bill: here is an e-mail for tonight, what would you ask barack obama? steve: see you tomorrow. we will be talking about the big speech. [captioning made possible by fox news channel] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- bill: tough questions being asked this morning about a meeting between president obama and the head of the congressional budget office. fox news learned that the president ordered doug elmen dorg to come to the white house yesterday, as the white house trying to silence this one voice -- is the white house trying to silence the one voice that is supposed to remain objective? megyn: we are waiting for reaction from key republicans on this developing story. again, the head of the cbo,, the judge of the congress -- cbo,

the job of this is to report to congress on what legislation might cost. he dropped a bomb on the president's health care push last thursday when he made this statement in front of a senate hearing. >> in the legislation that has been reported, we do not see the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory of federal health standings by significant amounts. on the contrary legislation, expanding the federal responsibility for health care costs. bill: right when that statement came out, headlines ripped across the debate. four days after that was made, right before the big prime-time news conference, the president called him into the oval office. why? what did they talk about? john has covered the white house for years. good morning to you. what do you make of this?

>> i think that it was probably inappropriate, but it was was likely not to silence him. most likely an attempt to soften him up. he said how excited he was to meet the president, the oval office, and the majesty of the situation. i do not think that the president was following the separation of powers. he should have gone through his budget director to get a briefing from the cbo. orszag used to run that office until last year. bill: an interesting point. the white house has its own budget office. >> yes, the congress set it up in the 1970's after lots of disputes with the executive branch. what troubles me, however, is that members of congress who hire the congressional budget office to do this have been leaning on the cbo. senator max baucus, last month

he lectured doug elmendorf about whether or not they were on board with health-care reform. should you not be along to help us with this effort? that, plus other phone conversations i know they have had with analysts, they trouble me. congress set them up to be completely separated from politics, even though he is a political appointee. bill: determining whether the laws being passed will work or not. we reached out to dana perino, and tony, spokespeople for the previous administration. they say that george bush never did this. people are calling it highly unusual. you wonder why he would take a meeting. >> the president calls you and says i want to see you in the oval office, hard to say no. the controversy when dick cheney went over to the cia before the

iraq invasion and asked for an explanation of intelligence estimates, cia analysts said that it was an indirect attempt to intimidate them. remember, he had every right to do that. this is crossing the separation of powers, the president calling an independent budget office director across town to say please tell me what you are doing. it cannot help but have an effect on him. it should be at least a question of concern now. bill: thank you, john. from "the wall street journal. we are going to get a unique perspective on health care debate. in a few moments we will meet a doctor, she is so upset with the health care reform plan, she has quit the ama after 30 years. megyn: we are keeping an eye on

key health care events. democrats will be meeting with skeptical members of their own party over the health care reform plan. leadership is trying to win over moderate democrats that are trying to work well over worries of the public health care options and angela raising taxes again. the top republican in the house says that this should send a clear message. >> mr. president, it is time to scrap this bill and work in a bipartisan way. there are members on both side they got things broken on the floor. megyn: on the schedule this morning, a news conference featuring republicans and democrats, worried that the health care reform will lead to abortion that is funded by taxpayers. we have both sides of the debate for you over the last couple of

days, this bill could require you with your tax dollars to pay for abortions. that is still a very open question. there is a pressure on it in a news conference this hour. we will bring you the headlines. bill: later tonight, the president has his news conference on health care. you can expect questions on the so-called public auction and analysis for the group that works for the insurance industry, saying that public options to be bad for anyone who likes the options they have now. two out of three americans would be forced to drop current insurance a government-run plan happens. critics say that puts uncle sam in charge of your health care decisions. tonight, 8:00, you can watch the entire news conference here on the fox news channel. 7:55, the analysis and remarks, fair and balanced tonight from the white house.

megyn: remember that record $787 billion stimulus? who could forget? caterpillar was supposed to be one of the biggest companies to benefit. president obama even visited their headquarters in the heartland over the winter. part of their sales pitch. >> what is happening at this company tells of a larger story about what is happening with our nation's economy. in many ways, you can measure the bottom line of the nation by looking at the bottom line of caterpillar. megyn: unfortunately they had a horrendous second quarter ending next quarter is expected to be even worse. what does that mean for the u.s. economy? stored varney has answers. stuart, as does caterpillar so goes the nation? that should not be taken as good news. >> not good news. caterpillar, clearly the stimulus plan is not working.

remember, as you pointed out, they were the poster child for the stimulus package. they sit on the economic recovery board. there is a connection. caterpillar was high profile. look at this. their profits are down by two- thirds. their sales have dropped in every segment, including equipment and she ridge, the tobaccos and mining equipment -- shearage, back hoes and mining equipment. what the present set on february 12, putting america back to work -- what the president said, putting america back to work, it simply has not worked out that way. megyn: what did caterpillar get from the stimulus package? to visit the money into the economy that would help them, or general money into the economy?

