headline will probably be repeat. >> let's hope. >> thanks. >> liz, thank you very much. >> and that will do it for us, america's news headquarters with jennifer griffin live from washington starts for you right now. keep it on fox, the most powerful name in news, have a great day. >> take care. captioned by, closed captioning services, inc. this is a fox news alert. five suspects under arrest in mexico, believed to be involved in the murder of a u.s. border patrol agent. the first such shooting in more than ten years. four were rounded up yesterday, the men are believed to be part of an immigrant smuggling ring and more arrests may be coming as authorities in both countries continue to investigate. i'm jennifer griffin live in washington for the next two hours. we have the latest on the border shooting in just a moment but we begin with the story that continues to drive headlines here in the nation's capital and on all of the sunday talk shows, healthcare

reform. caroline shively is standing by with the latest on the debate. hi, caroline. >> hi to you, jennifer. >> the chairman of the senate budget committee says this week that democrats don't have the numbers to pass healthcare reform without republican votes. mitch mcconnell says the gop backing is more than likely. what are they going to do? white house press secretary says they have 80% agreement and they are working on the last 20% but it looks more and more likely that congress will blow pass the president's deadline to pass something before the august restrived by force sestack. the senate will vote after the recess and house leaders it only say maybe when asked if they can get something out this week. you alsoablied down a report

from the congressional budget this was weekend that pointed out the president's proposed medicare advisory council would probably only face 2 billion north dakota its first four years or -- $2 billion in his first four years. meanwhile, many republicans say there is a bigger problem. >> members would say whatever else you do, don't ration care or impose policies that would delay or deny care to americans and they he keep voting these amendments down. why? because, of course, at the end of the day most appreciate that they are going to be rationing care and that is the wrong way to go. >> house speaker nancy pelosi talked state of the union "when i take this bill to the floor it will win" but the confidence level doesn't appear to be so hide on the senate side. jennifer? >> thanks, caroline. catch the interviews right here on fox news at 6:00 p.m.

eastern. several hoboken new jersey residents want the mayor to know how mad they are he won't step down. he was only in office three weeks before he was arrested in an fbi sting that included 44 arrests. officials say he accepted $25,000 in bribes, more than 150 protesters stood on his front lawn, urging him to resign. >> he should resign. be a man, resign. >> i just think he needs to know how the citizens feel. i mean we have been through the ringer. >> the mayor insists he will plead not guilty and remain in office after his name is cleared. he claims the moon any was a cam -- the money was a campaign contribution. >> i look forward to a day in court to vigorously defend against the charges and redeem and clear my name. >> three mayors, two state assemblymen and several city councilmen were arrested accused of taking various types of bribes, even running a

living organ transplant ring. >> this is a fox news alert. just minutes ago, alberto contador won the touched. the second victory for the spanish cyclist. seven-time winner lance armstrong will join contador at the podium. it seems hard to believe when she made her stunning announcement to quit but alaska governor sarah palin is stepping down today. 5,000 people are expected at her annual picnic which is now the official farewell from office. dan springer is live in fairbanks, alaska. the soon to be former governor is serving hot dogs today, is she? >> hot dogs and salmon burgers, of course, in fairbanks, alaska, right, jennifer? the final stop of the goodbye civilian tour and it is here in fairbanks where she had her inauguration ball two and a half years ago. we are expecting about five

thousand people to show up to say goodbye to her, pose for pictures and get her autograph and at 3:00 local time she will be on the stage giving a final speech. 20 minutes we are expecting to thank the people of alaska for supporting her over the years and then after that the lieutenant governor is sworn in and she officially steps down as governor of the state and moves on to the next chapter of her life, whatever that may be. >> that is the question, has she given any indication about her future plans? >> well, she has been teasing us and indicateing that she is not going go away quietly. she does a lot of tweeting on the twitter page and has been saying that she is not going away quietly. says that she wants to still be a player nationally and take up causes. she is going to campaign for some republicans that she supports around the country and we also know that she has a book deal and she will be finishing up work on the book this fall. it comes out in the spring and she will be going on a speaking tour at that time. she also has a speech coming up

august 8th at the regan national library, the regan library in california so we know that she will be giving speeches. whether she runs for office or not is a big question, of course. her numbers have been slipping nationally. the fox poll had her at only 38% favorable and 51% unfavorable. so you can see that her numbers are slipping, her base is shrinking. >> that's right. >> ain the white evangelicals in the latest fox poll show that they are slipping away from her as well. she is going to be coming out and doing her best to stay relevant in the coming months for sure. >> thank you very much, dan. keep us posted. a boston area police officer under fire for the arrest of a black harvard professor has plenty of supporters. >> we completely support sergeant crowley and the fine men and women of the cambridge police department. we want the viewers to know that our website is being inundated with e-mails from law

enforcement officers and ordinary citizens from across the united states expressing their support for sergeant crowley and the cambridge police department. >> but the arrest of professor henry gates continues to spark racial tensions. has this become a teachable moment as the president suggested in his surprise press conference on friday. joining us is civil rights activist reverend al sharpton from the national action network. thanks for being with us, reverend sharpton. >> thank you. >> let me ask you this, do you still think this was a case of racial profiling? >> what i said from the beginning and it is on my website is that it could be the case of police abuse of power or racial profiling, either one. i think that every case does not necessarily have to be racial. it could be abuse of authority, of overstepping the bounds, or it could be racial profiling and we wanted at that time a

thorough investigation. since then the charges against professor gates were dropped. let's remember that many of us got involved that monday when his attorney reached out to us, got involved because we were outraged that he was being charged with disorderly conduct in a public place in his own home. those charges were dropped. now, the conversation can go to a higher level as the president suggested where we can talk about what is abuse of police power and what is racial profiling. they are not one and the same but i think we need to have some clear federal laws here. the one that undermined this arrest was not the president or any one else, it was the prosecutor who dropped the charges. clearly the prosecutor felt that this did not warrant prosecution. >> now, that we know more details about the facts of the case, couldn't it be argued that professor gates was the one involved in racial profiling, he was assumeing that this policeman, this

boston cop was himself a racist. >> i don't know that you could say that patriot fesse that prs was involved in racial profiling as he doesn't have the authority as a person in a position of power to impose anything. if he acted in any way that was illegal, then i think that he would have been prosecuted. he was not. i don't know why we have to speculate on what could, should, would happen. what did happen? there was an arrest made. the prosecutor in validated the arrest by not going through with the case. now, let's look at the overall social issues involved because i think the legal issues have been answered. the president in a united spirit invited both parties to sit around and have a beer and that is good because there is no legal case there. now, he can try to move forward by saying how do we define racial profiling and abuse of power and let's resolve this

because we still have inequalities in this country. remember, when i fought the shawn bell case in new york, two of the officers were black. there is not always just black and white, it as a question of abuse of power. we had a young white male and we thought that the police abused that by sticking something in his rectum on the platform. so police and citizens rights are protected. >> thank you very much for being with us, reverend al sharpton. >> thank you. >> exiled honduran president manuel zelaya is camping out on the border of honduras and nicaragua despite foreign leaders telling him not to force a confrontation including secretary of state hillary clinton who calls his attempt to return reckless.

