eight years today we salute the more than 1,400 coalition troops who died in the war in afghanistan. nearly 800 of them from the united states alone. the debate on that war this anniversary goes strong today. we'll have the details. and it is bigger than we thought. scammers getting your e-mail pass word, not only on hotmail but also now on google and yahoo. plus -- jumping shark. eight to ten feet long. shot by a man in a kayak just as big -- or small, shall we say. his story coming up on "morning

express." very good october 7th to you. we'll have all those. today is the eighth anniversary of the war in afghanistan. the biggest strategic decision could be still to come. 778 u.s. troops died there since the war against the taliban started. a few weeks after 9/11. one guardsman killed fighting this weekend left behind a wife, three young daughters, and this fellow police officer who was his close friend. take a listen to what he said. >> tommy left when he got out of high school. he went into the marines, served our country proudly. >> wanted to protect our country. he loved his kids. he loved his family. he loved his friends. >> now in march president obama announced he was sending 21,000 more troops to afghanistan. now published reports say that general stanley mcchrystal is asking for as many as 40,000 more. and that would put more than 100,000 u.s. lives at stake. congressional leaders who met privately with the president yesterday say the only option

here is that he's not -- that he's not considering is pulling out. police have arrested more than 60 people during anti-war protests outside the white house, people carrying signs and coffins draped with u.s. flags. you can even see people reenacting water boarding in that picture. >> i'll be deeply disappointed if he escalates the war. >> we have great hopes. we feel that those hopes have been dashed. >> "the washington post" reporting protesters will mark the afghanistan war's eighth an verse write dozens of rallies around the country today. we'll have more on that story coming up for new 15 minutes. the number of school kids killed in chicago doubled over the last three years. after the gruesome beating death of a chicago 16-year-old, president obama is sending attorney general eric holder and arnie duncan there today to talk about ways to deal with youth violence. but one analyst says 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. okay 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 darion albert. local activists say the streets are more violent because so many schools are closed over the last four years. thousands of kids are bussed out of neighborhoods and across gang lines. mixing students from different neighborhoods has contributed to the violence that they see now. now to 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 a family member tried to sell him. now police in the state say they do not think the parents were involved in the kidnapping.

the mom was stabbed but is recovering. police say there are significant unanswered questions like why the family was targeted here. the nation's capital could be the next place to allow same-sex marriages. there's a bill that was introduced last night at a city council meeting and it is 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 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. representative for house speaker nancy pelosi says the issue is for d.c. to decide. and this just might get you to reach for a beer this evening. but not too many, we hope. there is a new study that shows heavy drinkers and nondrinkers are more anxious or depressed than people who regularly have an occasional drink.

why are nondrinkers depressed? the best explanation here seems to be that they tend to be a little more social after having a drink so nondrinkers have a harder time making friends. over to mr. social man bob dylan. >> there is a fine line, isn't there? >> very wide and very fuzzy, i guess. >> exactly. >> for some folks. hey, so pretty stormy in some places of the country. wet in the east, right? >> it's major storm system wrapping up, richard. it's the same cold front. it is a sharp delineation between windy conditions, nonwindy conditions, humid and dry conditions. that's what it looks like here. cold front to the south goes to texas. it is bringing a lot of rain, too. especially southern end of the front. through the carolinas back on into areas by the memphis region. so you look at showers south of memphis now. aligning themselves around that front. so if you look at the trajectory, i'll move from the west to the east at a good clip. it's closing in on atlanta, too. more showers and storms down here -- in store down here. let me take you live to atlanta. tower cam, low clouds the story.

delays off and on. that's what it looks like. turbulent skies, too. once the clouds clear on out of here, watch for the winds that develop. they could be on the gusty side, 20 miles per hour. nothing like what they're going to see up across the northeast. here's what it looks like here. low pressure center, storm system racing north in new york state right now. wind advisories are out there. all the areas you see shaded in yellow, wind advisory. 50 miles per hour, sustained winds in some spots. that's right around the area of low pressure. but more gusting winds getting up to 55, places like laguardia. live to new york city. trying to catch a flight in or out, newark,laguardia, jfk, delays. the wind will really be a factor, especially later this afternoon, richard. still looks pretty good there. >> beautiful. what do you mean? >> yeah, but laguardia across the river there -- >> not so hot. >> two-hour delays. >> 1700 elms in that park. this list i got to keep on, you

know, using it somehow. >> appreciate it. >> all right. thanks, bob. new this morning, scientists found a new ring around saturn. this is actually bob's expertise. and it is so big can you fit a billion earths inside of it. unlike saturn's other rings, this one is almost invisible. 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. invisible but there. >> yeah, see. there you go. it's the biggest thing we've ever seen but we just found it. >> wait a minute. what? is it there? >> see, nasa, they need more money to get more telescopes to see more invisible things. >> smoke and mirrors is what you do, bob. all right. thanks. what do you do when you see someone break into your house while you're half way around the world? the interesting case of the burglary suspects caught on someone's web cam. and we told you about the $27 million worth of art stolen from someone's home. and now police are questioning whether there was ever any art at all.

the father of haley couple sgz moving to divorce the child's stepmother. she was the last person to see little haley. ronald cummings tauglked to nan grace and thought maybe now she'll speak more freely. >> the two of us have agreed to go separate ways. and if in the long run something comes about haley, then she can -- you know, it will be whatever. >> police say cummings' teenage wife misty has not cooperated with their investigation and will not talk about what she was doing the night haley disappeared. she has denied any involvement. her attorneys saying the divorce probably will not affect the search for haley. two men who say thieves stole millions of dollars of art from them are now suspects in the case. the sheriff's department says the men have not given proof they had works by van gogh,

rembrandt and others. one says the paperwork was stolen as well and all worth $27 million, maybe more. and investigators botched up the case so far. the art that wasn't that was stolen. jen. >> yeah. yeah. i lost my picasso. >> yeah, i lost my lamb breaux ge lamb bring genie. people are really upset about what is happening to the credit cards we're used to using. >> really high level of public anger, especially, you know, i think that in some ways people are angry anyway whether they see the terms. but the fact that we build out so many companies, too sh gets a real sense. 21% of folks said they thought they'd been treated unfairly and more said they were hit with higher fees, higher rates, or lower limits. this is a new poll by consumer reports all about your credit card. and, our viewers, are weighing in.

>> what are goug do about fit you're angry about your credit card company? half the people said they closed out a card. you paid off and closed it out because they were upset. and that made me think, i really want you to keep in mind, right, when you close a card, it hurts your credit. the best thing to do, the best way to get revenge, pay off the card but keep the line of credit open. you still won't be paying them a dime. and that works to your benefit. you might have to charge a coffee or something every six months to keep it open. if that works for you. >> good advice. >> lower rent for apartments, that's good news in a bad economy. there are so many empty apartments right now. landlords want to get somebody in there. we have vacancy an czys at their highest since 1986. 23 years or something. the number of empty apartments has surged in many cities from

raleigh, north carolina, to tacoma, washington. we were talking about this before, maybe not san francisco, but in new york city, there are stories about how people are getting maybe not hundreds of dollars off your rent but if you move in compared to the previous tenant, finally renters are getting a little bit of power all across the country. and that's something we just hadn't seen in a long time. >> that's amazing. even in manhattan. >> yeah. >> wow, where it's always expensive. >> really tied to the jobs market. >> ahh, another good point. thanks a lot. a woman solved a crime half way aren't world. she lives in the philippines but her husband lives in oklahoma city. they always leave a web cam on. and when she logged on, she saw someone breaking into her husband's apartment. then she called her husband at work. >> tried to calm her down. she was scared, worried. she was actually shocked, too, surprised. he jury rigged the window open. >> thanks to web cam technology,

they were able to arrest three people. the war in afghanistan started eight years ago today. now you'll hear why it is making a comeback.

