we were laughed at last summer for asking for 13 security guards. we were laughed at when we said we need $80,000 worth of cameras. >> teachers cry foul after the gang rape of one of their students looking back at what could have helped prevent a 2 1/2-hour assault on a teen girl, and wie hear from her classmates well. also, they tried killing them. they tried working with them. now the u.s. will try to pay militants to quit the taliban in afghanistan. but their loyalty could be fleeting. >> that's ridiculous. >> ridiculous, some are saying.

you want to avoid that when it comes to swine flu, all of the coughing. but some folks are actually having parties so they can get sick. make any sense to you? all of those stories this morning on "morning express." i'm richard lui. hope you're having a good thursday. first off, the boxing match over your health care is entering a new round. this hour we expect house democrats to stop punching each other and finally unveil their health care reform bill. it has a government-run insurance plan called the public option. you have heard of that before. you might remember the senate version would allow states to opt out of the public option. the house bill would not do that. so they obviously have to come together on that. the house bill would allow doctors to negotiate reimbursement rates with the government. the bill's total price tag, more than $1 trillion over the next 10 years. we'll be watching those developments this morning. plus we're hearing from a friend of that 15-year-old california girl who was gang raped. she's angry, and she says there is plenty of blame to go around here. >> at the dance their four officers, none of them

patrolling the area. i looked outside of the gym, and i saw 12 to 15 guys sitting there with no i.d.s. the officers not only did they not check the i.d.s of those students or men sitting outside of our campus, but the security officers who are employed here did no job checking either. the assistant principal looked outside and actually saw those men and did nothing about it. >> all right. five people have been arrested in this case so far. three are juveniles and police say they are looking for as many as five more suspects, and ten or more people who watched the rape saturday did nothing. now, the victim was released from the hospital yesterday. of course, we're watching her situation. and then in about 15 minutes, you'll hear about the psychology and possible reasons behind why no one stepped in to try to help her. the bodies of at least 18 u.s. troops and federal agents killed in afghanistan are back

in the united states. and as you saw there, president obama was there to see their flag-draped coffins arrive home this morning. their deaths came in the deadliest month for u.s. forces since 2001, and at a time when the president is trying to decide whether or not to send more u.s. forces into harm's way. the 15 troops and 3 dea agents, by the way, who arrived home this morning were killed monday and tuesday in afghanistan. they died in a helicopter crash and roadside bombings. the world series is considered a u.s. classic and it got under way with some very prominent figures there. rafer weigel is watching all of it, every single minute. this is a fun time for thank you time of year, isn't it? >> it's a very fun time for me and it's a fun time for bob. he's a little sad today. you have to be nice to him. you're right, richard, nothing more american than the world series. one of the greatest traditions, yankees hosting philadelphia. first lady michelle obama was on hand, giving derek jeter a kiss. she and the second lady, joe

biden, along with former yankee yogi berra and iraq war veteran. the story of the game was this guy, phillies' pitcher cliff lee. look how cool that dude is. charlie manuel's like, whatever. look at this behind-the-back catch. lee went the entire distance. he struck out ten batters, pitched the whole game and won game one for philly. >> lee looked a little confident there. >> the guy said he was not nervous at all. he was unbelievable. he was like ben stein out there. >> he was awesome. thanks, rafer. this is a crazy story you want to stick around for here. people who deliberately expose themselves, rafer, to the h1n1 virus, the so-called swine flu virus, could be gambling with their lives. but they're doing this. the cdc posted the warning on the website. the idea here they are thinking of, these people are, infect each other now so they have immunity later on when a stronger strain might appear. health officials warn there's no way you'll know how sick you'll get trying to do this. >> we have no confirmation that anyone has actually done this,

but there's certainly lots of chatter on the internet. so we know that people are asking these questions. it just isn't a good idea. >> yeah. the cdc warn krxc warns even th virus is mostly mild so far, it has proven fatal and you should avoid others if you are sick. bob van dillen joins us right now. you're saying you didn't get that e-vite invitation? >> i have been turning the e-vites down for the swine flu theme. >> these strains change, too. if you get sick once, it may not help you. i'm trying to make sense of something that is not very sensible. >> can't do it. let me show you what's happening now. plenty of snow, lots of rain, too. here's a couple areas of low pressure. one is at the surface around oklahoma. another one behind that. that's right at the upper levels. right around albuquerque and denver. that's going to tighten up over the next couple of hours. everything is moving over towards the east. heavy rain out ahead of that. here's the warm sector. cold front jets down in through oklahoma. here's the warm front, goes down through memphis and back into the gulf of mexico.

thunderstorms with a warm front, big-time thunderstorms with the cold front. let me take you live to oklahoma city. you had that line race on through about an hour and a half ago. tower cams still showing the wet roads out there. you can see light showers off and on for the morning. temps around the low 60s for the afternoon. right now 56 is the low temperature. you get torz the region, i want to show you radar around oklahoma city. there's light rain. severe thunderstorms heading in towards the tulsa area. you see there the orange boxes. the yellow box, severe thunderstorm watch. it will last through the rest of the morning until the early afternoon. the snow races on up the rocky mountains and it's heavy at times. here's the denver radar. all of the blue you see here, all snow. notice the mile high city breaking up a bit. more snow on the east side. some of that will come back in the next couple of days. watching for heavy snow to pile up, purple shade. a foot of fsnow or more on the eastern side of colorado. rivers running high in texas. a lot of rain possible for eastern texas. mainly north of houston. this is sabine river near long

view. already overflowing its banks. watch for an additional one to two inches of rain just today. more on that in a little bit, richard. it's a cuff couple days here. i will detail it in a half hour. >> good padding if you like to ski outside colorado. >> so far. even boulder, 17 inches of snow. you have to love it. >> my word. we will talk more about the weekend. it's thursday. >> getaway day. >> everybody's getaway day. thanks, bob. right now for the second straight day, hundreds of thousands of people in the bay area are struggling through a nearly impossible ride to work because of that stuff right there. those are crews working in gusty winds to try to fix the bridge linking san francisco to oakland. 5,000 pounds of metal broke off and fell into traffic on tuesday. here's some of the live pictures coming from our affiliate kgo. it's about 7:07 a.m. local time there. pretty typical, but when you have hundreds of thousands of cars that can no longer cross that main bridge, that's a problem. so the d.o.t. not sure when the bridge will reopen.

this, of course, as this chopper cam is looking at all of the tough stuff that's happening there. record numbers are taking public transit, which is a good thing, and alternate routes are gridlocked, as you saw in the live pictures. we will be watching that for you. now to a bizarre incident just in time for halloween. a foot washed up on a beach, and it's not even the first time this has happened. plus -- in the news again. jon gosselin is not exactly the most loved celebrity in america right now. even his own girlfriend is talking.

a foot washed ashore in canada, and you might remember this because it's not the first time this has happened. canadian police say it is the seventh time in the last two years that a foot has wash add shore. this one was in a nike running shoe just south of vancouver. forensic tests are being done of the other six found. the only one identified belongs to a man believed to have killed himself.

a south carolina police officer spotted an suv in a cemetery, and the associated press says when he apoaoff. eventually the officer pulled the driver over. the ap says inside was a state's deputy assistant attorney general roland corning and an 18-year-old stripper. also in the suv, viagra and sex toys. according to the police report here, corning said he always has those things in his car. the two aren't charged with anything but he was fired yesterday and he has not commented about this. let's move to jon gosselin now. his own girlfriend does not have a lot of nice things to say about him. haley glassman said the former reality tv star of "jon and kate plus 8" is emotionally abusive. she told "the insider" gosselin calls and takes his anger out on her. she said she's sick of them but still loves gosselin. a lot of people love that story

about joss gosselin. >> i think you must be good at poker. you did a good job of reading that other story. >> the district attorney and the viagra and the sex toys. that was the one jen was here and trying to keep it together. >> i'm ruining your perfectly respectable newscast. >> not at all. jen westhoven is in the house. we have some signs, a sign that may mean the recession is over. on the flip side of that, it's just a number. a lot of people with that we hear from every day that say, hang on a second, i still don't have a job. things aren't good for me. what about this number? >> it's a number that is kind of hard to talk about because even though it's a good sign and it could mean that the economy's going to be pulling forward, a lot of people hear this and are very cynical about it. they say, i don't see anything like this. and if you're one of them, hey, in a way, you're right. we'll get to that. gross domestic product in the summer quarter, it rose. so technically the economy grew over the summer 3 1/2% on a yearly basis. look, that's the first time in a year we have seen a plus sign.

so the plus sign is good but it's raising all of these questions. is it real growth? we know uncle sam's pumping millions of dollars -- billions of dollars, pardon me nooshgs t, into the economy. is that part of it? a lot of this could be cash for clunkers, first-time housing credit. what economists want to know, does it really have any staying power, and is the jobs market going to catch up? but it does tell us that, you know, if this lasts, the recession technically speaking it over, and we are coming out of the worst recession in about 70 years. so still,ky imagine a lot of people are thinking, thanks a lot, jen. you're telling me the economy grew but i can't find a job around here, and you know, i understand that. and people do. the unemployment rate is near 10%, and there's a lot of concern it will be doubling. >> people e-mail you about this. >> they do. it's very frustrating to hear about these intellectual reports that don't really have anything to do with your life. there's a disconnect for sure.

i think we're skipping the next story. richard? >> it's an important story is certainly, jen. we'll talk to you again in about 15 minutes. >> yes. >> looking forward to it. if you know any bad drivers, don't hold it against them. some doctors say blame it on their genetics.

