labor day and magazine on the beach. what is better than that. bill: if you want i get it for you. martha: we'll take it to tampa. bill: see you on the radio. martha: coming on the radio. "happening now" starts right now. >> brand knew stories and breaking news. jon: we're our election headquarters. with only 76 days to go before we elect our next president, brand new poles show the race is getting tighter. which issues could turn the election one way or the other? nearly 2000 firefighters battling flames. hundreds fleeing their homes. a live update moments away. also tropical storm isaac could be a hurricane by tomorrow. the storm could impact the republican convention from tampa. new bulletin coming in. janice breaks it all down for us. it is all "happening now."

>> hello, everybody, a big day on the campaign trail as the candidates square off in the key battleground states. i'm uma pemmaraju in today for jenna lee. jon: nice to have you here. i'm jon scott here is where the candidates are today. governor mitt romney is in iowa, attending a rally in bettendorf. he is expected to go after the president in health care, taxes and national debt. six electoral votes in iowa. president obama campaigning in nevada. six electoral votes there. remember a candidate needs 270 to win the white house. he is hosting a roundtable with teachers as the obama campaign releases this new tv ad airing in virginia and ohio, blasting his rival on this hot button issue. >> these are all issues that really he personally can not

relate to, to be able to afford an education. to want the very best public education system for your children. >> some of our children's greatest experiences have been in smaller classrooms. >> mitt romney says class sizes don't matter. he supports paul ryan's budget which could cut education by 20%. jon: vice president joe biden is campaigning in michigan, talking to supporters in detroit. and congressman paul ryan is in virginia and north carolina today, after hitting the president hard yesterday for a big gaffe from 2008, about unabouts and religion. listen. >> you remember that one where he said people in places like pennsylvania, wisconsin, we cling to our guns and our religion. [applause] hey, as a catholic deer hunter, guilty as charged. all right? [cheers and applause] that's what freedom is.

jon: well all of this comes as a new associated press/gfk poll showing president obama and edge cog romney and ryan 47 to 46% in head-to-head match up. that is inside the margin of error. according to a new "nbc news-wall street journal poll", mr. obama leads mr. romney, 48 to 44%. a lead 3%. joining us now, to make sense of all this, political reporter for "real clear politics", erin mcpike. so essentially they are tied in these polls. have you seen much movement, erin? >> no. mitt romney is gaining a little bit on president obama, but, yes as you mentioned the race is tight. it will probably be tight all the way until election day. but the popular vote, which is what these national polls preview doesn't much matter in the outcome. as you mentioned they need

270 electoral votes. so the state polls are what is more important. we're seeing some movement in favor of mitt romney in the upper midwest. the republican national committee sent out a couple of memos yesterday saying new polls in michigan and wisconsin that show that it is tightening. that president obama is losing some ground up there. and that is very important because states like michigan and wisconsin are states that president obama has to win to maintain control of the white house. jon: well, in a couple of those polls, one of the questions asked, was, does, president obama deserve to be reelected? only 43% said yes. that is pretty tepid support for a guy running for re-election. >> there's no question about that. obviously he wants that numb to be 50% plus one. 51% to show that he could beat mitt romney. yeah, president obama's numbers haven't been great. right now we're seeing mitt romney is introducing his running mate of paul ryan. so the next couple of weeks with the conventions will be really important to the romney campaign can

introduce mitt romney and paul ryan in tampa. then if they can keep president obama's bounce after the following week at the president's convention, kind of low, it is going to be a tight race going into the debates which start october 3rd. i imagine it will be a fairly level playing field going into october. jon: when you look at those polls, there is some good news for each candidate. first of all, when asked which candidate has the better ideas on the economy, and how to fix it, mitt romney wins out in that one with, 38% to, i'm sorry, 38% for president obama. 44% for governor romney in that "nbc news-wall street journal poll". most experts say, erin, that the economy will be issue number one, if that is the case, it sure looks good for governor romney in this particular question. >> it does. don't forget, that has been the crux of his message all along. he is the one who can come in and fix the economy. but, in the past couple of weeks we've seen a focus on medicare and entitlement

reform as opposed to the economy. so mitt romney is going to want to get back to that message he is the one who can fix the economy so he can try to maintain that specific polling lead on that issue. jon: then on a separate question, the president comes out ahead. the question being, who is more in touch with average americans and their needs? you see numbers there. president obama whips with 54% positive rating there, to 44% for governor romney. what does that say to you? when the undecided go into the voting booth, are they going to be, are they going to be swayed by the first polling question, the economy? or the second polling question, who is more in touch? >> that is a great question. and obviously both campaigns have a different take on that, right? president obama has been trying to show that mitt romney is out of touch because he wants voters to like him more when they go into the voting booth. whereas the romney campaign is making the calculation that voters simply care about their pocketbooks. they don't care as much

about what they think of these people as, care eshgs as people. the campaigns are going in different directions on that one. we'll have to see what happens. jon: interesting, if as you say the romney campaign sees the upper midwest as a possibility they're going to be spending money there, forcing the democrats and the president to spend money there. right now, the money advantage is with mitt romney. erin mcpike from "real clear politics." good to have you on, erin. thank you. >> thank you. uma: we have this fox news alert now. a massive wildfire in northern california destroying at least 50 buildings, many of them homes. the ponderosa fire burning through more than 33 square miles so far. 1900 firefighters are battling the flames. lightning sparked the blaze last saturday, forcing thousands of people from their homes. >> just carry. like, you don't know what to grab. you get here and you forget things. we lost everything we own, personal pictures and everything. it is like, oh, my gosh.

nobody should have to go through this once in a lifetime. uma: unbelievable. the fire is 35% contained. for more how crews are getting a handle, we're joined by a california fire spokesman. thank you so much for joining us today. >> yeah, good morning to you. uma: good morning to you as well. what are some of the biggest challenges as you tackle this blaze? >> the biggest challenge across california has been the dry conditions. that is what is really fueling this wildfire and nearly a dozen other fires that continue to burn across northern california. conditions are so dry, we just didn't get a lot of rainfall this year. and the grass, the brush and timber is just burning very actively. uma: now i know you have mandatory evacuation orders underway in some areas. how is that going and are people comp rating? >> we had a number of evacuations. fortunately progress on this fire, especially larger communities, has been enough we're not calling those homes threatened anymore. we'll reevaluate some of

those evacuation orders hopefully today. this fire though, remains very active on the southern portion. fortunately in a much more rural area. there are more homes that are threatened down below in the southern portion. just not as many as there was while moving up to the north. uma: national guard is being brought in to help out. what will they be doing? >> call fire has a long -- cal fire has a long history with the national guard. they train their helicopter pilots to join us in the firefight. we're using a number of their helicopters. also their c-130s as their air tankers. everything we can to hit the fires. 9,000 firefighters from the state and local and federal agencies to help battle these fires. that is what it takes when we have so many fires burning at one time. uma: massive undertaking indeed. i understand the governor has a vacation home in that same area? >> i'm not aware of that. i can tell you there are some homes throughout that area and so many residents, you know, no matter how many people there are we take it