stevsteve harrigan joins us wih the late jeff this is day three for the ousted president. he has 100 followers with him camping out on the border between nicaragua and honduras. he has a mega phone and is saying that i'm still the democratically elected leader of honduras. the u.s. is backing zelaya's return to office here. representative here on a fact finding tour on the weekend says the u.s. is playing this all wrong but backing an elected hugo chavez wannabe dictate. if honduras is successful and able to continue and win the fight for their freedom and democracy it could have a positive ripple effect throughout latin america that says to hugo chavez that we don't want what you are trying to shove down our throats.

>> right now, the honduran military has slightly changed its position in the development. they are saying they would not stand in the way of a return by the ousted president. it was, of course, the honduran president that put zelaya on the plane out of the country just one month ago. jennifer, back to you. profesters around the world from paris to new york, los angeles and d.c. here in the u.s. are voicing their opposition to iran's clampdown on the opposition party. in protest, they demanded the release of hundreds of people rounded up from iranian demonstrations stemming from the country's disputed election. roxanna zabari made an appearance and called upon iran to free the prisoners. secretary of defense robert gates is headed to meet with officials. his first trip to the region and to israel in two and a half years.

the talks will focus on growing anxiety on iran's nuclear ambitions. president obama has given iran until late september to accept an offer for talks to abandon wits nuclear plans. there is a new man in charge of u.s. forces in afghanistan. the goal is to minimize civilian casualties but is it putting the troops at greater risk. major sales joins me now. tell me about the unusual memo that admiral mike mullen put out to leaders, commanders this week. we broke the story, we got our hands on the memo. it is interesting around i will read from it because he is talking about detainee affairs and how detainees need to be treated better. he says i'm appalled by a suggestion that someone in an american uniform would behave in such a way. we haven't all absorbed or

applied the lessons of abu ghraib. the message to our people must be clear, the mistreatment of detainees in any way will not be tolerated. this is what he said after he saw the detainee photos, hundreds of them, he was appal. >> you and i both know, you have interviewed him several times and i briefed him seven ram times. the memo really -- several times. the memo really reflects his personality. what makes him exceptional is embodied in the memo. he is a chairman who listens. he has the ability to talk to any one from private to general. he takes notes around really tries to understand issues. he is enormously empathetic in the sense that he has an enormous bond with the young men and women in uniform. the reason he was appalled is he knows it doesn't reflect the

true nature and character of our soldiers. >> some were saying that he raced the issue and brings up the whole controversy about releasing the photos. >> he was specific in the memo. he said this is not about military justice, it is not about courts, it is about leadership. his message in the memo to the commanders was think about military rule 13 when in charge take charge and do the right thing. he is telling commanders too restart the chain of command and talk to soldiers and review the doctrine, to take charge of a young soldier so these incidents didn't repeat themselves. >> he saw that there had been abuse at the point of capture on the battlefield and wanted it stopped. turn to afghanistan. general mckristol is trying to turn the ship around. he is coming up with a new strategy.

he is saying that we are going to protect civilians even if it means walking away from fights, even if it means not calling in air power. could he be accused of putting the military forces themselves at risk? >> no, no, no, the greatest risk to the military is an alien population. we turned the tide in iraq when the iraqi people started to trust american soldiers and it is important in afghanistan to create the same. shaping the narrative. his purpose of actual combat is to shape public opinion and tell the right story to the afghan people. you start there and once you gain their trust, the intelligence comes and you become more effective in combat and we turn the tide in afghanistan. >> he even said today in an interview with the los angeles times that essentially he doesn't mind leaving certain areas that are ungovernable and let the taliban operate in the areas but make sure that the forces don't leave areas that they cleared and that is a

change from the past. >> big time. you got to eat with one spoonful at a time. if you try to be strong everywhere, you will only be weak everywhere. control the regions that you think you can control in the short-term and that changes public opinion about the presence of forces in afghanistan. >> does this suggest that he doesn't have enough forces where he is talking about areas where he is going to send troops and does it mean he will ask for more forces. >> the trouble isn't coalition forces. it is afghan forces. too few police, too few military spread too thin. the most important thing is to train the afghans to take our place and to do it quigley. >> we will be talking more about this in the days to come i'm sure. the nation's oldest living medal of honor winner is now the owner of a special birthday tribute. john finn was presented with an

american flag, a flag that the navy had been send gd around the globe for the past two months so it could fly for a day in all 11 aircraft carriers in its fleet. he was honored for his performance at pearl harbor. he shot down one enemy plane despite being shot 27 times. vice president biden said the stimulus package was designed to provide steady support and not to be a quick fix. now, house speaker nancy pelosi sounds off on the idea of a second stimulus package. is it now dead before it even started? stay tuned. (pouring rain) i had a great time. me too. you know, i just got out of a bad relatio... it's okay.