>> they got great publicity. james allen is on the recovery board. the president visited. they did not get any money, but they got a great public relations. but the whole thing is falling apart. remember, the president went to congress and said give me a stimulus package. they came up with a payoff to political constituents. good politics, but lousy economics. companies like caterpillar are paying a price. bill: 21 minutes away, a murder that shocked the nation, new word that someone might have paid tens of thousands of dollars to have a couple killed. the latest developments in the murder of the parents of the 13 adopted children in florida. megyn: new worries about swarms of killer bees in parts of the united states.

an attack that left an elderly man with more than 1000 beestings. what is going on here? experts join together. bill: what is going on there, huh? we will meet a doctor who actually quit the ama. megyn: i am out of here! bill: she tells us why it after 30 years, even though it cost her big time. ♪

bill: with billions of dollars literally at stake, health care reform debate is how the charge. we have seen that play out for months. one doctor is going up against the most powerful medical association in the country, the american matter can -- american

medical association. she has cut her ties because of their position on health care reform. she has sold out doctors and patients, explaining her position. good morning to you. you are all fired up. how come? i am. patients ask me every day, why is the ama doing something about this? we are afraid of losing our choices, our private health insurance, invading privacy and freedom. they do not realize that the ama is not represent patients or doctors anymore. 85% of their revenue comes from non-membership sources. they are in the business of medicine. i thought when i joined, in 1979 -- just after i graduated from medical school because i thought that this was the gold standard of the ethics of the practice of

medicine. i have been very disappointed as i have watched the profession of my -- progression of my professional organization over the years. this is the final straw. selling out patients and doctors to keep a business line going. bill: that is a strong claim. i would like to tap into your anger. how is the ama not serving patients? >> when you look at the fact that the house bill is mandating or requiring counseling every five years for people over 65 who are sick to discuss end of life -- when you see that the government is intruding in the physician- patient relationship, it violates the ama's own statement on their website, that under

managed care and advocacy they want to fight third party interference in the doctor patient relationship. it is a good example that under their endorsement of the washington health plan, with the government takeover, mandates, requirements that there can be no private plans after this public plan goes into effect, all of that violates the very principles that the ama represents to us. bill: we found this on the web site. james irvine, part of his statement -- it is a long one, the ama is fighting for patients and the medical profession with principles of pluralism, freedom of choice, practice, and affordable health insurance for all. you are saying the opposite, that they are out for themselves and the health-care business and the business of making money?

>> well, i think that the evidence would suggest that. 15% of their $280 million annual revenue is all that they get from members. they represent approximately -- represent approximately 17% of the position according to the december 2008 numbers. if you look at them, 20% of the members were medical students, residents, and of the roughly 256,000 members it leaves 157,000 practicing physicians out of 900,000 eligible physicians around the country. that translates, if you do the math, to 17%. obviously there are a lot of physicians whose voice is not represented by the ama, who feel strongly that our duty under the

a credit oath and ethics under maddison is to the patient. bill: about one-third of the doctors in the country are members. our own dr. siegel had a piece today in "the new york post" said that echoes what you are saying. you can tell all of the sides are lining up right now. you are saying goodbye after 30 years. doctor, thank you for coming and explain yourself. >> thank you for having me. bill: more news. megyn: a shocking twist in the murder of a florida couple. one suspect reportedly says that the killing of the billings was a contract dhit. who would invest tens of thousands of dollars to murder a couple that committed their lives to helping special needs children? bill: [coughing]

they are still down there, apparently. robotic drones, battling pythons. it could become a reality. got a question about the news? hemmer@foxnews.com is our e- mail. (mom) soon, we'll be doing homework, getting up early, packing lunches and running for the bus. and we're ready for it. because we took all our lists and we went to walmart. since walmart checks other store's prices... i didn't have to. that means we got home in time... for just a little more summer -- and for one last night of lightning bugs. back to school costs less at walmart. save money. live better. walmart.

bill: there are conflicting new developments in the murder of a florida couple. leonard gonzalez, reportedly telling police that he was paid to take out a hit on byrd and melanie billings for the price of $28,000 periods the sheriff's office says that that is not the case and not a possible motive. they were found shot to death

in the bedroom of their home, parents of 17 children, many of them with special needs. they owned a number of businesses as well. you were talking about this last night with bill o'reilly. megyn: here is the weird thing that jumps out at me in reading about this case. the father that was killed, it is coming out that he apparently had some legit -- litigious history. the division of child and family services would send letters. they would mention the children by name. burt billings, he would have their names copyrighted. why would you do that? whenever he would get one of these letters, he would write back and demanded millions of dollars for their use of the children's names in these letters. finally he got a nasty gram from

them, and it put an end to the matter, but i thought that was fascinating, putting a different spin on his mental state. you want to get to know these victims and what was possibly going on with them. who knows? that is the bottom line. secretary of state, hillary clinton, making news. she warned the iranian government of a u.s. response if iran keeps developing nuclear weapons. the bill would extend a defense umbrella over the allies in the gulf. james and joins me now by phone. he is traveling with the secretary in thailand. is this some sort of shift in u.s. policy in iraq? >> it sounded like one -- u.s.