seriousry. we want to make sure we get the firefighters in there to protect these homes. unfortunately it was a very fast-moving wildfire. it was able to do a lot of destruction in its path. uma: our hearts go out to all the folks affected out there. good luck containing the blaze. thanks for joining us today. >> thank you. jon: with wildfires burning all across the west and a brand new advisory out tropical storm isaac is gaining strength and potentially could affect the republican national convention in tampa. meteorologist janice dean in the fox extreme weather center. you have extremes on both sides of the country. >> yes. some areas getting too much rain. others not enough. let's focus in on the possible der rosa fire north of sacramento. they're not getting enough moisture. there is moisture east of this region but they're not getting any of it. for the next several days, five to seven days out we're dealing with warm conditions. if there is any good news the winds will be lights. as you can see, forecast

calling for hazy skies and smoke and respiratory problems will be an issue in this area. warm temperatures through the weekend. wind will be light. no relief in terms of rain. here is our big weather-maker, the one we'll be watching over the weekend. that yes, it could affect florida and more and more looking like this system will affect florida. what extremity, you know, when exactly it he is going to move in, still, really up for discussion. there is your latest track as of 11:00, moments ago. still at 45 miles an hour, sustained winds. still a tropical storm. moving westward at 21 miles an hour per hour. we're expecting this to come a hurricane as it comes very close and brushes the island of hispaniola. looks like it will move over cuba. by sunday, still remaining a very strong tropical storm. waters here along the florida straits, 90 degrees. that is the fuel that this storm really needs to strengthen. we do indeed think this will

strengthen again into a hurricane, by monday morning. there is miami. there is tampa. even if tampa doesn't take a direct hit from this storm, we're going to be dealing with flooding issues. wind as well as risk for tornados as a landfalling tropical system will typically bring. a quick look at tropical storm models, in agreement over the next several days. they diverge a little bit. all eyes on florida as we head for that very big week, the republican national convention, jon. back to you. jon: florida in the bull's-eye it looks like, doesn't it? >> absolutely. jon: not good. janice dean, keep us updated. >> i will. jon: thank you. uma: should be quite a week indeed definitely with a storm coming up. new developments in the presidential race. brand new poll numbers out showing that the vice-presidentialal candidates are impacting this race? jon: also congressman todd akin says he is staying in. the missouri senate candidate refusing to cave into republican calls for him to drop out of the race after controversial remarks he made about rape. so what happens now?

uma: and what a game last night between the oakland a's and the minnesota twins. the a's completing a move on the ballfield that is rarely done. we'll have the highlights coming your way. don't go away. i ta insulin,

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uma: welcome back, everybody. fox news is america's election headquarters. despite pressure from party leaders for him to quit, missouri congressman todd akin insists he is in the senate race to say. the republican lawmaker refusing to step down after controversial comments about rape and abortion. he says he still believes he can unseat democratic senator claire mccaskill. >> you are still open to getting out? >> well i made the decision to stay in because i believe we can win this race. there is such a strong contrast between me and my

opponent. we're about opposite on all things. she is in favor of obamacare. i voted 30 times against obamacare. and she is also strongly pro-abortion and i'm pro-life. i think that contrast gives us a basis to win this and i'm planning to win it. uma: peter doocy is joining us live from washington with more on all this. peter? >> reporter: congressman akin is not stepping down right now because he said the people of missouri picked him as their candidate and he doesn't think it is right for party bosses to override those voters. >> i don't know the future but i do know this. i knew that the party voters took a look at our hearts, understood who we were, had a chance to meet us in many, many different ways and made a decision. it makes me uncomfortable to think that the party bosses are he go to dictate who runs as opposed to the election process. >> reporter: it is worth pointing out missouri voters handed congressman akin his senate primary victory

before his controversial comments. he said today while he regrets using the word legitimate to describe some rape he said now is terrible, tranlic and violent he will not apologize for being consistently pro-life. he also will not be saying anything at the republican national convention last week he revealed this morning he will respect the wishes of the party's chair to stay home. the chair of the democratic senatorial campaign committee, patty murray, republicans trying to distance themselves from the embattled congressman are doing it all for show. she warns people, don't be fooled by the foe outrage. this is not about principle. congressman's akin's substantive position on choice is the official position of the republican party. this is about washington republicans playing politics with voters of missouri, plain and simple. on top of all the prominent republicans who publicly pleaded with congressman akin to drop out, we learned this morning vp nominee paul ryan called him privately.

said it would be good to step down. the two are friends. right now congressman akin will not be taking mr. ryan's advice. uma: drama continues. peter, thank you so much for the update. jon: talk about drama. it was quite a ball game last night. the oakland a's, turning a triple play against the minnesota twins. only the third time this has happened in the major leagues this season. it came during the fifth inning. trevor pluogh hit to third baseman, josh donaldson. he quickly made a relay to second base and then to first. to complete the 5-4 of 3 triple play. it is the 21st triple play in a's history. the first by the a's since randy valardi's triple play in 2000. uma: what a great game. jon: makes for a short inning. uma: fox news ex-clive on the investigation into the "fast and furious". a new detailed report on the

botched gun-running sting is in the hands of the justice department. eric holder who was held in contempt of congress for with holding documents on fast and furious. we're tell you what is in the report. a grim milestone on troops in afghanistan of the the number killed in the war now? more than 2,000. ambassador john bolton will be joining us with his analysis next.

uma: our top military officer, joint chiefs chairman general martin dempsey in iraq talking about threat of civil war in neighboring syria. yesterday general dempsey stopped by in afghanistan where he spoke to our own jennifer griffin about recent rash of insider attacks. last week six american soldiers were killed by

afghan insiders, bringing the death toll in afghanistan of u.s. military personnel to more than 2,000. when asked if he was frustrated that the war isn't a big topic on the campaign trail, here's what general dempsey had to say. >> you can say to other parents who have their kids here, what can you say? >> thank you. and they're making a difference. uma: joining us now, ambassador john bolton, former u.s. ambassador to the u.n. and fox news contributor. mr. ambassador, welcome, great to have you here. >> great to be here. >> do you share the general's concerns there hasn't been a big focus in the presidential contest so far? and are you disappointed? >> i wish there was more discussion about foreign policy generally. i think there are a lot of challenges mounting to the united states around the world. it is going to have a substantial impact on the fundamental issue for this election, namely, the sustained economic recovery we all want. the fact is that, you know,

politics over the next 80 plus days will take whatever course it will. but make no mistake. if there is a new president on january the 20th are or if obama is continued in office, these challenges. jon: internationally are not going to go away. uma: the attacks by these afghan security forces raise big concern about the integrity of these forces. nato wants the security forces in place firmly in place by 2014. given what we've seen so far by these attacks do you think it is a smart move going forward? >> no. i think the current strategy under the obama administration is strategy will likely end in the defeat of our objectives. i think it was a mistake to make various moves that have been made over the past year, arbitrary withdrawal timetables, not based on the strategic american interests for keeping afghanistan out of the hand of the taliban and making sure that next door pakistan doesn't fall into radical hands with its stock of nuclear weapons.. i think those interests

