba superstar lebron james. heisman trophy winning quarterback tim tebow practiced with the team on tuesday, but he has not been cleared to play on saturday. you might have seen this video from ten years ago when the

garretts senior suffered a concussion and had to leave that win at kentucky. adults behaving badly. youth football coaches getting into a fight over the participation of an 11-year-old girl in a scheduled football scrimmage. the issue is the team said it's against their moral beliefs to allow their boys to hit girls. the boys and girls club team said had they known ahead of time there was a problem, they would have cancelled the scrimmage. no charges were filed, although the coach that threw the punch has been suspended. so don't hit each other, but we'll hit each other. >> i can't wait to talk to bob about this. >> don't do what i do, do as i say. >> we don't want to hit the girls, but i'm going to hit you over hitting the girls. with the gas prices going down and up and back down again, a fuel-efficient car could be your best friend. right now, there's an even better reason to buy one, according to hln money expert, clark howard. >> are you interested in buying a small car?

well, not that many americans. are right now. because what's selling right now are things that are the bigger, the better. big, honking trucks, huge sport utility vehicles and the prices of those, especially used ones, have been going up and up and up. at the same time, what was so hot a year ago is so not now. small cars, used small cars aren't selling at all. the owners can't beg, borrow or steal to buy them. so the price of the small cars are going down to the point that it is shocking how much cheaper they are. so if you zig while everybody else zags, buying a small, fuel-efficient car while nobody seems to care about the price of gas will get you a steal of a deal on that car, and then when gas prices eventually do rise again, because they go up and down like this, you'll be sitting in the driver's seat. i'm clark howard, for my ways for you to fatten your wallet,

go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> catch clark at noon eastern on saturdays and sundays right here on hln. all right, travelers. let's talk right now got the ra generally have delays. >> good morning. delays are starting early, a 64-minute delay the average at laguardia because of the wind. rain-related delays all about a half hour toward philadelphia and atlanta. wind in detroit down to a half hour. the longest delays, new york city metros, hour or more, philadelphia hour or more popping up shortly, d.c. down the pike a little farther, watch for hour-long delays, clou including baltimore, atlanta, thunderstorms in the morning, wind in the afternoon, hour or more delays. a rough travel day for the east coast. west looks okay. more in a half hour. the obama administration will have a hard time to meet its deadline to close the guantanamo prison. that's what eric holder is now

saying. president obama promised to shut it down by january of next year. holder says it may not happen because lawmakers don't want terror suspects transferred to u.s. xrails. holder is trying to convince lawmakers the trfrn transfers would be safe. some of the stories we're watching this morning in the morning express planner at 1:30 p.m. eastern president obama will honor 13 people with national medals of science and technology and innovation. at 3:00 p.m. eastern, lawyers for former astronaut lisa nowak will be in court in orlando hoping to get charges dropped. she is accused of attacking a woman for dating her former boyfriend. this afternoon in atlantic city, miss senior america will be crowned, for 60 and older. a mother says her son died after drinking tea and you need to hear what was added to it.

is that how you're feeling today it's wednesday. i'm robin meade. we're all awake and waiting for you. here's ha's going on. will there be 100,000 u.s. troops on the ground in afghanistan? the president is mulling that decision on a big anniversary in the war on terror. there is something in our solar system that can hold a billion earths? and we're just now finding out about it. after all the flooding, brad pitt's charity is coming up with an interesting idea, to protect your home from floods. cool stuff. first, though, our top story today. believe it or not is the eighth

anniversary of the war in afghanistan. and the biggest strategic decision could still be yesterday yet to come. 778 u.s. troops have died there since the war against the taliban started just a few weeks after 9/11. the u.s. took less time -- just a little bit of context for you you -- to defeat germany and japan in world war ii. remember in march president obama announced he was sending 21,000 more troops to afghanistan. now reports say general stanley mcchrystal is asking for as many as 40,000 more, putting 100,000 american lives at stake. congressional leaders who met privately with the president yesterday say the only option he is not considering is pulling out. >> the current strategy isn't working. there is no military solution. we're not going to commit the numbers of troops that general petraeus' doctrine of counter insurgency says we ought to. so we're clearly going down some

other road here, and we better make sure we know what that road is and where it leads to. >> we do recognize that he has a tough you decision, and he wants ample time to make a good decision. frankly, i support that, but we need to remember that every day that goes by the troops that we do have there are in greater danger. >> the president is going to make a decision, popular or unpopular, based on what he thinks is the best interest of the country. >> today's anniversary comes as the dynamic changes in afghanistan. one enemy's role is fading but another is gaining strength. more on that story in less than 15 minutes. new details that you need to know about in an e-mail scam even more people may be affected. the scam started with hotmail. microsoft says users were tricked into revealing their

passwo passwords. now some people using google, yahoo and other e-mail services were also tricked. the big worry is many people use one password for all of their accounts online. cool. new this morning, scientists found a new ring around saturn, so big it could fit a billion earths inside of it. unlike the other rings, this one is almost invisible because the ice and dust that form it are so spread out. nasa found the ring with a special telescope that picked up on its heat. the fbi at one point was investigating anna nicole smith to see if she was involved in a plot to kill the son of her tycoon husband. this was during their lengthy court battle against him for his father's fortune. the associated press obtained fbi documents which say prosecutors decided that there was not enough evidence to charge her. smith died in 2007 of a drug overdose. three minutes past the hour. what are your concerns