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 waiver. we will not tire. we will not falter. and we will not fail. >> with those words, president bush launched the afghanistan war eight years ago today. the war itself rages on and started in response to the september 11th attacks. a key goal was to destroy al qaeda safe haven in afghanistan. today al qaeda's role in afghanistan has faded drastically. so that could be some good news. meanwhile, u.s. national security adviser james jones is saying fewer than 100 core al qaeda fighters remain in afgs a afghanistan and they do not have pace bases there. some experts argue that president obama's camp may be underestimating al qaeda's numbers in afghanistan today. still, many believe the real battle against al qaeda is now in pakistan next door.

meanwhile, the taliban is making a comeback in afghanistan. defense secretary robert gates saying taliban fighters have the momentum right now. he blames a shortage of u.s. and coalition troops over many years for the taliban's come back. "time" magazine saying that groups -- the largest group may be local tribesmen who join because president car decide's officials pit one tribe against another. it also adds karzai's credibility may be damaged by allegations of election fraud which have not been resolved as of yet. the taliban is surging in that power vacuum although not monolithically. did you see what happened in minneapolis last night? one player said i don't know what you could do to make it any more exciting. larry is here with more on. that who said this? i'm not sure who said it, but another guy said this is the most unbelievable game i ever played in or seen. a lot of the comments being said by the players. and it ain't over until it's over. the detroit tigers had a

three-game lead atop the division with four games to play. and now they go into the winter with the dubious distinction of being the only team with that kind of lead ever to fail to win their division. it came down to this -- bottom of the 12th in a seesaw game. the twins finally getting it to go. the rbi single. and let the celebration begin. don't drink too much champagne. they had to catch a flight to play at yankee stadium this afternoon. game one of that series in the american league playoffs. as they move on, tigers go home. back to back nights of thrills in the metrodome. that was last night. one night earlier on monday, the vikings-packers nfl game drew the largest cable tv audience ever, 21.8 million people tuned in to see star quarterback brett favre beat his former team, the packers. it was also the highest rated telecast in espn's 30-year history. rush limbaugh is teaming up with other investors to make a bid to buy the st. louis rams. the team is valued at $929 million by "forbes" magazine.

though currently the team is in a league high 14-game losing streak. it is not clear how much of the team limbaugh is attempting to buy. there are a lot of tall million airs on college campus this is summer. did you see him? "the new york times" reports that 45 nba players returned to work on their degrees. that is 10% of the league. among them, chris paul, kevin durant and russell westbrook. this is the first time they're tracking this. however, they do believe the numbers are up from previous years. you love to see. that go back to school, if nothing else, learn how to manage the money that you're making. there are not enough players that do that. tom players are broke once they get out of the league. >> because the careers do end despite making a lot of money. it could be spent already. >> a lot of the guys are saying, hey, my next contract, i'll be okay. the next contract, i'll be okay. that next contract may not happen. >> great point. all right. thanks, larry. larry will be back in 20. have you seen the joy behar show. you have to see why she is talking about mel gibson's run in with the law three years ago. it is her "not for nothing"

commentary. take a listen. >> today a judge in beverly hills granted mel gibson's request to remove his dui conviction as he completed his three-year probation. allow me to refresh. malibu police pulled mel gibson over in 2006 because his cars 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 is the jews are responsible for starting all the f-ing wars in the world and then asked the cop if he was jewish. now why did he need to know that? did he know a suggestion for a bar mitzvah gift? was he searching all over la for a good kanish? no. mel gibson is what we used to call in the old neighborhood an ant anti-semite and an f-ing one at that. let me say this to you, 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. wish, i wish i never ate the first ten canolis but i can't have them taken away 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 or remake of yent will, only in your case, call it mental. that's just me. >> oh, joy, joy, joy. that is just you. you can catch the "joy behar show" every night on hln. always a hoot. how about this idea to make your house flood proof? why not make it float? this house in new orleans was built by brad pitt's foundation. if it floods, the base acts as a raft. now the house would rise on guide posts up to 12 feet. it's expected to sell for about $150,000. the designers looking to get it

mass produced. interesting idea for a problem there. bunburgly suspect made himself at home in someone else's house. >> the gentleman was right there and right here in my driveway buck naked. >> buck naked. he took his clothes off and just got comfortable. 

the number of school kids in chicago killed doubled over the last three years. after tbeating death of a 16-year-old, eric holder and education secretary arnie duncan are going there today to talk about ways to deal with youth violence. and it looks like more folks across the united states are happy with the way president obama is doing his job. a new associated press has his approval rating now at 56%. that is six points higher than last month. it is the first time his approval rating has gone up since the inauguration. let's talk to elizabeth taylor. she is headed to the hospital for a heart procedure.

that is from her own twitter posting saying she's having a leaky valve repaired. and asks for her fans' prayers. the actress is 77 and is rarely seen in public anymore. those are some of the stories we're watching for you on this wednesday. we hope you're having a great october 7th. today is the eighth anniversary of the war in afghanistan. and families are preparing for funerals for eight loved ones killed in the fierce battle over the weekend. four of the bodies arrived yesterday at dover air force base. militants may have been planning the siege for days. president obama is facing a huge decision about whether to risk more u.s. lives in afghanistan. the debate may center on counter-terrorism versus counter insurgency. published reports saying the top u.s. commander in afghanistan, stanley mcchrystal, wants to double the number of u.s. troops in the country.

that would put more than 100,000 american lives at stake. congressional leaders met privately with the president yesterday to weigh the new strategy. >> 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. of course, those were enabled by drones and special forces. the success is fueling arguments within the administration about whether more troops are still needed. 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. this morning, parent who is prayed rather than taking their dying daughter to get help will be going to jail now. a wisconsin court sentenced the couple to six months in jail and ten years probation. they could have received up to 25 years in prison. the girl died of a treatable form of diabetes. the judge called their decision not to get help reckless. the fbi was investigating anna nicole. the press obtained documents which say prosecutors decided there was not enough evidence to

charge anna nicole in this. smith died in 2007 of a drug overdose. the u.s. military is airlifting supplies to the philippines. torrential rains killed 246 people and displaced 380,000. two million homes were flooded. u.s. soldiers based in japan have been delivering food, clothes and cleaning supplies, even mosquito nets as well. let's move over to bob van dylan who is watching your weather. bob is going to tell us about snow in the west. this is as we get rain in the east coast, too. >> two major stories going on. one is that low that is across the east coast. i want to show you the cold front that's now dropping down out of canada and affecting places around montana. a lot of snow throughout for the early part of the day. so you can see coming down, you see the white on top of the clouds. snowfall accumulations of about 1 to 4 inches.

that's going to really taper off overnight tonight. you can see the areas shaded in that blue-green color. winter weather advisory. down to the south, an open area of low pressure that's beginning to close off. and that's going to push its way to the east over the next couple days. as an open wave in the mid levels of the atmosphere. the end result, heavy rain that we're getting right now across arizona into new mexico. steers up and intensifies over the next three to four days. right across the middle of the country. so the midwest, looking at flood watches, that's all two to five inches of rain. that's what you get in areas shaded in green. really starting tomorrow. want to give you heads up today. the other big story, here's the cold front. drops down from ontario in towards texas. a lot of rain out ahead of. that delays at the airports because of the wind as well. you see the heavier downpours coming out of arkansas now stretching into lower parts of alabama. and the rain and the wind is now moving through new england. lake effect rain across central new york. wind advisories are out. there includes mostst great lakes. and a good chunk of the northeast. let me take you live to cleveland f you're trying to travel in or out of this city, wind advisories, winds gusting

to 35 miles per hour, maybe 40 by later today. a little bounciness in the camera here. also going in towards philadelphia, winds gusting currently to 35 miles per hour. lots of sunshine. but keep in mind, philly is playing the rockies this afternoon. windy conditions. gusting up to 50 miles per hour. yankees play tonight at 6:00. the bronx, 50 mile per hour gusts there. but dodgers-st. louis, that will be fine out in l.a. temperatures around the 75-degree mark this evening. more on that in just a bit. >> are you intermating that this wind will, therefore, affect their ability to get nice shots when swinging for the home runs? >> i think so. i think a-rod may have an excuse not to hit the ball tonight. >> come on. it's always that way. >> we'll see how it goes. >> all right. so a guy in california went out on a water to try to get pictures of a great white shark, bob, look at this. this is an 8 to 10 footer, that's what we're hearing. he caught the sharts ots of the shark. he was in a kayak. you know, some of the kayaks are

made of fiberglass, plastic. i would be scared out of my kayak, i guess. >> good. he can munch through that thing in a heartbeat. >> two bites, no doubt. >> oh, man. >> amazing stuff. by the way, for you, do you have a favorite excuse when you call off of work you? won't believe what some people admit to saying to their boss.

♪ it just takes some time a little bit ♪ ♪ everything will be just fine two u.s. citizens and an israeli won the nobel prize in chemistry. they'll split $1.4 million for the work on the structure of ribosomes. a tv host is on the run

accused of ordering five killings to boost his ratings. you might remember this story. the guy hosting a crime show on n. brazil that shows graphic footage of crime victims. police are staking out an airport looking for him right now. he's just facing drug, gang, and weapons charges. he has said he is innocent. if you fly, you have to deal with baggage fees, you have booking fees, you have all kinds of fees, feeding fee it's you want to eat inside the plane and now holiday fees? >> yeah. and what they're doing on the very busy days, right around thanks giving is how it started, they decided on top of the already high fares, some of the major airlines are going to hit you with up to $20 in fees, $10 for every busy day. well, i guess they're going pretty well, richard. they decided they were adding them to christmas, too. ten days around the holidays. so going to be probably pretty hard to get out of them. if you'd like to say, no here

are two airlines not charging them, southwest and jetblue. i just think any time there is a fee you don't like, right, if you can find a competitor call up and say, i'm flying you because, you're not charging, thanks for not doing that. right, it really can add to their sense of why not to do it. >> and that's on top of it already being more expensive. >> it's already really expensive to fly then. burger king, you have been to one of these lately? >> not the new ones. is that what you're talking about? >> the old ones. let's see if we can take a look at the new ones for you. that's an old one. but the old ones are going away. all of the burger kings, thousands of them, are going to be redone. this is a massive overhaul. they're trying to turn them into sit down restaurants. that is the new looking one. kind of star trekkie, right? >> kind of chic. >> they say contemporary, industrial, red flamed chandeliers, brick walls. the franchise owners pay for it. it can cost, if you own one of these things, about a half million to redo them. so it's a big deal.

