martha: if you're looking for luggage this guy could make you a whole set. the largest gator ever caught in georgia. four guys reeled in this beast using fish hooks. look the a the clause on that thing. bill: big hook. and a lot of handbags. martha: the peta people all upset about that, right? we'll see you here tomorrow, folks. bill: bye-b. jenna: hi, everybody, so glad to have you with us this thursday, i'm jenna lee? i'm jon scott. we are here in the fox

newsroom. happening now staggering new numbers on the massive wildfire fight in texas where the forest service just reported it's responded to more than 170 fires in the last week alone, the worst one burning in bastrop, the killer wildfire destroying hundreds and hundreds of homes in that state. today crews hope that cooler temperatures will finally help them gain ground on the fast-moving fires. jenna: we hope that as well. some progress to report in montgomery county. the fire mostly contained there but evacuation orders still in effect for at least one neighborhood. so progress, but still a lot of caution, jon. jon: in waller county crews battling flare-ups as well. residents reacting to what is going on so far. >> it's a war zone, like something blew up, just terrible. >> makes me want to run across the street and grab the few little things i wish i would have took in the beginning, i didn't have time to do it.

jon: if only the folks in texas could get some of that water on the east coast. kris gutierrez is live in bastrop, texas. >> reporter: the fire is 30% contained. we could learn new containment numbers in the next few hours. we'll bring that to you. we are at the convention center which has turned into a command post, the nerve center. this water is for the hard-working firefighters that are out there right now trying to work at putting out this massive fire. look up here. these are really neat pieces of artwork that were drawn up by the children who have been displaced by this fire, all these kids are now staying at an area shelter. in fact one of the billed schools in town has become an area shelter. they wanted to show their appreciation to the firefighters who responded to this fire from across the country. one thing that will really pull at your heart strings is this right here. take a look at these pieces of

paper here. these are lises updated periodically by county officials. these are addresses on the pieces of paper and the sobering reality is if you see your address on a piece of paper that means your home is now gone. we met a man who actually saw his address up here a short time ago. >> started crying inside. because i'd seen the list prior to that and my house wasn't there. i jumped a page. i went on over and oops there it is. i built the addition, i'll rebuild this dude. it's insured. i've already informed them about it. and we are going to win. this whole community is going to win. >> reporter: everyone can understand why he's so emotional. you may see that his arms are damaged. he received second degree burns on his arms, parts of his face and his legs as he ran from the fire that consumed his house. now take a look at this video here. this will put that fire into

perspective. this is video captured there a dashboard camera of an assistant chief with the lower colorado authority. it shows you tahaian village where homes are literally burning to the ground. in the next few hours authorities want to come up with some type of plan, some people are concerned that their pets may have miraculously survive this fire. people had short notice and had to gather what they could and take off. some had to leave dogs and cats behind. jon: you can replace a house but not a life. >> reporter: amen. jenna: what a stark contrast too what is happening on the east coast, what some are calling historic flooding here. tropical storm lee dumping more

rain while they are trying to recover from hurricane irene. in pennsylvania a hundred thousand people are under a mandatory evacuation order as they rescue drivers on flooded roads and highways. one person drowned when help didn't arrive in time. an elderly man died when the walls of his basement collapsed as he tried to bail out the flooding riverment states from maryland to new york declaring flash flood warnings today. the baltimore area is getting hit with more rain now than during the hurricane. >> we've never ever seen it like this. there's never been a time that we cannot get home. most we've had is heavy trees falling and then the river will come all the way up, but never has it been up to the street. it's just impossible. >> i'm 73 years old, i've been in baltimore all of my life, i've never seen anything near this. jenna: and there is more trouble potentially brewing. tropical storm maria in the

atlantic could aim or take aim at the east coast. we're watching the tropical storm nate develop in the gulf itself. they just keep on going. meteorologist janice dean is keeping an eye on this from the fox news extreme weather center. busy day. >> reporter: so heartbreaking . we'll talk about the northeast flooding as we have flood advisories from many of those communities that we just saw on the videotape. we have new advisories in on all of the systems. there is katia, katia will be no threat to the u.s. or bermuda. we'll ignore katia for the moment. the good news about maria she is weak evening down to 45 miles an hour sustained winds. we have to monitor maria in the next couple of days. nate is possibly going to be a threat to the gulf coast this weekend, almost perhaps a repeat of what we saw of lee over this past weekend. so look at the track, not very pretty. we are not really sure where this storm is going to go, but the reliable forecast models are now thinking that we could see a

landfall potentially along the gulf coast, potentially in the same area where we saw lee again. so a lot of discrepancy here. we really don't have a handle on where this storm is going to go. here is one of the reliable forecast models as we go through time through saturday and sunday, making a b-line again for louisiana and mississippi, almost identical to what we saw tropical storm lee do over just the last several days. so we could see a repeat. now there is maria, a tropical storm as we head further out in time, but again going out into the five day, six-day forecast a lot of uncertainty here. we could actually potentially see u.s. landfall from maria in the next several days. jenna a lot to watch and later on this hour we'll talk about the northeast and the poe tension for a hundred year flooding across areas that have just seen so much rain. jenna: hundred year flooding, wow, j.d. thank you. jon: president obama will give

that major speech tonight on job creation pitching his plan to congress, urging congress to act on it. just this morning some new unemployment numbers came out showing jobless claims jumped by 2,000 last week to 414,000. peter barnes from the fox business network is at the white house for us right now. do we know what is in the president's plan that he'll announce tonight? >> reporter: we do have some details, jon. we are hearing from sources that the plan will cost about $400 billion and here are some of the major h elements. the president of course wants to extend the payroll tax cut for workers for another year, that would be worth about a hundred billion dollars or so in 2012. he wants to offer tax breaks, particularly to smaller businesses that create new jobs, a new round of tax breaks for them. he wants a new round of infrastructure spend w-g a big focus on renovating and rebuilding subject schools. he also wants to push the free trade agreements for columbia,

south korea and panama that have been stuck on capitol hill. he wants to expend unemployment benefits for workers who have been out of work for a longtime. he wants to combine that with new job training programs. jon: is that some infrastructure behind you there, the guy operating that backhoe at the white house? >> reporter: yeah, they always manage to pull up right behind me for my live shots. no comment on that. jon: so how do we pay for this? >> reporter: well, we heard from one of the president's top advisers today, valerie gerard, she told us this morning they want to pay for this by mainly closing tax loopholes -rblgs take a listen. >> we need to close loopholes, have a fair tax system, make sure that people are not -- that aren't paying their fair share that those who could afford to pay a little more do. i think the process that

secretary geithner has been going for looking at tax reform generally will come out later. in this particular bill the president will be looking to close loopholes. >> reporter: she didn't specify what kind of loopholes they have in mind here but we can tell you that in the 2012 budget back in february the administration proposed about $356 billion in revenue changes and loophole closures, including for example getting rid of tax breaks for oil and gas companies. jon. jon: peter barnes at the white house where they are doing some digging. peter, thank you. be sure to keep it right here on fox. shepard smith anchors our live coverage of the president's address to congress tonight. 7:00 eastern time. jenna: in the months and years after 9/11 just about everyone feared or fears another terror attack on our soil. with congress and the white house and intelligence experts