weather-wise today? the bus stop forecast, is it going to be cool where you are? let's check that out. meteorologist bob van dillen. >> i think coolness will be probably the least of your concerns. look at this thing going on behind me. a major cold front sweeping down out of the midwest into the deep southeast with a chain of thunderstorms developing ahead of it from charlotte to south of atlanta, birmingham and light showers toward eastern texas. look at the shield of rain moving through new england out of boston, rain and thundershowers in new york state, going to stretch into jersey later on. that's the windy condition action, too. i want to show you the heaviest rain around the deep southeast. atlanta, if you're trying to travel in or out, low clouds, rain and wind for the afternoon. we'll get delays out of that. back to the west a little farther, broken thundershowers go south of birmingham and reconnect around mississippi towards louisiana. they're not severe but heavy rain makers with the humid atmosphere in place. as for the northeast, here's how it goes, the low pressure region

is the storm center. here comes your front dropping to the soung. once that gets on by, winds are going to really start picking up from the great lakes especially this morning sweeping through to the northeast in the afternoon hours. winds today up to 50 miles per hour at times. that's something we'll have to watch. look at that squall line ahead of the actual cold front right by all ne. sharp line of thunderstorms here triefing to the east. gusty winds, not severe but heavy rain for brief periods of time, lightning as well. new york city, showers and thunderstorms around connecticut, into massachusetts, towards long island and then trying out somewhat across western jersey. live to new york city, here is the way it it looks. a playoff game going on today, rain showers in the morning, yankees plays the twins in the evening hour, i think 6:07 first pitch. winds today 50 miles per hour. watch for that. also philadelphia a playoff game at 2:30. windy conditions there as well. hey, a-rod has an excuse to go 0

for 4 today in the playoffs. too windy. as a disgruntled yaunkee fan, i can joke. tom delay, did you know he's hanging up the dancing shoes? he's leaving "dancing with the stars" because his doctor says he has stress fractures. no moron of his counting or shaking his groove thing. let me point at you, you are you and i am wearing high heels. on monday, delay ignored his doctor's advice and performed a samba with his partner. he has stress fractures on his feet, but he wouldn't have stress fractures if he didn't insist on putting them in high heels. >> come on. >> i'm not exaggerating. they have the poor man -- see that? cowboy boots. you can't dance in that. >> he broke both of his feet trying to do it right, you know? >> that's 110%. >> absolutely. one burglar suspect really made himself at home in someone else's house. >> the gentleman was standing

right here in my driveway buck naked. >> she said buck naked. he took his clothes off and just got comfy in her house. the only problem was there was a security camera.

let's salute our troops together. our salute today is for airman first class david arnold from his dad. david got his pilot's license when he was only 17 so his dad says, yep, david is living his dream by being in the air force, but he's still missed at home. >> good morning, robin. this is gary arnold in vishlg virg beach, virginia. i want to salute my son airman first class david arnold. i know your assignment is taking you away from your family, wife, dogs and friends and they'll all miss sharing your 21st birthday with you and all the holidays. i want you to know how proud i am of your service and sacrifice. looking forward to your return in january.

hope you can swing through norfolk on your way back. i'll stuff you full of crab cakes and pork barbecue again. i love you, dave. stay safe. >> isn't that sweet? do you have somebody you want us to salute? go to cnn.com/robin. a man is accused of breaking into a house naked, even taking a shower and leaving with the bed sheet. police say he first took a garden hose and doused himself off. once inside, he apparently cooked himself a meal, watch yourself, don't burn that, and had a few drinks. the homeowner's surveillance system recorded the whole thing. >> the camera caught him, buck naked. you could see the crack in his butt. you could see the front part of his organ. and then he politely knocked on my window. >> we have a picture of his face, his tattoos. >> you have a picture more than that. >> we have pictures of other things we don't want. >> he showed the full monty.

police say he could be on drugs and are still looking for him. you think? >> showing off his junk. yuck. >> just walking around like he owns the place. i'd be, like, don't sit down on my couch. credit card holders are angry and aren't going to take it anymore. that's what you're saying in a new national poll. jennifer westhoven is here with that one. >> good morning. this is a really high level of public anger that we're seeing here. 21% of folks said they've been treated unfairly. more said they were hit with higher fees, rates or lower limits. this is by a new poll by "consumer reports." you're weighing in, too. m. in new jersey says, they are raising rates on everyone before the new laws go into effect. this should be a crime. send your comments to cnn.com/robin or our facebook page. what are you going to do about it? about half the people in the survey said they closed out a credit card.

they blamed the issuer -- here's something that i want you to keep in mind. when you close out a credit card, who gets hurt? you. it can knock your credit score. the best revenge is to pay off that card but keep the line of credit open. that way you get all the benefits. they get none of your money. remember revenge is a dish, best served cold. here's good news. lower rent for apartments, good news in a bad economy, apartment vacancies have hit their highest point since 1986. according to a real estate company, the number of empty apartments has surged in cities from raleigh, north carolina, to tacoma, washington, even in new york city. renters are getting a lot more power. they're paying hundreds of dollars less than they did just a few years ago. basically, it's because so many people have lost their jobs they're moving in with friends and family instead and all of those condos that people aren't buying, they're turning those empty rooms into rentals.

many cities, that's a big help. robin, back to you. >> thank you. i was just reading some of our facebook friends, what they're saying today about the show. a lot of the comments are completely different. they're about the eighth anniversary of the war in iraq. just want to tell you you can get on the facebook page and we'll read it during the commercial. have you seen "the joy behar show"? check out why she's talking about mel gibson's run-in with the law three years ago in her not for nothing commentary. >> today a judge in beverly hills granted mel gibson's request to expunge his dui conviction as he has completed his three-year probation. allow me to refresh. malibu police pulled mel over in 2006 because his car was weaving all over malibu. he was drunk and raving about the jews and not raving in a good way. in fact, what he said was the jews are responsible for starting all the f-ing wars in

the world. then he asked the cop if he was jewish. why did he need to know that? did he need a suggestion for a bar mitzvah gift? was he searching all over l.a. for a good ka nish? no. mel gibson is what we used to call in the old neighborhood an antisemite and an f-ing one at that. as far as the dui being expunged, let me say this to you, mel. you can run, but you can't hide. you're famous and not necessarily for being a movie star. i mean, more people saw your mug shot than your last three movies combined. look, i can understand you want a do-over, who doesn't? look, i wish i had never eaten those first ten ka knollies, but i can't have them expunged from my thighs. i wonder if that judge does liposuction. here is a career suggestion for you if you want to make peace with the jews, and who doesn't? do a remake of "yentil."