but they want to position themselves. you know, they've been in trouble for a while. they've had big fights between the franchise owners and management. they're saying you have to do something here. and we got to be more attractive to people. >> great idea. but they have to pay for it? >> they have to pay for it. i think they don't mind. right now they're not getting as much business as they want. they want to be less like the category you think of them now, mcdonald's or other fast food place and more like chipoltle. one-third of all workers in the united states have lied about being sick to stay home from work. career builder.com did a survey on absenteeism. here are some of the interesting excuses employers say that they have heard, "i got sun burn at a nude beach and wcan't wear clothes." "i'm convinced my spouse is having an affair and i'm staying home to catch them." we showed you tom delay's fancy moves on "dancing with the

stars." now he's out of the competition altogether. but you're not going to be believe what comedian lewis black said about him. here's what he told our own joy behar last night. >> you know, i can't watch -- the show "dancing with the stars" let alone tom delay. i would rather watch tom delay "running with cars." so you put him on. you put him in the new york traffic. you drop him in and he has to run and not get hit. >> well, can you catch "the joy behar show" right here on hln for a lot of funny moments like. that. now to anarchologyist that calls a discovery of another stonehenge absolutely incredible. in this picture you'll see here this is an artist's drawing based on what scientists think the site looked like. it's called bluestonehenge. it is a mile from the original. scientists saying the finding supports the theory that monument is part of a prehistoric funeral site. halloween decorations or death threats?

check these out. why these phoney tombstones you see are way too scary for some folks.

all right. we're just getting this in to hln. you're looking at a police standoff in mt. vernon, washington, north of seattle. it is just about 7:45 a.m. officials will only say that the situation started at about 5:00 a.m. local time. so that's about 2 1/2 hours -- or greater ago. a witness on the scene says police want someone inside to call 911 or to come to a window or door with their hands up to let them know everyone is okay. we're getting live video. again, we're only giving you the tape here because, again, we're being very careful about the developments that the police are watch on this case. of course, we'll have the latest for you. the tabloids have been tracking every move in jon and kate goslyn's love life. you heard it here. nancy grace was part of a panel of jon goslyn on "the insider." shall we say the two went head-to-head. >> i'm their father and will do what's best for my children. >> oh, you got your lawyer here? afraid to answer questions.

whatever. what's important is the children. and not these two self-absorbed husband and wife who argue constantly in front of their children. >> i would love to be mom and dad -- we're not going to be husband and wife. >> you talk the talk but you don't walk the walk. you can't go out with one 22-year-old after the next while she's at home with the children and say you want to work it out. that's not working it out jon goslyn. >> well, be sure to kacht follow ups to this on "nancy grace" tonight at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. eastern here on hln. larry smith, you don't go toe to toe with our own nancy grace, do you? >> it's hard to win. she's going to win. >> you usually lose. >> she is good. let' talk sports. there is an investigation that shows that dallas cowboys practice facility should not have collapsed last spring. remind us about the story about what happened. >> this video, we're going to see it again, horrific. 12 were injured in this event. he and another assistant coach are suing the building's

manufacturer. a probe done by a federal's determined the building was efrpg neared to withstand winds up to 90 miles per hour. this storm last may, they say, the winds raced 55 to 60 miles per hour. now the attorney says the agency's report contains some incorrect assumptions. the company maintains that a catastrophic weather event contributed to the collapse of this structure. two days after bray lyn edwards punched a nona nightclub, the cleveland browns traded him to the new york jets. it's according to several reports. it could be a coincidence snt nfl is investigating to see if the wide receiver violated the league's conduct policy. the man he allegedly hit is a friend of lebron james of the cleveland cavaliers sparking chatter that will is bad blood between the two star athletes. will tim tebow play saturday? florida's heisman trophy winning quarterback did practice on tuesday. but he has not been cleared to play for top ranked florida when they play number 4 lsu. the gators senior suffered a concussion and had to leave that

win in kentucky. adults behaving badly. this time youth football coaches got into a fight over the participation of an 11-year-old girl in a scheduled scrimmage. the issue was that the team said it is against their moral beliefs to allow their boys to hit girls. the boys and girls club teams said had they known ahead there was a problem, they would have cab seld the scrimmage. no charges were filed. thoet coach who threw the punch at the other coach has been suspended. so as we talked all morning, don't hit boys and girls but the men can hit each other. that's okay. >> all right. thanks, larry. what are you going do? a week after coming out publicly to discuss his sexual relations with late show staffers, david letterman apologized to his wife on the show. he says that she's been horribly hurt by his actions and that he has his work cut out for him now. the whole saga has turned into ratings gold though for letterman. he joked about what might happen to him now. >> don't kid yourself. things are still pretty bad.

there's a possibility that i'll be the first talk show host impeached. >> as a comedian, david letterman can joke about this situation. but we want to hear your thoughts. to hear your thoughts. can a relationship survive infidelity? have you been through it? call us,o e-mail us. we'll air your comments starting at noon eastern here in about an hour and 10 minutes. check out these tomb stones in the front lawn of a political candidate. the other candidates are not laughing. but barber says he's having fun. >> you can see down here is the day of the election when i win. >> you do what? >> i bury them. >> i'm buried three slots over. it's distasteful at the very least. and i know some could construe it a threat. >> you think it's a threat? >> it's halloween. >> by the way, the opponent you heard from talked to barber

about this and barber decided to paint over his name. many young people are making a tea that could be deadly. a teenager's mom in texas says he died after drinking poby seed tea. he was drinking it to get high. >> they found the bottle of tea and they found poppy seeds and pods and at the point in time that they were removed the police weren't sure what it was. >> she says he was steeping the seeds in what appeared to be herbal tea. you can buy those seeds in pods in many stores as well as on line. the recipe is all over the internet as well. the supreme court will hear arguments today in a case involving a cross that's been around 75 years. it was built in the mojave national preserve in california to honor world war i troops. someone sued to have it removed. he says it violates the ban against government endorsement of religion. the case could make an important statement about the separation of church and state. we'll be watching that for you. >> you could start seeing a new

security screening at airports. a look at the technology that can tell if you are nervous or stressed.

what is the most provocative entertainment news on television? it's "showbiz tonight." it's next so stay tuned. tomorrow morning be sure to watch morning express with me, robin meade. right now on "showbiz tonight," should david letterman's wife love him or leave him? tonight, the shocking new great debate in the letterman extortion sex scandal. should dave's wife stand by him? and is this whole scandal being blown out of proportion? tonight, "showbiz tonight" with the new burning questions including did dave make a big mistake by going to the cops? >> the great debate over kate.

do you feel sorry for kate gosselin? kate crying again in a dramatic brand new interview. >> i'm sorry. the last thing i wanted was to do this show and end up not being able to pay my bills. >> tonight "showbiz tonight" dares to ask, how come so many people don't feel sorry for kate? levi johnston goes nuts in a brand new ad. >> now levi johnston does with it protection. >> the father of sarah palin's grandson joking about unprotected sex. tv's first most provocative entertainment news show starts right now. hello. i'm a.j. hammer broadcasting tonight and every night from new york city. tonight the great dave debate. there was a raging argument over

whether david letterman's wife should love him or leave him after dave acknowledged on his show how badly his sexual affairs hurt his wife. does dave's wife want to fix it. news breaking there was nothing but public silence from dave's wife. as many people say there is no way he can get past this crisis until his wife speaks up one way or the other. there was also a startling debate that erupted over whether letterman should have gone to the cops. would he have been better off settling this privately. and what about this whole dave thing anyway. sure, he slept with women who worked for him. sure, he got caught up in a $2 million alleged extortion scandal. "showbiz tonight" dares to ask is the mess being blown out of proportion? joining me in new york a celebrity editor, also nicole williams author of this book, "girl on top." let the great dave debate begin.