policy in iran? >> it sounded like one to those of us who were there with her. a defensive umbrella over the allies, making upgrades to the military forces of the allies in iraq and, sounding like, to a lot of people, a vision of how the americans might learn to live with an iranian bomb. she sought to clarify her remarks, saying that she was not setting policy, only trying to influence how iranians think about these things, particularly in the prospect of an arms race in the area. megyn: sorry, james, thought that we had a sound bite. do we? wait for it. >> listen. >> that should affect the calculation of what iran intends to do and what it believes is in its national security interest,

because it might render iran less secure, not more secure. >> of the interesting thing here is the use of the effort -- use of the term defense umbrella. not one of the president has discussed, not that i am aware of. it is evocative of the term nuclear umbrella, which is what we mean when we talk about the united states defending the soviecountries against the sovit union. megyn: very interesting, james. good for the reporters who followed the secretary for noticing the difference and shift. that would be a significant imbalance. james, as always, on it for our correspondents in thailand. bill: hand it to our political leaders, they can pick the places to visit.

she has had good taste. [laughter] in a moment, we have new details of a story that we talked about at the top of the hour, the president ordering a meeting with the head of an agency that is supposed to be free of political influence. reaction on that when we come back. megyn: what their reaction we're getting on this story. -- quite a reaction we are getting on this story. swarms of killer bees in the southwest. gecko vo: geico's the third-largest car insurance company in the nation. but, it's not like we're kicking back, now, havin' a cuppa tea. gecko vo: takes lots of sweat to become that big. gecko vo: 'course, geckos don't literally sweat... it's just not our thing... gecko vo: ...but i do work hard, mind you. gecko vo: first rule of "hard work equals success." gecko vo: that's why geico is consistently rated excellent or better in terms of financial strength.

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bill: fox news alert. president obama has asked the congressional budget office director, doug elmendorf, to the white house.

doug elmendorf accepted. what does it mean? former white house officials reacting out. when asked why there would accept, they said "gray point, doug elmendorf showed bad judgment in taking the meeting. he is at risk of losing credibility. like a manual has more reaction now. >> good morning. we spoke with the white house press office about this. they said that they cannot speak to what previous administrations did. saying that president bush did not meet with the " rational budget office when they were in office to talk about substantive matters. but they said that someone who thinks that it is inappropriate for the president to meet with the budget office director, they say that that is unfortunate, that the president is dedicated to lowering the

cost of health care and that he will continue to meet with a variety of officials on this very important issue to our country, which is health care reform. they are offering reaction, they think that it is unfortunate that they're being criticized for this and that they cannot speak to what previous administrations may have done. bill: helping out with this. give me your best shot. how could this alter or change the public debate on health care? >> the issue is that the congressional budget office director, he is seen as an impartial person, someone who is independent from the administration. so, if you invite him to the white house to meet with the president, some people that it -- say that it does not pass the smell test. they say that he is trying to learn from what doug elmendorf can provide, or that he might be trying to influence what health

care reform will cost in this country. that is why there is pushed back from other officials about this congressional budget office director meeting with the president. bill: thank you. news conference, primetime at 8:00 tonight with a message from the president on health care reform. >> absolutely. bill: we will cover it live. megyn: all kinds of plans circulating on capitol hill right now. most of these include cutting medicare and medicaid costs. is there not an 800 pound cost guerrilla out there that lawmakers are ignoring bella like the more than $30 billion per year that we spend in medical malpractice costs? we have a republican from texas on the house budget finance service committee. hello, congressman. how are you? >> doing well. megyn: this is a big number.

we asked them to do a research on this in our big brain room. defense of costs, administrative expenses, not including the indirect costs in terms of extra tests that these doctors order. president obama has given this lip service, saying " he is sensitive to it." but he has not done anything about it. is there anything that deals with this right now on capitol hill? >> there are several. i am glad to hear that the president is sensitive, hoping that that sensitivity follows up with action. people want the health care they need when they needed at a price that they can afford. clearly the cost of frivolous lawsuits. we had a huge medical malpractice problem in texas.

one out of four doctors is being sued in texas years ago. doctors were leaving the state, insurance companies were leaving. we went from four to 30. the number of doctors increased 30%. the cost of medical malpractice is brought by double digits. there is now legislation that the congressman would tap, these lawsuits, adding so much cost to the system. >> that is where the president's sensitivity ends. he says that he is sensitive to it, but says that he stands against a tax on jury awards in medical malpractice cases. can you reform malpractice without dealing with taxes on

these astronomical awards? the ball goes to the lawyers, not the plaintiffs. >> this has a lot more to do with making a personal injury lawyers happy than it does with giving struggling american families the health care they need at a price they can afford. the answer is no, you cannot have an effective medical liability reform without capping these speeds. you pointed out in your own analysis of the figure of what we can say being much higher. i spent the congressional july 4 recess. there was an estimation the medicine practiced was defensive. medicine that they do not think

needs to be required because of a lawsuit. megyn: is incredible how we demonize doctors and the people that we tear -- people that return to me a terrible medical news. it was very important for us to open the door. in states like florida, making it $100,000 it was a lot for them. $60,000 in malpractice insurance. high-risk specialists pay more than $200,000 every year. they say that in the state of new york, 50% of doctors said they were seriously considering leaving the state to practice elsewhere because of malpractice costs. nationally, 49% of doctors surveyed said that it is keeping us from performing certain