only in your case call it "mental". >> you can catch "the joy behar show" every night at 9:00 p.m. eastern. a couple who chose to pray for their dying daughter instead of taking her to the doctor will be going to jail now. what a judge told those parents.

you you may remember this moment that changed the lives of so many u.s. troops. >> on my orders, the united states military has begun strikes against al qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the taliban regime in afghanistan. we will not waver. we will not tire. we will not falter. and we will not fail. >> 778 u.s. troops have been killed since the war in afghanistan began. eight years ago today. correspondent richard lu you i joins us now. you know, it was started to destroy al qaeda safe haven in

afghanistan. on that front, how has it progressed? >> some folks might say well so far. al qaeda's role in afghanistan has faded drastically over time. u.s. national security advisor james jones saying that fewer than 100 core al qaeda fighters remain in afghanistan and they do not have bases there or the ability to launch attacks on the west. some experts argue, though, president obama's camp may be underestimated al qaeda's numbers in afghanistan because the group prefers to work in the background. still, many believe, robin, the real battle against al qaeda is now next door in pakistan. >> so al qaeda may be diminished in afghanistan, but the taliban aear peers to be growing stronger there. why is that? >> that might be on the negative side. defense secretary robert gates saying taliban has the momentum, blaming a shortage of us and coalition troops for the taliban's comeback. the taliban's largest group may be local tribesmen who loosely

ashrine line themselves with the taliban because president karzai's officials often pit one tribe against another, adding karzai's government may be damaged by allegations of election fraud, which has not been resolved, and the taliban is surging in that power vacuum at the moment. >> eight years ago today that started. thank you. new this morning, parents who prayed rather than taking their dying daughter to get help will be going to jail. a wisconsin court sentenced the couple to six months in jail and prison.s probation. the girl died of a treatable alled their decision not to get help reckless. did you see what happened in minneapolis last night? one player said, i don't know what else you could do to make it any more exciting. larry is here. first, at stake was a place in the baseball playoffs, right? >> yes. the winner of this game goes to the playoffs, loser goes home.

this came down to the wire. 163 games for the detroit tigers and the minnesota twins. who says it ain't over 'til it's over? who said that. the tigers had a three-game lead with four games to play but had to go to this one-game playoff to determine the champion. it's the twins getting the game-winning hit in the bottom of the 12th inning. all the excitement of an unbelievable, minnesota gets the win, they knock detroit out. they go to the playoffs. they're at yankee stadium today, game one of that series. back-to-back nights of thrills in the metrodome. monday's vikings-packers game drew 21.8 million people to see brett favre beat his former team the packers. it was the highest rated telecast in espn's 30-year history. the st. louis rushes? talk show host rush limbaugh is teaming up to buy the nfl rams.

the team meyered in the league-worst losing streak but valued at $921 million by forbes magazine, it isn't clear how much of the team limbaugh is attempting to buy. a lot of tall millionaires on campus this summer. the "new york times" reports 45 nba players returned to work on their degrees, chris ball, kevin durant and others. 10% of the league, that 45. this is the first year that the nba players union began tracking this. they believe the numbers are up from previous years. good for them. that's sports. >> seems like a great program, right? >> yes. >> it's not a program. just a trend. >> they're trying to get players to encourage them to do that. >> you can't play basketball forever. a baby who police say was kidnapped in tennessee and then put in foster care is back home. remember media reports said that someone claimed that a family member tried to sell him. now police in the state say they don't think that the parents were involved in the kidnapping. the mom was stabbed but she's recovering. police say there are significant

unanswered questions like why the family was targeted. you could start seeing new security screenings at the airports. a look at this whiz-bang technology. maybe it will let us put our shoes back on.

she is having a leaky valve repaired and asks for hurry her fans prayers. the actress is 77 and rarely seen in public anymore. two americans and israeli won the noble prize in chemistry. they'll split $1.4 million.

those are some of the headlines. welcome back. morning, sunshine. i'm robin meade. thank you for making us a part of your morning family. the number of school kids killed in chicago doubled over the last three years. after the beating death of a chicago 16-year-old, president obama is sending attorney general eric holder and education secretary arnie duncan there today to talk about the ways to deal with youth violence. one analyst says that means getting kids to believe they even have a future. >> when people feel like there's no hope for the future and they don't have the capacity to move forward through education or reasonable means, they begin to check out, begin to become disengaged. if we don't begin to hold people's feet to the fire, the adults who created these circumstances,ed blood will run through the streets. >> four teens have been charged in the beating death of derrion albert. local activists say the street are more violent because so many schools have been closed during the last few years. thousands of kids are bussed

across state lines. chicago police agree that mixing students from different neighborhoods has contributed to the violence. president obama faces huge decisions about whether had to risk more american lives in afghanistan. many republicans are pushing him to send more troops quickly but others say it won't solve the problem. richard lui has more on the debate about whether to send more troops to afghanistan. it's a big story today because it's the eighth anniversary of the start of that war. >> good point, robin. that debate may center on counter terrorism versus counterinsurgency. published reports say the top u.s. commander in afghanistan, stanley mcchrystal is pushing to almost double the amount of troops in the country, up to 40,000 more troops. add that to 62,000 already serving in the country. many republicans, though, are slamming obama for not acting faster. but a top house democrat reportedly warned the president yesterday that escalating the