tonight, letterman's wife, should she forgive him? keep in mind here's a woman that he had been dating for more than 20 years before they got married and had a son. this is a woman who he says was hurt in a big way. take a look what he said on his show. >> my wife regina, she has been horribly hurt by my behavior and when something happens like that, if you hurt a person, then it's your responsibility, you try to fix it. and at that point there's only two things that can happen. either you're going to make progress and get it fixed, or you're going to fall short and perhaps not get it fixed. so, let me tell you folks, i got my work cut out for me. >> i give dave credit that he's being straight up about the fact he is in big time hot water over this. ben, off to you first. you think that letterman's wife should forgive him and publicly? >> you know, what's happening to letterman now is similar to what we saw happen to bill clinton. and i think the people who love

dave before will continue to love him but now there's this kind of but attached. the difference with bill clinton and david letterman his wife is not political, she doesn't have to do one of these press conferences that we see political types have to do with the wife by the podium. so i think the wife now is probably just probably looking at her options and i don't think she will be at a rush to forgive dave. >> i think being thrust into this publicly is dave's worst nightmare. the debate rages on people arguing whether he should have talked about his wife. keep in mind he has always relentlessly protected her privacy. before the show last night wendy williams told "showbiz tonight" that dave didn't have to say a thing about his wife on tv. take a look at this. >> i think he's handling it well. i don't think we're owed more explanation. i don't think it's necessary to apologize to his wife on the show and i don't think it's

necessary to apologize to the staffers on the show. he needs to hantdle that in the board room. last i checked sex between two consensual people, or four or how ever many was not illegal. >> that's one side of the issue. today on "the view" the ladies were praising letterman because he did reach out to his wife publicly. they say bravo. take a look. >> the thing that i love that david did was he apologized to his wife. even though they weren't married at the time, they were dating at the time. and the fact that he made -- >> for 20 something years. >> he acknowledged he had done something wrong. >> i agree it was important for dave to address this because i think it was important for fans to see his humanity, he's not callous what happened to his wife. you think dave should have left the issue between him and his wife and not said anything on the show? >> i agree with -- honestly i think he should. but i don't think we should be expecting a response from her.

i think that adds fuel to the fire, as you mentioned she is notoriously private. he has been notoriously private about their relationship. what happens between them happens between them. i think it's great, though, that he did apologize publicly. he's a public man in the public eye, he owed her that. but i don't think we should expect a statement from her. >> here's the thing. everybody today, yourself included there, have been calling this an apology. comedian steve martin was a guest on "the view" and was right there back stage last night at letterman's show. i thought he had an interesting point about the whole wife so called apology. watch what steve martin said. >> everybody's saying he apologized to his wife. that's not what i heard. he acknowledged that he hurt his wife, his apology is at home. you know. you can't go home and say honey, did you see my apology on tv? so great now. everything's fine. >> ben, i think steve makes a terrific point about that.

>> i mean, pardon me for being old fashioned. the time when dave should have thought of regina is when he was attracted to these other women. and he messed up there. so he messed up. then he should have apologized up front on thursday to his wife for what he did. it took him the whole weekend to get around to thinking about her at home. i think that's going to hurt him. >> i disagree, actually. i think that he went out, he told the situation as he had to to his public and i don't know, you know, he stated outright the first night it was revealed he wasn't going to talk more about this. i actually absolutely agree with steve, you have that apology at home. but i think it was good for him, considering he was going to acknowledge this case again, the situation again, i think it's good that he included her in the apology. >> i agree with that and i also think he couldn't even though he said he wasn't going to talk about it again, how could he ignore it after it became the topic of all conversation throughout the weekend.

it was his first time back. another argument broke out over whether letterman was actually right to go to the cops in the first place. i found something interesting in today's "usa today" what mark geragos has to say. i handled 15 or 20 cases in 20 years and all of these except one were resolved privately. you educate the blackmailer what they are doing is a crime, there are no winners in a criminal prosecution. ben, i think that's a great point. do you think that letterman really should have resolved this thing privately, never gone to the cops or would that have been too risky. >> i was interested when mark made that comment how much is resolved that we never hear b. given the cards fell as they did, i think he had to come down hard and most importantly he cast the story with this producer as being a criminal, being a blackmailer. i think that gives him a position of strength and probably in the circumstances was the best he could have done. >> all of this said, there are a lot of people throughout saying,

and i'm seeing your facebook comments, who cares if the letterman took this thing public. stop judging him, the whole matter is a private deal. in fact, louis black was fired up about it and didn't hold back one bit as you are about to hear what he told "showbiz tonight." >> you don't need to write whether you think he is right or wrong. what are you, are you a priest? idiots. you don't make a judgment call. he -- he had sex. oh, god. you know, he didn't have sex on tv. privately. and the only reason it had to come out is because some idiot tried to make money off of it. that's the story. he is not the story. i'm tired of it. >> what do you think? does louis black make a good point. is the mess blown out of proportion and people need to shut up and back off? >> no, at the ends of the day he didn't just privately have sex. he had sex with a colleague. he had sex with someone who is a

subordinate. that's illegal. there are ramifications for that. so yeah, on one hand it happens. i'm a career manager, i can tell you day in and day out, people are having sex with their boss. but in this case where letterman's concerned, this was going to come out. there's no question about it. and he didn't have sex with just someone. he had sex with someone who worked for him. and that's what makes this case so interesting and why we're still talking about it today. >> it struck a chord for many reasons. we don't know what he did was illegal but certainly there are so many reasons why everybody has something to say about this. thanks, guys. appreciate it. let me turn this over to you. our question of the day. david letterman's sex scandal. you think it's blown out of proportion? vote. that's a question that a lot of people are asking about kate gosselin's new teary tv confessions.

she says she's broke. jon cleared out their joint bank account. here is what i want to know. how come so many don't seem to feel sorry for kate? do you? it is the great debate. also, a great debate over this bizarre new ad featuring the father of sarah palin's grandson. >> levi. >> over here. >> now levi johnston does it with protection. >> wait a second. is that really levi johnston joking about unprotected sex? that's bizarre in itself but the ad is, wait for it, for pistachios. this sounds kind of nuts. and michael owen says his daughter lindsay is hooked on prescription meds. should this guy shut his face. this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom making news right now.

you look at my record, it's very clear what i've done so far. and that is nothing. >> a brutal "saturday night live" sketch about president obama's first eight months in office. how accurate was this sketch really. welcome back to "showbiz tonight." i'm a.j. hammer in new york. is that sketch really fair? has obama done nothing? i am sending out the showbiz truth squad. i'll get to that. first, the jokes on obama. you know when president obama got elected there is a question floating around will comedians have material to make fun of the guy. will he slip up? yes, we have seen that obama is human. will he make mistakes, yes, he will. even snl which was a big fan of obama's is going after him. we caught up with jamie foxx out fluging his new film

"law-abiding citizen." he told us he's not surprised by the new presidential diss. >> we're so enhas toed about barack obama. nothing was said bad. now oh, my god, it's my barack obama. how dare they. it's my barack obama. and you should feel that way. but at the same time, that's just what it is. that's part of the job. >> actually agree with jamie foxx. now according to that sketch, president obama has done nothing. since he got into the white house. in the skit fred goes through each one of obama's campaign promises. really? the guy has done nothing? is snl on to something or is the show off the mark. i had to send out the truth squad to check this out. here now is kareen wynter. >> reporter: a cold open for the commander in chief. >> you look at my record it's

clear what i've done so far. that is nothing. >> reporter: obama on obama. not really. "saturday night live" fred arm is son's opening sketch stirred up laughs with a scathing report card on the president which lampooned him as having a accomplished nothing since he took office. >> take a look at this. >> a check list of promises snl says obama failed to deliver. >> on my first day in office i said i'd close guantanamo bay. is it closed yet? no. >> they got some things wrong. >> reporter: bill adair, a fact checking website that rates the statements of elected officials says snl missed the mark on some claims. >> i think snl tended to gloss over what is a fair amount of progress by this administration. on iraq, "saturday night live" said not done. and of course that's true, they are not done but they haven't promised to be done by now.

>> for health care, snl also got it wrong. since that legislation is still stalled in congress. but adair says the sketch did get some things right like guantanamo bay. politifact says the president has fallen short on that promise. adair says the sketch won't resonate with the audience as much as this. >> are we not doing the talent portion? >> tina fay's impersonation of sarah palin. some credit it with rye in forcing an impression of palin as ill-equipped for the job. this type of satire is something adair says obama may see more of as he faces increasing opposition to some ambitious promises made on the campaign trail. >> this is not a fair portrayal of how obama's done but it's comedy. it doesn't have to be fair. >> that was careen winter.

our showbiz operators may have to take drastic action. i know they are getting swamped with calls on jon and kate. maybe if we upgrade the phone systems to 1970 they wouldn't have to move their arms so much. today, a ton of calls coming in slamming jon and kate. listen to ann. >> as far as jon and kate is concerned, i think they need to cut ties, get off the air, and get on with their lives. they are nothing but spoiled idiots. >> we thank you for telling us how you feel. we also heard from bonnie from nevada. she is also fired up. >> caller: i think they both need to stop the madness, get together without attorneys and work it out. for their kids. they scream, scream, scream, i'm doing this for my kids, i want my kids to be okay but they do nothing but fight on tv. >> thank you, bonnie. i implore you calls at showbiz

on call to saund off on this or anything. the lines are open. 24 hours a day. 1-888-sbh-buzz. leave us a voice mail. we'll play some of your calls on "showbiz tonight." we're posting them on our home page. cnn.com/showbiztonight. kate went on tv, she talked about how she's broke, she claims that john wiped out their bank account. but here's what i want to know. do people really feel sorry for her? it's the great kate debate. and the father of sarah palin's grandson levi johnston is doing a commercial for pistachios. really. he's getting paid for this. and in the ad he's joking about unprotected sex. boy. is this nuts or what? tyler perry's graphic and horrific claim he was beaten and sexually abused as a child. so why did this big star and big time director decide to open up

about this now? this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. it is time now for the "showbiz news ticker." more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom making news right now. =

now on "showbiz tonight." tonight, a night of "showbiz tonight" great debates. the raging jon and kate debate. kate gosselin in tears on tv in a war with her husband over thousands in cash. but do you really feel sorry for her? levi! levi! >> now, levi johnston does it with protection. >> levi johnston joking about unprotected sex? is he nuts? the great debate over the father of sarah palin's grandson. lindsay lohan's estranged dad making shocking claims that lindsey is hooked on prescription drugs. the debate on whether or not he should keep his mouth shut.