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>> jennifer: news right now, political start shot to the top when she was named john mccain's running mate. now alaska governor, surveillance, stepping down as governor after deciding to quit earlier this month. even indicated the space shuttle endeavour crew is getting ready for the next seven spacewalks at the international space station tomorrow. a press conference from space is scheduled for later today. >> jennifer: where does the push for health care reforms than right now? house speaker nancy posey such as enough votes for the bill to pass the house. will we see any votes before the

august recess and? join us as congressman frank polonium new jersey. robertson, thank you for being with us. tonight thank you, jennifer. >> jennifer: let me ask you this, are you surprised by the trouble you're getting from blue dog democrats over this healthcare discussion to give back no, because another support health care reform and basically agree with most of what has been put forth. but they are concerned about cost. want to make sure it doesn't cost much. they're worried about the public option. they want to make sure it competes in a positive way with the private insurance and health exchange. so there are points they worried about and i think they're legitimate. >> jennifer: do you think the president underestimated their strength and? >> i think we were also determined to meet this deadline that in the process, maybe we didn't take enough time to think about some of the concerns of different groups. by nine tickets all coming together. with some good negotiations with

the blue dogs which are the conservatives. i expect by monday or tuesday we will be on board and have a consensus. >> jennifer: to think this will be handled and taken care of for the august recess, or do you think it'll be something take care of afterwards, and if so why has there been such a rush to do. >> in congress, if you don't set a deadline, nothing ever gets done. so the president was right in setting this august 1 deadline. i think right now the focus is trying to get a bill together that we can agree on. whether that means we actually vote on the floor for that bill this week where we come together with a consensus, and then spent some time during august sort of debating it or thinking about it is not clear, but we definitely are making progress and we are either going to move toward putting the committee markup or voting on the floor this week. >> jennifer: speaker pelosi said she may in fact skip the committee discussion in your committee. how would you feel if it was taken straight to the floor?

>> i know she doesn't want to do that and i don't think it will happen because we will come to a consensus in the energy and commerce committee. i prefer we didn't skip the committee, but anything is possible this point. still i think very much, commerce and frank polonium new jersey. >> heavy-hearted e. cigarette? they are battery operated device is filled with nicotine cartridges that are called safe alternatives to smoking. the fda says not so fast. a first analysis of -- first analysis show that contain toxic substances. the fda isn't sure what effect the carcinogens and the cigarettes have an inhaled like this. the agency said the cigarettes manufactured mostly in china, should not be allowed in the u.s. but no word yet on whether it will ban them. to make a southwest airlines jet was forced to make an emergency landing this money.

a spokesperson says 5693 was diverted to occur at the airport on long island new york after a flight attendant had trouble breathing. plane was heading from hartford connecticut to orlando peter speaking

>> top lawmakers acknowledging that senate democrats will need republicans to pass obama's healthcare overhaul and caroline should should i have -- shiveley is standing by with the news. >> the democrats say they will move forward on healthcare but that they don't have enough votes without the republican

backing. the program faces continued opposition. mexican federal place say they have apprehended four men suspected of involvement in the u.s. border patrol agent's death. they were part of a smuggling ring. 21 immigrants were found yesterday. another man walking near the area was found on friday. the senate judiciary committee is expected to vote on the nomination of the supreme court candidate sonia sotomayor on tuesday. several republicans are not making their vote public yet. two other republicans say they will vote against seating the federal judge. legendary singer billy joel and elton john have had to cancel a second concert on the tour as joel is sick with

flu-like symptoms. doctors told joel not to work for 72 hours. now back to you. those are our top stories. thanks, caroline. north korea is ratcheting up the rhetoric between north korea and south korea. north korea warns of "unmanageable deadly blows" if the u.s. were to attack. this after the u.n. sanctions on the missile test. south korea says if the tests go forward, they are aimed at inindividualing the north. at least 40 americans and 69 international troops have been killed this month in afghanistan, the deadliest month for u.s. and nato forces in the afghan war. the $8 billion stimulus package was criticized when it was

signed into law, now joe biden and nancy pelosi are answering the critics who say it has not happened fast enough. in the new york times today, vice-president biden says critics misunderstood the stimulus package and that the action we took brows out back from the precipice. we still have a long way to go but clearly are closer to recoverystead than where we were in january. he did say it would solve long and short term problems but seemed to focus on more immediate effects. >> we have a consensus which is rare between conservative and liberal economists that we need a big stimulus package that will volt the economy back into

shape. >> jolt the economy and that is what set up the back-and-forth between the minority leader and white house press secretary. >> it was a big mistake. i think we can barely safely declare it a failure. it was to hold unemployment to 8.5% and unemployment has gone over 10%. >> one piece of legislation is not going to get us over the hump in a short period of time. >> nancy pelosi says they will focus on the stimulus they have and try to get the money out more quickly. french president sarcozy was

rushed to the hospital after feeling faint. tough questions about pal's time in office and what it means for her prospects for other office positions. todd joins us now, thanks for joining us. >> thank you, jennifer. >> what was the it like on the campaign trail? >> well, i never worked directly with her on the 2008 cycle but i can tell you for someone who has been around politics for a long time, she is a spirited campaigner, someone who excites the grassroots but also as someone who runs campaigns for a living, there are significant challenges for

her if she plans to seek the gop position for 2012. >> there are surprising statistics about white evangelicals and how she is losing support with them. what can you tell us? >> well, i would not focus too much -- although we're going to focus on these polls for the next several years but the only one that really matters in the context of running for president is the poaling in early states, iowa, new hampshire, south carolina. how she stands in those states is far more important. there are a couple more things i think she needs to do to turn some of these numbers around. number one, she has to get off the gossip pages and on the opinion pages. she is spending far too much time on page 6 of the new york post and not nearly enough time writing he would toorl pieces in the wall street journal, the weekly standards, talking about issues that are important to conservatives. the second thing she needs to do is start turning some of her

vast popularity among the grassroots into a real issue-based movement. it is great to be popular but if you are not using that popularity to do signature, then it is, as they say here in texas, all hat and no cattle. and finally, she needs to start redefining herself as someone who is prepared to be president of the united states, either fairly or unfairly. there is just not a perception among all voters that she is ready for the job and if she plans to run, she needs to fix that. >> you are talked about how she is polling in iowa and other states and it is interesting there is a poll of g.o.p. voters saying that essentially mike huckabee comes in at 36% and romney with 39%. where do you think she stands with regard to other republican candidates at this point? >> well, remember governor

huckabee and romney have run already in iowa. they are known throughout the state. they campaigned in iowa. there was one-on-one come paining and those guys have done it. so she will have a real battle to define not only in terms of herself but in taking on these guys who have a lot of establishment before her. >> thank you very much, todd. >> you bet. >> you can keep track of palin's next move on her twitter page. she regularly sends out updates and says she will change her handle and tweet under a new name when she leaves office. the social networking tool is there are average citizens and celebrities and politicians can send.

better follow the watering rules or it could cost you big bucks. we'll have the story when we come back. stay right here. stay right here. i'm jennifer griffin. and jeep dealer, and get up to double the government's cash for your old car. now get up to $4,500 for your old car... plus, up to an additional $4,500 cash allowance. no turn-in? no problem. your dodge, chrysler, and jeep dealer guarantees everyone up to $4,500 cash allowance... on virtually every model. get to your dodge, chrysler and jeep dealer on the double, and get double cash for your old car!