afghanistan war could result in the u.s. being stuck there, robin, for another 20 years of conflict in addition to the eight you were mentioning there. >> some say, richard, more troops won't help end the conflict there. so what are some of the other proposals of what to do? >> let's go to vice president joe biden and other officials who are now pushing for a counterterrorism strategy using unmanned drones. also using special forces to fight al qaeda and the taliban. they do not want to involve additional troops. now, administration officials told the "new york times" surgical strikes recently killed or captured a string of high-level al qaeda members particularly in pakistan. that is fueling arguments about whether more troops are needed. again, looking at the success of those drones. >> eight years ago today that war started. thank you. this just might get you to reach for a beer this evening. not too many, okay? there's a new study out that shows that heavy drinkers and non-drinkers are more depressed and more anxious than people who

just kind of have one or twor occasionally. why are non-drinkers depressed? the best explanation seems to be that we tend to be a little more social after having a drink. so non-drinkers have a harder time making friends. the thinking goes. so when people say party pooper, they really mean it. >> they do. absolutely. then when they ask you, how can you be so happy and peppy in the morning? hey, how you doing? all right! >> no, that's not the reason. >> not true. >> not until friday night at least. >> you have to think about that, though. hmm. interesting. let me show you what's happening right now, lots of activity across the east coast and down to the south today. look at this line of thunderstorms. there's a cold front basically p draped over the gulf coast states to the north. thunderstorms just waving along and over from the west to the east picking up heavy at times. below that, it is real saturated, real top corral in nature. let me take you live to miami. here's what it looks like, hot and humid. we're talking about a dew point

temperature, the humidity in the air, anything above 65 usually is considered very humid, right now it's a 77-degree dew point, your temperature 81, the high today 92. it will feel like about 98, 99. scattered showers and thunderstorms. still a beautiful city down there. here's what it looks like the rest of the region, showers, thunderstorms slipping down south out of atlanta. pull away from that, we'll see the showers and storms develop once again around the region. it will really be the wind we're concerned with when you get to areas like the northeast. winds today gusting basically in manhattan, philadelphia, toward boston, up to 50 miles per hour. that's something we'll have to watch you for. in fact, detroit right now winds at 40 miles per hour. that's why you have that delay at the airports. that's what it looks like here. dleerl clearly my machine is frozen so i'm going to kick it and throw it back to you, robin. >> do i need the bleep machine? >> do we have one of those? >> no. be careful. >> behar does. maybe i could use hers. just saying. i'm just saying. we showed you former house majority leader tom delay's

fancy dancing moves on dancing can with the xarz. he's out of the competition. you won't believe what smecomeds black said about him. here's what joy behar -- >> i can't watch the show "dancing with the stars" let alone tom delay. i would rather see tom delay running with cars. you put him on and put him in new york traffic. you drop him in and he has to run and not get hit. >> catch "the jay behar show" 9 p.m. eastern right here on had ln. you are already paying more for peanuts and blankets and leg room. what else are you going to be paying for when you fly? we have that story. plus -- it is one of the most recognizable places in the world. now archeologists are saying there may have been another stonehenge.

38 minutes past the hour. republican senator john ensign denies breaking ethics laws after admitting he had an affair with a woman on his staff. last week the "new york times" reported the nevada senator helped the husband of his former mistress get a lobbying job and ha the husband has lobbied the senator which could have violated senate rules. >> i said in the past i recommended him for jobs just like i've recommended a lot of people. but we absolutely did nothing except for comply exactly with what the ethics laws and the ethics rulg s rules of the sena state. >> well, the senate is investigating and ensign says he will not resign. we know that you're probably

worried about the swine flu. new for you the next half hour, how to get all of your questions answered about the had h1n1 vir virus. what is this, a big ba hum pug for the airlines? they're planning to charge us extra for flying during the holidays. wait a minute, they already charge us more for the fare. >> you know, fares have come down so much that they're still really struggling. and travel is down. they will find any way to pick your pocket. they're not worried about whether or not it's a holiday. if you you travel on the days around thanksgiving, some of those busy days, on top of those high pear fares, yeah, some of the major airlines will hilt you with up to $20 in fees round-trip. they're adding them around christmastime, too. if you want to say no, southwest and jet blue are not charging these fees at this point. so you can find an airline that's not charging them. give them your business. what airline is most likely to get you to where you want to go on time? southwest airlines.

last month their on-time arrival rate was tops, 83%, in the major carriers. i just t just looked at the really big one. airtran came in the worse. a one in four chance you'll be late, miss your meeting or wherever you're going. overall, if you looked at all of the airlines, hawaiian airlines has the best. what would you want for the holidays if you could have whatever you wanted? if money was no object. the neiman marcus holiday catalog is out. there's no million-dearly gift r gifts this year, usually there's one. these are still pretty outrageous. this is a cupcake-mobile. it's $25,000. >> because you need one of those. >> oh, yeah. the kids look happy, but how long would their excitement last? it goes seven miles an hour and this is a plane, robin. we checked it out.

it's got wings. >> how much is this one? >> this is $250,000. >> does a good-looking pilot come with it? >> a viewer said, i don't want the aircraft. give me that man. >> by the way, we welcome your comments on our facebook page. >> we read them! >> back to you. >> that might be worth 10,000. we are getting to the heart of common medical questions in our new series called "beyond the surface." let's talk about breakfast. you might have heard that it's the most important meal of the day. nutritionist and author dr. ro gives you the real breakfast breakdown. >> the biggest benefits of eating a healthy breakfast is that you get energy and you get nutrition to get you through your day. for parents who think it's only important for your kid and not for you, think again. and the doughnut and coffee, not your best option. if you want the healthiest

breakfast possible, start with egg whites, throw in veggies so you have an egg white omelet. if you don't want that, have oatmeal with berries, strawberries, blueberries. just go crazy. what i want you to do is throw out the old brain and beige boring meat and potatoes american way of eating. get color into your diet. that means eating copious amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables. do it for breakfast and for every meal of the day. your body will show you that you've made the right decision. >> well, a youth football team would not play in a game because the other team had a girl on it. that made the coaches furious. then things got ugly between the coaches. come on!

