belongs here. in this office. i accept it. >> sean: the question now is, will attorney general holder heed his warning? we will be following the latest developments as the story continues to unfold. we'll bring them to you right here on hannity. thank you for being with us. have a great night. hello, i'm heather childers. >> gregg: i'm gregg jarrett. welcome to america's news headquarters. >> heather: despite evidence to american hikers, they were just sentenced to eight years in an iranian prison after having been in captivity for the past two years. a look at their options. >> gregg: rebels in libya

claiming that khadafy's number two has defected and aiding them trying to overthrow the libya strong man. >> and water blewl manhole covers up in the air. a stunning turn of vaccines for two american hikers locked up in iran. the two have both been sentenced to eight years behind bars. the news dealing a major blow for the two that many thought would be freed in the recent weeks. the pair have been held for more than two years but now they have 20 days to appeal before they are locked up even longer julie banderas has more. >> julie: the state department which has repeatedly called for the release of these two men releasing a statement that reads in part, we are working to confirm these reports and are in

contact with the swiss protecting power. they have been in prison too long and time to renight them with families. despite the calls for leniency they have been remitted three years and five years in prison on charges of espionage. independent the islamic law, spying is punishable by death. pair both just 29 years old were arrested two years ago along with sarah shourd for illegally entering iran on an unmarked border. they pled not guilty and they unknowingly walked across that border. their attorney says the time they spent in custody is enough. sarah shourd returned to the united states after 410 days of solitary confinement.

a couple weeks ago there was word that the hikers were going to be released. you may remember those pleas were rejected. even the foreign minister expressed hope would result in their freedom. a source heavily involved with the negotiations between iran and the u.s. telling fox news that while he is disappointed by the verdict. he says this does not necessarily mean they will serve the eight years meaning the fact they have been sentenced allows iran to move on to policy actions as they call it as opposed to judicial ones. in theory it could open the door for release. we are waiting a word and statement from the white house. that is supposed to come in some time today. >> gregg: julie banderas, thank you. >> heather: wild and deadly weather all across the country. a powerful storm tearing through arizona and uprooting trees sending them right on to power

lines and cars. in wisconsin another storm proving deadly. a man killed after an apparent tornado touches down. no other injured have been reported. about 2,000 people are without power and further east in pittsburgh, this.... >> it flew four, five feet in the air and mini geysers started popping up all over the place. >> heather: a pair of storms overwhelmed the drainage system and caused manhole covers pop off. floodwaters rising to 9 feet. flash flooding strangled drivers and killing four people. three of them from the same family. so can we expect more of this wild weather this weekend? maria is live in the weather center with more details. unfortunately we are looking at a new storm system moving through the midwest that could

produce similar weather to what we saw this past friday about those extreme storm systems. this storm system producing severe weather in lower michigan. warnings are in effect and there is a watch including the city of detroit. that is in effect tonight through 9:00 local time. it's raining heavily out here, that includes damaging wind gusts up to 58 miles per hour and large-sized hail. we are looking for flash flooding. these storms have a lot of moisture and produce those brief and heavy downpours. we are looking at the threat for severe weather. northern indiana, northwestern portions of ohio and second area in missouri and northern arkansas. as we head into tomorrow it will moving east and greater population area that could be hit by severe weather, new york,

philadelphia and d.c. and flash flooding, we have a drought going on in texas. we're not expecting any rainfall from the storm system and more triple digital heat. 106 in dallas. >> heather: thank you very much. >> gregg: indiana state fair getting big name help as they investigate that deadly stage collapse. emergency preparedness groups heading up the investigation. it was a week ago, remember this. five people killed when a massive stage collapsed on the festival goers and another person died from related injuries. the firm a former fema director is on the ground now. they expect to have a team ready to investigate as early as monday. >> heather: this going on. tragedy a u.k. air show, a pilot with the british military elite stunt team dying.

his plane crashing breaking into pieces. very video shows the aftermath. they had just finished hits routine and returning to the airport. the red arrows are similar to our thunderbirds and military air accident team is investigating the cause of the crash. >> gregg: president obama is working through his trip to martha's vineyard. they going to unveil a new jobs plan next month but taking part in family bonding. visiting a bookstore with his two daughters. ed, president is on vacation. i was watching his weekly radio address, stern words, seems to be blaming republicans about the economy. >> reporter: in fact he didn't tape that here. he taped it in the middle of

this week when he was on that barnstorming bus tour through the midwest. he was in his home state of illinois. it really echoed, ripping into republicans essentially blaming republicans for the slow recovery and it doesn't have anything to do whis policies. john case i can in the republican address saying it's the absence of presidential leadership. >> these are common sense ideas, ideas that have been supported by both democrats and republicans. the only thing holding them back is politics. the only thing preventing us from passing these bills is the reform by some congress to put country ahead of party. that is the problem we have the right now. that is what we have to change. >> divided govern the is no excuse for inaction. sure, we've had our fair share of gridlock back in 1990s but president clinton and his team

worked with us so we could do what was best for the country. there is no substitute for leadership from the president of the united states. >> reporter: we haven't heard from the president today. he has not put out any statements or done any recreation. yesterday you can see we have pictures out on the golf course but playing on a course that does not allow for photographers you could see him from a distance. he has dismissed the criticism about him vacationing during these sour economic times. playing on a course with no photographers allowed that they are very conscious of the whole imagery here. >> gregg: ed, thanks very much. pretty tough economic news weighing on president's reelection effort. unemployment hovering near the

double digital mark. currently it's 9.1%. the stock market sharply up and down the past couple of weeks a yo-yo effect in fears of a double-dip recession. 26% approve of how the president handled the u.s. economy. then there is this. the investment bank morgan stanley saying that the u.s. is dangerously close to falling back into a recession. the president says i don't think we're in danger of another recession. charlie, good see you. the president has been wrong before. in fact let's put it up on the screen. he vowed that his stimulus bill would hold the jobless rate below 8%. never happened. he promised the money would go to shovel ready projects. last summer he predicted the

summer of recovery, that didn't happen and now he says he doesn't think we're not in danger of another recession. when it comes to economic predictions, can one argue he is lacking credibility? >> absolutely. he alley has sort of run the gamut of predictions that have gone wrong. it could be fair, probably not all of it entirely his fault. it's hard to predict or predict how badly this economy has gone. i think that his biggest problem going forward at this point are that he is run through his entire toolbox of acceptable ventures to kind of fix the economy. they apparently haven't worked. things continue to get worse. they look like they are going to