procedures because we are so worried about the plaintiff. >> the bottom line is that i do not think that anybody is serious about health care reform and is not willing to cap this. there are bad doctors out there, but the answers are not frivolous lawsuits. taking a license away, that is what you do with bad doctors. megyn: let me interrupt you, how do you get to it? how do you get to the legitimate plaintiffs injured by bag doctors to get to what they reserve without the attacks? but still reigned in these ridiculous costs and lawsuits? >> zwaan, there has to be something punitive about something new -- >> one, there has to be something punitive about filing frivolous lawsuits. you want to make sure that the economic loss suffered, that

those people get a compensation. another thing to do is to limit fees and file what was taken. there is something fundamentally wrong in america when it is easier to sue a doctor then see a doctor. without tapping frivolous lawsuits, you will not get there? megyn: did you say limit fees for lawyers? the horror! good luck getting out one passed on capitol hill. we wish you luck, that is one republican bill that none of these democratic bills have anything in or over. bill: 1 trillion here, one trillion there. megyn: cut the fees of trial lawyers? who would think. bill: online, at foxnation.com., we have linked a video from a

creative group of folks. roll this. >> what is the economic impact of $1 trillion? you could buy $3 of loatte every day for 9 million years. bill: 9 million years of lattes. that would make me really happy. for more, go to foxnation.com, you can click on the link to watch the entire video. megyn: we have all thought about getting it. revenge on the telemarketer who continues to call your house over and over. one fedu up caller said something that got him arrested. bill: killer bees, making a

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bill: as promised, we are getting more reports that heavy rains are making the desert bloom in the southwest, also

breeding giant swarms of killer bees. a man in tucson stung more than 1000 times this month, he barely survived. experts say that cause to remove the bees are up 30% already from one year ago, swarms' showing up around homes, keeping one beekeeper very busy. jerry, good morning. i want our viewers to know that you have been stung every day of your life for 13 years. how does that feel? >> after a while, it is just a pinprick. i was a beekeeper first before we got into the industry. why the increase in bees in the

american southwest? >> we have a perfect environment for them. our bees thrive all year round. the desert for they bloomed last year, and the more they are in bloom, the more they have to feed on, the larger the numbers that they grow. bill: business has doubled. how are people making of these angry? what is your -- making the bees angry? what is your advice to not do that? >> they tried to take care of a problem on their own, that is when they get in trouble. we have seen people spray the garden hose at them, trying to get rid of them. spraying themselves, getting the dogs attacked and killed. animals generally pay the price because they have no way to get away.

bill: you say that anything can set them off? >> people that usually get it during the day are the landscapers. rhonda lot more, they do not know that the be has moved in -- bees have moved in. they get attacked. bill: 60,000 colonies, is that just wet weather? up from 20,000. >> be outside the seems to go larger and quicker than other american honey bees. bill: they are more aggressive? >> correct. bill: american and european bees, they are different? >> european bees are the mellow ones that must be cut -- beekeeper's hat. the africanized bee is the more

aggressive one. they were released. they have worked their way up the united states over the last 40 years. bill: good news for you, business is booming. megyn: what if we cannot get gerry? bill: called a beekeeper, right? >> we have been doing this for a long time. 10 years ago we had some pretty low numbers, about 10%. it was more common. >> do not spray it with a hose. call jerry. megyn: can you not go to home depot? >> the rest will come after you. you might be able to kill half

of the hive, but the other half will get everything in the neighborhood. bill: your neighbors are going to be angry. man of experience, starting every day of his life for the last 13 years. thank you. >> have a good day. megyn: [laughter] bill: you heard it. megyn: you are going to get some nasty e-mails. speaking of swarms, 100,000 giant burmese pythons are invading the everglades. the former pet snakes, wiping out native species, turning deadly for humans as well. next, a new animal control offensive straight from the pentagon. bill: missouri, voters showed one congressional democrat what they think of the health care

plan. do not miss this. it was hostile. . .

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bill: a couple of stores and of significance. burma could be seeking nuclear weapons with help from the north koreans. there is concern from hillary clinton that north korea has transferred equipment and no help. there are five boats in the flames off the coast of sydney, australia. fortunately, no injuries. the longest solar eclipses, did you catch it last night? megyn: and we are still alive

and well. bill: the solar eclipse could have been seen from india to asia. millions gathered to watch it. megyn: some indian astrologersç were predicting that it would be the end of the world. some folks who support health care reform here in the u.s. are looking to the u.k. for guidance. england's national health service was treated as a way to care for injured soldiers, and was later meant to care for all citizens, but it was not without its problems. greg palkot has more. ç>> with health care coming unr debate, the national health service here has a lot of positives. it covers everyone for free, at half the cost per person as

health care in the u.s., and it does a better job in many cases, according to many experts, but there are some problems. survival rates of just about every cancer is worse here than in the u.s. there are some others. >> they are monopoly provider cycling treatment, dictating service based on one where lives. >> you cannot choose our specialist, you cannot choose where you go to. >> medical care is rationed. life-extending drugs may not be approved if the patient is already dying. >> it tells me as a cancer specialist which drove i can and cannot use. >> critics say, being aware of the uncontrolled growth.

they are the biggest employer in the u.k., the fourth biggest in the world. and with costs rising, it will take further tax cuts to keep the program going. but most do not want to pull the plugç on its condition, they jt won the condition to improve. >> two weeks to see a doctor. >> i think the waiting time issue is probably the biggest problem here in the u.k. i recently made an appointment with my doctor here. i have private insurance and it took one day to get the appointment. i asked him what itç would -- w long it would take under the public plan. he said eight weeks. megyn: thank you. he is one of the best cornerbacks in the nfl.