quarter to the hour, the

nation's capitol could be the next place to allow same-sex marriages. a bill was introduced last night and it is expected to pass. ten of the 13 council members and the mayor support it. >> i look forward to the moment where i can ask my partner, will you marry me, as opposed to will you civil union me or domestic partner me? >> just because somebody wants to change the law does not change the definition. >> congress can block any d.c. legislation, but it rarely does, by the way. an aide to house speaker nancy pelosi says that the issue is for d.c. to decide. and archeologists call the discovery of another stonehenge incredible. this is an artist drawing based on what scientists think it looked like. it's called blue stonehenge because of the color of the stones. it's only about a mile from the original. scientists say it supports the theory that the monument is part of a prehistoric funeral site.

kate gosselin of jon and kate is claiming that jon took $200,000 out of her bank account leaving her with $1,000. this guy was so sleazy about the way he got the money from her, he was offered a job as a producer on "48 hours" today. >> jay leno jokes cannot beat david letterman's personal drama. letterman's apology monday to his wife got better ratings than leno did and every other nbc show that night. in fact, it doubled the audience for "the tonight show" and letterman got huge ratings last thursday when he first admitted having sex with female employees on his show. go figure. scandal good for ratiratings. an investigation shows that dallas cowboys practice facility should not have collapsed last spring. you remember the story? there were pictures. larry smith has an update on the investigation. >> this was horrible. 12 were injured in that horrific incident, including one team

assistant who was left paralyzed from the waist down. he and another assistant coach are suing the building manufacturers, a probe done by a federal agency has determined that the building was engineered to withstand winds up to 90 miles per hour. in that storm last may, they say that the winds reached 55 to 60 miles per hour. summit's attorney says the agency's report contains incorrect assumptions. the company maintains that a catastrophic weather event contributed to the fell. the nfl is investigating the browns receiver. he allegedly punched a man at a nightclub early monday morning. the man is a friend of nba superstar lebron james of of the cleveland cavaliers, sparking chatter there's bad blood between the two athletes. will tim tebow play saturday? he did practice on tuesday but has not been cleared to play when top-ranked florida meets number 4 lsu. he suffered a concussion ten days ago and had to leave that

win at kentucky. well, adults behaving badly. we hear about it all the time. this is a different twist. youth football coaches getting into a fight over the faep participation of a girl in a scheduled scrimmage. the team said it's against their moral mreefs to allow boys hit girls. so the coaches hit each other. >> how smart is that? >> i love it. they said had they known ahead of time there was a problem they would have canceled the strimage. no charges were filed, though the coach who threw ythe punch s suspended. the girl's okay, though. >> thankfully. can you believe it? with the gas prices going down and up and down, a fuel-efficient car could be your best friend. right now there's an even better reason to buy one according to hln money expert clark howard. >> are you interested in buying a small car? well, not that many americans are right now. because what's selling right now are things that are the bigger

the better. big trucks, huge sport utility vehicles. and the prices of those, especially used ones, have been going up and up and up. at the same ones, have been go and up and up. small cars, new small cars aren't selling at all. dealers can't beg, borrow or steal a buyer, so the prices of small cars are going down to the point that it is shocking how much cheaper they are. so if you zig, buying a small, fuel efficient car will get you a steal of a deal and when prices go up, you'll be sitting in the driver's seat. for more ways for you to fatten your wallet, go to cnn.com.

>> catch him at noon eastern on saturdays and sundays right here on hln. police say a tv host is on the run, accused of ordering killings to boost ratings. the guy hosts a crime snow brazil that shows graphic footage of crime victims. police are staking out an airport looking for him. he is said that he's innocent of the akizations. two men who say thieves stole millions of art for them are now the suspects in the case. the men have not given proof they had the works of art. one says the paper work was stolen, too. they say it's all worth at least $27 million and that the investigators botched the case. one burglary really made

himself at home at someone's house. the problem is, there was a security camera watching it all. watch that there.

do it, i don't care. how are you doing? morning, sunshine. i'm robin meade. i do care if you go back to sleep. on october 7th, 2001, the u.s. launched a war to bring down the taliban. exactly eight years later, today, the president is wondering if he'll need thousands more troops to win in afghanistan. plus, kids killing kids. the white house is getting involved in one city today. >> the gentleman was right here

in my droi buck naked. >> she is talking about a guy who broke into her house. why in the nude? police think they can explain. our top story. can you believe that today is the eighth anniversary of the war in afghanistan? and the biggest strategic decision could be still to come. 778 u.s. troops have died there since the war began. to put it in context, the u.s. took less time to defeat germany and japan in world war ii. remember in march, president obama announced that he was sending 21,000 more u.s. troops to afghanistan. well now, the president's weighing a strategy that would put more than 100,000 american lives at stake. congressional leaders who met with the president yesterday say the only option he is not considering is pulling out. we heard from congressmen on both sides of the sooil this

morning. >> the general said for this strategy, i need 40,000 troops to be successful. if the president is going to resource him differently, then the president has to say, well, i'm not going to buy into your strategy. i have a different strategy that i think you can accomplish with 10,000 soldiers. here are the outcomes i expect you're going to get. >> if you'll look at history, i can think of no incident where holding back forces and reducing forces lend to a successful mission. led to victory. >> today's anniversary comes as a dynamic change in afghanistan. one enemy's role is fading there, but another's is gaining strength. that story in less than 15 minutes. we have new details on what you need to know on an e-mail scam. this started with hot mail. microsoft says it uses a trick to reveal passwords. some people using google, yahoo!