continue for some time, but the most terrifying thing for him is he has lost that special gift, that extraordinary ability we saw him have during the 2009 election where he could speak to people and inspired them and make them believe this is going to happen. he has lost that ability. >> gregg: i was watching him on the bus tour days ago when he was out there on the road. he absolutely ripped into congress for not approving the three trade agreements which his administration claims would create 70,000 jobs in the u.s. congress could do it right now, but according to today's "wall street journal", i'll quote them. that's not true. congress cannot pass the agreements right now because it doesn't have them. they are still sitting on the presit'enss desk, seriously. his deputy press secretary

confirmed it and said, the president has had these three different trade agreements two and a half years ago sitting on his desk. going on a long walk down pennsylvania avenue and hand them off. >> that was a terrible gaffe on his part. it calm out during a white house press conference. it became clear not only did congress not have those but the white house didn't apparently even realize it at the time. but from that point they did know. >> gregg: i just don't know how you don't know that, you give them to congress -- let me jump to another subject. he is facing discontent among his democratic base. liberals say think he caved in on the debt ceiling. unions are upset about labor issues, hispanics are unhappy about immigration. this week some prominent black

leaders slamming the president on jobs, waters saying we don't know what his strategy is. green jobs is going nowhere fast. how precarious is the president's base of support? >> that is the key to the whole election. when the congressional black caucus namely maxine waters came out during the week and she was talking to a group of black voters who in support of obama, they are crucial base for him. she actually begged them, please let us off the leash and let us go and attack them for his failure to address problems. it was searing attack from his most profoundly important base. going into election, if he does not have that base locked down the way he did last time we know he is going to lose in a lot of

segments of voters. i don't see how he builds the coalition to make it work again. >> gregg: i mention latinos. one reader, president obama is doing a smashing job of discouraging unmotivating and inducing fear among latino voters. robert lovato, president and cofounder of the organization. so what about the attempts of regaining hispanic support. >> i've been covering congress for about ten years. i don't think i've ever seen anything so blatant as what we saw when president obama on his way out of town announces that he is going to without approval over the objections of congress

he is going to halt deportations. that is staggering. it is absolute grabs for hispanic voters who polls show are defecting from him at a very fast clip. he must have them as well if he wants to do well in 2008. it was breathtaking how bold it was. >> gregg: it recalls an historical footnote. andrew johnson refused to enforce a law that congress had passed and was impeached and won by a single vote. >> heather: former alaska governor sarah palin raising a few eyebrows with a new thank you iowa video. she is about to get into the presidential race. take a look.

>> i think they would tell you it's time to put the country on the backtrack. economy and jobs. small businesses, understanding that you know better how you spend your money than washington, d.c. knows how to spend. >> heather: what do you think? karl rove has interesting thoughts. here he is this morning on fox and friends. >> looks like that of a candidate and celebrity. there is a video she released yesterday. she made a surprise appearance at iowa state fair and she released a video. see you september 3rd. look, either this is her last chance. she gets in or gets out. i think she gets in the streets. >> palin has said she would have to make a decision about running

in the very near future. >> gregg: i think she said that would be a drop dead date. >> heather: that sounds like a campaign ad. >> rove is such a smart guy. he may be read. >> you wanted to bet? >> gregg: yeah? >> heather: we'll figure that out. >> gregg: i have big appetite and i go to fancy places. with the shuttle program retired nazi is turning its attention to mars. the hunt for e.t. call home. and khadafy's days be numbered in libya? we'll have a live report. probioy helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with the strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health.

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>> heather: with the space shuttle officially retired, they are turning their attention to mars. they are launching a new rover called curiosity with the goal to search for evidence that life once existed on the red planet. casey stegall is live for us with details from los angeles. >> reporter: good to see you.

this is a fascinating look at the space program. a little bit of a history lesson. for the last seven years, remote nazi vehicles have been roaming the -- nasa vehicles have been roaming the surface of mars but it may change the way the planet is studied. >> 2003, space exploration soared to a new level. two mars rovers touched down to the mars surface for the first time ever. >> you can think it was an opportunity to the geologist walking around the field. >> the mission was to find out if if life existed here. they were originally supposed to last 90 days. seven years later one is operational but a much needed.

>> it weighs about a ton. it's bigger than spirit and opportunity was. >> curiosity has more advanced technology, everything from a special laser here that can fire a beam 20 feet in front to analyze rock samples down to 17 cameras, for. rover is scheduled to launch on thanksgiving day. it will take two billion dollar rover eight months to reach the red planet travel at speeds of more than 12,000 miles an hour. >> the current rover made national news because it is making new zoovsz and new quiter was discovered and scientists think the clay in that particular crater points to a warmer and wetter history on this mysterious planet so the data that the new rover will be able to spend back to earth will

be invaluable. >> heather: that sun real. thank you so much. >> gregg: did you ever watch the science channel. they do all these documentaries and on the solar galaxies and big bang. >> heather: it's unreal what you go do today. >> gregg: amazing new pictures coming in from a nasa probe on a mission to learn more about other solar systems. capturing these amazing images of an astroid. called vesta 1700 miles away and moving no for a closer look in the next few weeks. >> khadafy's hold is said to be as rebel forces taking over one of libya's largest cities. could be getting closer to change? natural gas,

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>> heather: top stories we are following for you. million people in spain braving the hundred plus temperatures to see pope benedict xvi. he used his final noose warn parishioners against worshipping false gods. >> a utah missing for almost two years, they are scouring the mountains for any sign of susan

cox however her husband remains a person of minutes. >> deadly flooding in pittsburgh waters rose as much as nine feet after the city got more than 2 inches of rain in less than an zblour tides could be turning in libya. rebels taking over major coastal city. it could be the end for khadafy's regime. joining outs phone from tripoli. fox news producer. >> it looks like they are writing the last chapter for moammar khadafy. they surrounded tripoli on three sides. his back is to the wall. last saturday the rebels put everything into the fight still

loyal to khadafy. a lot of supplies flowed and it's 30 miles from downtown tripoli. on top of this rebels say they got a city, seven miles from east here and close to capturing brega that is important to the oil industry. khadafy is facing a circle and tripoli may be his last stand. some people have suggested that he will leave the country but a lot of people that i spoke to say that won't happen. he will dig in and fight to the bitter end. now, the rebels are fighting downtown, they have bombarded the capital night after night and they are hitting anything that can be used to make a defense line to dislodge this

man who has been in power for the last 41 years. >> heather: thank you very much. tadek reporting from tripoli. >> gregg: many people are wondering what is next for nato troops that are still fighting there. rebel leaders declaring the end is near for the embattled dictator. joining us now is former spokesman for the last four ambassadors to the united nations. rick good to see you. on predictions of khadafy's departure either naive or premature, had his demise more likely? how do you see it ending? >> i think right now it's premature. i think it will ultimately happen but we could be in for many months of fighting. khadafy is not going without a fight. he is going to hunker down right in tripoli. i think there will be a lot of military action. nato needs help. the united states has not been playing a leadership role within