here are the top stories this sunday afternoon. f.b.i. agents and law enforcement officers are combing hospitals and searching for suspects in the shooting death of an american bored kerr agent. robert rosas was shot to death thursday outside san diego. police and border agents meanwhile have arrested four men in connection with his death. a fifth was arrested on friday. wanting to move on and using the encounter to create fairness in the criminal justice system. he says he was arrested outside his home by a police officer and said in the end, this is not about me at all. and alberto contador essentially

locked up the final yellow jersey yesterday in the tour de france. in the last tough leg, he was able to hold off seven-time champion and teammate lance armstrong who finished third. ♪ people in wisconsin are cleaning up after a severe thunderstorm swept through their area. heavy rain and golf ball-size hail pounded the southwestern part of the state on friday. trees and power lines were knocked down. nearly five inches of rain fell in some areas, washing out roads and damaging some buildings. triple-digit temperatures and a lack of rain have left much of texas bone-dry. the state is experiencing the worst drought in the nation. officials are begging residents to conserve every last drop of water. offduty police officers are patrolling to look for people illegally watering lawns and people are encouraged to call a

hotline to rat out the law-breaking neighbors. our meteorologist angelica has the forecast. >> you are right, it has been very, very dry and the worst of it happening across big bend, moreno and san antonio. those are the areas that continue to be dry. most of the precipitation across dallas, into houston and most of it today with heavy downpours but the chance for any precipitation will be over to the east, across tennessee, northern mississippi and arkansas. we have a frontal boundary and this is setting all the way up in the northeast where we also have a threat for severe weather later on today. at this point, i think everyone is just excited because it actually feels like summer. it is warm enough, it is humid

and actually cloudy which intensifies things over the atlantic. the clouds are starting to break through and once it intensifies, it creates strong thunderstorms across the area. along the i-95 corridor, across new england, we can expect large hail, gusty winds and chances for isolated tornadoes. thanks, angelica. the housing bubble may be inflating again. prices are down, foreclosures are up. does that mean it is the time for you to buy? we'll talk with the financial experts. stay right here. %

>> topping the news right now, today marks alaska's governor sarah palin last day in office. later today, john parnell will be sworn into office. palin is expected to appear at a republican event at the reagan library in california next month. today marks the day of of the cuban revolution that brought castro to power. failing in health in recent years, he has been replaced by brother raul and the country expects to face tougher economic times. and people hurt an a roller coaster turns over in the bronx. the anyone me roller coaster overturned after falling four feet. none of the injuries are thought to be life-threatening.

this could be the final days investors get glimmers of hope as wall street continues to surge. on friday, the dow stayed above the 9,000 mark, gaining almost 24 points. the s & p picked up about three. the nasdaq lost 7.64. putting more money in your pocket, the government's cash for clunkers begins tomorrow, giving credit to eligible owners of gas guzzlers if they turn them in for more efficient cars. and is the housing sector finally bottoming out? joining us now to discuss that, this analyst from the penn

financial group, matt mccall. thanks for joining us. >> pleasure. >> tell me about the housing bubble. has it finally come down or should people start buying houses at this point? >> well, i don't know if they should jump out tomorrow and start buying. what we are seeing is home sales are up three consecutive months. we're seeing the affordability index skyrocketing which means that it is more accessible for people to buy homes and the areas that are hit to the heart, south florida, arizona, las vegas, a big pickup in sales recently and that will help things build up. we are also looking at mortgage rates very near or below record rates so yes, that could urge consumers to start buying but shouldn't rush into anything. if you are looking to buy a home, however, there is no better time than now. >> so it is too early to say we're at the bottom but what be

unemployment numbers and what they show in the past month and previous months this year? >> well, to be honest with you, they are a number of intrigue. it is, however, an indicator. when unemployment falls, we're well out of a recession, four to six months out of a recession and 36 months off of the trend at this time. i am seeing a tick up, probably top out in the third or fourth quarter this year and may be back again in 2010. >> minimum wage going up for the third time, $7.25, $8.25 here in d.c. how will that affect small business owners? >> well, it will probably affect small business owners by 1% and that is a large amount of

people. couple that with the other reform measures going through right now and i think you will see a lot of small businesses put that on the back burner. the one thing is if you do start picking up, it will be more money for the lower-paid workers, then putting that money back in the economy, an estimated $1 billion per year and that should have a trickle down effect to help the economy build back up within a year. >> okay, thank you for that call. >> thank you. thoughts and analysis from fox news from bret baier and fox news from bret baier and brett hume coming up. taking 8 pills a day... and if i take it for 10 days -- that's 80 pills.

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there is definitely uncertainy in america about healthcare reform right now. the latest fox news opinion dynamics poll shows what congress can pass healthcare legislation this year. 38% say they want congress to do nothing on the issue right now. where does the healthcare reform stand now. in it is at the top of president obama's agenda this week. i sat down with bret baier host of fox news sunday and brit hume to get their thoughts. >> thanks. what do you think the biggest mistake the president has made

in introducing his healthcare plan? >> well, i think it is going to be within the democratic party that he hasn't sold it to conservative democrats who it appears going to go home without a vote on the bill in both the house and senate and they are not feeling that it is and they are not feeling that it is paid for as of yet. you saw the congressional budget office with mixed analysis of both the house bill and now the administration plan to drive down medicare costs. the ceo has provided a headache for the administration and no matter how much the president throws out, it doesn't seem like it is 1 indiscernible ] >> it is extremely problematic, very difficult to do and it is costly. the biggest mistake was to sustain the package which was inaffective up till now, probably always inaffective, breathtakingly costly and to the

eyes of the public, knowing a little bit about what we're doing, extremely raceful. that is what led to the problem with the cvo saying this will cost $1 trillion because the president doesn't have a leg on which to stand. that means we will all be paying for it in highly unpopular ways, more taxes, less benefits, et cetera, et cetera. so if he had not done that and withstood the opinions of congress and done what they do best which is to stall a plummeting economy by printing money, we would be better off today but this program is in trouble as it is. >> we tried to talk about this on fox news sunday and that is handing over the keys to congress to make the legislation and not driving the thumb to the white house in any way, shape or