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megyn: this is a fox news alert. both sides in the senate are talking tough on health care. the pressure is on the senate finance committee to find a solution when it comes to paying for these health care reforms. senate finance chairman max baucus saying his committee çfound middle ground on two mar sticking points. he is not saying which one. [captioning made possible by fox news channel] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- good morning, everyone. bill: what happened to transparency? are we supposed to watch c-span all day? closed door meetings all across the capitol. nancy pelosi is set to hold a news conference today and we are also awaiting word from that senate finance committee. megyn: shannon bream is joining us with details. much of the focus is on this

senate finance committee. tell us why this is an important group, and whatç kind of progrs they are making. >> there have been so many secret meetings in groups springing up from this finance committee. there is a group of seven, a bipartisan group of seven members from the finance committee that is trying to hammer out the resolution. we are hearing now that it is really a group of sex because orrin hatch has not been -- six because orrin hatch has not been participating very much. >> not that we complete the resolved the opposite issues, but a much higher level of comfort. >> he said that they had not

solve all the issues. again, we are hearing that there were a couple of main points reached, but it is still a mystery when they were. megyn: we know the house wants to pay for health care reform. they want to tax the rich. the senate has not been as explicit. the finance committee is supposed to be coming up with the method. so he is not saying anything on how they will pay for it? it is just progress and more comfort? >> we would hope for progress. this is something senator baucus talked about quite a bit. the tasking of health care benefits. not long ago, harry reid went to them and said, stop talking about it, it is not good for the american people. so we do not know if that is one

of the points behind closed doors. we know the president and his representatives said that itç s not sending he wants to see happen, but he has not pledged that he would sign something that includes that tax. that is still a mystery, but we know that has been a sticking point in the finance committee. megyn: they say they expect a tough time in the senate. we will be watching this committee. thank you. bill: a question about how much pressure is landing on senator baucus now. two liberal groups have named him the lawmaker whose arm is most in need of twisting on health care. çthey are telling folks in his home state that he is citing special interest over the average voter who wants the public insurance option. he is also taking heat from his

own party. more on that later. megyn: we have recent poll numbers on that public opinion, and they do not paint a pretty picture. when asked what kind of care a public plan would provide compared to the current private system, 21% said they thought a public plan would provide higher quality health care. 40% expect lower quality care. 36% said it would not change. bill: we are at the height of summer camp season for many american families, and swine flu is prompting many camps across the country to shut their doors or send kids home early. they are potential breeding grounds for that disease, and doctors are urging these can't to stay safe. claudia cowen is reporting.

how is it affecting camp? >> about 50 can't have seen instances of of bricks, and have decided to close because so many staffers had gotten sick, or they simply decided that it would be safer to close. these groups are catering to children who have chronic medical conditions that make them invulnerable toç catchings on flu and more complications if they get sick. bill: what about the other ones? you mentioned the cancer camps. should they be taking extra precautions? >> the cdc has issued special guidelines for summer camps, encouraging them to have contingency plans in place. they need to know how to isolate a child showing signs of swine

flu. they are also stressing good, basic hygiene, reminding everyone to sneeze into their fellow, wash your hands frequently. we visited one location yesterday where everyone was áu)+q)s. some are even screening counselors and staffers previous to working, making sure that they have not had swine flu. bill: are these kids at summer camp more likely to get sick? what do the experts say? >> not if they are healthy when they go to camp. but health officials say that they are no more likely to get swine flu, then if they were at school, for instance. keep in mind, 20 children have died as a result of this virus, but the vast majority among kids

have been relatively mild. bill: let us hope that it does not spread more. thank you. megyn: yesterday we brought you scorpions on a plane. but how does a shark get on a train? only in miami. bill: stimulus spending is just a few of the issues for president obama. how is he doing? some of the latest polling. megyn: and the heckling from the home crowd, next.