nato and i think nafo has struggled. we have seen this unfolding in a way for many people, it's taken too long and too many lives. >> gregg: it doesn't appear the u.s. is going to change its position with nato. what about u.s. money from frozen assets, will that help rebels? >> that will help tremendously. i think we saw assistant secretary who was in the capital rebels capital, opposition capital and that is definitely going to help. if they can buy weapons quickly we will be able to say we have supported them with american frozen assets. >> gregg: this week in syria a change in strategy by the obama administration calling for the immediate departure of assad as the head of syria given all the violence by government troops against innocent civilians that

we are aware of. is this implicit admission by the president that his engagement strategy didn't work? >> i think it's more than implicit. i think it's an admission the engagement strategy talked about during the campaign absolutely did not work. you had nancy pelosi meeting assad and john kerry meeting with him and hillary clinton calling him a reformer. obama administration has put forward this engagement strategy and just as the president was going on vacation he slipped in this statement that basically said our strategy has failed. we're going to have to call for assad to leave. james rosen of fox news at the state department put it best when he was pushing back on the administration, with egypt you called for our ally to leave in a week. with syria, it's been months and months.

what gives? it really pushed this. i don't think the administration had a good answer. >> gregg: there has never been an answer to that. look, do you think that assad will leave, if he does what does it mean for iran and hezbollah in lebanon? >> that is such a great question, this is part of so many people outside the government from the past administration has been pushing this administration, the obama administration to do something more in syria to bring down assad simply because of iran and hezbollah. this is a chance to show iran that their one big ally in the region is no longer going to be ai an ally. people of the syria are going to rise up and take over. it's taken the obama administration way too long to issue a statement and not have the president comment about why assad should go or she should leave immediately doesn't send a clear message. also hillary clinton followed it

up with a quick statement and didn't take any questions. she really didn't pound this message. so i feel like its small checking of the box. europeans were pushing to us say why don't you push assad aside. one thing they should do is immediately say we're not going send back our u.s. ambassador into damascus. we're waiting for his confirmation. obama administration put him back in after a five-year absence and now this engagement strategy has failed, we should pull back ambassador ford and not send him to damascus. >> gregg: i have to ask this question. today's big news, two american hikers held by iran for the better part of two years, given eight year sentences on charges that include espionage. what can we do, what should we do? >> you want me to answer this as

a former diplomat or normal american citizen. >> gregg: i would love to hear both? >> as an american citizen you have to feel for these families. their sons are over there. they need to be released. i think we should be doing everything we can to demand their release as a former diplomat i have to tell you if the u.s. government is going to talk to the iran government it's going to be nuclear weapons. that is our priority issue. it's a very serious issue for all americans. i think that having this issue of the hikers is not the priority of hillary clinton or the white house unfortunately. >> gregg: rick renel, thank you very much. >> heather: apparent suicide of a man on high profile reality tv series, some are questions whether it's getting to real for

their own good. our power panel weighs in next. ♪ [ male announcer ] this is our beach. ♪ this is our pool. ♪ our fireworks. ♪ and our slip and slide. you have your idea of summer fun, and we have ours. now during the summer event get an exceptionally engineered mercedes-benz for an exceptional price.

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apparent suicide. some are questioning if reality tv all the turmoil goes along with it's is it partly to blame what has happened here. let's bring in power panel mercedes, dr. leigh whittaker and kesha a defense attorney. good for joining us. reality tv. it runs the gamut, it seems to be on every single network. this particular network bravo has aired this show. are they partly to blame? >> unquestionably. they looked that the couple you are disaster couple, you are going to make you the villain ratings were skyrocketing when they focused on the marriage that was obviously disintegrating. in the reality show. that is partly to blame. one of the things that he kept saying, maybe drinking too much

but i'm abuser or beat her any way wasn't true. >> heather: when they sign up to be on this, they know what coming. >> they know what is coming and they know what ratings are. if you are depressed and fragile personality, there are warning signs you can look for. you have to think about it. they are going to lay everything out there. how real is it because it's the editing. the things are being edited you have to understand that. >> i agree when a person signs up to be on a reality tv show the fans or viewers wanted to see the drama. they want to see the negativity, maybe as a divorce attorney i know what it's like. but to air that to public, it's a lot going through. >> i can't imagine the armstrongs, we'll be the disaster couple. we're going to be show everyone how dysfunctional relationship is. i don't think that was ever

contracted. come in and say, you bravo knew, we're not actors. we're projecting to the world this is our real lives. >> heather: could bravo been sued over this? >> there has been lawsuits like this. jenny jones, this was a person that was murdered as a result of being on her show. there has been lawsuits. here and certainly the personal attorney, these are hard-core actors -- these are individuals that portraying their lives. >> i understand what you are saying. but i think they have a choice. they know what they are signing up for. these reality shows have been around for a while. they see the positive aspect and not what is going to make the ratings go up. >> they know their own relationship. if you know you have a shaky relationship, why would you sign up for a reality show? do you think it's going to be better after examined under a

microscope? >> speaking of choices. let's move on to next topic. what is wrong with letting kids handle weapons used by a local s.w.a.t. team. nothing according to police in california who apparently let kids at a community event do just that. they say they were just giving kids a healthy exposure to weapons. >> there is a lot wrong with th pictures tha we were talking about. >> i understand that educating children about weapons will less likely to lead to them delinquent lifestyles but taking pictures and smiling with the guns, that is glamorizing them. >> that photo right there, he aims at the swat officer. >> i have a little boy. i tried the no toy guns, everything he picked up, he was

shooting at it. he was shooting with it. [ laughter ] >> there is only so much you can do. they see a lot of bad guys with guns. they play call of duty, all these big video games. they see it on tv. why not be the good guys? have them talk about the danger of it and bring some pictures. these are gunshot wounds. this is what can happen to you. tour a trauma center. talk to your kids about it. >> and i was watching downstairs i would be responsible if i own a gun. we have a license. we go through training. we protect individuals. that is the good side of having a gun. having the children explore it, it's absolutely fine in that protected setting. >> heather: coming up next it don't mean a thing if it don't have that.

is it a carrot and whether to wear that big engagement ring at a job interview. we'll talk about why up next. overy. 8/9 new bayer advanced aspirin's for pain. it has microparticles and enters the bloodstream faster. works twice as fast as before. did you invent this or something? dr. eric first, from bayer. wow.