remain and withdrawal of american forces is politically popular as it may be, is a mistake. uma: when the president first took over he called this a war of necessity. some are saying now this is a foregotten war. what's your response to that? >> well i think it is a forgotten war in large part because the president hasn't talked about it. when you see the casualty figures, 2,000 americans dead, it is reminder of what the cost of this long struggle has been but if the president doesn't explain it, doesn't defend it in terms of american interests it is no wonder that the popularity of the war declines. i think that is the unfortunate situation we're in. i very much worry we're going to see increased american casualties even as the tempo of operations diminishes precisely people can see we're getting out and the calculus, the balance of power is flowing toward the taliban. uma: do you also blame the structure of, within the afghan government for the number of deaths that continue to affect our personnel there, the fact

that the leadership there has been being laing? >> well, i think we've made a mistake over the past several years in both the obama and bush administrations thinking that we can build a national government in afghanistan that is something built on the european model. i think afghanistan's a very different kind of country. i think the nation-building effort that we've been engaged in has been a mistake. but that said, the strategic objectives of the united states remain fundamental and very, very real. and under the strategy, strategies we've pursued, we are not achieving those objectives. >> ambassador bolton, always great to see you and to have your insights here. >> thank you very much. uma: thank you. jon: we are counting down now to the republican and democratic conventions. some new polls showing how americans are reacting to the vice-presidential candidates. we'll look at the impact these two men could have on the race for the white house. also, the most up-to-date prediction on the deficit

and government spend is out, showing how much damage we could face if we go over the fiscal cliff. adam shapiro of the fox business network breaks down the numbers for us next.

jon: "happening now", we're taking the look at the impact of vice-presidential candidates are having on the race for the white house. vice president joe biden and

congressman paul ryan both receiving sort of a lukewarm reaction according to the most recent "washington post/abc news poll". it finds 4% of those asked have a favorable impression of vice president biden. 43% say unfavorable. same poll finds 41% of those asked have a favorable impression of congressman ryan. 37% answered unfavorable. talk about it with the editor-in-chief of think progress.org. he is vice president of communications for the center for american progress and worked for hillary clinton during the 2008 campaign. matthew continent at this is editor of the "washington free beacon" and a contributing editor for "the weekly standard." welcome to both of you. it is kind of a wash on both candidates. their numbers, judd, pretty equal in terms of favorable or unfavorable. is either one these men going to drive voters to the polls? >> at end of the day in november people will be voting for barack obama or

mitt romney. i think what the romney campaign was probably hoping for was a little more of a bounce out of the selection and the rollout in the polls for paul ryan. if you look historically, usually you have somebody with a higher favorable rating coming out of the gate. we haven't seen someone even or underwater since dan quayle was selected in 1988. i think it is a little bit of a missed opportunity. now we move into the convention and we'll see what they can do. jon: it is also true, matt, even though he is what, seven-term congressman, generally members of congress aren't well-known nationally. people simply, many people in this country simply don't know much about paul ryan. >> that's right. i think the romney campaign has done a good job of defining ryan, someone youthful, someone with big ideas about the country whether you agree with him or not. even though the national numbers show kind of a wash on the favorability question we see state polls in wisconsin and michigan that show a bump actually since

ryan was announced. so i think ryan could help romney in those upper midwest states which, you know, could make up for maybe losses elsewhere in the country. jon: what about that, judd? could wisconsin go for mitt romney this time around? >> well, we've seen some polls that are very close there and i think that obviously he has got a long history, paul ryan does but i think what's more, what might be also worrisome for the romney campaign is places like florida, places like virginia, where ryan's positions on medicare and now, as the todd akin controversy consumes the conversation, paul ryan's views on women's health and abortion, because, you know, as you might be aware, he really had partnered with todd akin on a number of pieces of legislation, including one that was redefining the definition of rape and caused some controversy in 2011. so i think it is going to help in some places. it may hurt him others. we'll have to see how it all

shakes out. jon: taking another look at paul ryan's impact on the race, this from a wall street journal/nbc news poll, whether voters were asked whether it would, his addition to the ticket would affect their vote, or inclination to vote for governor romney, 22% said make more likely to vote. 23% said less likely. 54% said doesn't affect things either way. you can't make it much more even than that, matt, i guess. your point is that, voters are going to learn more about paul ryan and, like him more as the campaign goes on? >> i think we'll see that. but, i also think we're going to see, what ryan did was give the romney campaign a way to talk about obamacare. romney had shied away from obamacare for most of his campaign because of what he had done in massachusetts. now though with ryan on the ticket he can talk about obamacare. he can talk about what obamacare does to medicare. i think that gives romney

the same strategies that the gop used in 2010 to win their historic victory. jon: what about that, judd? do you think that, that obamacare is going to be an albatross for the president, especially with paul ryan on the ticket? >> well i think it is a double-edged sword for paul ryan because although he has about even poll numbers as far as him personally, that's a lot better than his plans for medicare. in that "wall street journal" poll they found that paul ryan's plan for medicare is pretty unpopular nationwide by a margin of 15, 20 points over the president's plan. and so the question is, can they keep the focus on paul ryan the person, who people pretty much like. he is youthful. he is vigorous. he has ideas and off of the very specific policy proposals that paul ryan has. that is kind of his nature. that is where he likes to go. he likes to get into the details. the unfortunate part for him a lot of those details are not that popular or at least

they haven't made the sale yet. jon: judd, matt, as we're talking about who might next occupy the vice-presidency, worth to 1932 when democrats were deadlocked in their convention. fdr ultimately was nominated, this guy was the speaker of the house. he threw his delegates to fdr. thereby became vice president. he then opined that the position is not worth, quote, a bucket of warm piss. and that is how he became vice president. judd, matt, thank you both. >> thanks. >> thank you. uma: right now, we're watching this very closely. new fears our nation is heading for another recession. as the debt races towards $16 trillion the congressional budget office is releasing its latest report projecting a more than $1 trillion federal deficit for 2012. and predicting if we jump off the fiscal cliff looming

at the end of the year, the tax increases and the spending cuts that would follow will send the country back into a recession. take a listen. >> if allowed to occur those sharp reductions in taxes and sharp reductions in federal spending and increases in taxes will lead to a dramatic reduction in the federal deficit, trimming it by almost $500 billion next year. that would be a significant tightening of fiscal policy and would probably lead to a recession early next year. uma: adam shapiro of the fox business network is standing by with more on this. adam, this is really sobering news at a time many were hoping we would work out way out of a recession even with a weak recovery. >> reporter: that's correct, uma. the white house and congress are unable to come to agreement on a deal to extend the bush tax cuts and keep us going off what everyone calls the fiscal cliff. now you have cbo painting very clearly how dire this will be. as you look at money rolling off printing presses, keep