and more stories breaking from the showbiz newsroom from the news ticker. welcome back to "showbiz tonight." it is 30 minutes past the hour. i'm a.j. hammer broadcasting tonight and every night from new york city. tonight, sympathy for kate. there is a great debate raging over kate gosselin after she cried on the "today" show claiming that she's broke because her husband jon wiped out their bank account. >> he took $230,000 of the $231,000 that we have liquid and i have a stack of bills in my purse i can't drop in the mail. >> kate may be fighting a new battle. it's the battle for sympathy. even though kate is claiming she can't pay her bills is anyone actually feeling sorry for her?

we got this call from nancy in washington. >> caller: she's going on tv claiming he's broke. she has no money and that she's poor and yet she's saying i want to design a new diamond ring with eight diamonds in it and a mother of pearl. so where is she getting the money to design the new wedding ring but she can't feed her children. >> joining us is celebrity editor for stylist and kim serafin, a senior editor. there was this growing evidence today we could not ignore it, that kate is really losing the sympathy vote. the results came in late today for our question of the day where we asked online and on air, kate gosselin, do you feel sorry for her? this is astounding to me. a whopping 67% said no. only 33% said yes. kim, do you get it? >> yeah, i kind of do get it. because as much as we understand

that kate wants to go on tv and address all of the stuff that's going on and she watches us on showbiz talk about her and make judgments and she wants to get her side out there, it's not quite believable. i don't think anyone believes that she can't pay her mortgage or that she can't pay her bills or she's having trouble getting money to feed the kids. it doesn't ring totally true. and it seems like she's out of touch with her fan base, the people that wanted to support her, people like me, i was a fan of the show before. i'm an independent woman, i wanted to support her. it seems li s like she's losing touch. >> she doesn't across as relatable. ben, why do you think the tide is turning? >> i was surprised by those poll numbers, a.j. i remember that women didn't like her before, they thought she was domineering. when jon started to mess up she got a bounce. she hasn't held on to that. those numbers are bad for the show. if it's kate plus 8, women

aren't tuning in, they won't watch. so i think this puts the future of her relationship with tlc in jeopardy. >> things shifted in the last 24 hours. i can tell you kate's interview on the "today" show where she claimed she was broke and couldn't pay the bills in her purse, that set off a fire storm. it had to do with the ring kate says she wants to buy to replace her wedding ring. watch what kate said. >> we've discussed a ring that i might buy. at some point. it has eight little diamonds and mother of pearl so it's symbolic and the kids are happy about that. >> so the kids may be happy about that, but i got to tell you, our "showbiz tonight" viewers are up in arms. amanda from south carolina, fired off this angry e-mail which sums it up.

kim, that really was a dumb move to say that, wasn't it. >> oh, yeah. and then actually in the next breath she was calling in to "the view" saying she'll work at mcdonald's if she has to. i don't think a mcdonald's salary is going to pay for the ring either. it's not ringing true. she is losing touch with viewers, saying that the kids were upset because they were supposed to visit the statue of liberty and film but now they aren't so they can't go. like she doesn't think they can do anything without filming. other parents take their kids to the statue of liberty without a film crew. >> i need to point out you mentioned something that says maybe we're making progress. her acknowledging if she has to work at mcdonald's. the first time albeit i don't think she was serious. she said maybe there is another way i can make money. at least something clicked in her head. i have to tell you it's not just kate's ring purchase has people saying no sympathy. we heard fromle valerie who

called in to say kate can't fool me. listen to this. >> caller: i think it's a shame that kate is playing the sympathy card. she took jon's manhood. he had gotten it back. she can't deal with it so she's playing the sympathy card. everyone knows how she treated him. why is it everybody is on her side? i think that's wrong. wrong, wrong, wrong. it's all about the money for kate. that's it. >> thank you for your call. ben, let me ask you. do you agree with centralry kate is playing the sympathy card by going on a show like the "today" show and crying. granted, she may be emotional about what's going on but you think that's what's going on? >> valerie was tough but i think what she's responding to is that kate seems to get the most sympathy when she just keeps her mouth shut, does what kay fed

did. she gets in more trouble. i think she has a valid point about jon taking $230,000. i think he has a serious case to answer for there. >> you think is she playing the sympathy card? is that at the root of this? >> yeah, she is. i think the problem is that people are having trouble believing both of them, believing either kate or jon. again, they seem to have lost sight of the kids in all of this. nobody's going to be able to turn on the show and watch kate take the kids on a trip to the statue of liberty without thinking about this. i don't know why they are not just doing this show on monday nights. that's what people would watch instead of taking this to the other airwaves. they don't care about the kids drinking pink tea at a tea party and kate and jon don't seem to care about the kids these days. it's a terrible tragedy and again, the kids have been lost in the shuffle. >> i do have to point out as much as we're talking about it here, the fact that it looks like the tide is turning against kate, she's losing sympathy.

she does have the sympathy vote with some. we had some who voted they have sympathy. listen to erin s. >> ben, what do you think about that? i think that makes a pretty good point as hard as it is to see through when we have kate talking about buying this ring. and kate saying woe is me. all of this money we made and i can't pay the bills now when a lot of people don't believe that. this is somebody with real problems here. >> well, i think it's possible that kate can be a person that viewers may not like personally but she still might have a valid point about the $230,000. and i don't think that jon really has an equal place at the table until he justifies why he took the money out or returns it. so whatever you think about kate, she is a woman with bills,

a woman looking after her eight kids with jon, i think she needs the money. >> at the risk of repeating myself let me once again suggest that neither of them go on television to complain about what is going on in their marriage, they control it and deal with it between themselves, split up, whatever, look after the kids. that's primary and that doesn't seem to be happening. thanks, guys. appreciate it. tonight we have michael lohan's shocking claims that his daughter lindsay is hooked on prescription meds. this is sparking a major debate today. should michael lohan who barely speaks with his famous daughter keep his mouth shut? it's the great showbiz debate. also, the disturbing childhood abuse claims by tyler perry, the talented director of stage, film and tv says he was so severely beaten by his dad he thought he would die. we'll also have this. >> levi! over here.

>> now levi johnston does it with protection. >> is that really levi johnston joking about unprotected sex? is he nuts? the father of sarah palin's grandson has sparked a new debate you will not believe it. this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. now the "showbiz news ticker." more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom making news right now.

welcome back to "showbiz tonight." i'm a.j. hammer in new york. director tyler perry's horrific abuse claims. tyler is the super successful director of several hit plays turned into films like medea's family reunion. today tyler perry is telling his own tragic personal story about childhood physical and sexual abuse. in a startling open letter on his own website he recalls one incident when his father beat him writing, my mother was out and my father came home. he was drunk as he was most of the time. he got the vacuum cleaner

extension cord and trapped me in a room and beat me until the skin was coming off my back. wow. tyler also claims as a child his mother tried to kill the germ that causes asthma by bathing him in ammonia and that the mother of one of his friends sexually abused him. tyler says he felt compelled to tell his story after seeing the movie "precious" based on a girl's abusive life. tonight a new "showbiz tonight" great debate as levi goes nuts for pistachio nuts. somebody's paying the faerpt of sarah palin's grandson to pitch nuts. everybody is buzzing about levi johnston's commercial, it has "showbiz tonight" asking this important question. has the world gone nuts? also tonight the great debate over lindsay lohan's dad. michael lohan made claims that lindsay is hooked on

prescription meds as lindsay tries to get her career back on track. should michael lohan zip it already? joining me tonight in new york suzanne, a senior editor for star magazine, also in new york, april woodard, an entertainment journalist. this debit with levi johnston and this nutty campaign that has everybody buzzing. take a look. >> levi! levi! over here. >> now levi johnston does it with protection. wonderful pistachios. get cracking. >> i don't know about their tag line and what about it is going to make anybody buy pistachio nuts. was this company nuts to hire levi or perhaps is this the best train wreck idea ever? >> honestly, i really don't want to think about his sex life when i'm eating pistachios. and secondly, i don't know if

he's that recognizable of a figure. i mean, it's kind of a hilarious commercial but do you really want to be thinking about that when you pick up pistachios? i don't think so. >> what do you think, april? are people going to want to buy these nuts because this nut is in their commercial? >> not because lee try is in the commercial but because all of the buzz that this is generating, i think it's genius and the person, the advertising company needs to get an award because it has scandal, it has sexuality, sexual innuendo, it's got -- they are talking birth control, talking about sex, all of it into this one little commercial. and i think people are talking about it and that's going to get people interested and the company which is called wonderful nuts. >> look at us sitting here talking about it and we're not charging them for it. for me i'm not going to buy pistachio nuts because levi is in the commercial. the ad is getting attention and might not otherwise have gotten. levi, i'm guessing would probably sell bricks if somebody asked him to.

suzanne, you think after seeing this ad levi's phone is going to be ringing off the hook with more endorsement opportunities? >> unfortunately, yes. and i think sarah palin is going to freak out because he keeps on going on shows and talking about his sex life with bristol. i think he's going to possibly be starring in a reality show, survivor maybe? i think there are big things ahead. >> good for all of us. let us move on to a great debate. lindsay lohan's dad michael spilling the beans that he fears that lindsay will die if she doesn't kick what he claims is a prescription meds addiction. here is what michael is telling radar online.com today. i'm going to get her off the prescription drugs that she's on. you know why lindsay's not acting in feature films right now? because she can't. because the girl with all of the talent is hidden and buried deep inside this fungus that's grown because of the prescription drugs. she cannot be herself.