>> heather: once thought to be girl's best friend, some people saying a big diamond ring can be the worst enemy when it comes to job interviews. it be distracting or that on a woman doesn't need the job she is interviewing for. our power panel is back. thanks for sticking around. your thoughts on this. >> people unfortunately judged by the cover of the book. they look at individual, that is nice ring. even if they get the job they may not get paid as much. it's unfortunate, it's what happens. there are lots of lawyers, we don't wear a diamond ring. we take a band if we are married because we want to portray a certain humility to zbrir. martha stewart, she walked in the trial with a $5,000 bag and was fodder for people looking at

the trial. >> i disagree that employer will place that much emphasis. it's gaudy and going to be a distraction, don't wear that. that is thing for earrings or a necklace but i think that it doesn't necessarily indicate whether you should need a job or how much you should get paid. if you are going to have big diamond ring, you are only going to be interviewed for certain jobs. >> in a man wearing a wedding band with big diamond, would they tell him not to wear it? it's absurd. they tell you what you should wear for a job interview, so there is a certain decorum how you dress in business and such. as far as something like an engagement ring or wedding band.

>> i never even thought about it. >> we have to conform our conduct. >> if people are going to judge by the jewelry we wear? >> heather: the pick issue, the woman she was interviewing for a nonprofit that actually dealt with people who were affected by the industry. >> i haven't heard of it being an issue but in a courtroom, the jurors, the shoes you have on and the jewelry they make judgments. >> heather: our next topic, author said he wrote this book, targeting childhood obesity but they say maggie goes on a diet a girl that becomes a soccer star after dropping the pounds and is pushing a diet message on kids as young as six years old.

targeting for six to 12-year-olds specifically. >> it really is about making sure that your child eats healthy. you can show them without pushing them a diet down their throats. healthy choices, with diets come the connotation you have to be slim and thin. eating disorders can crop up as a result. >> and kids being kids, we play video games. we played outside and there was more physical activity. instead of writing books about diets and kids don't need more pressure than they already have, teach parents to do activities and have better food choices. >> the doctor on our panel. what do you have to say? >> absolutely. it shouldn't be about dieting for deigtd but about eating healthy. whatever you are going to show a six-year-old is not going to be on the same as what you are

going to show a 12-year-old. you need to build self-esteem but these are consequences. i believe that kids should know, this is a problem today. kids are getting heavier. it's because they play video games. it's not safe to leave them out by themselves. so you have incorprate that into your life. there should be books too tha can bring up the discussion for kids. maggie going on a diet, i don't know, but there could be a story of a girl that lost weight but talk about it with your kids. >> heather: my worry about this book, specifically, she becomes thin and she has better self-esteem, thinness doesn't necessary do it. >> you build your self-esteem first. >> you can only be successful if you have this thin body. >> what is the wrong message. >> heather: that wraps up this

week's power panel. >> gregg: can i weigh in on the dressing up and down, clarence darrow you to rum am his suits up. he didn't want them to know he was a rich chicago lawyer, but he was country bumpkin lawyer. interesting story. [ laughter ] >> all right. just weeks iran's foreign minister suggested two american hikers could soon be freed, now they were sentenced for eight years. how the u.s. is working for their freedom. [ man ] behind every business is a "what if."

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>> heather: hello. i'm heather childers, welcome to a brand-new hour inside america's headquarters. >> gregg: i'm gregg jarrett. topping the news, tough news for the families of two hikers in iran footways two years. iranian television saying they've been sentenced to eight years in prison. we've got new reaction in a live report. >> heather: libyan rebels make major advances in their quest to take control of the country from moammar gadhafi. our fox news team is live on the ground in tripoli.

>> gregg: deadly flash floods in the northeast. we'll get the latest forecast from our fox news extreme weather centre. >> heather: we begin with the battle over how to jump start the economy and reduce the massive joblessness that is hurting so many americans. president obama and the republicans duking it out in their weekly addresses, laying out very different visions on how to prevent the recovery from falling into another recession. chief white house correspondent ed henry is live in martha's vineyard, massachusetts. ed, the president is on vacation, but his weekly address was in full swing and it seems to be that he is blaming republicans for the bad economy. >> that's right. the same exact theme we heard from the president on that bus tour through the midwest a few days back, in fact, the president taped the radio address while he was in his home state of illinois before he went on vacation. the same kind of message, basically the president suggesting that it's not his policies to blame, but instead, it's the fact that republicans

have been stymieing his efforts and blocking various efforts he's had, whether he believes it's extensive trade deals, he wants to extend the payroll taxes, and the response from republicans, no surprise. john kasich fired back that the real problem is a lack of presidential leadership. take a listen. >> these are common sense ideas. ideas that have been supported by both democrats and republicans. the own thing holding them back is politics. the only thing preventing us from passing these bills is the refusal by some in congress to put country ahead of party. that's the problem we have right now. that's what's holding this country back. that's what we have to change. >> divided government is no excuse for inaction. sure, we've had our fair share of gridlock back in the 1990s. our differences may have been stark, but president clinton and his team worked with us so that we could do what was best for

the country. there is no substitute for leadership from the president of the united states. >> governor kasich was harkening back to the '90s when he was the republican chairman of the house budget committee, was able to help balance the budget with a democratic president. in bill clinton, we've seen far, far from those days when both sides were working out their differences. in fact, the president here in martha's vineyard put the finishing touches on that new economic plan we're expecting after labor day, it seems like a stretch to believe that very many of his new initiatives will go very far, for example, in the republican-led house. >> heather: president obama is taking a lot of heat for this vacation at martha's vineyard. does this hurt him? what do you think? >> well, it certainly could. there is no doubt about it. white house aides like to point to the statistics that show former about the george w. bush vacationed about three times as much as this president at this time in his presidency. but the fact of the matter is, with the president you see some pictures there, we got yesterday

of him out golfing, george w. bush was in much more calm economic times, if you will, much more turbulent economic times now, the president could pay a price politically in next year's election. that's why the white house is very eag tore put those other pictures out there, you see which is he and his daughters out shopping in a local book store. he wants to emphasize family on the vacation. he wants to emphasize the fact that during the day he's at national security briefings, and economic briefings from staff and what not. they're flying a staff prosecutor the white house here on monday so that all next week he'll get face-to-face briefings. >> heather: thanks. >> gregg: the u.s. state department now reacting to a new report out of iran that two american hikers detained there since 2009 have been sentenced to eight years in prison for espionage and unlawfully entering iran. julie banderas with the latest. >> despite repeated american calls for leniency, iran's state

tv is reporting that the two have each reportedly benefit sentenced to three years in prison for illegal entry and five years for spying. state department officials hoped for a different outcome and released the following statement which reads in part: we are working to confirm these reports and are in contact with the swiss protecting power to obtain more information. shane and josh have been in prison too long and it's time to reunite them with their families. and for the families of the two, it was the worst possible news. a stunning reversal of earlier expectations, the men both just 29 years old, would be released following their trial. the news especially painful for bowers' fiance. all three were arrested back in 2009 after straying into iran while reportedly hiking near a waterfall in iraq. since being released in september for health issues, she has fought tirelessly for the others to be free. the hikers pled not guilty. they say they unknowingly walked

across the border. this sentence is only likely to increase tensions between the u.s. and iran. many say iran's leader, ahmadinejab, who is to visit new york next month, used the detained americans as a political bargaining chip to draw attention to alleged mistreatment of iranians in u.s. prisons. it is not yet clear whether the hikers' sentence includes time already served. they now have 20 days to appeal, gregg. >> gregg: julie banderas, thanks. >> heather: a defiant president assad refusing to step down in syria despite mounting international pressure for him to do so. sources inside syria saying the u.s. and european called for him to go are merely retaliation for syria's involvement in the arab-israeli conflict. meantime, at least 29 more people have been killed since assad declared that he would put an end to the five months of military crackdowns.