we've got more details now on that brutal gang rape outside of a california high school dance. and police have arrested five people. this is video we have for you of some of them in handcuffs, but they're looking for at least five more, and they say as many as ten people watched this, all without calling 911. one psychologist said those

bystanders may have been feeling what's called -- and you have heard this before -- group think. >> everybody was looking to the other like oh, is this -- i guess we're doing this. this is okay. no one's saying anything. and had one person stood up, had one person jumped in or said this isn't okay, it would have shifted the dynamic of that group very quickly. >> so why didn't somebody do that? other experts say potential bystanders may not have called 911 because they were scared of retaliation. that's part of the reason police are now offering a $20,000 reward for more information about the attackers there. more on that story later. let's now talk about bad drivers. you've seen them on the road, right? they may not be able to help it though after we tell you what is about this story. it could be because of their genes. a researcher found that people with a certain gene variant performed worse on a driving test than people without it.

he says about 30% of folks in the united states have this variant, and if you do all of the calculations, that's a lot of bad drivers. >> and a lot of them live here. >> a lot of them live in a lot of the major cities. >> definitely. >> i seem to attract them, too. >> no, you don't. >> not me, of course. the company that makeses slugger louisville baseball bats was found liable for the death of a young man killed by a baseball. rafer weigel has that story and taking your reaction as well. >> this could be a monumental decision. something like this could have a bit of a domino effect but it was definitely an emotional day for the family of the victim. their son killed by a line drive in 2003 by an alum knit bat. they awarded brandon patch's family $850,000 for the louisville slugger maker for failing to warn of the bats dangers. they said brandon didn't have enough time to react.

a slugger spokesman said the company did nothing wrong and it appears to be an indictment on the entire sport of baseball. very polarizing topic. we're asking what you're saying about it. here is what you're saying. sandy wrote -- in other news, jets quarterback mark sanchez's hot dog gig should be over after he made a dog-gone nice gesture. remember when san chazz ate that hot dog on the sidelines. he apologized for eating it. well, he then went out and bought 500 dogs andburg a burge donated them to a new jersey soup kitchen. >> great move. but it's just a hot dog. a philadelphia woman accused of trying to trade sex for world series tickets got her tickets the easy way. she didn't have to do anything.

my fox philly reports a local radio station gave her two tickets for game three for her and her husband. police charged her for misdmether prostitution after posting on craigslist asking for tickets and her lawyer said it is a misunderstanding and she's not guilty of it. speaking of the world series, all of the big wigs were out for it. we'll have it in the next half hour. i wonder what her husband was thinking as he sat at that game. >> he's going to be sitting at that game with her. >> that's what i'm saying. >> allegedly -- >> allegedly. but the camera when it zooms in on some of those fans, they'll be looking for that couple. >> we'll see. >> thanks, rafer. a former female ridwriter f "late night with david letterman" breaking her silence on what it was like to work there. on an exclusive interview with joy behar, she said she never slept with any staffers and walked away from her dream job because of a hostile wore environment. >> what's going on that made you leave? you loved the job. you loved the show. something was going on that made you feel uncomfortable. >> no. i was not going to flourish, and

it was just a situation where i was -- you know, you talked about it on "the view" yourself and how if you're doing your job and you're working hard and you're in the middle of a soap opera, then, you know, that's not -- i wasn't going to thrive professionally. and, you know, i didn't get the memo as a young girl that said, you should have low self-esteem and put up with crap. so i just -- i quit. >> you can catch "the joy behar show" at 9:00 p.m. eastern here on hln. do not miss that. former detroit mayor kwame kilpatrick in the news again. he is suing over those sexy text messages that led to his jail term. his more than $2.5 million from the lawyer who says leaked a message to a newspaper. kilpatrick said the lawyer was supposed to turn over all copies of the messages. kilpatrick's attorney said any money he gets will go to the city of detroit, to which he

owes restitution. the fbi moved in on a group accused of trying to set up an islamic state in the united states. but soon after agents arrived, bullets started flying. 

7:30 a.m. local time. live pictures right now coming from a chopper cam from our affiliate wtla. what we hear, two people shot in a synagogue in north hollywood. very early in the morning. we'll bring you more details as we learn. they're zooming in on the synagogue. of course, this could be an ongoing crime scene. want to be careful about the live pictures we bring to you as well. again, two people shot in north hollywood. we'll be following that for you. any moment now, we're expecting house democrats to unveil their health care reform bill. it has a government-run insurance plan called the public option, which you have heard of before. remember the senate version on the other side would allow states to opt out of the public option. the house bill would not do that. but it would allow doctors to

negotiate reimbursement rates with the government. the bill's total price tag, more than a trillion dollars over ten years. we're watching that. plus this just in to us, and that is iran has given an initial response to a deal about its nuclear program. we just learned this in the last 40 minutes. but we don't know exactly what that response is as of yet. we're getting this word from the u.n.'s nuclear watchdog group, the iaea. and then earlier within the last 24 hours, iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad, said his country is ready to cooperate. the deal could reduce the amount of material iran has to make a nuclear bomb. iran denies its program is to make weapons. all eyes of the world watching this. we'll see what that response is when we get exactly what those words are from the iaea. new this morning, the british navy has found an empty yacht floating off the coast of africa. it's feared the owners may have been kidnapped by somali pirates. british officials have been searching for paul and rachel

chandler for days. they were heading for tanzania when a distress signal went out. we'll keep you posted on that. a deadly gun battle broke out when fbi agents raided a group accused of trying to establish a separate islamic state within the united states. the fbi says the group's leader was killed during one raid in michigan yesterday and a shootout with agents. confidential sources told authorities he encouraged his followers to use guns to achieve their results. eight suspects were arrested and charged with criminal conspiracy. three are still on the loose. and now we are learning some more details yet about that brutal gang rape outside a high school homecoming dance. the 15-year-old victim, now out of the hospital. that's good news. police in richmond, california, say it will take years for her to recover emotionally. investigators say they are attackers would have had to jump a fence to get onto campus where that had happened, and school officials admit no one was patrolling that area. >> we had four uniformed police

officers and a number of teachers and administrators who were both inside and outside. we didn't do a perimeter walk of the school, and this is on the far side of the school at the perimeter. >> police say the attack lasted 2 1/2 grueling hours. some members of the taliban are going to get paid by the u.s. military thanks to the new spending bill president obama just signed. now, this program is based on the idea that some local militants just need a job. so the u.s. will pay them to quit the taliban. cnn security analyst peter bergen said it's a cost-effective way to get people to lay down their arms. critics say the u.s. is buying temporary loyalty at best. okay, good thursday for you. bob van dillen, our meteorologist joins us right now. he has a storm he's been watching for us. it's headed your way, especially if you're in chicago. what is it looking like now? >> chicago, cloudy skies coming in with rain overnight tonight. we were watching the storm develop over the last couple of days. here it is. upper level low, that's the real

powerhouse part of it. the energy is rotating around it down to the south and it's forming into heavy rain now driving up through iowa, in towards minneapolis. on the way in towards western wisconsin and western illinois. but can you see trat rejectry, basically due north. it's going to take time to move eastward. behind it, it is all snow. they're just getting blasted right now right across eastern parts of colorado. yeah, you can see right there, here's the heaviest snow bin. that's the real dark shade of blue. this snow is coming down at a rate of an inch, maybe inch and a half per hour, and that will continue for at least the next couple hours. how much snow in the last 24 to 48? most falls this morning into the early afternoon but the purple shade of color is a foot of snow or more. that is all rolling over to the ext we have all kinds of winter storm warnings ahead of that because of the reason it is moving over this way. so look at this, when you get towards wyoming in towards western nebraska, south dakota, winter storm warnings. those are the red-shaded counties. again, an additional maybe 20 inches of snow in some spots. that's what we are watching. the big picture shows a lot of

rain moving into k.c. but we have seen the rain over the last couple of periods of hours really tapering off in that region. get over towards denver, the snow continues. let me show you video. the last 24 hours i have seen reports of as much as 38 inches of snow. that is across places in northern parts of colorado, even cheyenne, wyoming, the snowiest october, richard, on record. 24 inches of snow and still falling. >> i could be a dufus when it comes to snow, but 38 inches just seems huge. >> between laramie, wyoming, and cheyenne, wyoming, i-80 closed down because of snow and accidents. there's your global warming. >> you could be walking down the street and see somebody. >> naturally being sarcastic. >> thank you, sir. >> you got it, buddy. live now, house democrats showing us their health care bill. nancy pelosi coming up to the microphone at the moment. what she's going to talk about includes a government-run insurance program, the so-called public option, very controversial. we're listening in and we'll bring you more details about what the bill is, what nancy pelosi is saying about what this means for health care reform in

the united states and, of course, that's just the house. we have the other side. we have the senate and what they're doing. this is all being debated and we are going to listen in to what nancy pelosi is saying. a man accused of murder insists he's innocent. why he says his weight proves there's no way he could have done it.