and other services were also tricked. the big worry is that many people use just one password. the number of school kids in chicago killed doubled in the last three years and after the beating death of a 16-year-old, president obama is sending arne duncan and eric holder there. one analyst says this is not a problem they can fix. >> the government didn't shoot that child. that's somebody from the community. the community has to begin to take full responsibility for the circumstances. we have to see what we can do as a community to move ourself forward. empower ourselves. this is about preachers and teachers. about parents taking responsibility for the fact that these conditions are killing our

children. >> local activists say the streets are more violent because so many more schools have been closed. thousands of kids are bust across gang lines and police agree that mixing students from different neighborhoods has contributed to the violence. we know you're worried about the h1n1 virus. there is a new website that goes through all the possible symptoms and whether you need to go to the doctor. we have a link at cnn.com/robin. in the important website section. a baby kidnapped in tennessee and put in foster care is back home. reports claim that the family member tried to sell the baby. now police in state say they do not think the parents were involved in the kidnapping. the mom was scabbed, but is recovering. police say there are significant

unanswered questions though. two americans and israeli won the noble prize in chemistry. they are going to split the $1.4 million. takes you back to science class, doesn't it? one of my favorite d.j.s will say when it's -- he would say ribosome may. >> it's been interesting to watch this low. look at the cold front. the heaviest rain steering through eastern new england. then look at the rain developing across western new york towards central new york.

that cold air and wind comes right over the lakes. you can see the winds continue to howl today at about 50 miles per hour. all the areas you see in yellow, a good chunk of michigan in northern indiana and ohio, stretching down through d.c. in towards north carolina mountains. trying to get in or out of the beltway area, it's going to be tough. currently, winds are gusting at about 20 miles per hour. to the north, it's going to be worse. boston, the rain, fog in place. there it is. winds today about 45 to 50 miles per hour. >> i can't see. >> could be the bottom of my shoe. you don't know. but that is in fact boston. new york city, the playoff game. philadelphia, windy conditions, but try. so, tom delay no more on "dancing with the stars." his doctor say he has stress

fractures in both feet. on monday, delay ignored his doctor's advice and did this little shimmy. is he not counting? i think it's because the shoes they put the poor guy in. >> he broke his feet trying so hard. >> thank you. the airlines are grabbing for your wallet again. they want more money for the times you really want to travel.

we always salute our troops and today, our salute is for david arnold. this is from his dad. he got his pilots license at 17. he says he's living his dream by being in the air force, but is

still missed at home. >> this is gary arnold in virginia beach, virginia. i want to salute my son airman first class david arnold. i know you're assignment is taking you away from your family, your dog. you don't know how proud i am of your service, your sacrifice. i hope you can swing through norfolk and i'll stuff you full of crab cakes and pork barbecue again. i love you. >> he's already telling him what's on the menu. if you have somebody in the service, go to cnn.com/robin. there is stiff competition to get into one school in california. new for you in the next 30 minutes, why some parents and educators believe that concept will make students better.

a big bah humbug from the airlines. they are planning to charge you an extra fee if you're flying during the holidays. jennifer westhoven is looking out for you. i don't mean the extra large fare they already charge. >> right. it's on top of that. they're just looking to get you any way they can. if you travel on the days around thanksgiving, they have the black out days, now, they're going to hit you with up to $20 in fees. they're tacking them on for christmas, too. ten days around the holidays. pretty hard to try and dodge those days. there's only one way to say no to the fees. steer clear of the airlines charging them, but southwest and jet blue are not charging those fees at this point. if you want to get to your destination on time, what's the airline most likely to get you

there? southwest. they're on time arrival rate last month, 83%. that's the tops in the carriers. the worst? air tran. a one in four chans you'll be late. good news. lower rent. apartment vacancies hit highest since 1986. the number of empty apartments surging. even in new york city, the wrenn terr renters have the power. they're moving in with family and friends and leaving empty spaces. for once, bob, you could call your landlord and they would listen. if you're trying travel to maybe rent something, it's going to be a three-bagger day. 50 miles per hour in new england, boston, new york. philadelphia, too. we have delays because of the

wind. it's in newark. laguardia, about a half hour delay for detroit. near atlanta, big travel hub, most of the rain, down to the south. the low clouds are here. one hour philly and atlanta. more on that in just a bit. can you make your house 100% flood proof? make it float.

you may remember this moment that changed the lives of so many u.s. troops. >> on my orders, the united states military has begun strikes against al-qaeda training camps and military insulations of the taliban. we will not waiver. we will not tire. we will not falter and we will not fail. >> nearly 800 american troops have been killed since the war in afghanistan started eight years ago today. richard lui, the war started to destroy al-qaeda's safe haven in afghanistan. how has it progressed on that

front at least? >> perhaps well. al-qaeda's role has faded drastically. james jones saying fewer than 100 core al-qaeda fighters remain in afghanistan. some experts argue here. president obama's camp may be underestimating al-qaeda's numbers in afghanistan because the group prefers to work in the background. still though, many believe the real battle against al-qaeda is pakistan. >> but the taliban appears to be growing stronger there. we may forget, there's al-qaeda and taliban. so why is the taliban growing? >> that might be the downside to this. robert gates saying the taliban fighters have momentum right now. he blames a shortage of u.s. and coalition troops for the taliban's comeback. time magazine saying the problem

may be local troop members because one tribe is often pitted against another. the taliban is surging in that power vacuum, but not necessarily organized. how about this idea to make your house flood proof? make it float. this house in new orleans was built by brad pitt's foundation and if it floods, the base acts as a raft. genious. the house would rise on guide posts up to about 12 feet. it will sell for $150,000. have you seen "the joy behar show"? check out what she's talking about. mel gibson's run in with the law in her "not for nothing" commentary. >> today, mel gibson's -- malibu