in mind if we go off the cliff we will reduce the federal budget deficit by 500 billion but we'll go into recession. that is according to the cbo. we'll see gdp fall by half a percent. it will grow negative by half a percent. unemployment will go from 8.3% we experienced up to 9.1%. these are some of the things cbo is bringing to everyone ace attention. on top of the fact, the current data, forget the fiscal cliff, we have a one trillion doll dollar deficit for the fourth year in a row. what cbo says, if the congress and president can creech reach a deal before january 1st, unemployment would stay 8%, but next year's deficit would be almost 1.1 trillion. back to you. >> unbelievable, adam. thank you very much. jon: now this fox news exclusive. the long-awaited independent report on the botched gun walking operation "fast and furious" is now in the hand

of the justice department. the report looks into the failed policy that put u.s. guns in the hands of criminals on the mexican border. two of those weapons were linked to the murder of border patrol agent brian terry. you might recall house lawmakers held attorney general eric holder in contempt of congress for refusing to hand over documents related to "fast and furious". william la jeunesse has been following the case from the very beginning and joins us from los angeles with an update. william? >> reporter: when "fast and furious" broke you remember holder appointed the inspector general to find out what went wrong and who was response afblt only then would he say he would hold someone accountable. that was 20 months ago. now we are toiled that the ig report is complete. sources tell me it has been forwarded to the attorney general for review. it should be public in 30 days. there may be no one left to discipline. in highly unusual arrangement, holder and administration are allowing one of the key people with

direct oversight for "fast and furious", deputy director of operations bill mcman to take a paid leave from six-figure salary at atf to take another six-figure gig, full-time job at jpmorgan in order to keep his lucrative government pension. mcmahon knew from the beginning that atf was knowingly funneling guns to the cartel but yet did nothing. >> as atf executive in charge of the west region i share responsibility for mistakes made in the "fast and furious" investigation. the advantage of hindsight, the benefit after thorough review of the case clearly points to things that i would have done differently. >> reporter: the congressman darrell issa and senator charles grassley are livid over this special treatment. not only because of how the atf denigrated and retaliated against whistle-blowers who told the truth but they say mcmahon lied and tried to cover up his role in "fast and furious" to congress. the double-dipping we're told will last about six months, jon. while the atf is not

commenting. the lawmakers say rules of atf expressly prohibit this kind of arrangements. it also comes on the heels of deputy director bill hi hoover. he already resigned. we should see the ig report in 30 days. jon: let me get this. the rules prohibit it but they will let it happen anyway? >> well that's, that is exactly what is happening as we speak. he already taken the gig at jpmorgan, according to a letter and complaint we received this morning from darrell issa and senator grassley. they're demanding answers how could this happen when the rules expressly prohibit this kind of double-dipping? jon: your federal government at work. william la jeunesse. thanks. uma: well the labor department is facing serious questions right now after a controversial ad campaign touting president obama's green jobs training effort, paid for, with stimulus, federal stimulus dollars. we've got a live report. plus the u.s. open rocked by scandal. you will hear about a 70-year-old referee who has

been arrested for murder. the breaking details just maid ahead

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[♪...] uma: new next hour, investigators in maryland checking twitter posts, photos and maintenance records looking for the cause of the horrific train derailment that claimed the lives of two young women. we have breaking details. bombshell testimony in the drew peterson murder trial. a colleague claims that peterson offered him $25,000 to find someone to kill his third wife. our legal panel will weigh in on the case. the drought taking a huge toll on run customers and farmers in the midwest. what it means for your future. we have a live report coming your way. jon: the $787 billion program that one that was supposed to create jobs in this country? there are shocking new allegations that the labor

department sent out hundreds of thousand of federal stimulus funds to buy commercial time to tout the obama administration's green jobs plan. shannon bream is looking at it. she has more live from washington. how, what do we know about how this taxpayer money got spent, shannon? >> jon, this nearly half million dollar contract came from the department of labor using stimulus fund to air commercials on two prime time msnbc shows. touted government job corps training specifically aimed at green jobs. the official contract shows zero jobs were created as a result. critics say this is prime reason why taxpayers are so skeptical about stimulus spending. this is the the head of the watchdog group, taxpayer protection alliance. >> this sort of grant doesn't create jobs. they admitted zero jobs were created. is this shovel-ready? i think only shovel they're using is the propaganda they're trying to do wibt

the job corps fram. >> reporter: the commercials aid more than a 100 times, jon. jon: any response from the labor department. >> reporter: we reached out from the labor department directly to get the age's side of the story. they have yet to respond to us. two labor department spokesman said the money was used as important outreach to race awareness of employers about the special green jobs training that the government offers. the officials say the training covered automotive jobs and solar panel installation teaching among other things. the again the contract outlining the deal funded by taxpayer dollars confirms zero jobs created by those ads. jon? jon: but only half a million dollars, right? drop in the bucket. >> reporter: when you're talking about $16 trillion, what is half a million? jon: unbelievable. shannon bream, thank you. uma: well the mainstream media pushing president obama's agenda? a lot of people think that is the case four years ago. what about this presidential race? we'll get inside scoop from

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jon: the mars rover curiosity is on the move taking a test drive. rick folbaum with the update. >> reporter: you can't call your self a rover if you sit still all the time. finally a couple weeks after landing on mars, curiosity went on a test drive, not a big one. 10 feet or so. for the scientists running the mission is this is a very big deal. curiosity's six wheels will go forward and turn right

and back up. almost like parallel parking. although there is no competition from for parking spots. there if all goes well today, the rover will soon start going on longer drives, exploring craters and mountains and looking for any signs that mars was ever a place where life could exist. there are 10 different scientific instruments on board curiosity. they are already being put to use. they're measuring the soil there for hydrogen. you can't have water without hydrogen. that's why they're doing that. this is a two-year mission. 2 1/2 billion dollars, just getting started today for the first time sips the rover landed, things will really get moving. we'll keep an eye on that and keep you posted. back to you. jon: who knows. maybe it will last longer than two years. we've had a pretty good record up there. >> you never know. jon: rick folbaum, thanks. uma: there are estimated more than 212,000 homeless veterans right now. that is a figure that more than doubled in the last six years. but now there is an effort underway to find them a

place they can call home. senior correspondent rick leventhal is live in gardner, massachusetts. with more on all this. rick, these are the people who put their lives on the line. these are the nation's heroes. it is so hard to believe that some are homeless today. >> reporter: yeah and not just the homeless veterans, uma, but also guys with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries or war-related addiction to rigs and alcohol who need help and counseling and a place to live where they get a place to transition to the world. we have 22 one bedroom, one bath homes in massachusetts with state-of-the-art physical therapy equipment, one-on-one counseling and other support. it has been built by leslie lightfoot, an army medic who did, who worked during the vietnam war and has three children who did multiple tours in iraq and afghanistan. she understands, that you can't just come home from war and expect to pick up where you left off.