breaking news right now. our chopper cam pictures from a little bit earlier. l.a. police saying two people were shot in the legs at a synagogue in north hollywood, and it's being called a hate

crime. we're just getting in this story about ten minutes ago, so it's about 7:38 local time. very early in the morning. police say the attacker was black and the victims were jewish. both men who were shot are in stable condition. the search for the suspect continues. we'll bring you more details. we're watching some live pictures on the scene, too. of course, we're being careful. stay with us as the morning progresses right here on hln. a man told a jury that he was too fat to commit murder. edward ates is accused of climbing a staircase to kill his former son-in-law who was in a custody dispute with his daughter. prosecutors day he cleaned up the crime scene and made a fast getaway before police arrived. the defense says at the time of the crime, he weighed 285 pounds and was just too unhealthy. >> he's short of breath, sleep apnea, debeaiabetes. classic overweight guy. yet they say he fired a shot from four steps down, jumped up,

fired five shots, all of which hit their target. >> did you care about him one way or the other? >> no, sir. >> did you murder him? >> no, i did not. >> i have nothing further. thank you. >> prosecutors say he researched how to build gun silencers, and did internet searches on how to commit the perfect murder. ♪ all right. deals reached which could mean an extension of the $8,000 home buyer tax credit. money expert jen westhoven. we were talking about this yesterday. would it just be for first-time buyers? that's the debate, right. >> there's been a lot of debate about that. i tell you, richard, a lot more people could qualify to get a helping hand from the government to buy a different home. under the new agreement struck by senate leaders, this will be some good news in a bad economy if this goes through, if you're a home buyer. basically, if you lived in your home for five years and you have been wanting to move, you could qualify. $6,500 money back through your

taxes. first-time buyers get that $8,000 tax credit and they would extend all of this through april. right now, the current tax credit, that clock runs out at the end of november. all right. out of the credit cards, richard, that big banks offer online, every single one of them would not pass the new federal rules that crackdown on credit cards. every one of them. >> those rules have been out for a while, too. >> well, some of them have been out. they don't technically go into effect until february 22nd. >> right. >> all of them. in the meantime, according to this new report out this important from the pew charitable trust, every single one had tricks and traps in them. they also found that credit cards from credit unions, often kinder with fewer fees, and that, surprise, you didn't get to take advantage of the low interest rates through your credit cards over the past few years, right? credit card rates -- i'm sorry, rates went down but your credit card rates did not go down. >> but they've got time is what

you're saying? they have time to correct it? >> yes. don't be distracted by that million dollar bill you just received. i'm sorry, i'm trying to kill that video. it's just not dead yet. a little bit of a weird story from walmart this morning. i guess -- i don't think they meant it to be in time for halloween but they're selling caskets online. costco sells them, too. only online. you will not see them in the stores. they want to remind you. but they're apparently cheaper than at the funeral homes. prices range from about $900 to about $3,000 for the top of the line casket. >> walmart is selling efrlg nveg nowadays. >> on that note, happy halloween. >> you, too, my friend. i know you will be gone tomorrow. have a very good weekend. let's head over to chuck roberts right now, who joins us here on the crazy set to tell us about what he's going to be doing at noon. we're going to be talking about, of course, the "your view" seg mtd. what is interesting about this is the question about monogamy and infidelity, which always is

a debatable subject when it comes to some of the stories we tell nowaudes. >> celebrity breakups, divorce rates, you name it, philanders, famous philanders, and people living longer than they ever did. it was picked off a story on the cnn website and, wow, did it generate a lot of hits. here's the site itself. there it is, mate debate, is monogamy realistic? so many people weighing in on that topic so we thought we would let you weigh in on this. it's also pegged in a book by a couple happily married for 32 years. they wrote a book called "the myth of mon og ogamy" had a lot say on this. we want your views on this. basically the state of play of playing around. e-mail us now at cnn.com/hln. the toll free number, 877-835-5456. you can also weigh in on facebook and text us as well. we hope to hear from you today. >> you've got gender.

you've got genetics. all of the stuff you can talk about. >> people are married for 60 years now because they're living longer. is that realistic? what's happen something. >> it will be a good conversation. chuck roberts at noon eastern. about an hour and 15 minutes. be around for that. thank you, chuck. they say everything in texas is bigger and that includes hometown provide. in our series "my city, my secret," country singer aaron watson shares some of his favorite hangouts deep in the heart of abilene. >> howdy, folks. i'm country singer aaron watson but they call me the honky-tonk kid. ♪ i can still see you standing there ♪ ♪ it's me in the county fair ticket line ♪ >> i live in abilene, texas, and i want to show you some of my favorite hangouts. we're here at the abilene zoo. this is one of my favorite spots to take my two little boys. abilene zoo is a hidden gem because it's rare for a town of this size to have such a fantastic zoo. my favorite attraction here at the zoo is our new white tiger. what did you say? here we are at bogey's downtown

abilene, texas. you can order something off the menu or they can help you build your own sandwich. it's an enjoyable eating experience. it's kind of the cheers of downtown abilene. this is the historic paramount theater. we did our album cover here for my "honky tonk kid" cd, in which i got to sing with willie nelson. when you first walk into the paramount, you're just overwhelmed with the detail and how fancy everything is. so it's always been a place that i enjoy to not only see movies in but have my own concerts. those are my city's secrets. now show me yours. go to ireport.com/mycitymy secret. >> thank you, sir. a city's giving away money in hopes of getting some back. but have you to rat out some people to get that money. plus, the neighborhood pizza shop doesn't exactly serve his kind. so this deer broke in after hours looking for a slice.

is this progress? well, right now house democrats are showing us their health care plan. it includes a government-run insurance program. the so-called public option. how speaker nancy pelosi just

finished saying that the bill would not increase the federal deficit and it would cost $894 billion over 10 years. this is what she said just a short time ago. >> it reduces the deficit, meets president obama's call to keep the cost under $900 billion over 10 years, and it insures 36 million more americans. 36 million more americans. >> all right. it's financed largely through a combination of a tax hike on wealthy u.s. citizens and spending constraints in medicare and medicaid. of course, this is just the house version at the moment. there's some fallout from andre agassi's admission of drug use and some more stunning revelations coming out as well. rafer weigel with that story and more. now, we were telling this story to our viewers yesterday. >> yeah, and i tell you, richard, this book looks like it's going to really sell because a lot -- but there's going to be fallout as well. after agassi admitted that he wrote in an upcoming au autobiography that he took crystal meth in play hissing

days, well, now the world anti-doping agency wants authorities to look into just how he was not suspended after testing positive. remember, he said he accidently drank a laced soda. "sports illustrated" got an advanced copy of the book, which is due out next month. in another stunning admission, he writes about his hatred for his father, and that his dad was violent and even pulled a handgun on a driver. and, kids, it's an american classic. it's the world series. the yankees hosted the phillies. first lady michelle obama on hand, along with joe biden, former yankee yoga berra, iraqi war veteran. but the game veteran, cliff lee. charlie manuel, oh, yeah. look at the behind-the-back catch. this dude was so cool, he pitched the entire game, struck out ten. philly wins game one. if you can't get to work today because of the bay bridge, and there are some of you, you can do what the houston rockets did. with the closure, they could not get to their game in oakland from their hotel. thought about taking public transportation, you know, the

marta. >> right. >> cops saying not a good idea. so you know what they did? took a ferry, and they were on time. >> they were. >> and it's believed to be an nba first. >> you sometimes forget there's actually ferries in that part of the country. >> and they won the game. the jury awarded a family $850,000 after louisville makes bats. brandon patch's family broke down and cried when the verdict came down. they argued the company didn't adequately warn of the bat's dangers, since balls hit by them travel at higher speeds than wooden bats. a spokesman for the company says the bat maker did nothing wrong. leeann posted on our facebook page, when we as parents sign our children up for sports, we know the risks and we take precautions with providing them with the appropriate safety gear. and katrina writes, why can the parents not take the responsibility and say it was our fault for not knowing the dangers of baseball? this is what society has come to

expect. but the majority of them actually have been against this ruling. i mean, there's no question that the balls come off the aluminum bats fast perp the argument is whether or not the company should be liable. and most of the people don't feel they should be on our facebook page, anyway. >> thanks, rafer weigel. let's take you back to the breaking news we've been watching off southern california. l.a. police saying two people were shot in the legs at a synagogue in north hollywood and it's been called a hate crime. police say the attacker was black and the victims were jewish. both men who were shot are in stable condition. we're just getting this news in within about the last 45 to 50 minutes here on hln. the search for the suspect, thatten continues. we're watching what's coming out of southern california. we'll get you those details when we learn of them. no one likes a tattletale, so chicago is considering offering some encouragement. according to the "chicago sun-times," the city's 2010 budget includes cash rewards for ratting out businesses that cheat on their taxes.

imagine that in the city of chicago. the reward would be a share of the recovered tax money. a revenue department official says it usually takes an incentive to get competing businesses or employers to blow the whistle. a woman is beginning to bounce back after a frightening experience with the swine flu. but her road to recovery could be incredibly long. 

right now on "showbiz tonight," mad over michael's movie. tonight, the explosive new claims about michael jackson's "this is it" as the movie opens around the world. >> let's do it one more time. ♪ the way you make me feel >> tonight, the great debate about new claims today the movie exploits michael, that the movie should have been included jackson's drug use. we have seen the movie and wait until you hear what we found out. the andre agassi drug

shocker. the tennessee legend's startling confessions about using crystal meth, about his marriage to brooke shields. plus, levi johnston's claim today that he has some bombshell secrets about sarah palin. levi's ominous-sounding words on the cbs "early show". >> i have things that could, you know, that would get her in trouble and that could hurt her, will hurt her. >> 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. and tonight, mad over michael. the michael jackson documentary "this is it" opened around the world today. and i can tell you that i've seen it, but i can also tell you that there are explosive new controversies tonight surrounding the movie. all of this made for big news breaking today. all around the world today, people lined up to see the movie

about the rehearsals for what was supposed to be jackson's big concert comeback. but there were explosive accusations today that the movie exploits michael and it covers up his addiction to drugs. and on the same day the movie opened, jackson's former plastic surgeon makes the wild claims that he injected michael with drugs 51 times in the last three months before he died. with us tonight in new york, "people" magazine film critic, leah rosen, who was right there with me last night at the screening of "this is it." also with us in new york, carolina bermudez, senior editor for "in touch weekly," and megan alexander with "inside edition." and was out, celebrating michael jackson's life and his talent. but there is a dark side here that's getting a lot of attention. there are claims that the film exploits michael's legacy, ignores the controversy over his addiction to drugs.