all warning us we'll be hit again one of the questions that we have is, why have there been no major attacks since 9/11. is it luck, something better than that. catherine herridge is in washington taking a look at this. >> reporter: i i think it's worth remembering in new york and in washington 9/11 everyone was waiting for the next shoe to drop. >> frankly on 9/11 i wasn't sure we were going to go another week without a major attack. to put things in perspective at the time, there was a real uncertainty about the dimensions of the plot on that very day. for example, people don't remember that there was one other airliner which for a period of time appeared to be hijacked. >> reporter: there were three layers or circles to the conspiracy. there was the al-qaida core leadership including osama bin laden. the 19 hijackers who carried out the attack and he found a

support network that tp facilitated the hijackers and at that time they felt they had no direct knowledge of the plot, jenna. jenna: you almost want to knock on wood when you talk about it. why haven't we been hit again to the same magnitude that we saw on 9/11. >> reporter: for the most part current and former intelligence officials say it's been a combination of strong law enforcement. multilayered security, improved sharing and policies that have prevented another eye tack. we spoke to the nation security agency and the cia michael hayden. >> in my view, beyond the improved defenses, the single greatest factor we have going for us and keeping us safe is that we have taken this fight to this enemy, and we have attacked its leadership, we have attacked his leadership relentlessly and made him far less capable of

conducting that mass casualty attack against an iconic target. >> reporter: while not identifying the program michael hayden is referencing a campaign that is intensified under the current administration. luck has played a role in the attempted car bombing of times square in the summer last year and also the underwear bombing a year earlier. both of those came down to luck. in times square the explosives did not detonate because the bomb was not put together properly. in terms of the underwear bomb i was able to confirm while it did detonate the explosives did not ignite because they were damp. jenna: we'll be on the side of luck. if there is a side to be on we'll take that one as sure. thank you. jon: other stories we want to look at again, what is big, green -- no not you, just tried to rob a convenience store. you're not big either, it's the gumby bandit. police are hunting for this

cartooned, cast taoupld criminal. jenna: we need the fashion police on that too. as part of our coverage coming up to the 10th anniversary of 9/11 they include these guys, these rescue dogs searching for survivors in the rubble. one a little pup at the time played a big role. she will be here with her trainer. jon: the president gearing up for a speech on jobs and the economy. what do his fellow democrats want to hear from him. we'll talk with a senator who decided to share his thoughts with the president next. let me tell you about a very important phone call i made.

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jenna: "happening now," we are awaiting the president's big jobs speech tonight. what do fellow democrats wants to hear from the president. a democratic senator has some ideas. he joins us from capitol hill. senator, maybe one thing you can share with us from our litter that you think the president can

share with the american people tonight to turn around the job situation. >> the challenge is no one single thing. in my letter iaid out several. just a couple out of there i hope he talks about the idea of a infrastructure bank, if you leverage properly you can create an incredible amount of resources out there to build roads, bridges, water systems and sewer systems that are falling apart and crumbling across the country. also they are important for the private sector work off of. if we build the right road systems, the right water and sewer systems private sector will attract and build from that. jenna: do you think that has a chance of passing not only the house but the senate as well? >> we've got to have a little hope around here. if we keep talking that nothing is going to happen then guess what, nothing happens. i will tell you today in the senate environment and public works committee the highway transportation to be extended by january of this year was passed out unanimous. there is a lot of interest. last night i met with 26

senators, republican, democrats, talking about some of these issues, and infrastructure seems to be one that everyone is kind of galvanized behind. also tax reform, this is another issue that there seems to be strong bi-partisan support on. i think we have heard, i've heard for months, and i think a lot of my colleagues now coming back from their august recess back home have got even an ear full from their constituents saying you better get on the stick and do something and don't do it in such a way that you're creating new programs. work with what you have and create some incentives and at the same time create an environment that the private sector can excel in. jenna: last night with the 26 senators that got asked from both sides of the aisle we don't hear that happening very often. what did you guys do, have a couple drinks, share a cup of coffee? how did you get together and talk about what was happening in d.c. >> a couple of members called the meeting, we all got

together, we sat in a room without staff there and said, hey, what do we need to focus on here and how are we going to do this? i think there is a renewed -- i tell you you spend a month back home, you get an ear full. when i went back home it doesn't matter where i traveled i don't care if i was doing my own personal shopping or having my town hall meetings people gave you an ear full. we better get on stick here. we have to find bi-partisan activity. jenna: it's promising to hear that getting together in a room without staff and just talking a little bit. a quick final question here. one of the things that valerie gerard mentioned about the potential plan that we'll hear from the president tonight is that be the closing of loopholes and tax breaks. often that applies to big oil and gas companies. oil's big business in alaska, would you be open to this plan if there was a infrastructure bank or it would be paid for or leveraged by getting rid of tax breaks for oil companies?

>> i would say this and i have not supported singling out one industry. what i have supported on my website i have a bi-partisan bill with senator wyden and senator coats. if it's a broad sweep i'm interested to look eight. if it's singling out one thing i'm not interested in it. they heard from some of us don't single out one industry, we all have to do our part but do it in a way that is comprehensive and do it so it creates certainty to our business community. oil and gas industry is strong in alaska, but also it can be strong for this country. i know you guys have talked about it on fox many times, and we would just love to open up some areas in alaska so we can explore and create an enormous amount of job potential within this country right here with our resources. i want to see a broad approach not a single industry penalty. jenna: it will be an interesting topic to discuss. next time you have one of those

meetings with the sevens we'd love an invitation, just to put it out there senators. next time. >> bring the beer and we'll be there. jenna: can't make any promises, we'll see what we can do. nice to see you again, sir. jon: the gop presidential hopefuls square off in a fiery debate over jobs and the economy. who claims victory? we'll speak with the mitt romney campaign about his performance last night. also governor rick perry standing by his remarks a calling social security a ponzi scheme. is that claim accurate? we'll look into actually what a ponzi scheme is.