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the cocoa -- bill: to make on a plane, scorpions, howç about a shark on a train? only in miami. two men carried this shark on the train. one rider snapped a photo. apparently in the men found the charred and were hoping to sell it for $10. -- shark in were hoping to sell it for $10. apparently the nearby pitchers markets spoke to these men, but nobody wanted to buy a random shark from the train. [laughter] megyn: president obama facing dwindling support for health- care reform. the latest poll shows only 49% of americans now support the president's leadership on health care reform. that is down from 57% in april.

the president also losing ground to how he is handling the economy. that is not all. with me now is a contributor to the "weekly contributor -- "weekly standard." buying his plan. >> americans are growing increasingly skeptical because of the lack of success in the stimulus. his idea was to throw a ton of money at this, and it is essentially the same approach he is taking with health care. it did not work with the stimulus. as people see that itç is not working, they are becoming increasingly skeptical that it will work with health care. megyn: what do you think about

this cbo report that the democrats' plan will send us in the wrong direction? how much does that factor into polls like this? >> pretty heavily. this is the type of report that gets us rorks pretty -- us dorks pretty amped up. this is the centerpiece for his domestic policy agenda. he is doing it because he said we need to put off costs. but now we have a report from the nonpartisan congressional budget office that says what the president is telling you is not right. that is a huge problem for him. we have seen this reflected in polls, like from "the politico"

talking about the american perception about whether or not this will save money. 73% of respondents said that it would either increase costs, or keep them the same. net income and now we have a prime time press conference tonight where the president will be going directly to the people, saying, trust me. and he is likely to say that we need itç now, were very quickl, at least. with his charm, i can he turn those numbers around? >> there are limits to how far charm can go. people are paying attention to the specifics. america is still a center-right country. çdespite his pleading to the contrary, this is a plan that is likely to increase the impact of the federal government in your everyday life, particularly with

health care. smiling and making a positive case only goes so far. megyn: the longer the debate goes on, the worse for the president? >> no question. that is why he is making the case he is, and that is why republicans want to slow this down. megyn: i want to move to his overall numbers. they also tough a hit. -- took a hit. 54% of respondents said that they thought the country was moving in the wrong direction. 40% in june. they say the increase is mostly independent and democrat responders. the second one is his approval rating. 55% right now. that is down from 64%.

again, they say the bulk of that is from independents and democrats. he is starting to see dissension çamong his own ranks. what is that about? >> they are really the people who got him elected, conservative democrats and independents. study after study has shown that they are leaning conservative. they are conservative on issues of taxing and spending, as well as national security, two areas where the president has moved to the left in his first sixç mons in office. megyn: how does this play into the 2010 midterm elections? >> he needs an accomplishment. if he can even get a watered- down version of this, he can claim an accomplishment. if it is too far to the left, it

in a pair of a number of democrats. megyn: thank you so much for breaking it down for us. as i mentioned, president obama is scheduled for a prime-time press conference tonight. we will have live coverage from start to finish. health care is going to be the hot topic. bill: you do not need polls to gauge the mood in this next story. in missouri congressman was speaking back home, telling his crown the current plan would be deficit neutral and could create a surplus. some in the audience did not buy çit. >> create a $6 billion surplus. [laughter] [applause]

>> it is important -- >> there has never been a government program -- bill: apparently someone in the audience yelled, give me a break. that room is packed, and people were not happy with what)they heard. he was talking about figures from the cbo, and they said that the current bill will actually add $239 billion to the deficit, but supporters insist that those costs will be balanced out with other savings. megyn: i doubt we will see that type of reaction from the white house press corps. [laughter] bill: admit it, you hate that junk mail and telemarketers. one person got so ticked off, he took things a bit too far.

megyn: and shocking allegations involving a super bowl hero. ben roethlisberger accused of rape. does this woman had a case, or is this a money grab? and check out foxnews.com for more information. there are many ifs in your family's life. if your kids can go onward and upward, no matter what. if you get side-lined from work. insuring your family's ifs can be hard to figure out. so metlife removed the guesswork, by combining the most essential insurances, term life and disability, in one surprisingly affordable package. creating a personal safety net that's bursting with guarantees for the if in life.

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>> not interested. >> sorry about that, we must have gotten disconnected.

megyn: [laughter] the thankless life of telemarketers. let's be honest, we all hate them. but one man took it too far, threatening to burn down the telemarketing center and kill its employees. what put him over the edge? and notification about a car warranty expiring. apparently he called to say that he did not have a car warranty. then he and a sales rep exchanged words, and it gotç ugly. now he is behind bars, charged with making a terrorist threat. megyn: there are trying to make a living. i did this during one summer.

i found i could not do it if i used my own name. i toldç people my name was rachel. i sold 800 numbers for businesses, not 900 numbers. by the end of the summer, i was the supervisor. bill: then you would say, yes sir, sir. take my number off of your list, rachel. megyn: i understand, -- megynbill: back to the debate on health care. what do real americans think?

anita vogel has more on this. the ama endorsing the president's plan for health care. what our doctors saying? >> certainly, there are some doctors in support of the government planned. they think it would give more patients better access to health care, and there are others who do not like it at all, but many are concerned about one particular proposal that deals with bonuses and pay incentives. i spoke to a physician yesterday who has been treating patients for 22ç years, and he is not to keen on the notion of having a government check list to refer patients. >> when we make decisions in the treatment room, we want to make sure the government is not there with us. we do not want them deciding what kind of tests we can have,

what kind of medication to prescribe. >>ç no one knows for sure just how the details would shake out, but many are expressing concern about the plan, were written about access, the quality of their care changing, and many would like to keep their plans, as they are. bill: there was an institute in california that put out a study about this proposal. what did it conclude? >> it was a pretty comprehensive flow chart looking at all of the proposals, looking at how successful each one might be. they looked at the individual mandate on the proponent, requiring individuals to purchase their own plan. they said it would have the biggest impact for the better on the health care system now,