carolina, as i mentioned, you were right there, you saw it. do you buy the theory that this film exploits michael? >> absolutely not. that's not what this movie is about. this is a movie a celebration of who michael was, not only as an entertainer, but as a real person. you got to see that side of him that you never got to see before and it was a mesmerizing experience. i can only say that. i didn't know if i was able to see the show, but seeing the movie now, i am so grateful that kenny ortega did what he did. >> there are a lot of people with you, saying, back off if you're criticizing this. jermaine jackson tells "showbiz tonight" nothing but good will come out of this film. watch this. >> it's going to show the humane side to him and to show people what he was prepared to do. the world will learn that my brother is a human being and he's a wonderful person. and they are going to see that. >> i mean, i think, despite the fact that it was essentially a

rehearsal, we did get to see his humanity. as i mentioned, i saw the movie. look, as a base line, i think anything that is making money off of michael jackson now that he's died, theoretically, technically, does exploit him, but the truth is, this is a movie the fans are going to want to see. this is a movie people who were going to see those concerts deserve to see. and anybody who may have been wavering about how talented he was should go see this movie. leah, do you think this movie is at all ex-employexploittive to jackson? >> the fact that they've got in theaters so so soon after his death is indeed a little exploitative. their not saying, here, let us show you evidence of your drug use, here, not at all. it's really a look at michael jackson, the artist. >> that's what's happening as we're seeing some of the protests.

not mentioning the drug use. some jackson films are protesting this film and this online movement with this website called this is not it. and one of the major beefs they have with the way jackson is being portrayed is they say this movie gives a distorted view of jackson's health in the last days of hi life. but as far as i'm concerned, the whole point of this movie was to honor michael jackson, give us a glimpse of his artistry and his immense talent. it is not a documentary about the final days of his life. megan, let me ask you, is there anything wrong with this film only wanting to show michael in the best possible light? >> michael, you said it. and that exploitative film, it will come. it was not an expose, it was a tribute to the life and legend of michael jackson. it is what the fans wanted. and from what i hear, it was almost two hours of all those incredible songs and dance moves that we love to see. and people got to see michael jackson perform one last time. >> yeah, no, it was really enjoyable. and wow, what a spectacular

concert the this is it show would have been. really, the effects and everything else that went into it, really mind blowing. and some people, though, who were complaining about this, went as far to say, parts of the film had a body double for michael jackson. not as far as i could tell. but, you know, who knows? body doubles, you shouldn't be able to tell. at the premiere last night, kenny ortega, the guy that directed it, the choreographer for the movie for the concert series. he tells "showbiz tonight" that the idea of a body double, a bunch of bunk. >> absolutely no body doubles and it's all michael and it's unguarded and real and he's beautiful. >> this body double is pretty outrageous. but there are also complaints that the dancer should have shown their reaction to the news that jackson died. apparently cameras were rolling. carolina, i think that would have been exploitive. >> i don't think that that would have made the movie any better. i think that was a personal

thing the cast had to go through themselves, having worked with michael jackson, day after day. that was something that they needed to keep to themselves. that would have definitely gone down the route of exploitation. and i think it was very tasteful that he decided to leave that out. >> i wasn't even watching this, thinking about the fact that michael died, to be perfectly honest with you. what i did think of, i felt sadness for these dancers and this close-knit family that had formed. these people gettinging to live out their dreams. some of michael's family members expressed concern over the fact that michael would not have wanted his fans to see him rehearsing, because that would have shown him as imperfect. he would have wanted them to see the finished, polished product. at the hollywood premiere last night, paula abdul told "showbiz tonight" that his performance in "this is it" was topnotch. here's paula. >> it's an important movie to see, because even though michael would never want anyone to see him like halfway rehearsed, but he gave fullout, even during rehearsals, every single one of them. >> and that said, don't be

disillusioned if you're going to see the film. he did hold back his voice to save it. it was raw rehearsal footage and it was very unpolished at times, baa that's what i found fascinating about it. leah, what do you think? michael's performances in this, will it satisfy his fans? >> i think it will satisfy ardent fans. i think those of us who wanted a look at a man behind the man in the mirror, you're a little dissatisfied. he never lets his hair down, literally, it's in a ponytail the whole time. but you don't see him joking, you don't see him talking about his children. you get a sense of michael jackson the artist, less of a sense of michael jackson, the man. >> yeah, you know, carolina, i would like you to chime in on that, having seen the film, because i did walk out wishing i had seen even more context. we have seen very little behind the scenes footage of michael. since he died, we saw some home video footage that had been shot. we do see interaction with the dancers and the way he went through the creative process, but a little more context is probably the only thing i was

hoping for here. >> that would have been nice, definitely. i think we saw michael as the micromanager. he was so meticulous, a perfectionist, definitely, by every sense. and it would have been nice to get that little insight into how michael was as just a guy, hanging out, maybe messing up a rehearsal here and there, but no, this shows you what kind of a performer michael jackson was. and if you've ever questioned he was one of the greatest performers ever, this movie will prove it. >> for anybody that has wavered about michael jackson throughout the years, this will remind them that this is a great artist here. >> certainly a hardworking one. you see him sweat. the one thing that is open for criticism, he goes on and on about his love for the environment and where the planet is going, yet looking at the size of this production, these were huge production numbers. >> kind of a big carbon footprint going on there. >> thanks to all of you. do not forget, you can read more

on michael's new movie in the latest issue of "people" magazine on newsstands friday. and in just a few minutes, we'll reveal to you the shocking claims by michael's dermatologist that he gave michael 53 injections in the months before he died. and andre agassi's shocking drug confessions. he's talking about using crystal meth and also revealing a lot about his marriage to brooke shields. really shocking stuff here. plus, levi johnson says he's got a lot of dirt left to dish about sarah palin. is it payback time for what sarah has said about him? >> are you hurt by all this? >> i was, yeah. now it's just kind of like, all right, well now it's my turn. >> wait until you hear what levi has to say about the kind of dirt he has on sarah palin. and sex and the series. a woman allegedly willing to trade sex for world series tickets. wow. 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.

welcome back to "showbiz tonight." i'm a.j. hammer in new york. tonight, it's a showbiz special report. oh, so fabulous. female stars who make over 40, look fabulous. "showbiz tonight" and "more" magazine have teamed up to bring you the incredible story of some of hollywood's biggest female

stars who just seem to get better and better with age. the women that we're about to reveal really prove that age, it ain't nothing but a number. here's "showbiz tonight's" brooke anderson. >> your visa application is denied. you're being deported. >> deported? >> reporter: 45-year-old sandra bullock plays a woman desperate to get married in "the proposal." but "showbiz tonight" can tell you her body of work goes way beyond acting. >> hello? >> oh! >> oh, my god. you're naked? >> why are you wet? >> and who can forget halle berry's sexy turn in as a bond girl in "die another day." >> magnificent view. >> it is, isn't it? >> reporter: it sure is. it's women over 40 in hollywood, and they really know how to pack a punch. >> they say 40 is the new 30, i

don't know, maybe it's the new 20. when you reach 40, you become the woman that you are. i think and that shows in their work. >> reporter: it sure does. now "showbiz tonight" and "more" magazine are teaming up to reveal the top hollywood women in film who make over 40 and look absolutely fabulous, no matter what part they're playing for the camera. say hello to 60-year-old meryl streep who plays the pompous fashion editor miranda priestley in "the devil wears prada." >> you have no style or sense of fashion. >> i think that depends on what you're -- >> no, no. that wasn't a question. >> reporter: and there's no question streep could easily pass for the real julia child in the movie "julia and julia." >> i'm julia child. bon appetit. >> reporter: streep is so good that actress zborny weaver tells "showbiz tonight" she thinks it

was streep's best work yet. >> she was flooded with light and life. i think she was awesome. >> reporter: and so do we. but she's not alone. let's hear some applause for 51-year-old michelle pfeifer, everybody's favorite cat woman. >> it's okay, i had to go home and feed my cat. meow. >> she made black spandex look great. >> reporter: and pfeifer looks great in real life too. >> she says she works hard at it and works hard at the gym and does it almost every single day. >> reporter: working hard is just another day in the life of our next fabulous over 40 star, cate blanchett. he's even played a man. she channeled singer bob dylan in the 2007 movie "i'm not there." >> who cares what i think. i'm not the president. >> reporter: and cate has proven time and time again that she's more than just a pretty face.

remember when she starred in "elizabeth" that same year? >> she shaved her eyebrows and shaved her hair back. >> i have a hurricane in me that will stick spain bare if you dare to try me. >> reporter: these daring women in film set the bar high and make women over 40 look absolutely fabulous, giving women everywhere a reason to celebrate. >> and they are certainly not the only fabulous female stars over 40. we're looking at kim and others. please pick up a copy of this month's "more" magazine. you'll find it on newsstands right now. well, everybody wants to be starting something on the "showbiz on call" phone lines. people calling in from all over the place. a lot of reaction to the michael jackson movie, "this is it," which of course just came out today. we've got a call into "showbiz on call" from deana in alabama.