police pulled him over because his car was weaving all over malibu. he was drunk and waving about the jews. he said they're responsible for all the f-ing wars in the world. why? was he searching for a good ka niche? he's what we used to call an antisemimite. as far as the dui, you can run, but you can't hide. you're famous and not necessarily for being a movie star. i mean, more people saw your mug shot than your last three movies combined. i can understand you want a do

over. i wonder if that judge does lipo. if you want to make peace with the jews, and who doesn't, do a remake of lentil. only in your case, call in mental. that's just me. >> you can catch the show every night at 9:00 p.m. eastern here on hln. it was big time in minneapolis last night. one player said i don't know what else you could do to make it any more exciting. there was a baseball game and playoff spot up for grabs. >> a small market team getting the win. that's really cool, too. who said it ain't over till it's over? the tigers had a lead with four games to play and now, the dubious distinction with that.

bottom of the 12th, the game-winning hit. the twins complete their run to the playoffs. they are the division champs and celebrating for about a minute because they've got to play the yankees today. back-to-back nights of thrills in metro dome. monday, the vikings-packers game drew the largest cable audience ever. 21.8 million people. also the highest rated telecast in espn's history. >> good to be from minnesota. the st. louis rush's talk show host says he's buying the st. louis rams. the team is valued at over $900 million. it's not clear how much the team limbaugh is going to buy. "the new york times" reports that 45 nba players returned to

work on their degree. good for them. >> smart move, isn't it? >> it really is. >> all right. a man is accused of breaking into a house. naked. even taking a shower and just leaving with the bed sheet. police say he took a garden hose and doused himself, then cooked himself a meal and had a few drinks. the surveillance system recorded the whole thing. >> you can see the crack in his butt. the front part of his organ and then he knocked on my window. >> we have a picture of his face, his tattoos. a picture of other things we don't want. >> police are still looking for him and say he may have been on drugs. yep. reality tv dad, jon

gosselin, might have met his match last night. he won a fight to keep the camera off his eight kids, but then went toe to toe with our own nancy grace.

the new york stock exchange is opened for business now. already, oil prices and gold prices are higher and in a few minutes, we're going to find out if investors are in a buying mood. if i can at least speak. the number of school kids killed in chicago doubled over the last three years and after the beating death of a 16-year-old, president obama is sending attorney general eric holder and education secretary arne duncan there today to talk about it. police have arrested more than 60 people during war

protests. "the washington post" reports that protesters will mark the date with dozens of rallies around the country today. president obama told congressional leaders today that withdrawing the troops is not an option. elizabeth taylor says he's headed to the hospital for a heart procedure. she says she's having a leaky valve repaired and asks for her fan's prayers. those are some top stories. morning, sunshine. time for you to rise and shine. it's 9:31 eastern already. the father of a missing toddler is moving to divorce the child's stepmother. she is the last person to see h the girl. >> the two of us have agreed to go separate ways and if in the

long run, something comes about haleigh, it will be whatever. >> police say cummings teenage wife, misty, has not cooperated with their investigation and won't talk about what she was doing the night haleigh disappeared. this might get you to reach for a beer this evening. a study shows that heavy and non-drinkers are more depressed than people who have just one or two. why? the best explanation seems to be that we tend to be a little more social after having a drink, so nondrinkers have a harder time making friends, so the thinking goes. >> i don't know. what do you think? >> it could make you more

talkative, that's for sure. >> but then it starts going down to less. >> you don't know me. crazy. you know? there's a fine line is all we're saying. if you're just waking up in the west coast, steering rain in parts of the lower four corners. look at the next winter storm out of canada in towards montana. the snow is out there. great falls, about one to four inches of snow in the areas shaded in blue. that's something we're watching. in the southeast, you're rain around albuquerque. as the rain moves towards the midwest, next couple of days, it's going to have a lot of rain underneath it. st. louis down to oklahoma city, starting tomorrow, two to five inches of rain is what we're expecting through the weekend. the other big story, the cold front sweeping through the east

coast. brings a lot of clouds with it. take you to what it looked like around atlanta, this is the time lapse for you. it's been cloudy and miserable for the last couple of days and will be like that again this afternoon. here's what it looked like this morning. sunrise comes up, thunderstorms. we've had delays at the airports off and on, so watch for that to continue. you can see the clouds coming in. clouds going to the north in that picture, from the west. that is warm ar invex. more in about a half hour. >> you're such a science geek. thank you. i say that in a loving way. it's been a winning streak, a winning week so far on wall street. the dow has jumped nearly 250 points in two days. susan lisovicz is at the new york stock exchange. the way that bob is kind of

geeky, that's how she's geeky with wall street. >> let me put on my glasses and smart hat. being the geek i am, loving numbers, what we saw on monday and tuesday were the first back-to-back, triple digit gains for the dow since april. unfortunately, hump day, we've got to get over this hump. we're waiting quarterly earnings season and the markets going to be looking for signs that consumers are back and are spendinspend i amazon.com hopes so. it's also launching a higher price one that can be used in more than 100 countries. a fast food jumped in profit

despite sales declines. pizza hut, kfc, got a boost in sales in china where it now owns over 3,000 restaurants. finally, burger king set to announce plans to renovate its 12,000 worldwide locations. a more upscale look, complete with red flame shan deleers. the ceo says it's more contemporary, edgey, futuristic and kind of feels more like an upscale restaurant as long as the prices aren't more like an upscale restaurant. >> it could use a little makeover. some of the stories we are watching today, at 1:30 p.m.