theoretically covering those uninsured. >> we found an individual mandate was the most effective way of reducing the number of people without insurance. it was far more effective than employer mandates, and medicare expansion, tax credits. >> the study also found the three areasç of care in greatet need of change was rising health-care costs, poor quality of care, and access. bill: thank you. here is rachel with more. megyn: [laughter] we have been talking about california's budget mess, and now there could be a solution. so why is our no. schwarzenegger holding a hunting knife? bill: we told you aboutç one congressman calling this the

president waterloo. >> the other day, one republican senator said, "if we are able to stop obama on this, it will be his waterloo. it will break him. think about that. this is not about me." bill: he says it is not about politics. if that is true, why is the democratic national committee running attack ads against fellow democrats? limb: dude that was sick! i've been hangin' up there for, what, like, forty years? and then - wham - here i am smacking the pretty off that windshield of yours. oh, what you're looking for an apology? well, toss another coin in the wishing well, pal. it's not happenin'.

limb: hey, what's up, donnie? how you been? anncr: accidents are bad. anncr:but geico's good ding! with onsite windshield replacement.

bill: this is a fox news alert. new information on this story. president obama ordered congressional budget office director doug elmendorf to a white house meeting yesterday to

talk about health care. many describe this as a highly unusual event, considering his office is supposed to be free of political influence. we tracked it down on his blog. bill: is the hot topic in washington. more on that when we get a news. megyn: opposition is mounting to the governors do with lawmakers to close the state's $22 billion budget gap. cities are onç ranged over the loss of funding. keep in mind, they decided not to raise taxes.

los angeles county is planning to sue. there are also plans to reduce the state's prison population. so far the governor is staying largely out of the fray, except for a bizzare twitter video where he wheeled to a budget cutting knife, and thanks to the worse for their advice. >> -- the viewers for their advice. >> we are getting ready to cut budgets, reduce costs. we love your ideas, i keep more of them coming. we need it. bill: he is going to autograph these items. making the voters of california

pay more money. you know what they are doing? they are increasing offshore drilling. megyn: and they are stealingstl hopingat san quentin. could your state be next to go through this? bill: in the meantime, the democratic national committee running advertisements that are predominantly democratic, leaving some wondering if they are spending money to pressure its own measures remembers. ç>> my son has terrible policy and epilepsy. >> when i lost my job, i lost my health insurance. >> my father in law lost a limb because he did not have health care. >> it is time. >> it is time for health care.

bill: bob beckel is a professor of advanced political studies at george washington university. andros and taros -- andrea centaros is also our guest. some have wondered. if the democrats are starting to eat their own. >> i do not know where to start here. first of all, they are not attack ads against democrats. their campaign ads for health care reform, and they need to do that because of all the misleading stuff that is being fed to america by republicans, like jim demint. çbill: two of the states that they are running these ads are represented only by democrats. maine is the only state targeted

without a democratic rep. >> what is your point? çthey have been running -- republicans have been giving misinformation to the states. let me make one other point. i do not know who the experts at fox were, but i remember the cbo when i was at the white house. it is part of the process, this is nothing new. the fact that they would need is nothing new. bill: thank you for that. maybe you should comment on that tomorrow. andrea, are they really going after democrats? >> absolutely. barack obama, nancy pelosi, and harry reid to not have support, and that is why they have to do this. bill clinton failed to reform

health care. the democrats realize if they do not get this through, barack obama will take a hit, his political capital will tank, and she will look like a lame duck. say what you will about george bush but he was able to get education reform through, medicare, tax cuts, despite a political gridlock. >> door to push got all of those things through with democratic participation, i might add. you want to defeat barack obama, you want to make him look bad, you could care less about health care. bill: is that with this is about? >>ç no, this universal health care plan is a nightmare. >> what is yours? >> let me give you a lesson here. power to the people. it is not power of one committee

trying to push this through. how about slowing down and having some debate? this is the arrogance of barack obama trying to bully congress and the american people to get their way. it would be the cost nightmare and would lead to rationing. bill:ç are they moving too fas, bob? >> no, they are not. it has been 59 years that we have been discussing this. i do not think that is getting rammed down our throats. how much more slowly can we move? >> start with tort reform.

>> if i could just hear one honest health care reform plan, i would listen to you. you want to play politics? we will play politics. >> tort reform? >> i like that idea. your savings plans are ridiculous the -- because people cannot afford it. it does not deal with the overall reform and long-term cost savings. you only focus on how expensive this is. what is expensive is where we are going right now. the system will bankrupt itself. bill: the longer it festers, though lower the support will be. -- the lower the support will

be. andrea, will then get done? ç>> god willing, no. >> absolutely, hopefully before the end of the year. bill: thank you. megyn: speaking of tort reform. we had one of your right in saying that her husband who is an ob/gyn got sued by one patient forç stretch marks. bill: you do not want to give people ideas. megyn: in the end, she has stretch marks and a healthy baby. we have lawyer fees to pay. well, he won rookie of the year and won the super bowl twice. now ben roethlisberger could be

facing his toughest challenge yet. he is accused of rape. bill: in our congress, our congressmembers' give filibuster's to stop certain things from going through, but in other parts of the world, things get a little wilder. megyn: do you drive a nice car? do not be a dummy. when a baboon attacks, stay away. ♪