deana says she thinks michael's father, joe jackson, should not profit from his son's death. >> this is about mr. jackson receiving money from the films off of michael jackson. i don't think it's fair oned by. i think he should never get another penny. he ought to live on what he's got and nothing else. >> we also heard from sharon calling into "showbiz on call" from india. sharon says it's fine for the jackson family to be making money from this movie. >> everyone else who was not a jackson is getting paid off of michael jackson. why shouldn't a jackson get paid? i think the jacksons should benefit from michael's death. >> thank you, sharon. the "showbiz on call" phone lines are open all the time, 1-888-sbt-buzz is the number. that's 1-888-728-2899. well, levi johnston has plenty of dirt left to dish about sarah palin. >> i mean, i have things that would get her in trouble and would hurt her. >> yeah, what kind of secrets

is, you know, levi keeping about sarah palin? we want to know. also, andre agassi's shocking drug confession. wait until you hear what he has to say about how much crystal meth he used to do. and he has something to say about being married to brooke shields too. and things get really dark on the late "late show" with craig ferguson. you've got to see this incredible moment when something totally unexpected happened right in the middle of craig's interview with a big, big star. 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.

tonight on "showbiz tonight," andre agassi's agonizing confession. the former bad boy tennis star tells all about using crystal meth. and his never-before-heard revelations about his marriage to brooke shields. and as michael's new movie debuts today, his former doctor reveals the mind-blowing number of injections he gave m.j. just weeks before he died. tonight, what the doctor wants and why. and also, brand-new today, levi johnston's explosive sarah palin claims. >> i mean, i have things that could, you know, that would get her in trouble and could hurt

her. >> levi, are you really on a one-man mission to destroy your son's grandmother? plus, more stories breaking from the "showbiz news ticker," tv's first most provocative entertainment news show continues right now! 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, andre agassi's shocking confessions about using crystal meth while playing tennis, about his marriage to brooke shields. what we learned today about the tennis legend from the tennis legend is truly jaw dropping. agassi has just written a tell-all book, and when i say tell-all, i mean he tells all. which made for big news breaking today. >> reporter: he was the bad boy of tennis, with his long hair and devil may care persona,

andre agassi ruled the tennis courts and the airwaves in the '90s. >> that ought to wake up the country club. >> reporter: but "showbiz tonight" can tell you, andre agassi is now revealing a shocking secret, that at the height of his fame, andre agassi used crystal meth. >> andre reveals in his book he was a user of crystal meth. that he was introduced to it actually by his assistant and it affected his game. >> reporter: the new issue of "people" magazine features excerpt from agassi's new autobiography, "open." he writes, i've never felt so alive, so hopeful, and above all, i've never felt such energy. i don't sleep for two days. uh but agassi got a huge scare when he failed a drug test. faced with suspension from tennis, agassi now admits he lied his way out of the jam. >> he said he drank a soft drink from his former assistant who used to spike his own soda with crystal meth. andre said he drank it and

that's why his test failed. >> reporter: he says, that incident scared him away there dugs. he writes, quote, i've never been so disgusted with myself. i tell my, i'm done with drug. he also dishes about his two-year marriage to actress brooke shields. >> he admits he had a jealous fit. >> he watched about a jealous fit he threw as he watched brooke tape a guest appearance on "friends." >> just to be near them, touch them, maybe even lick one. >> he got out of his chair, he was very angry, pushed the door open ready to leave the set telling brooke he wasn't going to watch brooke lick matt leblanc's hands. >> reporter: in his book, he makes a more scandalous revelation. remember the long hair he was known for back in his heyday. let's just say it wasn't all agassi. >> one of the biggest

revelations in this book, andre cops up to wearing a hairpiece. >> reporter: still, even more than his hairpiece, it's his crystal meth admission everyone is talking about. >> image is everything. >> reporter: and if image really is everything, is agassi's image now in danger? >> although andre's image may take a bit of a beating, he's really doing great work with children, he runs an organization who helps children that are victims of war and persecution. he launched a charter school in vegas. so all the great work he's doing with his wife for kids is going to help counter any negative image that comes as a result of these revelations of drug use. >> so is agassi a rebel without a cause or are his shocking method revelations an ace for his career? joining me tonight in hollywood, hyla, an entertainment journalist with fivedollarprep.com. also in new york, megan alexander, a correspondent with "inside edition." a lot of people today having a really hard time wrapping hair heads around agassi's shocking revelations, especially that he

used crystal meth when he was a tennis superstar. people finding that so hard to believe. megan, what were you think when you first heard this? >> it was pretty shocking. i always have been a huge andre agassi fan, but i noticed in his article with "people" magazine, he said, if you're going to tell your story, you owe it to yourself to tell it honestly. i have to admire him for his honesty here and i wonder what an incredible burden that has now been lifted from his shoulders. imagine keeping that dark secret a secret from so many people for so long. it's very interesting that he feels he needs to reveal it and one has to admire him for telling the truth. >> a good point. another point that he makes is that the name of the book is "open," i don't have a choice, i've got to be open about everything. and you've got to hear how andrey agassi describes the first time he used crystal meth. he writes in the book that his assistant named slim, quote, dumps a small pile of powder object coffee table. he cuts it, i snort some. there is a moment of regret followed by vast sadness.

then comes a tidal wave of euphoria. i've never felt so alive, so hopeful, and above all, i've never felt such energy. hyla, i mean, this is a guy known as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. what do you think an admission like this now does to his legacy? >> i don't think it affects it as all. his image has been set in stone for a long time. here's a guy who's in a sport that the average retirement age is around 30 years old. so everything that he accomplished and all the transformations he went through from being a bad boy into a good boy, that is his legacy now. him doing the crystal meth, that's his bad boys day. i don't think anyone's going to judge him for that. he's just being honest. and you know, he's probably beating someone to the chase. either this assistant or some tennis official ratting him out, it's better to hear him do it in his own words on his terms. >> i agree with you there. let's move on now to another story that is breaking today. on the very same day michael jackson's new movie "this is it" opened up worldwide, we learned

that jackson's former dermatologist, dr. arnold klein, has made incredible claims in a lawsuit against jackson's estate. documents were obtained by tmz, and in those documents, the estate apparently owes him almost $50,000 for dermatology services. those are the claims. he also claims that he performed 179 procedures on jackson three months before he died. the claim states, klein gave jackson 51 injections of demerol within three months of michael's death. megan, it may be dr. kline was up against a filing deadline here, he had to get it in, but i thought, what a case of bad timing. do you agree? it comes across as being at least pretty insensitive, filing this claim, just as this movie made to honor jackson hits theaters. >> i do agree, a.j.. it seems to be very poor taste to file it on this particular day when we're celebrating what a great entertainer michael jackson was. but i guess it reminds us that so many people wanted a piece of michael jackson and still do.

so many people are looking for their way to cash in. even somebody like dr. klein, who has spoken out about being a good friend of michael's for so many years, he's still going after the money. >> and the truth is, listen, if he was owed money by jackson and his estate now has an obligation to pay that, then he should perhaps see it through. i don't know if you just dismiss a $50,000 claim, you know, simply because michael died. i'm not saying that, but just days after jackson died, dr. klein was right there on cnn's larry king live. and he talked about the drugs that he used when he treated michael. you've got to watch what he says. >> i mean, i've used some sedatives for, you know, when he had surgical procedures that were immense, because don't forget, he had the burn when he was burnt on the pepsi commercial and a severe hair loss when he contracted lupus also. >> larry: what was the strongest medication you gave him? >> i once on occasion gave him demerol to sedate him. >> on occasion. again, that claim saying 51 times right before he died.

dr. klein went on larry king saying, hey, i didn't do anything wrong. hyla, what do you think? filing this claim another way for klein to say, hey, i'm good, i didn't do anything wrong, i have no problem talking about this stuff. >> it's like buying meat at the supermarket. there's so many people in line trying to cash in, at some point, it's kind of background noise. "this is it," that's going to be the big headline, this is going to be secondary. i don't think it's going to affect how people feel walking out of the theater. >> hyla, megan alexander, thanks so much. we've been asking you to vote on our "showbiz tonight" question of the day, it is this, the michael jackson movie, will you go to see "this is it"? you can e-mail us at showbiztonight@cnn.com. tonight, and i know you're excited about this, he's back! levi johnston's brand-new claims today that he has bombshell secrets about sarah palin. the father of sarah palin's grandson says it may be payback time. >> are you hurt by all of this? >> i was, yeah.