experts claim this latest crackdown may be a last-minute attempt to hold on to power. >> gregg: in libya, rebels apparently inching closer to victory. word now that they have seized two key cities, one being the centre of the country's central sector. the other, the major oil refinery there. the rebels now apparently narrowing in on tripoli, gadhafi's stronghold. is this the beginning of the end for him? now tadek is on the phone live from tripoli. what can you tell us? >> it could mean the end of moammar gadhafi, a man who has ruled this country with an iron fist for nearly 42 years. it's why this city is right now on a razor's edge. moments ago i could hear jets, they're going after gadhafi's war machine, smashing anything that could be used against this capitol. but the gains being made by his own people who want him gone.

rebels surround the capital on three sides. it's a city on the north african coast. so literally his back is against the wall. last saturday the rebels threw everything into this fight and they basically came away with important dividends. they now hold the key city of za wia. most importantly, it's 30 miles to the west of tripoli. on top of that, the rebels claim they control another city, 70 miles to the east of here. and they say they're closing on braza, a city important to the oil industry. it's basically got gadhafi in circles and he will make his last stand. folks say he's digging in and urging his followers to fight for the -- to the bitter end. while the rebels are eroding his power on the ground, nato is bombarding him from the air. they hit the command centre last

night. they're going after his inner circle. you might have pictures of what's left of his former intelligence chief's house. that's his former house. notice ten rockets hit it friday night. the owner is gadhafi's brother-in-law and he's also wanted by the international criminal courts. a sign of how tense the situation is getting here, journalists were bussed to the airport not far from here to prove it hadn't fallen into rebel hands. this crisis was sparked by an e-mail that said security forces at the airport had defected enmass. we were taken out there to prove no. we're getting reports a lot of checkpoints and barricades and concrete barriers are being erected all over tripoli in preparation for this showdown and it's going to be probably within the next week, if not weeks. >> gregg: showdown is probably the correct word.

tadek there in tripoli amid the fighting. thanks very much. >> heather: israel diverting an international crisis today by apologizing to egypt. the tension between the two countries on friday when two soldiers reportedly killed egyptian troops while in pursuit of militants from gaza. they threatened to pull its ambassador following the i want, but then backtracked today following israel's apology. >> gregg: new developments on the disappearance of an american woman on the island of aruba. robyn gardner has been missing since earlier this month and investigators now tell the associated press that her travel companion tried to collect on an accidental life insurance policy two days after she was reported missing. gary giordano reportedly bought the $1.5 million insurance policy on his girlfriend shortly before traveling with gardner. the policy only covered the trip to aruba. giordano is a suspect in the case. we'll have much more on this

story later in the hour with our legal panel. >> heather: police renewing their search for a missing utah mom. susan powell, mother of two, vanishing nearly two years ago. today investigators returning to the rugged nevada mountains. nearly 250 miles away from her salt lake city home. ben winslow with our fox affiliate in salt lake city has more. >> west valley city police are back out searching for evidence connected to the disappearance of susan cox powell. it was nearly two years ago that she vanished from her west valley city home, leaving her husband and two children behind. we've been tagging along with police as they have been conducting this search for evidence. they won't say what it is exactly that they're looking for. they say that it is information they received from a search warrant served early on in susan's disappearance. what we've watched them do is go through abandoned mine shafts

and there are thousands of them here. but they're focusing on a specific area outside a gravel pit. we've watched them as they've gone into those mines. they've documented them. police say they have removed no physical evidence, but that they are documenting them, taking photographs, taking notes, and taking them back to detectives in west valley city where they will review them at a later date. again, police keeping very tight lipped about what it is exactly they are looking for connected to susan cox powell's disappearance. this could be connected to her husband, josh powell, who shortly after his wife disappeared, took a rental car on a trip of several hundred miles. it's always been a mystery what exactly it is that he was doing or where he went. police have been out here and say they would have been here much sooner if it hadn't been for the lack of cooperation by josh powell. they have branded him a person of interest in the missing person's investigation. police said today they expect to

continue throughout the rest of today documenting these mines. they'll review it at a later date. we don't know what the next steps in the case will be. still no sign of susan powell and her family and friends continue to hold out hope. they will be handing out more flyers like this today in west valley city in hopes of keeping susan's picture out there, keeping tips coming in to law enforcement. they're just hoping to keep the message out there to keep people still searching for susan. ben winslow, back to you. >> heather: thank you very much for that story from our affiliate. >> gregg: we are certainly seeing extreme weather across the country now with more dangerous conditions on the way. pittsburgh, already turned deadly there. flood water rising as much as nine feet in some places. the epic washout killing two women two and two children. maria molina is live in the fox extreme weather centre. >> hi. unfortunately, we're seeing more

of the same today. we're seeing heavy downpours across parts of the state of michigan. there is reports that some areas have seen as much as six inches of rain in a very short period of time as the strong storms rip through the region. this is associated with a cold front from the great lakes into the plains states. you can see some of the heavy rainfalling through the detroit area. there is currently a severe thunderstorm warning in effect for the city of detroit due to those strong storms that could potentially produce wind gusts in excess of 60 miles per hour. a second area we're watching for potentially severe weather, there is a risk we could see severe thunderstorm watch issued out across southern portions of missouri and northern arkansas. the risk here are including large size hail and damaging wind gusts in excess of 60 miles per hour. this storm system will be on the move examine by tomorrow, will impact portions of the northeast. we could see strong storms as early as tonight across the city of buffalo and then further east as we head into tomorrow from new york city, philadelphia, down into dc and even areas as