formerly in the creation of the legislation. so you get what congress gives you in the end and the product is a little mixed. >> isn't that exactly what he did with the stimulus will? he led congress right to the -- >> well, you know, i think legislation. >> i think there is a lesson from history that they tried to learn with the healthcare bill stimulus plan. the reason that hillary care fail is it was done by a bunch of people in a room and presented as a fete accompli. led to the election in which the democrats swept the republicans out of both houses and that in turn led to the transformation of the clinton presidency into a centrist operation for the final two years. they didn't want to make that mistake so they made the mistake in the other direction which is by provide nothing

guidance on the leadership which is that is be deficit neutral which is the result, of course, of the stimulus plan which was turned over to congress and congress went on an indiscriminate spending spree. >> they may have overcorrected. >> last question, sarah palin, 2012, what do you think? >> she has work to do if she does it. i'm not sure she wants to but if she does it and wants to, in other words, become flew went in issues, she would be a viable candidate in 2007. if not, no. >> brett? >> i think she runs. i don't know how well she does but i think she runs. >> thanks for being with us. you can catch fox news sunday in its entirety at 6:00 p.m. eastern time on fox news channel. alaska governor sarah palin who rocketed to political campaign was john mccain's

running mate, saying goodbye to her constituents today. i'm jennifer live in the nation's capitol and you are watching fox news headquarters.

>> dan, support among republicans has dipped a bit recently. if that continues, will she seek those out there? >> i think she will keep herself out there. i think she has to go down to

the lower 48 and will be giving speeches. we know she has something coming up at the reagan library on theh . she has a book coming out later this year and we know she will be out talking and raising money for things she believes in but she has to do something because as the numbers in the republican in 2012 on the republican side. >> okay, thank you, dan, thanks for being with us. healthcare reform continues to be the hot issue on capitol hill. lolawmakers have plenty to talk about on the sunday shows. caroline shively with more from washington. >> white house press secretary robert gibbs says they have 80% agreement on healthcare reform on capitol hill. 250% certainly easy the senate minority leader state of the

union gop backing is very unlikely. conrad, the chairman of the senate committee tells this week that democrats can't do it without them. and it is more and more likely that congress will go past the deadline to past something before the recess. also plays down a report from the congressional budget office this weekend that pointed out the president's proposed medicare advisory council will probably only face $2 billion in its first two years. there seems to be a chance for substantial savings down the road. included in the cbo estimate is recommendations wouldn't come until 2015. the motion that you wouldn't see a lot of savings in the first ten years for a proposal that is not going make recommendations for at least another six years isn't that surprising. >> how do you foot the three trillion dollars bill. one of the proposals, tax the so-called cadillac health

insurance plans, the most expensive and generous plans but republicans maintain congress has to find more savings. >> the congress budget office scored very little savings and huge costs so that we will have a deficit under either the house bill or senate bill, anywhere from $240 billion to $600 billion. >> on the road to healthcare reform by this fall. critics slammed the almost $800 billion stimulus package as not working fast enough. now, top democrats firing back at opponents saying the plan is working. more steve centanni has more from washington. >> the obama administration is pushing back against those that say that the stimulus package didn't deliver the results promised. president-elect obama did have high hopes for the plan right after his election. here is the president then and one of his chief critics today. >> we need a big stimulus

package that will jolt the economy back into shape and that is focused on the 2.5 million jobs that i intend to create during the first part of my administration. we have to put people back to work. >> i think the stimulus was a big mistake. i think we can fairly safely declare it now a failure. it was sold to us as something that was going to jolt the economy, that was going to hold unemployment to 8%. unemployment has gone over 10%. >> the stimulus package was defended by the vice president who wrote a piece in the "new york times." he said the care with why we are carrying out the provision of the recovery act caused some people to ask whether we are moving too slowly but it was to provide over an extended period not a jolt that would last only a few months.

some democrats proposed a second stimulus package but the house speaker said it would not be needed and she does not support that idea. the french government released a statement saying that the president is undergoing test injuries h.s. the 54-year-old is running and cycling enthusiast. his heart and blood tests many normal when examined earlier this month. another step in the process of the nomination of supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor is set on tuesday. after that it goes to the full senate. republicans are split on support of the federal judge.

five gop senators say they will vote for her. while jon kyl, john cornyn, orrin hash, mitch mcdonnell andd that cochran say they will vote against. iraq's election commission reports that 78% of eligible voters cast ballots in the self-ruled kurdish north. the highest with nearly 86% of eligible voters in the region casting ballots. election results not expected for several ka days. north korea's defense chief promises to blow d. the north central news agency denounced an upcoming military exercise between the u.s. and south korea.

if ousted president manuel zelaya succeeds in returning to honduras the government that ousted him says it will be as a prisoner. he is already accused of four constitutional crimes including tree son which could carry combined penalties of up to 43 years in prison. the u.s. is restepping up efforts to restart peace talks. george mitchell is on his second trip to syria. mike tobin is in jerusalem with the details. hi, mike. >> a quick change in plans to tell you about. just after george mitchell arrived here he met with ehud barack. he will meet here and then return to israel where the blitz will continue. senator mitchell will be followed by defense secretary gates, james jones and presidential advisor dennis ross.

the first item will be the bitter rif that has formed between the u.s. and israel over settlement construction in the west bank. this is land that the palestinians want for a state. president obama demanded that all settlement construction be frozen. the defense minister is argueing that israel is financially obligated to finish partially completed construction projects. prime minister netanyahu says leave israel out of it. he insists that jerusalem will be the unified capital of the jewish state and that according to him is not negotiatable. the other subject to be addressed, iranian nuclear program. the prime minister has made it clear that he the most effective sanctions would hit iran in the energy department. while the americans are here

calling for a freeze in settlement construction the hill top youth are planning tomorrow to scramble up the hills in the west bank and stable some 11 new illegal settlement outpests. you -- outposts. you have heard of them before. we have the ability now to follow them with the groovy new back pak thing, follow all the action with them live on foot. if there is trouble and there may well be we will bring it to you here on fox news. >> and i'm sure there will be trouble and i'm sure you will be there. >> this is defensive secretary robert gates first trip there in two years. democratic congressman adam smith is a member of the house arms services and select intelligence committee and joins us live from seattle. thanks for being with us, congressman. >> thanks for having me. >> first of all, what do you think the message that secretary gates will deliver to israel on the visit there? >> i think there is two big messages we are focused on.