>> we have unemployment rate below the national average we ended up with 4.7% unemployment rate. i'm proud of what we were able to do in a tough situation. >> time, governor perry. >> michael du dukakis created jobs three times faster than you did. >> as a matter of fact george bush and his predecessor created jobs faster than you did, governor. >> that's not correct. that's not correct. jon: last night was the first time they went head to head in a debate, plenty of fireworks. when it was all over the romney campaign declared victory. andrea sol is press secretary for the romney campaign. victory in what say? >> i think governor romney clearly won the debate last night. he showed that he's the candidate that can beat barack obama on jobs and the economy. he laid out his economic plan this week, he has 59 specific proposal to get this economy turned around ten of which he

would enact on the very first day he's in office and he talked about that last night and showed he's a leader and not only does he have a plan, he actually has done these things. he's done them in the private sector, the not for profit sector and he's turned things around as the governor of massachusetts. waoes come into situations that have been dire and he's proved time and time again that he can turn things around and create jobs and get things going again. jon: we heard that exexamining between the two former governors, governor romney as well as governor perry. newt gingrich said, look we ought to be on stage taking on barack obama and not chewing up each other. what do you think about that point? >> i mean, you know, governor romney had his attention focused on barack obama this entire campaign. i think we'll see tonight, as he said, we've seen plans, one, two, three and four from president obama, we don't need to see what he says tonight. he's been a failure and his policies have failed this coun country. that's why governor romney has been out talking to voters every

day about what his plans are to turn the competent 4 around. economy around. i think we'll have clear differences between the candidates. one thing is clear, mitt romney can take this fight from obama and turn this country around once he gets in the white house. jon: andrea saul. thanks. jenna: social security was certainly a big issue last night. rick perry insisting once again social security is a ponzi scheme. >> it is a monstrous live. it is a ponzi scheme to tell our kids, 25, 30 years old today you're paying into a program that is going to be there, anybody that is for the status quo with skoegs security today is involved with a monstrous lie to our kids and it's not right. jenna: is social security really

a ponzi scream? >> who do you most identify as a ponzi schemer. jenna: hands down bernie madoff. >> hands down. jennawhat bernie madoff did he promised his investors high return with low risk. he did that he came good on that by taking the money from his newer investors to pay his longer term investors. what are we doing as younger workers we are paying into our social security funds that the retired workers then get to take advantage of. here is the problem, when the pool of money dries up, which is what happened to bernie madoff, he got caught after the 2008 financial market passed he had no money to pay his longer term investors who were looking to cash out. if you look at the debt and deficit problems in our country there is concern whether the retired workers in the very near future will get their due cash pay outs.

jenna: with the government ideally being transparent is that the broader point, that because we know these issues are out there it's not a ponzi scheme because no one is lying directly to us? there is the assumption there are some challenges ahead. >> keep in mind a ponzi seem is illegal and here is why, because you don't have the transparen transparency. bernie madoff flat out lied saying he was putting the cash in stocks and bonds or a vacation of that. we're investing with the government ideally, we're getting transparen transparency. but what they did was they downgraded us from a aaa rating. rick perry with that provocative language, he said it would be treasonous if the federal reserve printed more money. jenna: here we are talking about it, i guess we fell into the

trap. thank you very much, laurie with fox business. jon. jon: police in southern california on the hunt for a robbery suspect with a very unconventional disguise. rick folbaum has it. >> reporter: you can call this a gumby scheme, it's a robbery so ridiculous the store clerk didn't think it was real. the scene is a 711, san diego, california. a horn whose gender remains unclear comes into a store dressed up like gumby. that was a popular claymation show on tv. he tells the clerk it's a hold up. the clerk says stop wasting my time. gumby reaches for something. he goes towards the door. they don't know if pokey the horse was the get away horse.

there is a $1,000 reward leading to gumby's arrest, back to you. jon: i wonder what a gumby costume costs. jenna: you've just taken on somebody wearing green, both of you. jon: it's not directed at you at all jenna. jenna: i don't know, both of you. the heroes who may have saved the nation's capitol on september 11th, a coach rage us act that cost them their lives. passengers on flight 93 overpowering the hijackers and sending the plane into a field in pennsylvania, we're going to talk to one of the mothers of those heroes just ahead. are you receiving a payout from a legal settlement

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jon: as we approach a very solemn day marking ten years since the attacks of 9/11 2001 the victim's families are working to honor the leg gas sees of their loved ones. that day produced extraordinary heroes in this country including the passengers on board united airlines flight 93, which crashed in a field in pennsylvania. many of those courageous passengers, including mark bingham rushed the cockpit in an effort to retake the plane from the hijackers and avert another targeted attack. joining us from washington is mark's mother, alice hoagl u.n. d. alice i spoke to you in the weeks after 9/11. it seems so strange it's been ten years since that day, but your son, mark, was one of the heros, he was a big guy, it's

quite plain that he was ready to try to take on those hijackers, try to get control of that plane again. >> mark had a lot of good talents in the back of that doomed 747. he was 6'4", 220. mark beamer graduated from the same high school. he was a basketball star. tom burnett was a quarterback in college. and jeremy glick was a judo and rugby player. they didn't let the time pass them, they seized the opportunity and they took a vote and ran forward and faced an armed enemy. jon: he spoke to you that morning he was able to reach you by phone? >> he did. he called and spoke first to my sister-in-law kathy, and then to me, mom this is mark bingham, i just want to tell you i love you. it was his policy not to tell his mom when he was dire danger, that happened quite a bit and he didn't say, i've just seen four

people knifed to death before my eyes. he didn't tell me that he and tom burnett and jeremy glick and todd beamer were back there hatching a plan and they were going to rush the cockpit. he didn't tell me that he only had 15 minutes to live. it was wonderful, what he did say, was i love you. jon: what a great gift from a son. >> it was a gift. jon: i know that then there was some question at that point as to what these guys were planning to do. they had told all the passengers they had a bomb on board. >> that's right, that's right. jon: you felt it was important to let them know that other flights had already been hijacked and had already smashed into the twin towers. let me play for our viewers your call to him that you gave us. >> you reached the mobile phone. >> this is your mom. the news is that it's been hijacked by terrorists, they are planning to probably use the plane as a target to hit some site on the ground. i would say go ahead and do everything you can to over power

them because they are hell bent. try to call me back if you can. jon: the thinking is that plane was headed for either the capitol building or the white house. what have authorities told you about, you know, the fight to retake flight 93? >> we didn't know of course where the plane was headed. they admitted that the intended target was the capitol dome. the authorities have shared the cockpit voice recording with us and we've been able to hear the voices of those guys fighting just outside the cockpit door. dino burnett tells us that it was tom that started the chant, in the cockpit, in the cockpit if we don't get in there we'll die. it was wonderful to hear mark's voice in awful that. there wasn't very much good news that came out of 9/11 but what happened on board flight 93 america has ever reason to be proud of. jon: real heros there. i know that those cockpit voice

recordings have never been officially released. your family members were able to hear them. that must be a tremendous comfort to know about the heroism of your loved ones. >> i hope that they will release it. jon: alice hoagl u.n. g, so good to talk to you again. thank you. jenna: from one story of heroism to another as well. a woman trapped in a burning car, a man comes to her rescue. he was fast a sleep moments before. the full story for you ahead. the sounds like a science fiction movie. the first phase of space travel is really taking shape. we have a spaceport coming to america. the electorial college will play a key role in the election. why does larry sant lar santa r

y sabado says it doesn't matter who the republican candidate is. that, straight ahead. almost tastes like one of jack's als. fiber one. h, forgot jack cereal. [ jack ] what's for breakfast? um... try the number one! [ jack ] yeah, ts is pretty good.