"showbiz tonight" did speak with michael lohan. he confirmed yes, he said it and thinks that lindsay is on prescription drugs and wants to get her off of them. suzanne, back to you. if you ask me, the bigger problem here is that her dad is blabbing about his claim that she has a prescription drug problem. if she did, isn't this something that they really should be handling privately? >> you know, honestly i completely agree. lindsay, i haven't seen her parents anywhere in the last months. she's partying her butt off in l.a. and around the world, she sin paris with her sister partying. no one is standing by her. you know, by the way, michael lohan loves to say these when he's promoting something. he's got a reality show with jon gosselin he is trying to promote. perfect timing. >> i don't understand it at all. we did call lindsay about her dad's comments. as of show time we had not heard back from her. lindsay is busy, actually in paris. this is youtube video that was posted by mod tv, she is at a

paris fashion show during fashion week trying to launch her own line with a major designer. it seems to me that lindsay is doing what she can to get her career back on track one way or the other. fashion, films, whatever she's going to do. and her father certainly is not doing her favors. >> maybe he's not doing her any favrers but there's no good time to talk to somebody about drug abuse. and maybe he's not able to reach her. maybe she's too busy to take a call from her father. and you know, some of his behavior has been questionable in the past. when i sat down with him and talked to him i think he loves his daughter. love doesn't always equal good parenting but maybe this is his way to address these issues. >> i have gotten that from him, too. you think lindsay is going to, her hand is going to be forced and have to respond. >> i think there's going to be a lot of pressure. there's a lot going on for lindsay. there haven't been great reviews on her fashion shows. he hasn't been getting many gigs

so i think she's going to talk about this. >> i appreciate you both being here. thank you. making news right now. the brooke's plane crash scare. belush she survived a minor plane crash. here is exactly what happened with this. brooke and jim were headed to an event on friday. the cessna that they were in, it landed safely but all heck just broke loose when, according to tmz, the pilot essentially forgot to put on the parking brake of the plane and that's when the plane rolled and crashed into a parked suv. wow! brooke's publicist tells us luckily no one was hurt. tonight the younger members of the brangelina bunch on twitter? this is the amazing new picture of brad pitt and angelina jolie precious twin toddlers you've just got to see. and wait until you see the story on where and how it was snapped. this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. now more stories from the

"showbiz tonight" news ticker making news right now. ddddd

chicago's city streets can be especially dangerous in deadly for teenagers. what is president obama doing to try to stop the violence in his adopted hometown? and burglars caught in the act by a strategically placed webcam in oklahoma. get this, p tip comes from two police from 8,000 miles away. and david letterman has joked about it but betrayal can have serious repercussions. the question is can relationship or marriages survive a big break in trust? we want your views on this today. hi there. happy wednesday. i'm brooke baldwin. welcome to hln "news and views." want to begin with what we're wait for in chicago. we're awaiting a news conference

with education secretary arnie duncan and attorney general eric holder. you're look agent an empty podium now. they're in talks with mayor richard daley on way to stop violence among school kids. this whole visit is because of this 16-year-old. the visit was prompted bid the death of derrion albert who was beaten to death for just walking to the bus stop. he was an honor student, 16. his violent death was captured on cell phone video. we covered this extense i.ly here on hln. we got your views on this story. four teenagers are charged with his death. and police are still search for more suspects. our own sister network cnn education contributor steve perry says communities should ensure the safety of our childr children. >> it's not a government issue. that's something from the community. that's somebody cease 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. >> again, we're wait for that news conference to take place in city hall in chicago. i'm told there are 20 cameras. this is a packed house waiting to hear from arnie duncan and eric holder. richard daley, the mayor of chicago. education secretary arnie duncan who, by the way, was the head of chicago city school system says he thinks chicago is going to lead a national conversation on how to combat youth violence. we'll bring you back to that when that happens. moving on, today is the eighth anniversary of the war against al qaeda and the taliban in afghanistan. and a new poll suggests public support for the war is dwindling. the number now down 40%. that is down from 44% this past july according to a new

associated press jfk poll. 800 troops have been killed in the war thus far. in washington there is now wide spread debate as to the next step there in afghanistan. a new commander in chief is now in charge of that fight. president obama now meeting with his national security team today to discuss what to do about the war. now, he has ruled out withdrawing forces but an has not announced whether he will add to the number of troops in afghanistan on the ground. mr. obama also hearing what lawmakers are saying about this particular matter. >> i think what the president now needs to do, he needs to take the time so that he's comfortable with the decision that he needs to make, what he then needs to do is to make sure that he leads and leads boldly in a mission that needs to be successful, outline his case to the american people, and then align all of our resources, militarily, intelligence, reconstruction, to execute the strategy that he selects. we need him to lead now.

>> if you look at history, i can think of no incident where holding back forces and reducing forces are limiting your forces led to a successful mission, led to victory. and i really think that the president is going to have to listen to general mccrystal. he says his man, he's his pick. >> the white house says president obama will not be basing his decisions on the mood on capitol hill or eroding public support for the war there. east cleveland's out going mayor is coming clean about dressing, yep, in drag. take a look at these pictures. the picture of mayor eric brewer, he is in work clothes on the left and then on the right side, wearing a wig and full makeup. brewer told the tabloid tv show "inside edition" he posed for photos, dressed in women's clothing at a suggestion of a female friend. he said the pictures were stolen off his home computer and the leak cost him re-election last month. he is push for a criminal investigation there.

and the minnesota twins closed tout baseball regular season beating the detroit tigers 6-5, and in tie-breaker game. lasting 12 innings. the tigers held a three-game lead in the division with four games left to play. detroit, they did win a little something. the dubious honor of being the only team with that big of a lead. that lead of the year, to lose the division championship. take a look at that celebration. tonight the twins will face the yankees in round one of the american league playoffs. over on the national league, rockies facing the phillys this afternoon and the cardinals taking on the dodgers tonight. good luck. the saga of late night talk host david letterman has everybody talking, a lot of people watching. did you catch this? his on-air apology to his staff and his wife. was the most watched late night show on tv monday night. in fact, more people watched letterman than watched any of nbc's prime time shows. that is more than 5 1/2 million viewers. >> don't kid yourself, things

are still pretty bad. there is a possibility that i'll be the first talk show host impeached. >> all right. so, yeah, he's a comedian. letterman joking about his situation. but not everybody thinks this is a laughing matter. here's a question for you. we want to hear from you in our view segment coming up. can a relationship survive infidelity? have you been there in call us. 1-877-tell-hln or send us on e-mail. and you can always text us, text views with your comments and name to hlntv. just a quick reminder, those standard text rates do apply. a baby who was kidnapped in tennessee recovered in alabama, returned to his family and taken away by the state now back home today. the newborn boy was taken during a knife attack on his mother at home back on september 29th. after he was found, the state stepped in as police investigated claims that a family member tried to sell him. a lawyer pointed to represent

the interests of the child and his three siblings now say the parents were not involved in the kidnapping. police say there are still some unanswered questions here including why that particular family was targeted in the first place. and in the world of weather, looking like tropical storm henri won't be around. it is weakening and will probably run out of steam sometime tomorrow. it's eighth named storm and right now in the central atlantic. you see it brewing around there with maximum sustained winds of 45 miles an hour. one woman nabbed burglars in her house, even though she was thousands of miles away. can you believe this? the woman, she's in the philippines. okay? she saw them in her oklahoma house on her computer using the webcam. you see it up top? she called her husband who was working at an air force base near their home in oklahoma. what did he do? he picked up the phone and called 911. police managed to catch these two teenage suspects in the act.

a third one was caught a little later. the woman also id'd them from the philippines, mind you, using pictures that police had e-mailed her. technology. a 12-year-old girl sues over a major league slugger's home run. here's the deal. she caught the ball. he wanted it back. find out who won, the legal slug fest.