far north as vermont. we'll be watching that as we head into tomorrow. we're talking about flooding across portions of the great lakes, northeast, meanwhile, texas in severe drought across the state. we're not expecting really to see any additional rainfall out of this storm system today. triple digit heat. 105 in dallas. 100 in san antonio. because of the extreme heat and when you factor in a little humidity that there is in place, you're looking at heat index values greater than that. there is a number of heat advisories across oklahoma, texas, and as far east as parts of the state of mississippi. meanwhile, we've been talking about tropical storm harvey in the region of central america. already made landfall earlier this afternoon. moving westbound inland. some areas could see as much as ten inches of rain. flooding is here a concern, as well as mud slides. fortunately, the storm is

weakening now. gregg? >> gregg: maria molina in the extreme weather centre, thanks. >> heather: new reports of deadly and horrific violence in drug-prone mexico. the gruesome discovery in a popular tourist city. >> a major new development in the verizon strike. what this means for millions of customers. >> heather: later, most politicians, gregg, they would rather go to the dentist than call for higher taxes. right? >> gregg: that's true. >> heather: some democrats are going against that grain. will the public buy the message? >> subsidies to oil and gas companies and loopholes that help billionaires pay a lower tax rate. >> super rich and big oil and big corporations that enjoy tax give aways. right to the site of pain.

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>> gregg: welcome back. time for a quick check of the headlines. verizon workers heading back to work, but with no deal as yet. nearly 45,000 workers went on strike earlier this month. negotiations between the union and company are still underway. a grisly discovery in mexico. police find five decapitated bodies scattered around various parts of acapulco. experts claiming their victims

of mexico's gruesome drug war. a stunt team jet crashing during an air show in south england. the pilot did not survive. witnesses recalled seeing nine planes take off. only eight landed. >> heather: most politicians dread even mentioning the possibility of higher taxes. but some democrats are trying a new strategy during the congressional recess. they're using town hall meetings to say raising taxes, especially on the rich, might be a good idea. but are average americans listening to the message? time for a fair and balanced debate. justin, a former spokesman for jeb bush and david mercer, former finance director for the dnc joiningity, thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> heather: democrats apparently are calling this accountability august and they're running the gamut, but usually, usually politicians, like we said, they try stay away from taxes, especially when they're talking about raising taxes.

justin, i'll begin with you. do you think this is a good strategy? >> i think it's a remarkable strategy in that with 14 million americans out of work, another 9 million underemployed, that the democrats are taking this congressional recess to try to convince america that washington needs more tax revenue. secondly, i'm baffled at this class resentment, this class we've fare strategy they seem to be taking on at a time when all americans need to be coming together. and they're trying to divide and conquer strategy, which is not what america needs right now. it may be good for their politics or their party, but at a time when america's economy is wobbly, i don't understand the strategy of trying to convince america that washington needs more tax revenue. >> heather: david what, do you think about that? is this venturing into the area of class warfare? >> it's not class warfare. ronald reagan didn't think it was class warfare when in 1982, he had the biggest tax increase

in peacetime. so it's not a class warfare. it's a matter, as we have continually said, of shared sacrifice. we just went the first round of cuts on spending. now what americans are asking is, you know, how is it that i'm going to cut on my pension benefits and so forth when, in fact -- and we can't afford it, supposedly, but we can afford to borrow money to pay for tax subsidies and corporates enjoying all-time profits. that's not a strategy. that's the american people being informed about this and simply asking that question of their representatives, be they democrat or republican. and in addressing from a balanced standpoint, our budget situation, you got to look at revenues as well as spending cuts. >> heather: it is becoming the national narrative across the board with politicians out there on the campaign trail. let's take a listen to mitt romney speaking at the iowa fair. >> one is we could raise taxes

on people. (yelling). >> corporations are people, my friend. of course, they are. where do you think it goes? (heckling) whose pockets? people's pockets. >> heather: david, i brought that out because you were speaking to the corporations. what's your take on that? >> my take is american people are asking on corporations why they are hoarding the $2 trillion sitting on the side line and the reason for that is because there was uncertainty on making the right decisions in addressing both revenue as standard and poors told us in the downgrade, as well as spending. this is not class warfare. this isn't one against the other. it's about all of us coming together. right now republicans are talking about i and what i want for the richest people among us. what obama is talking about and what democrats are talk being is we. how are we all going to come together to deal with the

challenges we're facing and that's what it comes down to. >> heather: justin, do you agree? >> no. you're probably not surprised to know i don't agree. i think that it's really remarkable that at this time the democrats are not focused on jobs. the reason that those -- one of the reasons those corporations are holding that money is because uncertainty coming out of washington that obama administration, regulatory, obama is a big reason for that. if you repeal obamacare, you'll see corporations start to feel better about doing that. the regulatory and tax things that when you have democrats, leading democrats in the white house and congress using this rhetoric against businesses and against corporations, of course they're going to protect their shareholders' money and that shareholder money is money that is in people's 401(k) plans, in retirement plans, pension plans

of lots of employees, public employees i would add is invested in these companies. doesn't help the retirement plans of any of these employees for democrats in washington to be talking down private business. >> heather: david, i'll let you get the last word in here. >> sure. i'll say this, time is running out for the republicans in that the american people are getting educated as to having to address both revenue and spending and secondly, their arguments are running out, in addition to time. they said that the bush tax cuts would create jobs. they didn't do it burr the bush era and certainly aren't helping now. so we have to have shared sacrifice, as well as stimulating the economy, which you'll hear from the president after labor day in announcing what he'll do to help stimulate the economy. >> heather: it will be interesting to hear what he has to say. appreciate you both being here. thank you. >> have a good weekend. >> gregg: alarm bells ring not guilty hospitals across the country now, supplies are running low of a vital drug need

to do treat cancer and other life-threatening diseases. why in the world is this happening? what you need to know about it. >> heather: plus, new information on the man being questioned in the disappearance of an american woman in aruba. how he could have profited from her vanishing. >> even before the insurance policy, it's suspicious to me because who leaves a friend on -- who comes down with somebody and leaves without them? i can't lose hope. we got to do what we can to get robin home. i don't always have time to eat like i should. and the more i focus on everything else, the less time i have to take care of me. that's why i like glucerna shakes. they have slowly digestible carbs to help minimize blood sugar spikes, which can help ler a1c. glucerna products help me keep everything balanced. [ golf ubs clanking ] [ husband ] i'm good! well, almost everything. [ male announcer ] glucerna. delicious shakes and bars.