now it's just kind of like, all right, well, now it's my turn. >> wow, seriously? it's levi's seemingly unending vendetta against sarah palin. plus, the stunning results of a new poll on how trustworthy sarah really is. kate gosselin's new career move. days after telling the world she wants to be a big-time movie star, is kate about to make a stunning about-face and leave her life as a celebrity behind? tonight, the news that could change kate's life forever. plus, sex and the series. the baseball world series, that is. wait until you hear the totally off the wall story about a woman offering to trade sex for world series tickets. yeah, you heard me. but wait until you hear all the racy details. this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. it's time now for 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. tonight, levi's sarah secrets. the father of sarah palin's grandson, levi johnston, made a brand-new bombshell claim today that he has some explosive secrets about sarah. in a brand-new interview this morning, levi made a stunning claim that he knows some things that could hurt sarah palin in a very big way. also breaking tonight, sex and the series. some people will just do about anything to get tickets to the world series between the phil e phillies and the yankees, but this woman, she takes the top prize. 43-year-old susan finkelstein allegedly offered sex in exchange for tickets. is this the dumbest move ever? joining me tonight in new york, carolina bermudez, a senior editor for "in touch weekly," and also with me in new york, steven smith, a music and pop

culture expert. let's begin with levi johnston's interview on the cbs "early show." in the brand-new interview, when levi was asked exactly what i would have asked, why do you continue to slam sarah, levi gave what i thought was a shocking answer. >> sarah really didn't like me. i knew todd didn't like me. so they were kind of betraying me at the same time, backst backstabbing me, putting on a front to me to make sarah look good at the convention and everything else. so i really don't care anymore. >> are you hurt by all this? >> i was, yeah. now it's just kind of like, all right, well, now it's my turn. >> he's so captivating when he speaks. he really sounds so bitter about the palins. he claims he have used by them so they could put up a good front during the republican national convention while bristol palin was pregnant. carolina, do you buy the whole idea that the palins used levi? >> no. this guy is such a waste. he needs to stop talking. i don't think he has any

bombshells. he can barely form a sentence. i don't think the palins are that afraid of what he has to say. but look at the example that he's giving his son. he's going to appear in "playgirl" and now he's out bad mouthing the grandma. it's like, get a life, your 15 minutes are over with it. >> carolina, do you think i should do the rest of the show, kind of talking like this. >> could you be monotone, a.j.? >> i think levi is awesome. the best response ever is, well, they started it, uh -- that's awesome. she did it first, so now it's my turn. >> i love he's talking that way about a woman who may be running for president. in the interview this morning, levi also delivered an ominous threat. i actually heard spooky message playing when he delivered this threat saying that he's got even more beans to spill about sarah. watch. >> if she's going to go out there and say stuff to me, about me, i'm going to leak some things on her. i mean, that's just how it is. >> are you going to continue

saying things? could you say more than you haven't said? >> there are some thingings that i have that are huge and i haven't said them because i'm not going to hurt her that way. >> so you draw the line somewhere? >> yeah. i mean, i have things that could you know would get her in trouble and could hurt her, will hurt her, but i'm not going to go that far. if i really wanted to hurt her, i could very easily, but i'm not going to do it. i'm not going that far. >> things that could get her in trouble as far as what? >> just things she has done while she was governor. >> that are illegal? >> yeah, i'm just not going to talk about them. >> again, just so eloquent. he's talking about things that sarah did as governor of alaska that he can hold over her head. carolina, what do you think? are you scared for sarah, do you think he has the dirt on her or is this just measure catshing i

item q ? >> i'm so disturbed by the fact that he's so hot, yet so dumb. if he would close his mouth and just pose for pictures, i would be fine with that. >> all of this talking he's doing, not affecting how people are thinking. this brand-new poll asked if sarah palin was honest and trustworthy, 55% said yes, only 43% said no. let's move on not brand-new story today about a who allegedly tried to sell her body for tickets to the world series. this woman is named susan finkelstein, 43 years old, posted a tag on craigslist titled desperate blond needs tix. die-hard phillies fan, gorgeous tall bucks some blond, in desperate need of two world series tickets. price negotiable -- i'm the creative type. maybe we can help each other. a cop posing as a ticket holder called finkelstein. she allegedly told the cop she was willing to have sex in

exchange for the tickets. the cops slapped the cuffs on finkelstein and they arrested her. >> i'm glad her reign of terror is over. i applaud the police for doing a massive sting operation. there were wiretaps, online conspiracies and we've got her. the finkelstein has been caught. yeah, she's pretty much a rhodes scholar. >> carolina, quickly, you pretty much agree this was the stupidest thing you could do, no matter how much you want to see a game. >> what a dumbass. i don't care how big of a fan you are. you don't go on craigslist and solicit -- no, she's an idiot. >> carolina bermudez, stephen smith, thank you. as we move on tonight, kate gosselin's new career move. the reality star of "jon & kate plus 8" just revealed that she would love to be a movie star, but now there's news that kate could be turning her back on hollywood for good. according to published reports,

kate has renewed her license to work as a registered nurse. that's what she was doing before the eight kids, the show, and all the ensuing drama. by her family if her reality show is cancelled. tonight, michael vick's career is going to the dogs. actually, turns out this is a pretty good thing. the superstar quarterback, of course, fresh out of jail for running a cruel dog-fighting ring is now inspiring a new dog charity. now, if you're like me, and you're not a big fan of this guy, michael vick, this news will actually make you stabbed up and cheer. and wait until you hear the startling oprah connection to this. no this is "showbiz tonight." more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom, making news right now.

you're watching "showbiz tonight" on hln. right now, i want you to keep watching the bottom of your screen for more pro vork active and telling news.

gunshots ring out inside a los angeles house of worship. why police were investigating this as a possible hate crime. and the death a teenaged baseball player leads to a landmark court decision. find out who the jury is blaming for his fatal injury. and one out of every three drivers out there on the roads right now may be an accident waiting to happen. why one researcher says there is nothing they or anyone else can do about their bad driving. sure we're not talking about you, right? hi there, i'm brooke baldwin. thanks for checking in. it's thursday, almost friday. hang in there. want to take you to a developing story los angeles right now. the shooting happened about 6:30 a.m. local time.

police say a man with a handgun shot two people in the legs as they were arriving at this synagogue for worship. it happened early this morning in this parking lot of the synagogue, and police say the victims are stable, they're in good condition, but authorities right now, they are looking for the gunman. now, the los angeles police department did give a briefing just a couple minutes ago about what exactly went down. >> two victims, both arriving in separate vehicles, they're males, approximately 40 years of age. as one parks his vehicle, he is attempting to enter inside through an inside passageway to the area of worship. and the second victim arrives in his vehicle. and as he exits the vehicle, he observes a male, black wearing a black hoodie approach him purposefully. and apparently at this point without any words said.

the male black produces a handgun, and begins firing, attempting to shoot the first victim. that suspect is successful, and injuries our first victim in his lower extremities and his legs. the suspect then turns his attention to our second victim, again, who is nearby, attempting to go through a passageway of stairs, and this suspect fires on that second victim, and similarly injuries him in his lower extremitieextremities. the suspect then flees from the parking structure, south, out of the location on to the street. and 911 is called by other witnesses at the scene. >> now, also as part of that news conference, authorities say a 17-year-old who matches a loose description of the suspect is in custody, but they're not calling him a suspect. they're talking to this teenager to see what role, if any, he had in those shootings. to northern california, there's four teenagers accused

of gang raping a 15-year-old high school girl, a student, may be appearing in court today. this is video of some of the suspects being taken into custody at the richmond, california police station last night. these four teens are charged with rape and acting together in the attack, making them eligible for life in prison. at an emotional public safety hearing, a friend of this young victim spoke about what happened that night at her high school's homecoming dance. >> at the dance, there are four officers, none of them patrolling the area. i looked outside of the gym, and i saw 12 to 15 guys sitting there with no i.d.s. the officers, not only did they not check the i.d.s of those students or men sit outside of our campus, but the security officers ememployed here did no job checking either. the assistant principal looked outside and actually saw those men and did nothing about it. >> police say as many as ten people might have attacked the girl for two-and-a-half hours.

as many as two dozen people watched what happened, and never called police. the bodies of 18 u.s. troops and travel agents killed in afghanistan in week are back in the u.s. their flag-draped coffins were met by president obama at dover air force base. there they are last night. their deaths came in the deadliest month for u.s. forces there since 2001, and at a time when the president is currently trying to decide whether or not to send in more u.s. forces to afghanistan. the 15 soldiers and three dea agents who arrived home this morning were killed in a helicopter crash and a roadside bombing. and president obama reportedly wants to know, what is going on in every single province of afghanistan before he decides to expand there with possible troops. now, the "washington post" is reporting this morning that the president has asked for a province-by-province break down of local political leaders and factions that might be partners for the mission. general stanley mcchrystal is seeing as many as 40,000 additional troops.

the "post" is reporting that status reports will be ready before the president meets with chief joints of staff tomorrow. this missing navy plane with two crew members on board, the plane was used for training purposes and disappeared yesterday afternoon. its last known location was near san jose island off the texas coast. the pilots have radios for emergencies, but no one has heard from them. a couple accused of kidnapping an 11-year-old girl are now in a california courtroom right now. now, we're told this is a prepreliminary hearing for phillip and nancy garrido. in it, prosecutor, might seek a date for preliminary hearing or ask to continue the case. you know the story. the garridos are charged with the kidnapping of jaycee due guard back in 1991 as she was walking to her bus stop. prosecutors also allege phillip

garrido raped dugard who gave birth to his two daughters. drew petersen went before a judge today, accused of killing his third wife, kathleen savio in 2004. initially, investigators ruled her death as an accident, but took a second look after his fourth wife stacy disappeared. she was reported missing two years ago today. and a plan over how the health care system, speaker nancy pelosi says the proposal integrates reform bills approved in three separate committees. the bill includes a government-run public option insurance for federal assistance for low-income families to buy coverage. it would prevent insurance companies from denying coverage for preexisting conditions, and requires business to say provide insurance for their own employees. pelosi says if this bill is enacted, 96% of all americans would get health insurance

coverage. >> it reduces the deficit, meets president obama's call to keep the cost under $900 billion over ten years and it ensures 36 million more americans. 36 million more. >> now, the house bill represents a compromise among democrats. some are still pushing for a more robust public option as they call t. republicans did not take part in any of these negotiations and the house gop leaders vigorously oppose any option, claiming it will result in higher taxes and rising medical costs. it should reach the house floor next week. and fairy tales always seem to end with the hero and the heroin living happily ever after. many couples know real life is no fairy tale, folks. is a story-book ending even possible? a debate over the future of monogamy. on "news and views."