jenna: the republicans debate and the president gears up for a big jobs address tonight. behind the scenes the real focus is the electorial college map. larry sabato says it comes down to seven key states. he's the director of the center of politics alternate the university of virginia and has his crystal ball today. larry, why these seven states. >> those are president seven states, jenna because historically and using current polling data, they are the ones that are on the edge of the fence. they could tip one way or the other, assuming the race is actually close. you know, if this election were held this november i think it would be another 1980. i don't think it would be close at all. jenna: in which direction as far

as -- >> oh, in the republican direction. jenna: the republican direction. >> in 1980 in the sense that ronald reagan won over 40 states in 1980, given the state of the economy, this would be heavily tilted to the republicans if you had a mainstream republican candidate, say either romney or perry. jenna: that's interesting to hear you say that because you also wrote in the crystal ball as far as the seven key swing states that at this point now 14 months ahead of the election, that is an important distinction from if it was held this november that it shows how little difference the identity of the potential republican nominee makes. why do you say that? >> well, as long as you have someone who is considered relatively mainstream. i think that is very important. you have to have a republican who can win swing state voters. certainly there is some difference between and among the republicans, but there are also easily 20 states that would go

republican regardless of which candidate in the current field the gop nominated. jenna: as far as the seven swing states, do you think whoever gets that swing state will it still be because of macro issues, the economy overall, jobs overall or will it be important for these candidates and for the president obviously to focus on issues that really relate to each state? >> if you're looking to explain this election, more than half of it is going to be the economy and jobs. i don't think there is any question about it. then you get down to the particulars about each state because we have a 50-state contest for president, plus the district of columbia. you do have to focus on individual issues, individual factors in these key swing states, the seven i identify and others that could surprise us. every election night we have a couple of shockers. who knows, maybe it will be pennsylvania. pennsylvania hasn't voted republican presidently since

1988 but it's still got enough competition in the system that it might switch. or oregon, or a number of other states i could mention. jenna: as you mentioned the comparison to 1980, do you notice anything different going into 2012. does anything strike you different or unusual that is coming up in this election period? >> well, of course it started a lot earlier and it's going to be much more expensive. i suppose you could say that barack obama has 14 months notice, as opposed to jimmy carter who figured out he was going to lose i think really on election day when he got a call from pollster pat cadell. jenna: thank you so much for sharing your crystal ball with us today. look forward to having you back on. >> thanks, jenna. jon: what would you do if you saw a car on fire and saw people in it? rick folbaum has more on a guy who was face wed that scenario. >> reporter: true, jon, a man in

florida flying in bed, he sees a bright glow outside of his window and he gets up to investigate. take a look at what he sees. it's a van on fire, parked right outside on the street. his name is keith ledger. he jumps out of bed, he puts on clothes, gets outside just in time to see a man climbing out of the van, and to see a woman still trapped inside. he's worried about a possible explosion, he uses the only tools that he had available, listen. >> it took me about four or five punches and i was able to bust through the front windshield of the car. and we were able to get it pulled out and drag her out. you don't really think about it, you just get out there and you do it. >> reporter: the driver was 44-year-old woman patricia hill. she is facing a dui charge. she says she did have a couple of beers but was not drunk and the brakes on her van went out while she was trying to turn into her driveway. she eventually got a chance to meet her rescuer. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> thank you really. >> you're welcome feeling

better? >> i'm hurt, i'm sore but i'm sure you do to. >> reporter: they suffered burns on their hands and feet. they will be okay, jon. jon: that is absolutely amazing, good for them. jenna: they help find victims in the days after the 9/11 attacks. we are going to meet one of the four-legged heros whose first mission was in the rubble of the pentagon. a little dog named red, and her handler by the way is going to join us live just ahead. hey, i'm really glad we took this last minute trip! me too. you booked our room right? not yet, thanks for reminding me. wait, what? fret not ma'lady. i have the hotels.com app so we can get a great deal even at the last minute.

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jon: in the days off the 9/11 attacks the first responders searching for victims got a whole lot of help from some

four-legged heros. dogs combed the rubble leading rescuers to survivors and helping to recover the bodies of those who had given their lives: for a labrador named red the pentagon was her first mission. red was certified for that job. she and her handler, heather roach managed to find dozens of victim's bodies. red is 12 years old, largely retired from the search and rescue business. heather roach and red join us now live from washington. it's a fascinating story, heather. you took red to the pentagon, the rubble was i guess smoldering, still very hot, right and you thought maybe she wasn't going to be a good rescue dog. >> yes, that was her first mission. she had recently certified, and we didn't know how she was going to handle the machinery, all the people. jon: she was only what 18 months old at that time? >> correct. yeah, she'll turn 12 in

october. and we were -- jon: you got her there onto the pile of rubble and how did she do? >> she actually did great. we tested her on the side. i was actually there with another one of my dogs, a more experienced dog but the the daytime shift was very hot and tiring for everybody. we got permission to test her out on the side, and she did fantastic and she worked it like an old pro. i was very proud of her. she is just one of many dogs who were there working very hard. >> i know that it was several days after the pentagon was attacked that you got there, so she was not necessarily looking for live victims, but just to be able to pinpoint the location of a body is so important not only for the people who are removing the rubble, but also for the family members. >> yes. we were actually there as part of the north parking lot evidence recovery team, so it was full of f.b.i., atf and all the different agencies were sifting through the debris and we were looking for actually dna

evidence for identification of the victims. jon: you thought she wasn't going to be good as a search and rescue dog. you had actually found another home for her, you thought she was just going to be somebody's pet but then she proved herself there. >> definitely. at six months old i wasn't sure her personality was good for a search dog. usually they are very active and not easy to live w. she is a little bit of a quirky dog. she does anything i've asked her to do, whether it's climb rubble, climb ladders. she actually thinks that disaster scenes are her playground. she is not a dog that is very energetic. she conserves her energy. if you ask her to go to work she will do anything you ask her for and she will do it day after day. jon: she's earned her retirement. jenna has a very good question. how does a black dog get the

name red. >> a lot of my dogs have nautical names. she is red right returning. jenna: threw go. jon: you've earned your retirement. jenna: well the flooding disaster in the northeast one of our big stories today forcing more than a hundred thousand people out of their homes and shutting down major highways. you have more torrential rains potentially coming this way, live with that story. brand-new developments in the bomb scare at a california high school, you saw this play out yesterday live on fox news, why the suspect is such a shocker. we are live with that story next.

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jon: fox news alert the f.b.i. now searching the celendra california solar panel company. that place went bang kupt weeks ago. it had received a $535 million

federal loan guarantee, which had been widely criticized by republicans. the company owes lenders nearly $784 million, including $528 million to the u.s. government. >> reporter: fox news alert major developments on big stories we are following for you today. we are here at theissignment desk. all the stories come in we filter them out, we bring them to you. a couple of stories have to do with the flooding, take a look at patterson new jersey, cars have to be towed away as floodwaters rush through, the town recovering after hurricane irene. this is a shot of a reporter getting ready to do a live report from a town called upper marlborough in maryland where the water is the story there as well. we'll keep our eye on all the news and bring it to you. the second hour of "happening now" starts right now.

jon: a good thursday morning to you. i guess it's thursday noon here on the east coast. i'm jon scott. jenna: i'm jenna lee. what is left of tropical storm lee is hammering the east coast right now from the mid-atlantic to new he can land. you have record breaking flooding in an area drenched already by hurricane irene. in maryland, overflowing rivers and creeks stranding dozens of drivers. in pennsylvania, more than one hundred thousand folks are told they must evacuate. the river is expected to reach the top of its levee tonight. in upstate new york more than 10,000 people are undermanned torrey evacuation orders in hard hit bingham, the flooding closing the through way. janice dean says this might be a hundred year event we are experiencing. david miller is live in new jersey where flood weary folks can't catch a break.