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>> heather: it is the bottom of the hour. time for the top of the news. the u.s. government working to confirm iranian state tv reports that two american hikers have been sentenced to eight years in prison. the men were detained on the iran-iraq border in 2009 and charged with espionage. >> gregg: a pair of drenching storms triggering flash flooding in pittsburgh, killing four people, causing widespread damage. >> heather: and london police releasing disturbing video of masked men shooting at officers during riots earlier this month. at least five people died during nearly a week of violence. >> gregg: there is a growing danger in america's health care system now. officials say hospitals are running out of many very important drugs.

those shortages include medicine needed to treat a number of life-threatening illnesses, including cancer and bacterial infection. caroline shively is live in washington with more. what drugs are not available and what's the government doing about it? >> there are several drugs used to treat breast cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer and leukemia. many of the medications are just a couple dollars a pill normally. but the price increased to 20 times that in some cases. take a listen. >> some of these drugs that we're missing, these are basic drugs, steroids, basic chemotherapy drugs, and they're inexpensive. we're not talking about our newest drugs. we're talking about our older drugs on the market and there is less of a profit to be made by making them. >> the administration is considering creating a stock pile of the dry ingredients like they do for other treatments if there is a terrorist attack. they would stock pile the dry ingredients and send them to pharmacists in case there was a

shortfall. house and senate bills would require companies to give advance warning when they think they'll run out. the group of cancer doctors has started a nonprofit drug company. they're hoping they'll be able to import some of these medicines soon and eventually manufacture them themselves inasmuch what's the deal? you said they're older drugs. does that mean that the pharmaceutical companies are focusing on newer, more expensive drugs, more profitable drug as soon as why is this happening? >> that's part of it. the drug companies go where the money is. there are a couple of other reasons. the majority of the shortages are because inspectors found contamination problems with batches of the drugs. contamination cases that could kill a patient. some advocates say that's because so many are made in foreign plants that the f.d.a. doesn't inspect. but the f.d.a. says that others occurred because the companies aren't interested in making drugs that have such a low profit margin. gregg? >> gregg: you're right. they go where the money is. allall right. caroline shively live in washington. thanks for that report. >> heather: prescription drugs also a problem on our southern

border. federal agents breaking up a smuggling ring, arresting 15 people for trying to bring prescription drugs from california into mexico. investigators think the operation may be worked where the drugs go to mexican pharmacies and americans would cross the border and buy the drugs over the counter. authorities say the smugglers would have an easier time selling the drugs in mexico instead of in the u.s. >> gregg: there is new fallout from that big brawl between the georgetown university and chinese men's basketball teams. both sides showing signs of sportsmanship, if you will. trying to make some peace and put that fight that broke out thursday night hyped them. the goodwill coming as georgetown is scheduled to play another chinese team. this one tomorrow. peter doocy has more from washington. >> the rockets and other team came together and no punches were thrown.

both teams shook hands and made amends. >> we just got together and shook hands and the coach and i talked about things other than basketball, our families and, you know, we're both ready to move on. >> georgetown moved on to the next stop after this ugly incident on thursday where their exhibition game tie was broken by players punching each other and throwing chairs on to the court. georgetown's coach insists the fight was not politically motivated even though the chinese team is owned by the chinese military and the entire exhibition is scheduled around vice president joe biden's visit to the country. the reconciliation at the airport included the exchange of autographed basketballs from team to team ask it appears all has been forgiven. at least publicly. the chinese vice foreign minister says, quote, my understanding that it's all cleared up. we're pleased about this outcome. and the outcome will be final. at least for now. georgetown did have another game

scheduled against their sparring partners from thursday, but that was canceled before the fight. georgetown will play a team from shanghai before they head back on wednesday to d.c gregg is this. >> gregg: peter doocy, thank you. you ever seen anything like that? >> heather: i have never. and they were really throwing punches. >> gregg: yeah. looked like a hockey game. all right. >> heather: new clues in the case of an american woman we've been talking about this. she disappeared in aruba. new reports that her traveling companion may have tried to profit from her death. >> gregg: plus, a jewelry heist right out of the movies, more than $2 million in diamonds, masked men and a car chase. details straight ahead.

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discover the fastest most powerful gator yet, at johndeere.com/gator. >> gregg: los angeles investigating this brazen multi million dollar diamond heist. so far investigators say the victim, a jewelry merchant, appears to have been targeted. here is how they think it all went down. take a listen. >> five to six males of unknown descent wearing black clothing, black masks, exited the vehicles, approached his vehicle, smashed out the window and attempted to take a backpack that was in his vehicle, which the victim states contained in excess of $2 million. >> gregg: the victim says he tried to chase the thieves down,

but lost them in the traffic. he was later treated at a hospital. minor injuries. he was then released. no arrests have been made. investigators in aruba are gathering new evidence in the case of a missing american woman. robyn gardner vanished earlier this month. her traveling companion reported her missing and is the sole suspect. he reportedly took out an accidental death insurance policy on his girlfriend. gardner, worth $1.5 million just before the aruban trip. tried to collect the money reportedly two days after she vanished. let's bring in our legal panel, mercedes, david, and a former prosecutor. good to see you. >> good to see you. >> gregg: some people say, who takes out a life insurance policy on his girlfriend, but let's play devil's advocate, what if it was the all inclusive

trip insurance you get. there was a little bit of the lodging and air fare and extra money, you get the life insurance policy and you check the box and go okay. >> forget the policy as much as the timing of it. investigators were out looking for gardner. no one assumed that she had been dead within 48 hours, yet he goes and collects an insurance policy. >> gregg: he tries to. >> he tries to. he tries to collect 48 hours after he reports her missing. meanwhile, the authorities are still looking for her as if she were alive. the only person that could have known that she's not alive is the suspect. >> gregg: david, there is also word that he was trying to get some of the money to use to help in the search. so maybe that helps him. >> yeah. i mean, look, that in and of itself is not evidence of guilt of a murder whatsoever. so the aruban authorities have to come up with a lot more besides an insurance policy and an attempt to collect on an insurance policy. i like to know the facts behind

that whole attempt. >> gregg: yeah. it does go to the issue of motive, you know. murder for money. >> it's also circumstantial. there are friends saying gardner would never have been in the water, first of all. she had extensions that she knew she paid thousands of dollars for them. if she went in the water, they would disintegrate. she goes in the water, yet somehow he says she's been snorkeling. then this policy. >> gregg: he said they had vodka and grape juice or whatever before they went. that might play a role in it. i'm trying to think of the what ifs. but then there are these photographs that were found on his camera. they're described by taco stein, in charge -- i guess he's the prosecutor, quite a name -- explicit, graphic, and disturbing beyond pornographic. that's what he says about them. what do you think of that, david? >> depends on what the pictures show. i'm not sure what disturbing beyond pornographic means