a former female writer for the late-night show, "david letterman" is breaking her silence what it was like to work there. she says she never slept with any staffers at the show, but she talks about why she walked away from her dream job, simply because it was a hostile work environment. >> what's going on that made you leave? you loved the job, you loved the show. something was going on that made you feel uncomfortable. >> no. i was not going to flourish, and it was just a situation where i was -- you know, you talked about it on "the view" yourself, and how if you're doing your job, and you're working hard, and you're in the middle of a soap opera, then, you know, that's not -- i wasn't going to thrive professionally. and, you know, i didn't get the memo as a young girl that said you should have low self esteem and put up with crap.

so i just -- i quit. >> and just a reminder, you can catch the "joy behar show" every night at 9:00 p.m. hln. one of the most popular articles right now on cnn.com essentially raises the question is monogamy doomed? a psychiatrist and her husband, who, by the way is an evolutiona evolutionary biologist say staying faithful to one person for their life isn't normal for humans. they said they should create a series of relationships. the authors, by the way, have been married for 32 years. on the other hand, a couple specialist at the emory university school of medicine insist that life-long monogamy has tangible rewards. she says it provides an emotional environment of safety and trust without facing all the drama like people like david letterman are facial right now. so let's talk about it, want to get your views on the story. here's the question. is monogamy still realistic?

is mating for life a thing of the past? our viewers, we're going to be hopefully sounding off on this, getting a lot of perspectives. first we're getting a call from greg in ft. apache, florida. what do you think of the m word, monoga monogamy? >> my wife and i have been married for ten years, have five children. have definitely had our ups and downs, and one of the ups is my wife has a masters and a 4.0 average. we have seen dark and gloomy days. if you want to cheat, you go out looking for t and you find what you're looking for. and those are things you're going to have to live with. and if you do make that decision and your life falls apart, again, that is the choices you made and you have to live with them. >> we're not necessarily talking about cheating, we're talking about being monogamous serially. >> well, you have to work at it. >> no matter if you're in a marriage or what they're calling a serial monogamy -- a monogamous relationship.

want to -- thank you for calling in. want to get some comments from our facebook viewers. this is from zack. he says monogamy is very realistic, people just need to learn self control. charles says, not being one who keeps up with who is doing who, i can only say that it is my belief that one needs to have enough conviction to end one relationship before starting another. let me read something from cammy. she says, in my opinion, i think monogamy is against nature for humans, and that it's learned. that being said, i am very happy that my relationship with my husband is monogamous. connie says, i married my high school sweetheart, and we have been married for 33 years. the temptations are always there, you just have to know where to draw the line. good point. anonymous comment. here we go. what's the point of marriage, then, if you're not going to be faithful? it just keeps getting worse and worse. and now it's socially acceptable to be promiscuous in your marriage, because it's impossible because of evolution to remain monogamous. morals are going down the drain

in society today. whew! this is an interesting topic. a lot of us can relate here. getting a lot of comments on the story. want to hear from you again. think hard about this one, please. is monogamy still realistic? is mating for life a thing of the past? give us a call. 1-877-tell-hln. cnn.com/hln. we'll be talking about this for the rest of the day. looking forward to talking to you. the maker of louisville slugger baseball bats has to pay a family $850,000. why a jury found this company responsible for a young player's death.

a deadly gun battle broke out when fbi agents raided a group accused of trying to establish a separate islamic state here within the u.s. the fbi says the group's leader was killed during one such raid in michigan yesterday with agents involved in the shootout. now, confidential sources told authorities he encouraged his

followers to use guns to achieve their goals. eight other men were arrested and charged with criminal conspiracy. and you know those baseball bats, the lug eval slugger bats? you've heard of them. the company who makes the louisville slugger bats has been found liable for death of a young man killed by a baseball. they sued the company and they were awarded $850,000. the panel found the company failed to warn about the dangers of using aluminum bats. brandon patch was killed in 2003 when he was hit by a baseball that was hit off one of these bats. >> patch's mother says the suit was not about money. >> we came into this not knowing, you know -- we were just hoping to prevail, is all. for brandon. this is for brandon. and for the other kids on the field. >> a spokesman for louisville slugger says the company did nothing wrong and the verdict appears to be an indictment for the entire sport of baseball.

a florida woman has started to recover from swine flu after five weeks in a coma. lori frye showed up in the e.r. in such bad shape, they thought she might die. >> they took her right into emergency very quick. i think they saw that she was having a hard time breathing, respiratory problems and everything. >> i'm really happy to be able to tuck my son into bed at night. that was the one thing he would call me in the hospital crying, because i wouldn't be able to tuck him in or sing to him. >> her husband was told three times she might not make t. now she is doing better, but still might not to get home until thanksgiving. and chickenpox, you know if one child gets it, you want the rest of your child other children to get it, sometimes they hold chickenpox parties. and now there are swine flu parties, people infect one another, they won't get the stronger flu. but the cdc says they could be gambling with their lives. health officials warn there is

no way to know how sick you'll get if you try this. >> you can't control it. so in some individuals, if they intentionally try to get themselves sick, they can get really, really sick. we have seen people that become severely ill, that end up hospitalized. >> the cdc warns, even though the virus has been mostly mild so far, it has proven fatal, and you should avoid others if you are sick. and some good news for you in a bad economy today. much the economy might have taken a massive step toward recovery. the commerce department says it grew at a rapid 3.5% pace last quarter, and that indicates the longest recession since the great depression might -- might be ending. a lot more people here could qualify for free money under this new agreement struck by senate leaders. if it's approved, those people who have lived in their home for at least five years and want to move, could get a $6,500 tax credit. on top of that, you know that $8,000 first time home buyers tax credit? well that may be extended to

april now. right now, the clock runs out at the end of november for that. and the number of first time jobless claims fell slightly last week. the labor department reports that the number of people filing for first time unemployment benefits dropped by 1,000 to 530,000. the number of people continuing to claim jobless benefits dropped by 148,000 to 5.8 million. that is below analysts' expectations. here's a question. have you ever lost some of your most treasured possessions while trying to sell your home? hln money expert clark howard tells you how to protect yourself from are open house robberies. >> okay. what's old is new again, and this is one that was an oldie but baddy. the "washington post" is reporting that as people are putting their homes for sale, many times, without an agent now, trying to save that commission, when they hold open houses, they're getting robbed blind. there are criminal rings that come in, and while one person is

distracting you or your real estate agent, asking about features of the home, the other person is rummaging through your drawers, looking for jewelry. now, this is an old rule that you may not have heard. if you are selling your home, get all your valuables out of the house prior to you putting your home up for sale. the easiest thing to do is go rent a safety deposit box at a bank or credit union, and store your jewelry and other valuables there. or if you have a relative you really trust, store those things with them until you've sold your house. i'm clark howard. for more ways to protect yourself, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. you can watch clark howard every saturday and sunday at noon and 4:00 p.m. eastern time right here on hln. all right. fess up. are you a bad driver? it turns out it might not be your fault. could bad driving be hereditary?

we are following a shooting right now outside of a los angeles synagogue. police say a man with a handgun shot two people in their legs as they were arriving to worship. happened right around 6:30 local time this morning in it this parking lot outside of the synagogue. police say the victims are in stable, good condition, but they are still looking for the gunman. authorities did tell us as part of this news conference that a 17-year-old who matches a loose description of the suspect is in custody. but they are not calling him a suspect. they are talking to the teen to see if -- what role, if any, he actually had in those shootings. we'll get a live report from the scene there from l.a. in a couple moments here. but first, moving on to the story out of northern

california, four teenagered accused of gang raping a student may be appearing in court today. take a look at this video, these are some of the suspects being taken into custody last night. the four teens are charged with rape and acting together in the attack, making them eligible for life in prison. at an emotional public hearing, a friend of this 15-year-old victim spoke out about what happened that night of the school's homecoming dance. >> at the dance, there are four officers. none of them patrolling the area. i looked outside of the gym, and i saw 12 to 15 guys sitting there with no i.d.s. the officers not only did they not check the i.d.s of those students or men sitting outside of our campus, but the security officers who are employed here did no job checking, either. the assistant principal looked outside and actually saw those men and did nothing about it. >> police say as many as ten people may have atabsd this girl

for two-and-a-half hours. they also say as many as two dozen people watched the whole thing and never called police. now, authorities say they found out about this assault from a former student who heard two males bragging about it. appearing with "larry king" on our sister network last night you can a clinical psychologist said if only one person who witnessed this alleged gang rape may have spoken up, things may have turned out much differently. >> everybody was looking to the other, like, oh -- is this -- i guess we're doing this. this is okay. no one is saying anything. and had one person stood up, had one person jumped in in or said, this isn't okay, it would have shifted the dynamic of that group very quickly. >> authorities in richmond are offering a $2,000 reward for anymore information in this case. and the bodies of 18 u.s. troops and federal agents killed in afghanistan this week are home in the u.s. their flag-draped coffins were met by the president at dover

air force base overnight. their deaths came in the deadliest month for u.s. forces since 2001, and at a time when the president is trying to figure out if he should be sending in more troops to afghanistan. 15 soldiers and three dea agents who arrived home this morning were killed in a helicopter crash and a roadside bombing. president obama reportedly wants to know, what is going on in every province in afghanistan before he decides whether or not he wants to expand our troops there. the "washington post" is reporting that the president has asked for a province by province breakdown of local political leaders and factions that might be effective partners for the u.s. mission. now, afghanistan commander, general stanley mcchrystal is seeking as many as 40,000 additional u.s. troops. the "post" this morning is reporting that the provincial status reports will be ready befo before the president meets with the joint chiefs of staff tomorrow. and the search is on for a missing navy plane with two crew members on board. the u.s. coast guard says the training aircraft failed to