>> reporter: a double whammy. i'm standing in the middle of bridge street in downtown patterson. take a look at the scene. you can see over my shoulder one of the few remaining cars on this street now being towed by that truck. there were a few other vehicles here earlier in the day. all the businesses are shut. the homes that are on this street evacuated. no people. and they are expecting more rain in the next few hours. just out of camera range down the street is the passak river that is expected to crest at a little over 12 feet, which is five feet above flood stage. we have to be mindful of the fact that many of the people in this city are still cleaning up after hurricane irene. there are still people living in homeless shelters. there are still a great deal of debris out on the street that has not yet been cleaned. let me show you, as this truck goes by, he's having a good day, the sun is out, you can see

there is a storm drain here, and this is a big part of the problem. i talked about all the debris, the debris is blocking this drain and the water is just sitting here. yesterday i'm told you could see the blacktop on this street for the first time since irene hit, now a very different story, people here bracing for the worst. very quickly they are not alone, the situation in northeast pennsylvania also very, very serious as you mentioned. we've got some pictures that show how bad the situation is there, and it is expected that the flooding there is going to get worse in the next few hours. the river there is exsp-bged to crest at some 41 feet later today, some time between 4:00 and 8:00pm. the 41 feet is the same height as a number of the levees and many fear there could be very, very serious flooding in northeastern pennsylvania as there has been flooding not just here in patterson but in upstate new york, and in maryland, all along the east coast people reeling from hurricane irene,

once again suffering. very quickly i'll mention to you jenna that compounding the misery of the people here we are told that the flash flooding in new jersey has resulted in power outages, there are now 2,000-plus homes that are without power, making this very difficult situation even more difficult to bear. back to you. jenna: so many developments, we'll keep our viewers updated, david lee, thank you very much. jon: right now getting new details about the president's latest plan to create jobs in this country, as well as the reception he can expect tonight on capitol hill when he presents that plan to congress. senior white house correspondent wendell goler live on the north lawn for us. >> reporter: if you can hear me over the cement mixers in back of me. the president and his aides say the proposals to create jobs that partisanship is the only reason republicans would object to them now.

john boehner's aides say privately several of the expected proposals, including extended unemployment benefits and direct aid to states to keep them from laying off public sector workers and infrastructure spending was all part after 2009 stimulus bill that all house republicans rejected. that said the president may feel that the political climate has changed especially after this summer's fight overextending the debt ceiling, which white house people say showed that the partisanship in washington is not only dysfunctional, it's dangerous. mr. obama will again propose closing tax loopholes and ending some tax preferences that house republicans have refused to accept, even when it seem the alternative was a u.s. default. the president's advisers, meanwhile, suggest he has been listening to house democrats who have advised him to go bold. >> it will be robust. we are looking for ways of creating jobs that will be created right away. if the act is passed jobs will

be able to be created right away. i'll give you one example, all around our country we have schools in disrepair. we should be providing our students the best environment possible in which to learn so rebuilding a school is a lot easier than building a brand-new school. >> reporter: there is in fact still some money from the 2009 stimulus program that remains unspent, and the president has acknowledged that some of the shovel-ready projects the government-funded weren't really shovel-ready. that said the chamber of commerce has supported the idea of infrastructure spending, rebuilding roads and bridges and house speaker boehner says republicans tonight will be listening for things that they can go along with, listening for common ground. jon. jon: wendell goler at the white house for us. thank you. jenna: he gave us a whole bit of information there coming ahead of the president's big job's address tonight. we have the chairman of the republican national committee and he joins us with a bit of reaction to that.

one of the things that wendell said that the white house feels that partisanship is the only thing that is going to keep this jobs plan from passing in any form. that is the question we have for you today as someone who speaks for the republican national committee. is the script already written as far as the response to the president's plan tonight or are you open to some of the ideas the president will present. >> i think the speaker has made it clear he's going to be listening for common ground. i think republicans there are going to be looking for common ground. i think that's what america wants too. unfor nat here what we're seeing here, jenna is that the president continues to be tone deaf. i mean i listened as well to that report and we've got the president coming through with yet more stimulus, more unemployment checks, more -- i mean it's just more of the same. unfortunately i think the american people in this country are just glazed over ancic and tireand sick and tired of these

speeches. although people ever desperate for change and for america to get back on track we have a president that just doesn't get it. it sounds like he's going to propose more of the same things that didn't work the first time. jenna: as far as the republicans plan for job growth some of the themes we've seen from several of the republican candidates so far is tax reform and regulation reform. david axelrod had this to say about the field of republicans right now and the republican ideas about job creation. he says, i'd be more 0 worried if i saw compelling new argument for how to lead the country. these guys are carrying the same old water. what is your response to that? >> well, the same old water like what? like to get the epa out of the warehouses across america that are shutting down businesses, like the national labor relations administration that are telling thousands of jobs for boeing that they can't relocate in south carolina? i mean, david axelrod and this president have nearly destroyed this economy in two and a half

years, and their answer to the problem is to double down with yet another speech that americans are sick and tired of. i think we need to get serious about putting people back to work and good paying jobs again in america, and right now this president is content with speeches and forensic contests to see obviously how well he can deliver to a joint session of congress that we just don't need. jenna: just a final question about the election overall. i was looking at a report put out by the democratic national committee about the tea party poll sews and whether or not republicans are taking on extreme, as they call them policies for job creation policies as well. they were mixing the tea party movement and the republican party together and attacking both. my question for you is, do you accept the tea party movement as part of the republican party, is that the way that you view the tea party movement? or is this something separate? and the reason why i'm asking this is i'm curious whether or

not you're preparing for a third party candidate to enter the race and whether or not you're working against that. >> well, i mean, no, i mean we are not -- i believe that the republican party is part of the conservative fiscal movement in this country that includes republicans, some democrats, a lot of independents, that believe -- as a matter of fact this president himself promised that he would cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term. he didn't deliver on that. he promised that he would get the debt under control. he's put us on a trajectory to oblivion here in two and a half years. i would say the issues that matter to the tea party, the debt, the deficit, jobs, the economy, those are the same issues that the republican national committee believe in and guess what, those are the same issues that most americans believe in, and that's why the democrats, and the dnc can continue to play small ball, they want to talk about evolution, they want to talk about the tea party and everything else except for the

fact that this president and the democrats have nearly destroyed this economy in two and a half years. that is going to be their problem, that is why this president is going to be a one termer next year in november. jenna: we'll see what happens with the jobs plan and see if some of that common ground is found. thank you for joining us today, we appreciate the time. >> all right, go packers, jenna. jenna: i'm staying neutral on that. i don't know, i can't pick favorites. but go packers -- what about you, jon. jon: broncos all the way, denver broncos. jenna: i'm out of this conversation completely. jon: hitting our big stories at the top of the hour breaking news coming in right now, new developments in a horrifying crime that shook a community to its core. the coldblooded murder of four people at a a pharmacy, a plea is in we'll have breaking details on what she's two suspects are saying. plus, fighter pilots who scramble to protect our skies in the days after 9/11, they are talking now to fox about their

crucial mission on the day of the attacks. and a growing buzz leading up to president obama's jobs speech tonight, rick is at the web wall to see how you can post your comments. >> reporter: it is so easy to weigh in. what do you want to hear from the president tonight. go to the home page, click on the america's asking tab and you type what you want to hear the president say. here is gregory's idea, how about supporting huge tax inch seven tufs for companies that bring their production facilities back to the u.s. and then not restricting what states they can put those facilities in. what do you think? let us know your ideas. we'll have more "happening now" after a quick break and, go eagles. just one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea,