>> reporter: what inspired you to do this in the first place? >> it needed to be done. >> reporter: that's simple? >> that simple. every time there is hole in the net, the safety net, and you see it, you develop something to plug that gap. >> reporter: leslie has built five other facilities including an 80 acre farm in new hampshire that uses animals as part of an agricultural therapy program for vets with severe emotional or psychological issues or addictions. the men live at the farm while caring for animals, horses, pigs and chickens. they tend to the plants and get assistance as they try to adjust and move forward. the program has a number of successor stories and a lot of grateful participants. >> makes me realize how much, not just my service but like everybody's service means to like the general public and the community and that there are people that want to help us. you know, get back into the

civilian world. and that's, that is huge, huge to me. >> reporter: joe has a baby boy on the way. he is going to school full time and hopes to open a guitar store when he graduates, uma. uma: that is good news. a success story indeed. thank you very much, rick. jon: great story there. crews are making progress against a massive wildfire in northern california. dozens of homes already gone. hundreds more still in danger. we'll get you very latest from the fire lines next. plus the obama campaign take as no-holds-barred approach to congressman ryan's medicare plan but how do the attacks match up with the facts. we'll tyke a look. @

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>> hello, everybody rick folbaum with some brand-new stories coming your way.

some news out of the key battleground states with the republicans gaining momentum in to heading into next week's convention. we will crunch the numbers for you straight ahead. also, a tragedy in maryland. two childhood friends hanging out near the railroad tracks were killed when a train to grail. we have the tweet of the young kids were sending out just before the accident. and also, boston, how police cracked the case. all of that and breaking news on the second hour of "happening now." happening right now. jon: another welcome to our new hour of "happening now." i am jon scott. >> happening now, president obama meeting with his cabinet

for educational initiative and blasting republicans over making college affordable. governor mitt romney today in iowa. his running mate campaigning in virginia, covering debt and health care. jon: karl cameron is traveling with governor romney in iowa. ed henry is traveling with the president. jim angle has a closer look at the ryan and romney medicare plan. let's kick it off with karl cameron, the hawkeye state, as they call it. one by president obama in 2008. six electoral votes separated the romney camp is going after the president on small business? >> yes, they all have been, part of the romney and ryan ticket on jobs and economy. here at leclaire manufacturing, he will take the stage in front of a banner that says we did

building. government didn't build it, i didn't read this is all in reference to the president's comment in roanoke, virginia. we're he said you didn't build it come you had help with that. mitt romney will cite the budget report that says that the government doesn't dramatically cut spending and bring in the debt and deficit, the country will cooperate fiscal cliff that could mean a deep recession. mitt romney will further criticize mr. obama for raising taxes through the affordable care act, obamacare. and in the romney ryan configuration, medicare to the tune of $1,600,000,000,000 in startup money for obamacare. we have already heard paul hein come in the running attacking very hard. mr. ryan was at an event talking about we built it. joe biden spent a considerable amount of time talking about the hardships that the middle classes going through.

this morning, both parties have been taking each other on. >> he just said that the middle-class is coming back. we have 23 million people out of work struggling to find work today. unemployment has been above 8% for 42 months. the real unemployment rate is 50%. he said that last summer will be the summer of her cooperate. it is a summer later, and it still works. they said that the private sector is doing just fine and we need more government. this is president obama's imaginary recovery. reporter: imaginary recovery. the cbo suggesting that that recovery could be in serious trouble. if the government doesn't take some really dramatic steps to cut spending and curb the deficit. also today in virginia, mr. ryan

was visited by a virginia baker, the very same guy who refused to meet with joe biden because of the president's comments about small business. today, part of the romney and ryan took it met with the baker and said that he totally disagrees with the vice president, it is not personal, it's just about jobs and the economy. jon: karl carl cameron joining s live from denver, iowa. >> supporters in northern las vegas, hit especially hard by the recession and still feeling the effects of the housing crisis. ed henry is traveling with the president and joins us now live in las vegas. what can you tell us about the momentum and mood out there?

>> the bottom line there is a new poll out this morning showing that the president has a slight edge over mitt romney. despite two points. this is yet another one of those battlegrounds that is too close to call. the president is trying to rally young people. very important in 2000 and eight and yesterday he was rallying supporters at two different college campuses in the battleground of ohio. that then it was on to reno, college there where he was bashing mitt romney and paul ryan thing that they would cut education funding if they were elected. he also mocked at mitt romney for suggesting that if you have trouble paying for college, borrow money from your parents. >> my parents didn't have a lot of money to lend me. i bet a bunch of your parents don't have a lot of money to land. it is not because they don't want to. they don't have it. reporter: the pushback from the republican ticket has been this

is more what they have called class warfare from the president. they also say that the cuts he is talking about are not actually listed in the ryan budget. in fact, these are extrapolations up by the democrats, suggesting what would have to be cut some of the deficit that romney-ryan land were ever implemented. the bottom line, awaiting that cbo report that karl cameron mentioned, the president trying to make his case and say that there is a great divide here between the economic vision of both tickets. uma: traveling with the president in las vegas, ed henry, thank you very much. jon: a washington state man accused of threatening obama today. the 31-year-old suspect was arrested at an apartment for e-mail threats made against the president. an assault on a federal officer. his arrest is not without some very tense moments. >> when he opened the door, he was armed with a shotgun, and

during that initial contact, the gun was actually brandished. it was on its way up to be pointed. the situation at the time could have been much different. the fact that we knew of the threat, and when we knocked on the door, he presented himself as armed. >> police say that no explosives were found during the search. uma: vice president joe biden hitting the trail in michigan today. the vice president is expected to attend three separate campaign events in the detroit area, including delivering a speech at a detroit high school. joe biden last visited that city in july. paul ryan is expected to visit the area on friday. jon: medicare is becoming a big issue in the race for the white house. the president's team is charging the vice presidential pick will end medicare as we know it.

privatizing the system and causing seniors thousands of dollars a year. does that acquisition match up with the facts? jim angle is live in washington with a look. >> hello, john. what president obama has made clear is that president obama will target the medicare plan. even though it has bipartisan support. the ryan land would affect no 155 and over. in 2023, it would allow private insurance to bid for seniors health insurance business, alongside traditional medicare. president obama argues that will destroy the program. >> their plan would put medicare on track to be ended as we know it. it would be an entirely different plan. a plan in which you could not count on health care because it would have to be come out of your pocket. reporter: the president is referring to an old plan. he is not quantifying the dollar

benefits on the original plan and assuming the cost would increase as much as health care generally. paul ryan change the plan, so much, that it is cosponsored by democratic senator ron wyden, who was very active on health care. the current version offers premium support from the government equal to the second lowest bidder. meaning that seniors would always have two choices of plans at no cost. >> leaders would have the option of taking that plan were taking a cheaper plan and pocketing some of the savings. we're taking a more expensive plan as well. this competitive process would lead to cheaper insurance for seniors at the same levels of benefits they currently enjoy. reporter: those plans would have to offer the same benefits as medicare. medicare advantage would save some money. listen.