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or from the south, try our new orleans... wood-grilled shrimp jambalaya, simmered with creole seasonings. taste these regional dishes for a limited time. at red lobster. megyn: kelly's court is back in session. on the docket, a super star nfl quarterback accused of raping a

hotel employee. ben roethlisberger is a two-time super bowl winner with the pittsburgh steelers. he has now been named in a civil suit by a manager in white tahoe, nev.. attorneys for the player say that he is absolutely innocent, and the lack of any criminal charges here proves it. so does this lawsuit pass the smell test? let us ask our legal panel. good morning, gentlemen. çthese are some serious allegations that she has made, and she makes them only in a civil lawsuit. she has never come unto this day, never gone to the police about this. can she make a case? >>ç definitely maybe. we do not know what happened, no

one does. the perception is, you have one strike because you did not go to the police, two strikes because some of the allegations are crazy. but let me say this. she makes such specific allegations that day could be corroborated by the evidence, or she could be crushed by her own story. her biggest story is that she did not reported to the police, although she did reported to hotel security who laughed at her and said that she is overreacting, and tshe should be lucky to sleep with him. if this is true, i understand why she did not feel the support of her employers, and why she reported it. megyn: arthur, is this going to fly with the jury, that she went to the head of security?

>> what theç jury are we talkig about? >> i object to that characterization, by the way. >> i am an attorney, this woman wants to retain me. i understand there is a passage of time, and there is something calledç rate passage of time. if i'm going to take this case seriously, the first thing i will do is call my detective friend in the sex crimes bureau and let us bring you over there and explain everything to them. in cases like this, when you are talking about rape, major felonies, these cases have to start in the criminal world. they cannot start in the civil world because it is the wrong message we are sending to

society. it is ok to assault someone as long as you compensate them afterwards. that is not how the system is created. there are punitive action that are taken, including incarceration megyn: she says he is 240 pounds, i went into his hotel room to fix his tv, and the next thing i knew, he grabbed me and kissed me. he prevented me from leaving and he was raping me. so what about the rape trauma syndrome? >> you make a good point about not sending a message -- about sending a message by reportinnot reporting to the police. obviously, there will be hotel video, computer records every

time aç door opens and closes. this could be completely false, but if she went to them and they said that they would not cooperate because they thought she was full of it, then i can understand why she thought proving this case would be a futile effort. >> but that is where you have to start. megyn: what is the first move to ask for money? why not have a press conference, or you justç sue. i do not know if i can make a reasonable doubt standard, but this happened. she is claiming $400,000, and she is suing harrah's as well. >> and where mark is correct, if

this turned out not to be accurate, then the hammer of the justice system should land hard on her and perhaps her attorney. if the allegations are frivolous, they should be crushed. the u.s. supreme court came down with a major ruling this may allowing federal court judges to read a complaint, and on their own, this mess it out of hand. i am not saying this goes to that level, but it is interesting. >> let us just wait and see to see if any of this can be supported by evidence. if not, they need to be crushed. otherwise, she is owed an apology. megyn: this case raises red flags. she waits one year to complain about the rape. she does not go to the police. her first move is to seek money?

i am not saying it did not happen, but let us not rush to condemn him before we know more about the facts. are you receiving a payout from a legal settlement or annuity over 10 or even 20 years? call imperial structured settlements. the experts at imperial can convert your long-term payout into a lump sum of cash today.

bill: a fascinating developments in california. they reached a deal to close a $26 billion shortfall. part of the plan include taking funds away from just about every local government. los angeles county is threatening to sue. could this situation in california be repeated across states in the rest of the country? stu varney is with us. 9 billion from education, 1.3 from a state worker furlough program, 1.2 from the prison

system. they got a deal. the government does not want to increase taxes. and they are going to drill for more oil? >> hold your horses, it will be maybe a hundred million dollars over time by expanding drilling. so why aren't they drilling up and down the pacific coastline? why not? bill: at least they are moving in the direction, but this was not an easy deal to get done. we are reporting -- have been reporting on these problems for a long time. is this the way that other states will go in the country? >> yes, it is. other states will be more inclined to raise taxes, california was not. new york has a $13.8 billion budget deficit. illinois, $11.5 billion. new jersey, $8 billion.

higher taxes in all of them, spending cuts, and more high- cost borrowing. but the back breaker for all states is the payments made to pensions and health benefits for retired government workers. remember, that is a recurring costs. even if you escape it this year, you will see it next year. %11i:á$p!out him puliing out the knife? -- pulling out the knife? >> that is drawn on only he can get away with. [laughter] bill: thank you. megyn: age group of baboons' go nuts in the2u.k. the animals got so out of hand,

officials said up a demonstration for skeptical visitors. they climb all over this car, attacking a luggage container on top of the roof. they were looking to be better dressed. there are more than 140 in the park, so you need to keep your luggage in the trunk. we will be right back.

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