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jon: fox news alert and breaking details on a court case involving a husband and wife charged with the massacre of four people inside a new york pharmacy. rick has more from the newsroom. rick. >> reporter: jon, maybe folks at home remember this horrible crime. it took place on father's day this year in a quiet community on long island in new york. a man walked into a neighborhood pharmacy on that sunday morning and literally executed four people, including the pharmacist and his assistant. surveillance video of the scene shows the shooter carrying out the killings quickly apparently without saying a word. after a three-day manhunt the investigation led police to this man, his name is david laper a recently unemployed former army officer facing charges of first degree degree murder and charges of stealing thousands of pills from the pharmacy. prosecutors not looking for the death penalty in this case, instead they want life with no possibility of parole, and his wife, melinda brady, she faces up to 25 years in prison on charges of robbery, and

obstruction of justice. police say that she has confessed to planning the robbery, and driving the get away car, but she said she had no idea that anyone would be killed. the two had originally pleaded not guilty back in june, but a guilty plea today just in from laper. we are told that his wife brady will be pleading guilty as well in a courtroom on long island a little bit later on. back to you. jon: rick folbaum we'll check in with you again, thank you. jenna: we're learning more about the brave fighter pilots who patrolled the air space over new york and washington d.c. on 9/11. in those hours after the attacks you might remember that the faa grounded commercial planes leaving the skies nearly empty, except for those members are our air national guard. eric shawn tells us more. >> reporter: their job was to protect the nation even if that meant downing an airliner. the pilots of the air national

guard took the skies on 9/11 facing an unknown terrorist threat. dan cane had orders to shoot down hijacked airliners. he was told about united flight 93 before it crashed in pennsylvania. >> there is not a day that goes by that i personally don't remember the incredible courage, the leadership and sacrifice that those passengers made. they made our lives that much more peaceful today by taking matters into their own hands and being pro-active americans inch seed of reactive americans. >> reporter: tim duffy flew an f-15 over new york city, but he did not have orders to shoot an airliner down. >> that's the question i get a lot, if you were there in time for the second aircraft what would you have done? we would have intercepted it. you would see me pull up beside it and try to turn it away.

that's all we could do and had clearance to do. >> reporter: duffy was in the sky when the towers collapsed. >> i was escorting a delta jet into kennedy when the first to you are went down. i saw motion out of the corner of my eye and i looked over and all i could see was a tan cloud overou manhattan. >> reporter: later he flew right over the second tower as it collapsed. it just got smaller and smaller and smaller before he realized what was happening. that was the most horrifying memory he experienced on that plane. thankfully they did not have to fire a missile to take down a airliner. the 113th wing based at andrews air force base, they've been scrambled more than 3,000 times. jenna: that is pretty incredible. eric shawn thank you for that report. it gives us insight. tomorrow we'll have a special presentation for you.

fox news reporting 9/11 timeline of terror, it's the sights and sounds from that day that will show you how everything happened. >> by now we are firmly up on orbit over washington d.c., and we are watching united 93 now start very gradually to take up a flight path right towards washington d.c. and we were very concerned at that time. [inaudible] >> united the 3 calling, united 93 i understand you have a bomb on board go ahead. >> did you understand that translation. >> affirmative he said there was a bomb on board. >> as it started moving towards washington and we had f16s over washington d.c. i was probably energized to start moving those fighters towards that aircraft. i thought it would be wise tore keep the f16s over washington

d.c. in case another aircraft was coming in from a different path that we didn't see. >> they grabbed me and said sir we have to leave now. no chance of debate. they propelled me out of the office down into the underground and we got down to a place, a tunnel that is protected. when i got down into the tunnel we saw that the pentagon had been hit that, was on television, and i called the president again, he was then headed for the airport in florida, and urged him not to return to washington, because washington was now under attack. jenna: you do not want to miss that special. it's running commercial-free this friday, 10:00pm eastern time. jon: absolutely chilling to hear those stories again ten years later. now there is a new twist in the casey anthony saga. did she have a medical condition that contributed to the death of her daughter caylee? we'll get into that, plus space

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jon: amber alert north of the montana border. police searching for a 3-year-old who vanished from his home. a 46-year-old man with a long rap sheet is considered a suspect. he was last seen driving a

1987 brown toyota camry with british columbia license plates with ro 8 al. woman in connection with the mace disappearance of nursing student, michelle lee. they believe the woman murdered her. the two were friends in high school. lee's body has not been found. casey anthony's parents speaking out. that casey suffers from seizures. and xi might have hat of had one while casey was dying which incapacitated her. jenna: more on the story to come. severe weather taking a toll across the united states. we have one big story in central texas a deadly wildfire burning for days, destroying hundreds more homes there. firefighters are hoping today's cooler weather bring the flames under control. they're hoping for that yesterday. in maryland, heavy rainfall is splitting roads and swelling water ways there. wow, look at that.

flood watch and warnings are in effect for a broad swath of the northeast. that includes upstate new york where one river is now flowing over retaining walls and into the downtown binghamton. meteorologist janice dean in the fox weather center with more. jd? >> the pictures are unbelievable. this is the susquehanna river we're talking about, jenna. record levels. unprecedented in their history. we're expecting actually the water to overtop the walls this afternoon. so there's the current level, over 25 feet. look at, just in a matter of hours how far that rose. the forecast is expected to crest at over 26 feet. so unprecedented for this neighborhood and folks have been asked to evacuate the city of binghamton in that area where the susquehanna is expected to overtop its banks. look at the storm totals. really unbelievable. over15 inches again. this is the remnants of what

was tropical storm lee. just a tropical storm, a remnant low bringing incredible rainfall totals close to a foot in parts of upstate new york, maryland, new jersey and vermont. really unprecedented. in some cases we're dealing with a 100-year flood. so there is the satellite radar imagery. again still getting incredible rainfall amounts already saturated ground central pennsylvania, new york, scranton, allentown, harrisburg, areas that seen inches of rain in short period of time, getting more on top of that flood advisories for all the regions in the mid-atlantic in new england. maroon has flash flood warnings meaning flooding is i am nenlt, it is happening. this will continue through today and tomorrow. the tropics very active, jenna. we have hurricane caught at this yaw. fortunately not going to take landfall across the