>> for those seniors who don't want to pay more premiums to buy medigap coverage, they can sign up for medicare advantage plan because they get more comprehensive coverage without the need for a second plan. reporter: since medicare has promised tens of trillions of dollars in benefits than it can possibly pay for, congressman ryan said it must be changed in order for it to survive. that view is shared by many across the political spectrum. jon: the president talked about ending medicare as we know it. it seems a foregone conclusion that somebody is going to have to end medicare as we know it. >> medicare as we know it cannot survive. jon: jim angle, thank you for that. uma: he is standing firm and says he is not going anywhere. todd akin is not dropping out of the missouri senate race. checking the mood on the ground in the show me state and two teenagers with their whole lives ahead of them.

they were killed in a train development. they are piecing together the lives of the young women by piecing together what they posted right before they died on twitter. call imperial structured settlements. the experts at imperial can convert your long-term payout into a lump sum of cash today. starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news.

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uma: two young teenagers killed by a trained. investigators are using twitter to figure out what happened in their last moments a. jon: following developments, these teenagers were hanging out at a railroad crossing that overlooks the city's main street. the results were deadly.

these two were childhood friends from above 19 years old. they were killed when a freight train carrying pounds of coal derailed as it passed by, burying them under the road. just before their tragic death, they showed other friends via twitter what they were doing and where they were. drinking on top of the ellicott design. looking down on the old ellicott city, which is just outside of baltimore. they look that they gave pictures and one was a student at the university of virginia and the other a student of university of delaware. he was sitting on the edge of the train passed upon him. investigators are using those we

found as evidence. this tragedy will forever be a part of its long history. that is that it's is a sad story, read. thank you. the one belong right now, new questions about these president obama in the white house. some of the political tensions. jake tapper in an interview seemed to be and effort in an interview saying that president

governor coverage this week 2008 that i thought the media held the scales. i didn't think the coverage in 2000 it was especially turkey either hillary clinton or john mccain. sometimes it always was not the fairest and i hope it doesn't happen again. jon: those from the jake tapper after another political insider, mark helfer, of nbc, subjective intent just as a media is doing with the obama administration wants. what do you you make of all this, point i think they have a firm grasp of the obvious. it is sort of a laughable to estimate somehow it's not going to continue like this. the media has been, i think,

tilting far to the left for decades here in washington. i think it will continue. without any doubt,, the media has pleaded played a huge role, i think, in 2008 sales in favor of obama. not that obama would've won anyway, i have a very promising message and it very well run campaign by obama. but the media was all in for obama. what we are seeing this here is unbelievable concentration on their tax returns. it is the exact same thing where the media is doing exactly what he wants -- far more supportive of the obama campaign and message, going after the most real things in order to take

down mitt romney, paul ryan, and the republicans. jon: mark said that media had him jumping and focusing on this thing to the exclusion of all else. yet, it becomes that shiny object dangling out there for the media to focus on. >> yes, and you know, i don't think reporters wake up and say, well, i'm a liberal, so what can i do today to help the democrats when i don't think that is what is going on at all. in a lot of ways, it is almost stupidity. a misunderstanding of what their job is to do. around to high unemployment and the economy is the issue here is mr. believe it or not the mitt romney one rich person. let's go after his tax return. that is their tax return to back that up. we have huge unemployment, huge economic problems, and so they just do this knee-jerk reaction. what we do know it has made a lot of money and it is a very low class warfare style of coverage, and i think that like

jake tapper said, it ill serves the country a very important time to be one it is interesting that both reporters are administered area often, reporters won't acknowledge there is any bias in what they do not waters just off the notion of the reason is because, like i said it only comes in the morning to say that i'm a liberal, so let's do this. more than anything, i don't even realize that they make these

reticular, media work so worked so hard to get the obama message out there. obama treats the press so shabbily. he hasn't come in for a full dress rehearsal in months. when he does want to give interviews, what he does as those is goes around him and goes to these local outlets and smaller publications where he has made some arrangements about what questions are going to be. it is laughable. these people and these guys in the press, to they keep taking it and taking it and keep spreading the word and keep going after mitt romney's tax returns. it will be interesting to see. mark and jake tapper, let's see them never do another story about mitt romney's tax returns. jon: something we will keep an eye on. thank you. jon: and former coworker, saying peterson offered him $25,000 to find someone to kill his wife. plus the impact of testimony will have on the case against peterson. our legal panel weighs in moments from now. plus, the battle for the battleground state and how close the races. the event congressman

ryan is coming on the gop ticket.

uma: welcome back, everybody. explosive testimony at the drew peterson murder trial as a former colleague testifies that peterson offered him $25,000 to hire someone to kill his third wife kathleen savio. the witness telling jurors the request was made months before savio was found dead in her bathtub in 2004. the defense accused the witness making up the whole story to get his 15 minutes of fame. joining us now with thoughts on all this, joey jackson, former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney. and defense attorney dwane cates. >> good morning. uma: the prosecutors handed a legal victory from the judge, the fact he allowed this testimony to go on in this trial about the alleged allegations that peterson wanted to hire a hit man to kill his wife, joey. >> damning evidence, uma for the following reasons.

in any case you don't view any evidence in isolation or in a vacuum. you view it against the backdrop and context of the whole and what this shows it shows motivation and shows intent by the defendant, mr. peterson to want her dead. what you do with that, uma, you put that against the backdrop of bloom's testimony. remember he was a doctor who did the autopsy who said this was murder. then you look at yesterday's testimony by dr. case who is the pathologist and she is a professor and a chief medical examiner from missouri who said a very compelling things. one you don't get a gash like that in a bathtub. two, if you do it doesn't render you unconscious. the gash she got was who are sontal? >> joey? >> yes, duane? >> you know the prosecution is stretching in this case. the defense will put pathologists up and say the exact opposite thing of what the pathologist said for the prosecution. you don't have this many side bars and don't have this many motions for

mistrial unless the prosecution is stretching it every point, to try to get this, this is a weak circumstantial case. >> i understand. >> they're going to have problems. >> understand your point but i don't think the side bars are a result of that. whenever there is testimony that is daming testimony there will be objection. there has to be a proper ruling. as a result you have a sidebar in order to determine whether it is admissible evidence or up ad missable. but you have to concede --. uma: what do you think the effect of testimony is going to have? she doubted that she died from simply falling. >> i understand that she also said it probably couldn't have been knocked out from simply falling in the bathtub. number one people get knocked out from falling in bathtubs all the time. takes different amounting pressure to knock different people out. i don't know how the pathologist couldn't say a person could not be knocked