return from a flight yesterday afternoon. the plane's last known location near san jose island, off the texas coast, a spokesman says the highlights have hand-held radios for emergencies, but still no one has heard from them. and the couple accused of kidnapping an 11-year-old girl and holding her captive for 18 years in their backyard are back in a california courtroom. this is called what we're told a pre-preliminary hearing for phillip and nancy garrido. the garridos charged with kidnapping of jaycee dugard as she was walking to a bus stop. prosecutors charge phillip raped her, and she gave birth to his two daughters. she has now been reunited with her mother. . remember former chicago area cop drew peterson went before a judge today to check the status of his murder case, accused of killing his third wife, kathleen savio, in 2004. now, initially, investigators ruled her death an accident, but started taking a closer look

after his fourth wife, stacy, disappeared. she was reported missing two years ago today. and on capitol hill, busy day. house democrats have come together behind a plan to overhaul the health care system. speaker nancy pelosi says the proposal integrates reform bills approved in three separate committees. now, this bill does include the government-run public option for health care insurance with federal assistance for low-income families to buy coverage. it would also prevent insurance companies from denying coverage for any preexisting conditions and requires businesses to provide insurance for their employees. pelosi says, if the bill is enacted, 96% of all of you, al americans, would get health insurance coverage. >> it opens doors to quality medical care to those who are shut out of the system for far too long. and because of the work of our members and our meetings across the country, we know that prevention and wellness are

important part of this legislation, and it puts a major new emphasis on preventative care, expands access to screenings, and other treatments to keep americans healthy and promotes workplace wellness. keep in mind here, this house bill represents a compromise among democrats. some are still pushing for what they call a more robust public option. republicans did not take part in these negotiations. in fact, the house gop leadership vigorously opposes any public option, claiming it will result in a higher taxes and rising medical costs. >> it's going to raise the cost of americans' health insurance. it's going to kill jobs with tax hikes and new mandates in it, and it's going to cut seniors' health care benefits. and if all that isn't bad enough, the mandates on states will bankrupt what are already states that have used financial problems today. we've got better ideas. and we'll be talking about them over the next week. >> the health care proposal should reach the house floor

next week. and i want to get back to this story we brought you at the top of the of half hour here, police in l.a. looking for a gun man who walked into a crowd outside a synagogue this morning, and opened fire. car finstrom is at the scene of the attack. cara, tell me what you know so far. >> reporter: right. as you can see, this is still a very active crime scene. mayor antonio vigarosa just arrived. here's what we can tell you. 6:30 this morning, police say according to witness accounts, two men arrived in different cars to worship at a temple here in north hollywood. both of these men were shot in the lower extremitieextremities. the good news is we are told both are now in stable condition in the hospital. both are expected to survive. now, the suspect fled on foot. police say they have a very loose description of that suspect, but they did detain one person of interest, and that person has been interviewed, we're told, in this van just behind us.

at the same time, they are continuing to canvas the area here, and to look for other potential suspects. we are told that no weapon has been taken into custody at this point. now, we want to let you listen very briefly here to a press conference that was held earlier this morning. police addressing the issue of whether they consider this a hate crime. >> we have no remarks by this suspect to these victims that we're aware of at this early juncture that can identify what his motive was. whether this was a robbery, or whether this was an attack on these two individuals because of their presence at this synagogue. >> reporter: in the meantime, police say they will handle this as a potential hate crime. they have asked other synagogues in the area, other jewish schools in the area, as well, to take some extra precautions this morning. brooke? >> all right, cara, so two victims, stable condition. and one person, a person of interest, in custody. cara finstrom live for us in if los angeles, thank you. still to come, the story

we're talking about all day here in par of your views segment, fairy tales always seem to end happily ever after. not so much sometimes. is a story-book ending even possible? a debate here on hln over the future of monogamy.

. how about this story? a south carolina prosecutor is out of a job. authorities say he was discovered with a stripper. the "associated press" is reporting a police officer spotted an suv in a columbia cemetery. the car sped off, and eventually the officers pulled the driver over. and according to the police report, inside was south carolina's deputy assistant attorney general roland corning

and an 18-year-old stripper. also inside? wait for it. viagra and sex toys. according to the police report, corning says he always has those things in his car. the two are not charged with anything, but corning was fired yesterday. speaking of relationships, broken or not, one of the most popular articles right now on cnn.com raises this question, is monogamy doomed? a psychiatrist and her husband, who is an evolutionary biologist say staying faithful to a single mate for a lifetime doesn't come easily to humans. they suggest more realistic is serial monogamy, or a series of committed relationships, rather than one that lasts for decades. the authors, by the way, though, have been married for 32 years. on the other hand, a couples specialist at emory university school of medicine says life-long monogamy has tangible rewards. she says it provides an emotional environment of safety and trust, without all the drama facing people like perhaps david letterman right now. so, all right, getting a lot of comments on the story.

and we thank you for that. we want to hear from you. so, again, the question is this. is monogamy still realistic? is mating for life a thing of the past? give us a call, 1-877-tell-hln. or e-mail us, cnn.com/hln. we will be airing your comments throughout the day. this one has got a lot of you talking. next time you travel, avoid all those tourist traps. and we can help you with that with our series, "my city, my secret." and today we head to abilene, texas. your guide, country music star, aaron watson. ♪ >> howdy, folks, i'm country singer aaron watson, but they call me the honky tonk kid. ♪ i can still see you standing there next to me in the county fair ticket line ♪ >> i live in abilene, texas, and i want to show you some of my favorite hangouts. here at the abilene zoo, this is one of my favorite spots to take my boys. it's a hidden gem, because it's rare for a town of this size to

have such a fantastic zoo. my favorite attraction is the white tiger. here we are at bogey's, downtown abilene texas. you can order something off the menu, or they can help you build your own sandwich that's an enjoyable eating experience. it's kind of cheers of downtown abilene. this is the historic theater, we did our album here for my honky tonk kid cd which i sang would willie nelson. when you first walk in to the paramount, you're overwhelmed with the detail and how fancy everything is. it's always been a place i've enjoyed to not only see movies in, but to have my own concerts. those are my city secrets. now show me yours. go to ireport.com/my ci citymysecret. a man accused of murder says he is innocent and said his weight proves there is no way he could have done it.

one man told a jury he did not commit murder. his reason? he's too overweight. edward it's a is accused of climbing a staircase to kill his former sister-in-law in who was in a custody dispute with his daughter. the defense is arguing that at the time of the crime, ates weighed 285 pounds and was just too unhealthy. >> short of breath, sleep apnea, diabetes, classic overweight guy. and yet they say he fired a shot from four steps down, jumped up, fired five shots, all which hit their target. >> i had no reason to. >> did you care about him one way or the other? >> no, sir. >> did you murder paul dunskak? >> no, i did not. >> nothing further. thank you. >> prosecutors say he researched how to build gun silencers, and

did research on the perfect murder. the company who makes louisville bats has been found liable for the death of a young man killed by a baseball. a montana jury sided with the family suing the company and awarded them $850,000. the panel found the company failed to warn about the dangers of using aluminum bats. brandon patch was killed in 2003 when he was hit by a baseball hit off one of these bats. and patch's mother says this suit was not about money. >> we came into this not knowing, you know -- we were just hoping to prevail s all, for brandon. this is for brandon. and for the other kids on the field. >> a spokesman for louisville slugger says the company did nothing wrong, that the verdict appears to be an indictment of the entire sport of baseball. how about this? police had no trouble arresting two men accused of trying to break into an iowa apartment last week.

the reason? police say the suspects weren't hard to find, because they had drawn masks on their faces in permanent marker. let's take a look at these pictures, shall we? here they are. not so creative. police say a caller described the two alleged burglars has having painted faces. 23-year-old matthew mcnally and joey miller were charged with attempted second degree burglary. both were released on bond. and a storm creeping across the rocky mountains and western plains leaving three or four feet of snow on the ground in some areas. look at this. in denver, this is the heaviest october snowfall they have seen since 1997. the snow closing schools and cancelling high school football games in nebraska. forecasters warn, there could be whiteout conditions in colorado, wyoming, and nebraska today. ♪ yet another rough day for our i-reporters and commuters in the san francisco bay area. the bay bridge closed for a second day now. 5,000 pounds of metal came

crashing down during tuesday evening's rush hour. look at this incredible picture submitted by i-reporter joe marshall. wow, he says he took it right after the metal rods and cable broke. you can see the marshall. you can see the debris on the bridge. he was driving home from work and was 50 yards behind where it happened. you can see his hand blocking the glare from the sun. marshall says he didn't actually see the metal fall, just the cars moving across the right lanes pretty quickly i imagine. he took the picture from his blackberry and has had over 50,000 views since he posted it. good thing he's okay. if you were on the bay bridge when that accident happened and want to submit your i-report or photo go to ireport.com. you will find instructions on how to submit your stories. if you have cool video, ireport.com is where to go. good news for you on a thursday. good news in a bad economy.

the economy might have taken a big step toward recovery. the commerce department says it grew at a rapid 3.5% pace last quarter and that indicates the longest recession since the great depression just might be ending. a lot of people could qualify for free money under a new agreement struck by senate leaders. if approved, those people who lived in their homes for at least five years and want to move could get a $6,500 tax credit. also here, that $8,000 first-time home buyer credit could be extended to april. right now the clock runs out on that at the end of november. the number of first-time jobless claims fell slightly last week. the labor department is reporting the number of people filing for first-time unemployment benefits dropped by 1,000 to 530,000 and the number of people continuing to claim jobless benefits dropped by 148,000 to 5.8 million. two south florida air conditioning companies are

duking it out on the side of a highway with these billboards. look at this. getting heated. the hot billboard battle. @@@