u.s. or bermudaca. we're watching tropical storm maria. 45 mile-per-hour sustained winds. this could comb into the u.s. over the weekend and early next week. this is tropical storm nate which we don't quite have a handle on yet. some forecast models have it coming very close to the gulf coast region. we would love the moisture working into texas. unfortunately we don't think that is going to occur. it is a matter of too much rain or too little unfor the unfor the fatly in the extreme weather center. jenna: janice dean, thanks. jon: virginia is one of the states that challenged the nation's new health care law, a big ruling from the fourth circuit court of appeals on that. shannon bream will be along with the information. plus you can still vote on today's must-see moment. time is running out. rick is at the web wall. >> let us know. you decide, we report. a couple animal stories. three for you to choose from today. do you want to hear about

the guy that live with a lion in a lion's cage? why would he do that? we'll explain if that is your choice. look at this guy right here. he has the longest ears of any dog in the world. we'll tell you what kind of dog he is. in this picture down here there is a moose drunk and stuck in a tree. if you're like me you have to hear the rest of that story. we'll tell you how the moose got drunk. let us know what your choice is. we'll have the results combing up on more "happening now" after the break.

jenna: fox news alert on this new health care law. the fourth circuit court of appeals ruling the state of virginia has no right to challenge the federal health care reform law, rejecting a lawsuit brought by the attorney general there. shannon bream has been sifting through the new ruling for us. she is live in washington. shannon, cutting through some of this, what does this ruling mean? >> well the bottom line is, you may remember that right after congress passed the health care law the president signed in march of 2010. the day after he signed it virginia passed its own law in the state of virginia saying you can not require an individual to buy insurance coverage. they sued on that basis, that we have a state law saying you can't make us do something. a federal law is saying we have to do. the law didn't get to the

question whether or not that individual mandate is constitutional. they're strictly looking at issue of standing. whether the state of virginia has the right to sue over this. they say, this law that virginia passed does not give them the right. it does not create a conflict that allows you to go to federal court to fight back against a federal law. not surprising. i attended arguments at the fourth circuit the day they argued this case. it was clear the three judge listening were very skeptical. turns out we have the ruling, this opinion on paper saying basically virginia doesn't get to argue about the constitutionality of that individual mandate. they don't get that far. bottom line the court says virginia has no right to sue regardless of the fact they passed a state law saying you can't force us or our residents to buy insurance, jenna. jenna: interesting the twist and turns on the here. what does it mean for broader challenge in the supreme court? is this another indication the law will be challenged in the supreme court or make it less likely? >> there is already so much conflict out there about

this law. lower court rulings. a lot of folks hoped, those who want this go to the supreme court this would be a slightly different ruling. that you would get to the issue of that individual mandate because without getting to that part of the ruling or that part of the argument this doesn't really set the case up for a direct route to the supreme court. i would be surprised if it is not appealed anyway. but it doesn't give us the conflict with the slit of the different circuits ruling on the merits of the individual mandate. this case doesn't go that far. it makes it a little tougher to factor into the rest of the cases out there and put it directly on point with those. it may be appealed on a standing issue but won't be appealed to the court on basis whether or not that individual mandate is constitutional which is the key question in all of the other big cases out there, jenna. jenna: shannon, thank you for the instant analysis. thank you very much. >> you got it. jon: just in washington, just over six hours from now, president obama will reveal his plans to try to get americans back to work.

but before that rare address to a joint session of congress, republican lawmakers are unveiling their own approach to job creation. mike emanuel live on capitol hill for us. mike, what do some of the leading republicans think of what they heard so far ahead of the president's speech? >> reporter: jon, they are not impressed. they say it sounds a lot like some of the stimulus spending that the administration has already done which republicans say has not worked. here is senate republican leader mitch mcconnell. >> the president's so-called jobs plan is to try those very same policies again and then accuse anyone who doesn't support them this time around of being political or overly partisan, of not doing what's needed in this moment of crisis. this isn't a jobs plan. it is a re-election plan. >> reporter: of course the president has yet to give his speech. so some details of the plan have yet to be fully unveiled but mcconnell and a lot of his colleagues will

obviously be in the chamber tonight to hear the president first-hand, jon. jon: what do we know about what republicans say they want to do? >> reporter: there are two different groups out today talking about what they would like to do. to get to the point essentially what they're saying regulatory reform. get epa and other agencies to back off. fix the tax code and they want the president to send three free trade deals pending for a long time to the hill for ratification. there is second group of western senators, they have unveiled their own plan. take a listen to this. >> the frontiers plan supports bills that develop american energy, that cuts through red tape, that strengthens the american mining sector, that promotes agriculture, ranching and forestry, and absolutely reduces lawsuit abuse. these are bills that could be acted upon immediately. all we need is a willing partner in the white house. >> reporter: so essentially

republicans are saying time for washington to get out of the way of the american people. jon? jon: mike emanuel inside the capitol building. mike, thank you. jenna: for more on this let's bring in one of the president's top advisers. melody barnes is president of the domestic policy council. she will talk a little bit about the jobs plan tonight. i was looking at "usa today", the newspaper, "usa today.", did a big spread talking to average americans on the speech about the president's speech tonight. i like to share a quote from one. people they spoke to. todd, from san francisco. voted for president obama but i don't know if the words are there. i think he gives a fabulous speech. i don't think he is too ibt lex wall but nobody seems to be listen. why is tonight different and why should we be listening this time? >> jenna, thanks so much for having me on this afternoon. i think the reason tonight is so important because the president is going to say too congress and the american public that next week he will send forward

the american jobs act. in fact after he sends that piece of legislation forward, he wants congress to act. the time for talking is over. the time for partisan bickering is over. it is incredit whether i important that congress act on this piece of legislation that we debate it, we pass it and create and save jobs and make sure americans are back working which is exactly where they want to be. jenna: and, melody, i say some people, i don't mean to generalize that way, there certainly has been a lot of folks waiting to hear what the president's plan is. so this is, this is, you know him personally. so the question for you today is, is the president have his hart and soul in his plan? is this something he is willing to fight for? is this something he is about or is this a starting point for negotiation? how are we to take the plan today? >> this plan has been developed after weeks and weeks of conversations here in the white house but also sitting on the foundation of the president traveling around the country, all

through august. i had the pleasure of being with him when he was in the midwest, in iowa. he was in new jersey. he was in detroit. he has been all over the country talking to experts, talking to business leaders, talking to the american people and the plan he is sending forward, the american jobs act he is sending forward is going to do some critical things. first of all it is going to make sure we're creating and saving jobs. that we have particular focus on those who have been unemployed for over six months and making sure that people aren't getting laid off. we have to have teachers in class rooms. we have to have firefighters making sure people are safe in their homes and businesses. the same thing with police officers. construction workers are working to rebuild bridges and roads. jenna: melody, we'll hear some of those ideas, i apologize for interrupting you. i have to get to a break in a moment here. senate minority leader mitch mcconnell wants to president to admit failure with some of his pom sis. not going down that road. but what responsibility does the president take for the