out by the fall. there are other pathologists who say that same injuries could be caused by a fall in the bathtub. the pathologists are looking at a body years old, partially decomposed there is all kinds of problems with with the experts. >> however, you explain the gash, dwane. but you have to explain the bruising. the bruising what did the pathologists said. i concede it will was battle of the experts. what does that mean, uma? the state experts will i say one thing and the defense will say another. the prosecution said bruising all over the body are inconsistent with a simple fall but they would be more consistent with a car accident. >> were they fresh? were they old? how do you know? were they two days old? did they happen the day that she died or --. >> may i answer, counsel? >> absolutely. >> the brudsing, there will absolutely be question as to the age of the bruising. however any pathologist who is worth their weight can

come in and testify as the state pathologist has, that the bruises were fresh and they were consistent with a car accident. what does that suggest? it suggest as beating. a beating suggest as murder. a murder suggests drew peterson. >> maybe she died in a car accident, joey. that is consistent with a car accident. uma: something we'll be sifting through and obviously there is never a dull moment so far as this trial moves on. thank you both for joining us today. >> pleasure, uma. jon: need one of our judges to bang the gavel. order in the court. a raging wildfire on the edge of three towns. a desperate fight underway to save hundreds of homes. the live report from the fire lines just ahead. plus after controversial comments about rape and abortion a u.s. senate candidate says he is staying in the race. you've heard from the pundits and the party leaders all across the nation. but what about voters in missouri? what are they saying? that's next. we have big dreams.

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uma: desperate new efforts underway to contain a fast moving california wildfire. the ponderosa fire now burning on the edge of three towns forcing thousands of people to abandon their homes and wait helplessly for any sign of relief. dan springer is live in nearby red bluff, california, with an update what is happening on the ground there. dan? >> reporter: uma, the weather is better today. containment is up to 50%. yesterday the winds really kicked up and we got a look

at a very hairy day for firefighters and residents as we saw a full-on assault as 100 foot flames flails were racing toward a home up on a peak. helicopter attack from the smokey skies. there was a water drop every minute and tons of fire retardant dumped to slow the spread of the flames. happened crews worked around the homes to increase the buffer. they cut trees and brush and spread out brush piles. this is from the california conservation corps. a homeowner watched some of the battle as they packed up their animals and their keep sakes. they went through this in 1990 when they lost a small cabin and now they regret building this home on the very same fire zone property. >> we've been discussing it, this isn't really where we want to retire. we don't want to wake up, been more than one occasion where we woke up to helicopters dropping retardant on the canyon rim

here. >> reporter: the scenes are being repeated throughout the west right now as dozens of fires rage out of control. the biggest fires burning in idaho where the governor got a helicopter tour yesterday of two wildfires, each burning more than, get this, 140 square miles. and he's a potential victim also. he owns a vacation cabin in the path of one of the fires. now the cost of fighting all these fires across the west is obviously climbing by the millions of dollars per day. this ponder rose so -- ponderosa fire has been burning since saturday when it was spiked by lightning. it is up to the $5.75 million. you have fires like this all across the west. you can see how much it is costing. and the federal taxpayers are on the hook for most of that, this has been declared a people marks federal emergency, so the federal government picks up the lion's share. uma. uma: dan, heartbreaking images we see from the

ground, people losing their homes. a massive undertaking. thanks so much for that update. >> reporter: yep. jon: inside america's election headquarters and happening now, he is not bowing out. congressman todd akin refusing calls from republican leaders to get out of the senate race from the state of missouri. this after he made some controversial remarks about rape and abortion. akin even has an online petition folks can sign and donate money as he finds himself cut off from his party and their pipeline of campaign donors. for more on the mood on the ground in missouri, we're joined by a reporter for the "st. louis post dispatch.". nick, when you look at the lineup of people who have told him to get out it's pretty amazing. one current and four former senators from the state of missouri, roy blunt, john ashcroft, kit bond, jim talent, john ashcroft, i'm

sorry, john danforth. all of them telling him to get out. you've got the current presidential and vice-presidential nominee of his party. you've got major fund-raisers like karl rove saying get out of the race and todd akin says no, i'm going to stay in. does that surprise you? >> it does not surprise me. i think one thing that's been lost in the whole national chatter about todd akin is the fundamental beliefs that he really has and that we've seen here in missouri for a long time. when he first ran about 12 years ago for the u.s. house, todd akin was a conservative candidate who came out of nowhere and won this election based on a group of tight-knit church-going supporters. todd has always been with them and not with anyone else. and so while everyone nationally is saying oh, i can't believe he is not dropped out after all these powerful people have asked him to step aside, some of us who have been watching him for a long time know that is not really who he is and that he has these fundamental core beliefs and he is going to stand by them.

he believes in what he is doing and he believes he will move forward because as he says, he made one comment. he apologized for it and he is moving on. now it is going to be up to these other folks who asked him to step aside to see if they're going to move on. >> you say voters in missouri very well could forget and forgive him for what he says was a mistake? >> well, it is possible. we don't know. the first poll out was from a democratic affiliated ppp polling. there has been some controversy over that but they show that mr. akin is within a point up of claire mccaskill. and how missourians will really view this on election day remains to be seen. missouri has 39% of its electorate describes themselves as born began evangelical christians that is a big number. those types of voters will be people who might respond to todd akin and rally to his cause. jon: well he has said he won't get out of the race. this morning on good morning america, george stephanopoulos asked him if that is basically his

final answer. let's play that now. >> are you saying you are in no matter what? you will not get out before the september 25, deadline even if it appears you're going to lose and cost repuicans possibly control of the senate? >> well, george, i am never going to say everything that can possibly happen. i don't know the future. jon: so he leaves a little bit of wiggle room there, nick. >> he does. but, he has been pretty steadfast in what he's doing. it appears that he has been on twitter. he has been on all these programs. he is sort of asking people to give money to him. he is saying that he had some good responses from small donors and that that's where he will try to pick up the lost money that he is not getting from the national donors. so we'll see how i can really move on. one thing to keep in mind about missouri is, it has been trending republican throughout the last 10 years or so. the bellwether status of the state has faded somewhat. and that growing conservative element,

particularly in the southwest part of the state, might be what he is going to try to target as he tries to stay in this race. as some of these groups, particularly some right to life groups coalesce and come out in favor of him after the dust clears, todd akin may make a more final decision. i don't know how much more he can say he is in the race. he said it, many, many times. we have to take him at face value at some point. jon: he will get hammered with negative advertising from claire mccaskill and her supporters. nicholas, thanks. >> thanks. uma: they're running for the highest office in the land. next brand new polls revealing how president obama and governor romney stack up in the battleground states which could decide this big election. plus she's a household name in the tennis world but did this u.s. open referee really kill her 80-year-old husband with a coffee cup? here hear what prosecutors are having to say about this

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[ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! uma: we've got brand new polling in the race for the white house and they focus on the dozen swing states across the country that could decide this election. in nevada for example, a state with six electoral votes up for grabs a survey commissioned by the las vegas review journal and klas-tv shows president obama has a slight lead there, 47-45%. but the poll also shows that voters seem evenly divided on governor romney's vp pick, congressman paul ryan. joining us bernard whitman a former pollster for president clinton and author of, 52 reasons to vote for obama. scott rasmussen, independent pollster around president of rasmussenreports.com group. great to have both of you here today.