number one is we have to continue to make progress on the peace progress with the palestinians. and i think there has been some progress and discussions going forward. there has been work on the west bank trying to work with the moderate palestinian elements that want to work towards the two state solution. that is going be number one. continue that dialogue and progress and deal with issues like the settlement and opportunity in the west bank which we finally and israel has as well started to focus on to try to do economic development to give the people of palestine hope that they won't just have a state, they will have a viable state and to ensure israel that we are as concerned about the iranian nuclear program as they are. economic sanctions, particularly focused on iran's energy sector are the best tool we have right now to pressure iran to stop pursuing nuclear weapons. those are the two big messages i think are going to be sent. >> but congressman, it is unusual for a defense secretary

to talk about the peace process. is there some kind of quid pro quo being offered to israel? is there concern that they will strike militarily at iran's nuclear program? >> i doubt there it any quid pro quo deal being offer the. the main thing is for secretary gates to go there and reassure israel that we are with them and want to come up with the best possible strategy to stop iran from developing a nuclear weapon but right now that is not military action, basically to let them know we feel there are other pressure points, some of the things we talked about earlier. >> the president has given iran until september essentially to respond to his offer to talk about its nuclear program. do you expect that iran will come back and say yes, we want to sit down and talk about this? and if not, what is next in terms of dealing with iran? >> well, it does not seem likely that iran is going to take that step. certainly the hardline in the

regime has been obvious in the aftermath of the election. but i think what it does do is it further isolates iran because keep in mind our big goal here is to put economic pressure on iran. we in the u.s. can do some of that. i support very a aggressive sanctions in congress and there are number of plans to do that but we need the rest of the world as well, we need europe and russia and china to put the economic pressure. and the degree that iran, the one that is not trying to work out peaceful solutions to the problems, that further isolates them so i think it is a very smart offer by the themdent to put it in the in the corner and say you want to talk, let's talk. if they don't it becomes obvious that they are the real problem there. >> congressman smith and there are those who said iran is the reconcile problem this for many years. >> there is no question about that. that didn't come out as well as i would have liked it. they are the real problem but the problem is in europe and china and russia and a lot of those places they are still

doing business with iran. we want that to stop and we want to further isolate iran. >> thank you very much, congressman smith. thank you. the crude of "endeavour" woke up to hand music early this morning. >> the election was played for canadian space agency astronaut. the 13 astronauts aboard the shuttle space station complex are getting back to work after enjoying a day off. they have one more spacewalk planned for tomorrow and then the shuttle "endeavour" will depart on tuesday and start the journey back home to earth. more than 150 protesters gathered on the front lawn of hoboken new jersey mayor yesterday. a day after he publicly statemented he would not resign from office after being indicted. he had only been in office for three weeks before he was arrested as part of an fbi string on friday. officials say the mayor

accepted $25,000 in bribes as part of his involvement in the scheme. the mayor insist that's money was a campaign contribution. new jersey governor jon corzine announced his new running mate. state senator loretta wein berg. she was picked after weeks of investigation. republican contender chris christy is in the lead. corzine hasn't been implicated in any wrong doing and says he is committed to routing out corruption. >> we are troubled by the unforgivable breaking of the public trust. since the beginning of my administration we have made clear that we will not tolerate this behavior. >> does president obama have a clear plan on healthcare? voters are sticking to party lines on the hot button issue. 64% of democrats say he does. but nearly a third don't think so and among republicans only

23% say he has a plan while nearly three quarters disagree. fox's alisyn camerota has more. >> many americans don't think president obama has a clear plan to fix the ailing economy. the latest fox news opinion dynamics poll shows a majority of americans, 54%, approve of the job mr. obama is doing. but the surprising number here is the rising dill approve -- disapproval. from january to july the disapproval has more than doubled from 16% in january to 38% in july, even on top issues the president's approval rating is slipping. overall, 43% of americans approve of mr. obama's work on healthcare legislation while 45% don't. >> this is not just about the 47 million americans who don't have any health insurance at all. it is about every american who fears they may lose their

insurance if they lose their job or become sick. >> who has the right plan for fixing the nation's economy? >> 42% of voters think the obama administration does but a little more than half say it does not. on the other around, congress gets even worse marks, 21% think it has a clear plan while most, 73% disagree. >> and finally, on the 40th anniversary of the apollo launch we asked americans how they feel about sending astronauts back to the moon. most favor it but 40% oppose the idea. in new york, alisyn camerota, fox news. up next, republican congressman greg harper of mississippi who has a personal reason to get involved in it healthcare reform. his son couldn't get insurance. >> with mild cerebral palsy. almost two years later tests

found to have fragile x syndrome. >> we will talk to the senator about his son, next. i'm jennifer gibson. ( car door closes ) ooooch! hot seat! hot! hot! hot! time to check your air conditioning? come to meineke now and get a free ac system check. at meineke, you're always the driver. you have questions. who can give you the financial advice you need?

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remove three times more grime per swipe and get this unbeatable clean guaranteed or your money back with the mr. clean magic eraser. topping the news right now, fbi agents and law enforcement officers are combing hospitals suspectshing for the the in the shootth death of a border agent. police in mexico have arrested four men in connection with the death. became the darling of many republican circle when named

john mccain's running mate. now, sarah palin is stepping down as governor. she is officially handing over the reins to lieutenant governor shawn parnell later today. and defense secretary robert gates is heading to israel. gates said the trip -- he is expected to tell israeli leaders not to attack iran's nuclear facilities. facilities. joining us to discuss the latest in the healthcare debate and to share the personal story of his son who has fragile x syndrome is congressman greg harper of mississippi. thanks for speaking with us today. >> it is a privilege to be here and thanks for having us on today thank you. a lot of americans don't know what fragile x syndrome is. i was tested for it earlier this year when i was pregnant. tell us what it is and why your son livingston couldn't get

coverage for eight years under your health insurance policy. >> it as genetic abnormality that results in a host of problems. you can have the appearance like we did of mild cerebral palsy and some autistic type behavior although it is not autism although it can be diagnosed in some situations. speech and language delays. gross and motor skill problems, a host of intellectual disabilities roll inside one. a lot of times they go undiagnosed or in our situation misdiagnosed for a period of a couple of years and so it is a -- the studies that were last done in 2004 indicate that as many as one in 130 women could be carriers of the fragile x mutation. >> and why couldn't your son get healthcare cover and for eight years and how might this healthcare debate fix that for