call it legal tug of war here over a philadelphia phillies slugger's 200th homer. it's officially over. ryan howard, he hit that 200 homer mark faster than anyone in baseball history. and, of course, he wanted to ball. well, 12-year-old jennifer of miami actually was the one who caught it. she agreed to give it up in exchange for an autographed ball, which is worth considerably less money. so later, the girl and her family filed a lawsuit seeking the return of the home run ball. howard did give the ball back. and the family now drops the

lawsuit. kayaker taking pictures of some pelicans. sunset beach in southern california. captured a little bit something more interesting. take a look at this. he shot this ten-foot great white shark flying through the air. wow! researchers say it's not uncommon to see great whites breaching the water and soaring through the air but it's rare for somebody to catch it on camera. they say the sharks pose little danger to the people in the water. father of a missing florida 5-year-old haleigh cummings is moving to divorce her stepmother. she was the last person to see haleigh. misty cummings has not cooperate with their investigation and will not talk about what she was doing the night haleigh disappeared. she has denied any involvement in the case and her attorney says he has not talked to her about the divorce yet and it probably won't affect the search for haleigh. a tabloids have been tracking every move jon and kate gosselin's love life since the

couple split. hln's nancy gray grace was part of this panel on "the insider qurtinsider," and the two went head to head, look. >> i'm their father and i will do what's best for my children. >> you've got your lawyer here. you're afraid to answer questions. whatever. what's important is the children. and not these two self-absorbed husband and wife who argue constantly in front of their children. >> i would love to be mom and dad. we're not going to be husband and dad. >> you talk the talk but you don't walk the walk. >> actions speak louder than words. >> one 22 after the next while she's at home with the children and say you want to work it out. that's not working it out, jon. >> wow. be sure to camp the to lofollowo that on "nancy grace" at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. eastern time. tom delay hanging up his dancing shoes now and perhaps the red pants. did you watch? he's leaving "dancing with the stars" because doctors say he has stress fractures in both of

his feet. look at him go. apparently got them from dancing too much. on monday, delay ignored his doctor's advice and performed a sambo with his partner cheryl burke. have you seen the "joy behar" show right here on hln? you've got to check out why she talks about mel gibson's running with the law three years ago. it's her not for nothing commentary. >> today a jinlg in beverly hills granted mel gibson's request to expunk his dui convictions a he has completed his three-year probation. allow me to refresh. police pulled mel gibson 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 eeg wars in the world and asked the cop if he was jewish. why did he need to know that? did he need a suggestion for a

ba mitzva gift. searching all over l.a. for a good kanish? no, mel gibson is an antisemite. now, as far as the dui being expunged, mel, let me say this to you. you can run but you can't hide. you are famous and not necessarily for being a movie star. more people saw your mug shot than your last three movies combined. look, i can understand you want to do-over. who doesn't? i wish i had never eaten those first ten cannolis but 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 remake of "yentle," only in your case, call it "meantle." that's just me. >> joy behar. you can catch her every night at 9:00 p.m. eastern right here on hln.

former alaskan governor sarah palin is putting her two cents in, as far as the war goes in afghanistan. we'll tell you about her facebook advice on president obama, on hln "news and views."

if you are worried at all that you might need to see a doctor about possibly swine flu, a new interactive website might help you. go to h1n1 responsive through.com, type in your rage and answer a questions of

questions about fever, symptoms and overall health. a program might advise that you probably have swine flu but tell you the rest, drink fluids instead of going and seeing a doctor. more serious cases it will advise you to get medical attention. a program is devined i bidoctors at emory university in atlanta to keep people who are not seriously ill from flooding already crowded emergency rooms. two americans and israeli woman have won the nobel prize in chemistry. what they'll be doing is splitting pretty nice prize, 1 boy1$.4 million. they are like construction workers inside your cells who build protein. congratulations to them. i want to warn you this next story, images are tough to watch. here's the deal in washington right now. the supreme court is being called on to settal dispute between animal rights activists and advocates for spree speech. elaine quijano tells why they're at odds right now. some of the images of this story are disturbing. >> reporter: they're called crush videos, so graphic we

can't even show you what happens next. videos sold for sexual thrills, of women in high heels crushing small animals. ten years ago congress wanted to put crush video makers out of business. so it outlawed the sale of graphic videos showing animal cruelty. >> this is our newest release, japan pit fight railroads then a few years ago virginia resident robert stevens tried selling some videos, including this one of dogfighting in japan, where such fights are legal. authorities nabbed stevens, charged him with violating the federal law, and prosecuted him. but an appeals court threw out his conviction and tossed outlaw itself. now the obama administration wants the supreme court -- >> want to take you away from that story and take you live to this press conference now under way in chicago in city hall, communities taking responsibility for teen

violence. arnie duncan, eric holder, mayor daley. take a listen. >> it was a very, very productive meeting. among the things we talked about, how best to focus our resources on the young people and the families who need help the most without sacrificing other priorities. the importance of offering more saturday and after-school programs at local schools, where our young people can learn and take part in other positive activities. how to get more adults involved with our young people as mentors, and how to more effectively tell the success stories and i see the success stories involving many young people and families who can serve as role models for their peers in every community of our city. yesterday, as you know, i made some specific requests of the federal government which

included asking the department of justice to work better with us to align department of justice, resources in chicago with our efforts or break up the gangs and address the youth violence. to address the important issue of sharing critical information between schools, professional people in schools, and local law enforcement and youth violence dealing with federal law and even state law that prevents that. and to provide more funding not only for police, dedicating our schools, but more funding for good after-school programs and saturday programs. let us remember, much of the violence against chicago's young people involve gang violence, unfortunately. we need the help of the federal government to help break up the gangs in our city which does not end at a city limit, and the terror it may bring to communities not only in the city but throughout the country.

we also need the support to provide more after-school and other programs that help us intervene in a child's life before they get on the wrong track. their presence here today sends a very powerful message to the gang bankers and dope dealers that we will not tolerate their violent way of life. and to the people of chicago, that they support our efforts to provide positive alternatives to all of our children. we look forward to working more closely with the federal government to protect all of our children. this is not just one meeting. we're talking about just one neighborhood or just one school. these are issues brewing beneath the surface at other schools and other communities. >> chicago mayor richard daley wanting to start a national conversation. you heard him say it, no tolerance when it comes to teen violence. a lot of that because of gang banging. not only in chicago but

nationwide. we will hear more from the chicago mayor, education secretary, u.s. attorney general coming up right here on hln "news and views."

i learned about -- >> i want to take you back live to chicago, news conference happening right now. you are looking at education secretary arnie duncan speaking there about teen violence and alongside eric holder, u.s. attorney general, and chicago mayor richard daley. they are holding talks there with, of course, the mayor, community leaders, schools on a way to stop the violence. all of this happening in the wake of this vicious beating of a 16-year-old on september 24th. the whole thing happening at a school bus stop caught on tape, caught on a cell phone. and these people essentially want to start a national

conversation. the attorney general saying that school violence is a national problem. >> youth violence is not a chicago problem any more than it is a black problem, a white problem, or a hispanic problem. it is something that affects communities big and small and people of all races and all colors. it is an american problem. >> as i said, secretary duncan is now predicting chicago will lead a national conversation on how to combat youth violence. violence on chicago city streets certainly nothing new. one chicago gang member knows that firsthand. we can't show you his face. we can't tell you his name. i sat down with him on an interview this past summer. he told me he thinks one of the main reasons for this uptick in violence in chicago is drugs. and specifically, hero in. a corner deal we're make several thousand dollar on a good day. if someone doesn't pay up, this gang member i met told me that that is when the shooting

starts. take a listen. >> gang or money, that's it. it's never going to stop. >> do you have any idea how many people you've shot in your lifetime? >> nope. >> did you ever feel remorse for anything you've done? >> no. i'm not going to say i have. >> bob, as we referred to him, only agreed to talk to me because he nearly died on the streets after being bludgeoned by baseball bats. he made a promise to the merge room physician who essentially saved his life that he would teach young people now that they have a choice not to join a gang. eight years ago today u.s. forces led an invasion in afghanistan. and today u.s. forces still fighting there. but a new poll suggests support for the war is dwindling. that number now down to 40%, down from 44% in july. according to an associated press

gfk poll. nearly 800 u.s. troops have been killed in the war. president obama is holding a series of intensive meetings now as to decide how to move forward in the afghan war. and police have arrested more than 60 people during anti-war protests outside p white house. the protestors carrying signs, carrying coffins drape with flags. some dramatized waterboarding, enhanced interrogation technique. many claim they supported president obama but they oppose sending more u.s. troops to afghanistan. >> escalates the war, i will be deeply disappointed. >> we had great hopes and we feel that those hopes are being bashed. >> "the washington post" is reportering those protestors there marking the eighth anniversary of the afghanistan war with dozens of rallies across the country today, not just in d.c. baby kidnapped in tennessee, recovered in alabama, returned to his family and then is taken away by the state now back home today. the newborn boy was taken during

a knife attack on his mother at her home back on september 29th. after he was found, the state stepped in as police investigated claims that a family member tried to sell him. well, a lawyer appointed to represent the interests of the child and his three siblings now says the parents were not involved in that kidnapping. police say there are still some unanswered questions, including why that particular family was targeted in the first place. it is looking like tropical to remember henri will not be around too much longer. forecasters say it is weakening and probably will be running out of steam sometime tomorrow. henri is the eighth named storm of the atlantic hurricane season. right now there he is brewing in the central atlantic with maximum sustained winds of 45 miles an hour. east cleveland's out going mayor coming clean about dressing in drag. take a look here. some pictures of mayor eric brewer. he is in work clothes on the left-hand side of your screen.