>> thank you. uma: when you see the polls at the moment, latest polls in swing states what jumps out at you knowing the race is tightening up? >> the biggest thing that jumps out at me all the new swing states we thought a little while ago were pretty safe for president obama. so the race is becoming a little more competitive for mitt romney. and that is probably good if you're republican because romney was trailing in the electoral college. but we're talking now about las vegas as a swing state. wisconsin as a swing state. some people think michigan and pennsylvania might be in play. i think that's a reach. these are states would not have been contested or thought to be contested early in the year. uma: effect of paul ryan, we're showing some polls it hasn't had much of an effect in some areas but how do you think it is playing out in the swing states at this point? >> i think ultimately the ryan pick will hurt the romney ticket and here's why. i think that voters particularly in florida are going to reject the romney-ryan plan to end medicare. they're going to reject the

romney ryan plan to cut education. and i think ultimately, the ryan pick has taken the republicans off message. instead of focusing on the economy where they would like to have a debate we're talking about medicare, we're talking about abortion, we're talking about women's right to choose, not simply reproductive and health care choices and economic opportunity. i think that could cost him florida. the problem with that is, if romney does not win florida, he has to win every other battleground state or he loses the election. at this point, i think virginia being, new bellwether state taken over from the role missouri had, virginia is likely to go to barack obama. uma: well that is very interesting. we're right now in august of course and so many people are just not paying attention yet. you are seeing that the polls are tighting up. given that fact, going forward, the states -- stakes remain quite high because we could see a lost movement when the fall kicks in. >> let's be clear what is happening. we track this race every single day.

while there have been occasional blips for the last eight weeks there hasn't been any really significant movement. one of the reason, only 8 or 10% of the voters are uncommitted in any way. the most significant fact about uncommitted voters, they're not paying attention. only 13% of the uncommitted voters are following the campaign right now. so, there will be changes. we have the conventions coming up. we have the debates coming up. we have economic news. that will shift and what i would expect to see is whatever shift you see in the national numbers you will see the same shift in these swing states. in other words if president obama does five points better nationally you will see him doing better in virginia and last las vegas. mitt romney does five points better doing --. uma: swing voters are key in these states. >> absolutely correct. we're not having a national campaign. we're having a national conversation but ultimately this campaign comes down to really 50 counties where the swing voters in those counties will ultimately decide the election. i think that we're going to see a pretty locked up race

statistically tied from now through mid-september. i would expect after tampa, next week, romney will get a bounce. after the convention in charlotte, obama will get a bounce. but then it will be settle into mid september. we'll see where the new polls are. ultimately it will with be the debates throughout october that will define where the race sits. uma: i know you're tracking it every day, every moment. >> we track it every day, every moment. right now the conversation is paul ryan. other days it will be different. at the end of the day this is choice between mitt romney and barack obama. mostly a referendum on the president. that is the reason it is close because people are evenly divided on the president. uma: all right. we'll end the conversation there but i know you guys are watching this very, very closely. we love getting your insights. thank you so much for joining us today. >> thank you. uma: appreciate it. jon: here's something else people across the country are talking about, extreme drought. it is now the worst in 50 years. and its effects are about to

hit your pocketbook. we'll explain coming up. also, a u.s. open tennis umpire now facing murder charges? accused of killing her husband of almost 50 years? the evidence police say they are piecing together next. >> she had asked about the husband and she had said, oh, yeah, they're trying to accuse me of murder. i thought, what kind of attitude is that? oh, yeah, they took some clothes, they took this, they took that, my computer.

jon: a lot of people in the baseball talk about killing the umpire. here's a tennis umpire who is accused of a killing, arrested in connection weather her own husband's grisly murder. here is rick. >> reporter: she is used to

making judgment calls in or out on the tennis court. now she is facing a judge of charged with murdering her husband of almost 50 years. lois good man's husband is charge. but the police were suspicious because mr. goodman's wounds were not the kind they usually see someone who had fallen down a flight of stairs. he had a lot more head trauma what they would normally see. autopsy turned up fragments of a clay coffee mug embedded in his scalp according to police in los angeles of the prosecutors decided that was enough for them to make an arrest except lois goodman was in new york city getting set to work as a line judge in the upcoming u.s. open tennis tournament. police hopped a flight to new york and went to goodman's hotel. >> she was leaving her hotel. she is a referee for the u.s. open and she was about to board the bus to go to the u.s. open this morning. >> the story of him falling down the stairs, although, it may have occurred, it

just didn't fit the evidence that was at the scene. >> reporter: goodman has agreed to be extra dieted back to california her lawyer says so she can quickly fight the charges. officials are not offering up a motive, jon. they do not expect this to be a dalty case the back to you. jon: i guess we would expect to see a new line judge at the u.s. open? >> reporter: i would think so, yes. jon: rick folbaum, thanks. uma: the u.s. corn harvest is now underway, the first real sign of the true extent of this summer's devastating drought and for many farmers the outcome is worse than expected. alicia acuna is joining us from morrison, colorado, with very latest on this troubling situation. alicia, with can you tell us? >> uma, for folks that live in the west they know there has been some rain. however it did not come soon enough. a lot of crops are dead. there is a domino effect here and if you buy meat, this means you're going to be paying a lot more.

>> nine 1/2. 15 1/2. >> reporter: western ranchers are selling off cattle in hopes of your viiving the worst drought in decades. >> starting with the oldest and going down to young, trying to sell our younger cows. >> reporter: leonard ball's family has ranched northern colorado since 1914. this year's lack of rain that stunted grass on the range came at a bad time. >> most guys are still trying to gain pack what we lost in 2001, three and those other real dry years. >> from what i'm hearing from our ranchers out and about, this is the worst ever, yeah. that cover as big swath of country. >> reporter: it is all made worse by skyrocketing hay and corn prices. >> we have a lot of dead corn. >> reporter: corn farmers have been hit particularly hard. >> we're in the business to produce and we're not doing a very good job producing right now. and, that that's a tough

life of, of people in ag anymore. >> reporter: and consumers are next. >> absolutely. in fact we could see a scenario of price of inflation for food could go up as much as 10 or 15%. this is one of the most serious price increases we've seen in some time. >> reporter: uma, we're here at rooney farms in morrison, colorado, and interestingly the owner has not had to sell off any of his herd because he saw the problem coming. he used to work on a water board and he planned ahead. back to you. uma: wow, that was great planning on his part. we'll see the price increase sooner than we think, right? >> reporter: absolutely. much sooner than keep expected. some folks are actually going to stock up their freezers they're saying because grocery prices are expected to go up at the beginning of 2013. back to you. uma: alicia, thank you very much. jon: we take a look at the white house and a new freedom of information request just filed. what some people want to know about the president.

that's up next.

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