others with disease? >> raising a child with special needs and our son livingston is a wonderful, wonderful kid. when i changed jobs back in the mid 90s, the insurance that i had i could not carry him on to the new insurance that we had. we went through that for a period of years until about six years ago when i became a city prosecutor. there are many families that struggle with this idea and one of the situations that we have here, jennifer is that we really don't want a washington bureaucrat or bureaucratic agency or health insurance bureaucrat making the healthcare decisions for our families so any plan that we come up with needs to make sure that these families, these kids are not left out of the equation. >> this is the president's plan and the democrat's plan, essentially to try and create an umbrella so that a situation like your son faced doesn't occur to other americans where preexisting conditions doesn't

keep you from getting health insurance. what is wrong with what they are trying to do? >> it has to do with a number of issues not related to that particular thing. there are many things about the healthcare situation in america that are good, we don't want to change those. for instance, we have the best doctors and hospitals in the world. we don't want to do anything to change the good healthcare that we have and that access that we have to good healthcare. and so, i think what has happened is the numbers that have been thrown out are suspect. 47 million people that are said to be uninsured. that is inflated because it includes people that don't want insurance for some reason. perhaps their spouse has it through your implower and you are loose -- implo employer anu are looking at having a healthcare commissioner making healthcare decisions. do we really think that a government-run healthcare plan is going be fairly competing with those that are -- that

will have private plans? we are not gaining anything if we insurance the ones that are uninsured and lose those that have private insurance and force them into the government plan. jennifer, i wish that we would work on getting something that 435 members of congress could agree to, not 218 and come up with a disaster of a plan for our country. >> thank you very much, congressman harper. >> thank you, jennifer. so what do you think about the healthcare debate? on where observe sight we asked you -- on our website we asked are you worried about what the meanhcare proposal could moon for your healthcare plan. 11% said no and 14% said some what. to weigh in log on to fox news.com/america's news headquarters. >> sarah palin is getting ready to leave the governor's mansion. what is next for the gop superstar. our political strategists weigh

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mexican police made arrests in the killing of a u.s. border patrol agent. the bottom of the hour, caroline shively is standing by with the top of the news. >> hi there, jennifer. police in in mexico have arrested four suspects and more arrests may be coming. officials in the u.s. are still searching hospitals for injured suspects. agent was shot and killed monday night near san diego. a man walking near the crime scene was detained on friday. sarah palin is stepping down today as alaska's buff. her last weeks in office clouded by ethics probes, mounting legal bills. john mccain's running mate indicated she would quit earlier this month. she plans to remain a player in

politics but hasn't said what role she will play. congress will vote on healthcare regardless of if it makes it out of committee. henry waxman says taking the bill to the house floor would bypass objections by house blah dodemocrats who raised objectis to the bill in committee. a spokesman said a flight attendant reported an odd smell and had trouble breathing. passengers took another flight to orlando. those are the top stories right now. jennifer, back to you. reporters of exiled honduran president manuel zelaya is cammed out on the border. foreign leaders including secretary of state hillary clinton are urging him not to force a confrontation. steve harrigan joins us from honduras with the latest.

steve? >> jennifer, zelaya is still on the border inside nicaragua, just yards away from honduras. day three for the ousted president. he has a mega phone and about a hundred supporters around him. he doesn't appear to be making moves to cross over as he did briefly on friday. the next move really is unclear. right now the united states position is to back his return to office. he was ousted one month ago by the honduran military at the same time he was trying to push through a referendum that would allow him to stay in power. one u.s. congressman, republican connie mack was here today. he said the u.s. is backing the wrong horse in a fight which is critical to the entire region. here is what the congressman had to say. >> this is at this point the epicenter of the struggle for freedom and democracy in latin america and in honduras is successful and able to continue and win this fight for their freedom and democracy, i think

it will have a positive ripple effect throughout latin america. >> so far, the interim government here in honduras has been strongly against any return by zelaya. they say if he does return he will go to jail for breaking the constitution. that position could be softening some what. we heard an announcement by the honduras military and they are saying they would not oppose, they would not stand in the way of any return by the ousted president. of course, it was the military who put zelaya on the plane one month ago. jennifer, back to you. thanks, steve. president obama's legislative agenda these days seems to be on shuffle mode. how much is really going to get done and what does the future hold for sarah palin? joining me now, matt ma coviak. when i hear the democrats talk about what they want to accomplish on the hill it is

like an ipod on shuffle mode. one day cap and trade and then stimulus and the next day it is now healthcare reform. what is the president doing and is this a new way of doing business where he is trying to do so much in so little time? >> i think certainly his domestic agenda is full right now and he is having a lot of trouble on healthcare. i think it would be in their interest to focus exclusively on healthcare. they will have that opportunity in august when all the members leave capitol hill, the white house is going to have a tremendous ability to drive a message over that entire month. the problem that they are having is with democrats, not with republicans. we have bipartisan opposition to the healthcare plan right now. they will go around the energy and commerce committee and changing the rules in the middle of the game and i think there are a lot of serious questions out there about the healthcare plan right now. >> mark, how difficult a time are they having with the blue dog democrats that matt it referring to? >> president bush left us a lot of problems and they are trying

to fix the problems. we falsed the economic recovery act. -- we passed the economic recovery act and it is in the process of working. healthcare is an economic issue. the cost of healthcare is what is hurting businesses, it is what is hurting families so we have to deal with the healthcare issue to get the economy back on track and deal with the energy issue and move to alternative to clean energy and that creates hundreds of millions of jobs. all of this is about the economy and all has to be done at the same time. >> mark, you are a democratic strategist. what mistakes has the president made in trying to push healthcare reform? >> i'm not sure he has made any mistakes. it is difficult and takes a lot of legislative craftsmanship. the speaker and majority leader in the senate all working on this, it as difficult process. at the end of the day we will have a healthcare bill and have reform that will hold down costs and guarantee insurance for people with preexisting conditions and guarantee that

people get to keep insurance if they lose their job or change jobs. big change for the american people. people are excited and pleased about it, it will take us awhile to get there, that is inevitable. >> let me ask you about sarah palin. is she going to be running for president in 2012? >> i think the only ones that know that is sarah palin and perhaps her husband todd. she needs to put a team around here that can give her the right advice and handling the scheduling and requests that come in. study up on foreign travel and issues and i think now that she is not going be governor and hampered by the! ices inquiries, many of which have been false she will have the time and ability to do that. no doubt she will be a rock star, raising money for candidates and supporting candidates. >> but gop polls show her third behind mike huckabee and mitt romney. still think she has a chance? >> the name i.d. polls, i think it is a long way away, unclear

whether huckabee is going to run again and palin hasn't decide. >> do democrats want her to run? >> they are excited about sarah palin running again. a lot of folks, independents and moderates looked at someone like sarah palin, so unqualified and clearly ethically challenged, the fact that republicans are excited about the candidates makes us moderates and independents nervous. >> i think it is interesting that the latest, washington post abc poll shows that she is losing steam among white see vaevangelicals. looking to get rid of the gas guzzler and get a gas trently car now is the time. the program form early called the car allowance rebate system will give credit to eligible owners of gas guzzlers if they turn them in to buy or lease more fuel efficient ones.