but there he is on the right as well wearing a wig and some full-on makeup. but get this, brewer told the tabloid show "inside edition" he posed for tote tos at the suggestion of a female friend. and he says the pictures were stolen off his computer. and says the leak cost hip re-election last month. he, as you can imagine, is push for a criminal investigation there. and a saga, it goes on. of late night tv talk host david letterman has everybody talking and a whole lot of people watching. his on-air apology, did you see it? his apology to his staff, to his wife, was the most watched late night show on tv monday night. in fact, more people watched david letterman than any of nbc's prime time shows. that number, more than 5 1/2 million viewers. >> don't kid yourself. things are still pretty bad. there's a possibility that i'll be the first talk show host impeached. >> all right. so he's laughing about it.

joking about the situation. not everybody thinks it's a laughing matter. has a lot of people talking, especially here at hln. you're calling us about this. we want to hear your views. here's the question, can a relationship survive infidelity? whether you're married or you're not, have you been through it? call us. 1-877-tell-hln. send us an e-mail at cnn.com/hln. send us a text. grab your cell phone. texas the word views with your comments and your name to hlntv. standard text rates do apply. talking about another poll here, a poll finds americans are evenly split on the plan to overhaul health care. the associated press gfk poll adults fooind 40% support the legislation working through congress and 40% oppose it. last month 49% opposed the health care reform plan and just 34% supported it. opposition among older americans dropped significantly, down some 16 percentage points. a lot of people still concerned about their health care. and if you are worried, you

may need to see a doctor about swine flu, a new interactive website just might help you. grab a pen, write this url down. it is www.h1n1responsecenter.com. you type in your age and answer a couple of questions about fever, other symptoms, as well as your overall health. the program might advise you probably have swine flu and may tell you just to stay at home, rest, drink fluids instead of i seeing a doctor. they'll tell you in more serious cases to get medical attention. the program is designed by doctors at emory university in atlanta to keep people who are not seriously ill from flooding already crowded emergency rooms. a celebrity chef is on a mission to start a school lunch revolution. as dr. sanjay gupta reports, the first step is trading tater tots for roasted potatoes. >> reporter: chef ann cooper is on a mission, to revolutionize the national school lunch program that feeds more than 30 million children a day.

>> school lunch in america today is chicken nuggets, tater tots, chocolate milk. >> reporter: this celebrity chef who has turned into a renegade lunch lady has already brought it from cafeterias in harlem, new york, to berkeley, california, and colorado. she tells us, she isn't stopping there. >> it's really, i mean, not easy to change but it's really changeable. i mean, you can change those chicken nuggets to roast chicken, tater tots to roast potatoes. >> reporter: parents came to hear her speak and experienced school lunch. chef ann style. >> it's really good. >> reporter: according to the cdc, one in three children born in the united states will develop diabetes. one in three. 30% of them are overweight. the cost to treat diabetes, $174 billion every year. >> we're going to pay now or we're going to pay later. we're going to pay now for healthy food and healthy kids or we're going to pay later with an obesity and diabetes crisis. >> reporter: cooper launched the free website called the

lunchbox.org with 80 recipes to spread the healthy lunch revolution to schools all across the country. for today's health minute, i'm dr. sanjay gupta. you have heard the old saying, when pigs fly, right? well, how about when sharks fly? check out one man's amazing encounter with a great white shark coming up on hln.

♪ some serious celebrating there. minnesota twins, the final team

to earn a spot in the baseball postseason. last night they beat the detroit tigers, 6-5, in an extra inning game. they went 12 inning, right? punch their ticket to the playoffs. the playoffs begin this afternoon when the colorado rockies visit the philadelphia phillies. the l.a. dodgers will host the st. louis cardinals tonight. in the american league, twins travel to new york to take on the yankees this evening while the l.a. angels of anaheim and the boston red sox start their series tomorrow. 45 nba players went back to college over the summer. not so they could dominate collegiate basketball courts, though. they went back to work on their degrees. we've seen this story in the "new york times." they say 10% of league's players returned to campus in the off season to finish what they started. many college players leave school early to turn pro. currently about 21% of nba players have undergraduate degrees. 21%. this is the first year in the nba players union that actually tracked that statistic.

ever go out cac kayaking? he took amazing pictures not of pelicans off the sunset beach but a bit more exciting. how about this? ten-foot great white shark flying through the air. researchers actually say it's not uncommon to see great whites breaching the water and soaring through the air, but as you can imagine, pretty rare to actually capture it on camera. the sharks pose little danger to the people in the water. this just might get you to reach for a beer, maybe this evening, but not too many, not too many. a new study shows heavy drinkers more anxious or depressed than people who have an occasional drink or two. why are non-drinker rs depressed? apparently the best explanation seems to be that people tend to be a little bit more social after having a drink, so non-drinkers have a harder time making friends. okay. the fbi at one point investigated anna nicole smith to see if she was involved in a

plot to kill is t. son of her tycoon husband. this was all during her lengthy court battle against him for his father's fortune. the associated press attained fbi document which say prosecutors decided there was not enough evidence to charge her. smith died in 2007 of a drug overdose. father of missing florida 5-year-old haleigh cummings is moving to divorce the child's stepmother, misty cummings was the last person to see little haleigh. and ronald cummings talked to nancy grace and suggested maybe now his wife will be able to speak more freely. >> the two of us have agreed to go separate ways and if, in the long run, something comes about haleigh, then she can -- you know, it will be whatever. >> police say cummings' teenage wife misty has not cooperated with authorities in that investigation and will not talk about what she was doing the night that haleigh disappeared.

she has denied any involvement though in the case. her attorney says he has not talked to her about the divorce just yet. and it probably won't affect the search for haleigh. people have webcams. do you have one? you know on your home computer for a lot of reasons. but an oklahoma woman recently got a bit of a surprise when she pulled up her webcam. how he helped foiled a burglary from the philippines.

if you have a webcam you might not have realized this possible. one woman nabbed burglars in her home even though she was thousands of miles away. the woman was in the philippines but she saw the burglars in oklahoma in her house on the webcam there on top her computer. she called her husband as she was watching this who was working at an air force base near the home. in oklahoma. he called 911. police were able to catch two of the suspects notice act. a third one was later apprehended. the woman id'd these guys from the philippines using pick churs that police had e-mailed to her. amazing. nation's capitol could be the next person to allow same-sex marriages. a bill introduced just last

night. the measure is almost certain 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 other places will you 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. aide to house speaker nancy pelosi says the issue is for d.c. to decide. a giant new ring discovered around saturn. it is so vast, apparently, it can hold a billion earths. wow! unlike saturn's other rings, this one is almost invisible because the ice, dust is so spread out. nasa was the one who found the ring with a special infrared telescope that picked up on its heat. two americans and israeli woman have won the nobel prize for chemistry they will be splitting this prize, $1.4

million for their work on the structure of ribosomos. they build protein. congratulations. you may be able to wear your shoes again through airport security. homeland security is now looking into new screening tests that would focus on body signals like eye movement, heart rate or even if you're fidgeting. those signs can indicate if you're up to something not so good and need secondary screening. >> there's been a large field of research that ties your reaction, your physical reactions to your mental state, your emotional state. we're looking for those signals that your body gives off naturally. >> it is an invasion of privacy. nobody has a right to look at my intimate body functions, my heart rate from afar. >> you just heard the aclu is against that. critics say the technology is impractical. fake tombstones on the front lawn has some people pretty

upset. take a look president royal barber put up the tombstones with his opponents names on them. he's run for a trustee in sill veinian township. other laughing but barber says he's just poking a little fun. >> you can see down here is the day of the election when i bury my opponents and i win trustee. >> i'm buried six feet under. three slots over. it's distasteful at the very least. some could say it's a threat. >> do you think it's a threat? >> it's halloween. by the way, that opponent talked to barber about this and barber decided to paint over his name. here is an idea that is making a house that's flood proof. you make it float. this prototype of a floating house was built in new orleans by brad pitt's foundation and in a flood the base of the house actually act as a raft. it's designed to ride out waters that are 12 feet deep and the

price tag $150,000. the designer hopes the house could be mass produced. the president of the maldeves is holding a cabinet meeting under water. a group of island in the ocean and global warming may lead his country submerged under water. they will sign a document calling for all countries to reduce carbon emissions. everyone is weighing in on health care and what should be done about it. listen to what lewis black told hln's joy behar last night. >> they said we have a death group. will you killer again? if you can do that, we should have really great health care. >> you can catch "the joy behar show" 9:00 eastern time on hln.

a mom is out there telling people don't make the mistake my son has made. >> i want parents to know what it can do to their kids. i want parents to be aware that this isn't an herbal supplement. >> hear what she's talking about.