actually in this case. does it show him committing some sort of crime? i have no idea what mr. stein is saying in that particular situation. i guess we would all have to evaluate the pictures. but the bottom line is, it's not enough to charge him with murder. >> gregg: what about this, his ex-wife said in court papers, he cannot control his anger. she accused him of abuse. another girlfriend said she was scared of him and he threatened her. she got a restraining order. apparently two different women got restraining orders against the guy. and the aruban prosecutor, again, i'm quoting here, he called him a mean bastard. those were his words. he didn't deny it when he was asked a second time about that. >> one of the challenges the prosecution is going to have is that evidence of his prior bad acts may not come in. there is no history he had with gardner that there was any abuse, that she had called the cops. >> gregg: this isn't the united states. >> it all harkens back to natalie hollowway. we still don't have anybody --

we suspect joran van der sloot. >> gregg: well, maybe that's the best thing he's got going for him. this is aruba and these guys are like, according to some, moe, larry ask curly. >> show me the evidence. you got to build a case beyond evidence. the bottom line is he's sitting in jail right now. either they'll have to release him or charge him with a murder. you can't allow somebody to sit -- >> gregg: would it be enough evidence for a prosecutor here in the united states? >> i think so. >> gregg: really? >> he has the motive. you have the individual that saw her last, the timing of it is suspect, i don't prescribe to the no body, no case. there is enough circumstantial evidence that can lead to the action -- >> gregg: allegedly went to an isolated part of the island. i've been there a couple of times. it's like a big rock out there in someplace, very rural. they apparently chose a place to go snorkeling where nobody was. god forbid i should ever go with my wife someplace and she drowns under circumstances like that.

>> it's highly speculative. i'm not sure where they would have evidence to charge him at this moment in time. there is nothing that ties him to a murder. >> there have been drownings in that area. and the way the tides work, they recovered the bodies very shortly after the drowning. somehow this body has not been recovered yet. there is some evidence that -- some speculation there has been blood on rocks. >> gregg: yeah, but now they're throwing cold water on that, no pun intended. let me throw one thing at you. he stopped cooperating with police. he refused to give dna, which may or may not be relevant. and then he allegedly tried to leave the island. consciousness of guilt? >> he tried and he was stopped as he was attempting to come back to the united states. >> as far as the part of not talking to the police, i would advise if they're a suspect in a murder case, you're better off calling a lawyer and not talking to the police. >> he has a lawyer, he's just not cooperating. >> gregg: good to see you both.

>> thank you. >> gregg: one international airline doesn't want to hurt your feelings, so they're instituting a new rule for in flight entertainment. why they think men should be prepared to shed a tear. that's next. the stronger the rapids, the more we loved it. took some wild risks when i was young. but i was still taking a risk with my cholesterol. anyone with high cholesterol may be at increased risk of heart attack. diet and exercise weren't enough for me. i stopped kidding myself. i've been eating healthier, exercising more, and now i'm also taking lipitor. if you've been kidding yourself about high cholesterol, stop. along with diet, lipitor has been shown to lower bad cholesterol to 60 percent. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patits who have heart diase

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>> heather: one transatlantic airline taking steps to protect their male customers' pride. virgin atlantic giving its passengers what they're calling emotional health warnings when showing tear jerker movies. this is no joke. the decision coming after surveys found that apparently 41% of men admitted hiding their tears. some candidates for the weepy warnings are "water for elephants," "eat pray love ." some men may elect for air sickness warning for some of these films. >> gregg: i cry every time i see "it's a wonderful life." donna reed and the whole gang. every time i cry. >> heather: you're not one of the 71% that hides a tears? >> gregg: if i saw "water for elephants" on a plane coming back to the united states.

i didn't cry. >> heather: i haven't seen that one. >> gregg: i went to sleep really. >> heather: i cry at commercial commeral campaign trail. the latest rasmussen reports polls report ago very big shakeup in the gop presidential field. texas governor rick perry taking the lead after jumping into the race last weekend. >> heather: likely gop primary voters were asked if the primary were held today, who would you vote for? perry is on top. followed by former massachusetts governor mitt romney, minnesota congresswoman michelle bachman, and texas congressman ron paul. here now, scott rasmussen, president of rasmussen reports.com. so scott, any surprise there? he just entered the race. >> look, he entered the race, it was a great start. better to enter on top than near the bottom. but there is a long way to go. last time we did this, john mccain won the nomination, he never led in a single national

primary poll until december 31, 2007. and karl rove and others are saying there may be new entrants in the race in the next couple of race. what you can say is rick perry had a good start. he'll have is a lot more challenges ahead of him. >> gregg: what about the influence of the tea party, plus or minus? >> a lot of people on the left are saying it's clearly the gop, but among republican primary voters, 58% say it will help the party. i think they feel the energy that comes as much as they focus on the ideology. 22% say it hurts. one really fascinating detail on in poll, nine out of ten tea party members say they'll vote for whoever wins the republican nomination. only seven of ten primary voters who aren't in the tea party say the same. so it's not the republican tea party members who are saying may way or the highway. it's others may be holding that view. >> heather: speaking of my way, how do americans view themselves?

>> you know, ideologically, they want to say there is a simple breakdown. it's not that simple. we asked how you rate yourself on social and fiscal issues. 28% of voters say that they're conservative on both -- fewer than half as many say they're liberal on both. six out of ten have a mix-up. what most people are fiscal conservatives, only 14% are fiscal liberals. when you get to the socialist issues, it's a much closer race. 36% conservative. 32% say they're liberal. what we see here is that just about everybody who is liberal on fiscal issue social security also liberal on social issues. conservatives, about one out of three fiscal conservatives don't go there on the social issues. >> gregg: have you ever polled, as to the extent of the male population that cries during

movies? >> you know, i haven't done that poll. there are a few movies that bring tears to my eye. i'm a sucker. >> gregg: you want to name one? >> no, not really. >> gregg: do you cry during "it's a wonderful life," at the very end? you never polled that? >> no. never polled that. i'll keep it in mind going forward. >> gregg: no man is a failure who has friends. clarence the angel. >> heather: you can catch scott's special radio talk show, by the way. that is on campaign 2012 tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. eastern, streaming live on-line at rasmussenreports.com and you can even call in and ask him some questions, maybe about weepy movies or probably politics, though. i'm pretty sure that's what people will be asking you, scott. >> last week as we signed off, you said you might be calling. i waited the whole hour. you never called. >> heather: i tweet you all the time and you never tweet me back. >> oh, okay. so i guess we're even.

>> heather: i'll call in, though. i promise. >> gregg: scott rasmussen, thanks very much. >> thank you. >> gregg: that's going to do it for us. nice to be back. i was off a couple of weeks. good to see you again. >> heather: how was your trip? >> i had a great time. wonderful time. spent time with my children and that's always a plus. >> heather: back to school now. >> gregg: that's true. >> heather: we're glad you're back. >> gregg: rick folbaum and arthel neville will be taking over at the top of the hour. >> heather: and we will see you tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. >> gregg: hope off great weekend, everybody. >> heather: bye.

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