current situation in right now with the economy? >> first of all let's remember that what the president has already done is through the american recovery act, we saved three million jobs. we walked into a recession that was far worse than we thought it was going to be. we saved three million jobs. we've been doing other things to help put americans back to work. but now the time has come for congress to act and to work with us and in passing the american jobs act and looking forward to make sure that people are staying in their jobs. i think people are tired of looking backwards. they want to look forward and they want to see action and they want to see that with a bill, with a plan that isn't going to add to the deficit but going to make sure we take hard-working americans and put them in places where there is need for things to get done like construction, like in our classrooms. that is what the american people are being aring looking forward to and that's what they want to hear from the president tonight. jenna: we'll look forward to hearing details around 7:00 p.m. eastern time. thanks for joining us on such a busy day. we appreciate it. >> thanks so much, jenna, some crazy critters opting

to be your must-see moment of the day. which is the winner? rick is at the web wall. rick? >> the drunk moose wins it today and i'm very excited because that was my pick. did you know you can get drunk off eating fermenting apples. there are a lot of drunk moose in sweden. this guy was trying to get some apples. got a buzz going. got stuck in the try. they had to come and saw him out of the tree. they let him sober up. he wandered back into the woods where apparently he is fine. thanks everybody for voting. that's it, jon. jon: he really was stuck in a tree? craziest thing i've ever seen. rick folbaum, thank you. jenna: a little too much to drink, a little too much to drink. jon: as when you're tall as some of those moose are, long way down. jenna: astronauts brought back hundreds of rocks from the moon but scientists don't exactly know what the lunar surface is made of. the nasa mission that could change it all, just ahead. jon: it is not cheese?

jon: right now trina and chrint all the folks in our control room watching breaking news. new info on stories across the u.s. and around the world. investigators searching for flight recorders in the shattered remains of a russian airliner that crashed on the banks of the stroll ga river, killing 43 people including one ever toppy -- top hockey teams. high winds delaying nasa's trip to the moon. grail mission, is designed to try to figure out what the moon is made of. actress reese witherspoon suffering some minor injuries when she was hit by a car while jogging in santa monica, california.

police cite the 84-year-old driver for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk. she is okay. jenna: some new details about a navy medic police say left a note claiming he planted a bomb at a california high school. daniel morgan turned himself in at the camp pendleton marine base. school administrators forced to evacuate thousands of students on the first day of classes. you might have seen this live on our air. fortunately police confirm no explosives were found but obviously there is lot more to the story. adam housley is live in los angeles with more. hi, adam. >> reporter: jenna, it is quite a mystery. we're expecting to hear more about 5:00 eastern this afternoon. we're told the orange county sheriff's department in southern california will give a press conference and provide more details about daniel morgan. you remember yesterday for couple hours it was quite the scene in southern california. 3,000 students were evacuated from the high school, taken out to the football field. at one point, a very warm day along the coast.

unnaturally warm day. four or five students were treated for heat exhaustion. they brought in eight dog teams from orange county and literally went every inch by every inch in every classroom. checked roof and common areas. once they had the gymnasium cleared they let students back into the high school or at least into the gymnasium to get them out of the heat. eventually hour or so after all that began, the lower campus, kind of a slick campus there, built in a little canyon. the lower campus was allowed to leave. upper campus was cleared and students were allowed to go home. it all began at 8:45 yesterday morning local time, 11:45 when school officials were notified after note that had found. daniel morgan had gone awol. according to authorities he had a four-day weekend. when they went through his area they found a note claiming there were he is explosives at the high school. authorities have not told us why he chose the high school. there is no connection given. that may be provided when the press conference happens

later on this afternoon as they continue to question him and try to find out how all this went down. quite a mystery. good news is nobody is injured and he turned himself in and hopefully we'll find out more in a few hours. jenna: adam, thank you. jon: as president obama gets ready to unveil his new jobs package in front of that joint session of congress tonight some democrats in the senate have their own ideas. we'll ask senator joe manchin about the president's plan and a new senate proposal to create a jobs supercommittee. the senator is up next.

jon: president obama is putting new pressure on congress to create jobs for millions of out of work americans. the proposal he will offer tonight on capitol hill is expected to contain a mix of new spending as well as tax cuts. joining us now, democratic

senator joe manchin from west virgina. you've heard some bits and pieces of the president's plans. what do you think about it? >> well, jon i'm anxious to hear about tonight and anxious to hear and see the reaction and talk to my colleagues. one thing is bipartisan right now we all need more jobs in america. it is very bipartisan. how we get there how we have to come together as country. this is not republican or democrat or red or blue. type problem. we hope the president is aggressive and bold and start putting basically our direction towards jobs. predictability, regulatory controls. he reduced the ozone controls last week. i think that will help tremendously. epa, other regulatory agencies need to look how they can be a partner, working with the private sector, the small businesses, more so than being a provider. jon: it is kind of hard to believe one could point to an unemployment rate of 8.1% as being good, but these

days that passes for pretty good in this country. that is your rate in west virginia. why is your unemployment rate lower than other states? many of them. >> jon, the past month it went to 7.4%. what we say in west virginia, we don't want a handout. we want a work permit. spending money would fix the problem we're in right now in this country it would have been fixed by now because we've done our share of spending. jon: so are you saying that more deficit spending, more stimulus kinds of programs, aren't going to work? >> well, you know, we've always been for infrastructure. we always thought you go back in history. look what roosevelt did. president roosevelt in the '30s. president eisenhower in the '50s. what woe thought when i was governor at this time we thought it would be going. we found out it went into different direction. i think putting us basically further in depth is something we're concerned about. is there a way to pay for it? i'm anxious to hear that. we'll see optimistically

what goes on tonight. you've got to basically look at trade reform, tax reform and regulatory reform. those are the ability that puts basically confidence back in. people getting off the bench and ready to play. that's what we lack. jon: some of your fellow democrats, especially on the house side have said what congress should do is set up a supercommittee on jobs, much like the supercommittee on deficit reduction, those 12 senators and representatives. do you think that is necessary? would it be useful? >> i would like to think 535 of us are the supercommittee on jobs. we all should be looking. but i'm for that. i can support someone really directs all their attention to everything that we do as a jobs ability. i have a bill called jobs score. jobs score basically says before you pass any law what effect does it have any jobs in america? is it going to be increase or decrease? we score and tell you how much money we're going to either spend or save. shouldn't we put a person's life to it, livelihood? that is job scoring.

the rains act is another one we're talking about in a bipartisan fashion. if you will have more effective, $100 million more in the economy, should we not at least come back to the legislative process and we vote upon that? we're representing people. shouldn't we have input how you're affecting their lives? yes it is all about jobs. if that supercommittee could function, just strictly about that, i would be very happy with that. jon: senator joe manchin, democrat of west virgina, former governor there. senator, thank you. >> thank you, jon. jon: "happening now" will be right back [ male announcer ] it's a fact:

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