eastern, president obama will honor 13 people with the national medals of science, technology and innovation. at 3:00 p.m., lawyers fur lisa nowak will be in court hoping to get charges dropped. she's accused of attacking a woman for dating her former boyfriend. and who knew. miss senior america will be crowned. it is one of the most recognizable places in the world. now, there may have been another stonehen stonehenge. plus, kids are clam moring to get their kids in a school that teaches spanish most of the day.

an archaeologist calls it a discovery of another stonehenge. this is a drawing based on what it might look like. it's called blue stonehenge because of the color of the stones. it's only about mile from the original. everyone seems to be weighing in on health care reform and what should be done about it. so why not comedian lewis black on joy behar last night. >> you're going to kill grandma, you go, my grandmother's dead, i don't care. what are you going to, dig her up and kill her again? and if you can do that, we should have really great health care. will there be 100,000 u.s. troops on the ground in afghanistan? that is a story richard lui's

co working on for you. >> because of the eighth anniversary, the president is mulling that decision right now. we're also going to hear from a friend of a soldier killed in afghanistan just a few days ago. then, we tell you a story about the woman that solved a crime in her own house from 1,000 miles a way. plus, a guy chi aking hard a noise and found out he had some company. that's a great white shark. >> thank you. sounds like a good story. some kids in california go to a unique school where they learn spanish first. they speak that language for most of the day, and then they learn other subjects in spanish as well. in this preview, we see one family's sacrifice to get their kids into this school. >> we're about to meet the

dixons. a family of four who are so determined to get their kids into a rare educational program. >> let me get my stuff. >> reporter: they live in the foothills. the dixons could have sent their kids to any school in the country. instead, they chose jefferson elementary. a small school in lindsay, california. a farm town, where the population is 80% latino. this is what you gave everything up for? >> right. and we're very happy for the decision. >> reporter: they did it so that amos, a fourth grader and roz, a first grader, would become proficient in the language. the students didn't speak a word of spainish before they started kindergart kindergarten, but now, 70% of

their day is spent learning in spanish. the program, which parents have the option to choose, begins in kindergarten. the goal, fluency in spanish and english by fifth grade. studies show that over time, dual emerging students do as well as and even outperform students taught in one language. >> we want our students to be highly educated. >> reporter: when you first came to school here, did you speak spanish? >> no. >> how long did it take you? the dixons, who both have doctorates in education, say children are most -- that's what

200 other english speakers in this program have learned firsthand on the program. school superintendent started the program ten years ago. >> i think we get richer as we learn about more people and cultures. >> reporter: some parents might worry that it could hold a student like amos behind. after all, most of the instruction is in another language. how did he do against other students? in language, the top 30%. >> be sure to check out the new special, "latino in america." it shows how latinos are reshaping american politics, business and neighborhoods. you can see it on our sister network, cnn. a mother says her son died

after drinking tea and you need to hear what was in the tea.

the nation's capitol could be the next place to allow same-sex marriages. a bill was introduced last night and is expected to pass. >> i look forward to the moment where i can ask my partner, will you marry me. >> just because somebody wants to change the low does not change the definition. >> congress can block any d.c. legislation, but it rarely does. an aide to nancy pelosi says the issue is for d.c. to decide. with gas prices going like this, up down, up down, a fuel

efficient car could be your best friend and now, there's a better reason to buy one according to clark howard. >> are you interested in buying a small car? well, not that many americans are right now. because what's selling right now are things that are the bigger, the better. big, honking trucks, huge sport utility vehicles and the prices of those have been going up. at the same time, what was so hot a year ago is so not now. small cars, used small cars aren't selling at all. dealers can't beg, borrow or steal a buyer, so the prices of small cars are going down to the point that it is shocking how much cheaper they are. so if you zig while everybody else zags, buying a small, fuel efficient car will get you a steal of a deal on that car and

then when gas prices do rise again, you'll be sitting in the driver's seat. i'm clark howard. for more ways for you to fatten your wallet, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> clark will teach you to save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. an investigation is showing that the dallas cowboys practice facili facility should not have collapsed last spring. >> the video we saw was just horrible. one team assistant was left paralyzed. he and another coach are suing the buildings manufacturer. a probe has determined that the building was engineered to withstand winds up to 95 miles per hour. the attorneys say the agency's

report contains incorrect asumtss. two days after braylon edwards allegedly punched the cz trimm browns traded him to the new york jets. it could be a consequence dense? the nfl is investigating to see if he violated the league's conduct policy. the man he allegedly hit is a friend of lebron james. and that sparked some chatter that there is bad blood between the two cleveland athletes. of course, they're not in cleveland if the sports reports correct. will tim tebow play? florida's hig florida's heisman trophy winner practiced. he suffered a concussion and had to leave that win at kentucky ten days ago. adults behaving badly, sometimes not quite like this. youth football coaches getting into a fight over the participation of an 11-year-old girl in a scheduled scrimmage. now the issue is the team said it's against their moral beliefs to allow their boys to hit

girls. the boys and girls club team said had they known ahead of time there was a problem, they would have just canceled the scrimmage number charges were filed. the coach that threw the punch is suspended. >> so my favorite part is they didn't want their boys hitting girls. so then they punched each other. >> exactly. pretty much. >> thank you. >> go figure. that's the same guy you see yelling in the park to stop yelling. there you go. yeah. >> let me show you what is happening. if you're traveling outside, delays are mounting around laguardia. now up to just under two-hour delay because of the winds. they're gusting to 30 miles per hour right now. i think they get up to about 50 by this afternoon. you see more delays at laguardia. newark, an hour-long delay now. philadelphia, detroit, it's raining and windy. half hour delays there as well. d. metro, you're going to start seeing the delays pop-up as well. atlanta, watch for the delays. they continue this afternoon. more details coming up in a half hour. new york city metro is getting slammed and blasted, same thing

for the afternoon. >> thank you. are the holiday decorations or are they death threats? why these phoney tombstones are way too scary for some people.