former energy are fuming over a few fee that punishes them for going green. xcel energy posed a new charge that they say would pay for distribution and transmission. customers who get solar panels before then would not have to pay the fee. the final say over the charge is up to the public utilities commission. a nude nymph is proving to be too much for alabama'sly core control agency. it told restaurants and stores not to sell cycles and gladiator wine because of the label that features the naked nymph flying beside a bicycle. the alabama liquor regulations don't allow labels that are offensive or immodest. cooperstown is welcome the newest baseball immortals.

the national baseball hall of fame is in duct its 2009 class today with ceremonies getting underway a few minutes ago. included, former red sox baseball great jim rice. he endured 14 years of disappointment before making it to the hall in his final year of eligibility. ricky henderson didn't have to wait as long to enter cooperstown. he played for a total of nine different teams and made it to the hall on his first try. also to be inducted today, former yankees infielder joe gordon, a veteran's association pick and broadcaster tony koubek, himself a former yankee. a u.s. border patrol agent is killed on the job, a very dangerous job. a first hand look at a day in the life of a border agent, coming up next. i'm jennifer griffin, stay right here. ç@

topping the news right now, a team of high profile enjoys including defense secretary robert gates is leaving for israel today. the u.s. administration is trying to get israel to freeze construction in the west bank settlement and shelf plans for an attack on iran's nuclear program. thousands of cubans celebrating cuban revolution day. in a speech marking the event, president raul castro said the global economic crisis means tougher times ahead for cuba but says they can't blame, washington's embargo, he says the country has no one to blame but itself over poor farm production. the controversy over the arrest of professor gates continues. president obama says if he --sn't apologize to the mexican police arrested a toe of five men suspected in the killing of u.s. border patrol agent. the men were allegedly part of an imgrant smuggling ring and

were found with a group of 21 immigrants when apprehended by police. just 48 hours after rosa's death, agents who worked alongside him say it is like losing a family member. deena richardson rode along with them and files this report. >> we are here every day, 24/7. looking through the fence that separates the u.s. and mexico, border patrol agent carla johnson does not know what she could encounter today. >> this morning i wish i would hug my kids a little harder and give them a kiss and tell them i love them. >> this follows the death of a border patrol agent in san diego. the father of two shot in the head and left to die. a harsh reminder of the new reality johnson faces each day. because the u.s. border patrol is cracking down. combination of the fence, cameras and agents have

apprehensions down by 70% along the borderland. >> for us, it is a sign that we are doing a good job. right. however, unfortunately, there are assaults on agents. >> money driven smugglers desperate to keep their way of life and operation are resorting to new measures. >> they carry weapons, they carry knives. >> after three years on the job, johnson has her own stories of an ordinary day turning unusual. >> i had an individual on the other side of boarde border wia gun. >> what others do she want control but she can be prepared. johnson relies on her extensive training to return safely home each day. >> the border network for human rights in el paso says a failed border policy is jeopardizing the safety of border patrol agents and they are urging

comprehensive immigration reform as part of an effort to curb violent offenses against border agents. rush lame but rush limbaugh sounds off and outlines a republican plan for the mid term election. >> the republicans have got to -- this is a perfect opportunity to contrast themselves against who this guy is and what his policies are and lay the groundwork for the elections in 2010 and what to run on and it is not complicated. just do the opposite of this. talk about american exceptionalism, american greatness, the ability of the american people to build the greatest country in the history of civilization being torn down by this guy who has a deep recentment for it. you can hear it when talks about it overseas and in this country and it angers me. >> watch more of greta's full interview this afternoon at

3:00 p.m. an update on french president nicolas sarkozy. he is resting in the hospital after feeling unfeel. it denies that he fainted. earlier, the france health minister said he fainted while jogging sunday at a presidential residence outside of the capital. it was reported to be a temporary loss of consciousness that can be caused by strenuous exercise. harvard professor henry gates says he is ready to move on from the racial controversy the arrest sparked but that may be difficult with the possibility that tapes may be released. we will talk to a report fresh boston who has been follow -- a reporter from boston who has been following the story. stay right here, i'm jennifer griffin. %%%%%%%%%%%%

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topping the news right now, today marks alaska governor sarah palin's last day in office. later today, the lieutenant governor will be sworn in. up next, palin will appear at an august event at the regan presidential library in california. fox news will bring you the speech live in the 7:00 p.m. hour. vice president joe biden published an op ed in the new york times today about the economic stimulus bill. he says since he and the president took was a six months ago "monthly job losses are down, financial markets are improved and economic contractions have slowed" while also noteing that the country has a long way to go. defense secretary robert gates will be in jerusalem tomorrow to meet with israeli officials and carry out talks that will address talks about growing anxieties over iran's nuclear ambitions.

now, the latest on the arrest of harvard university professor henry gates and the possibility that president obama could broker a truce at the white house. tracecy janes us by phone from boston. i understand you literally just heard from professor gates. what does he say? >> he says he is not sure when the beers will be happening, he says very soon and he is partial to red stripe and becks. >> that is a great one from jamaica. >> he says he looks forward to meeting the president under the more pleasant circumstances. >> sounds like he is trying to lighten the at foss mere surrounding this. is he still sticking to the convention that he was racially profiled? >> i haven't spoken to him directly about that in recent days. i know he looks forward to putting the incident behind him. i think the conversation has reached the national level and he looks forward to furthering the dialogue.

>> has he admitted doing anything wrong? >> he has not. >> so he still feels that he was the victim in this case? >> i think the last time we spoke he didn't use the word victim but he did say that he did not do anything wrong and i think he wants to have the conversation directly with sergeant crowley. >> do you think that he -- now, that we know more about sergeant crowley and he knows more about him, do you think he regrets that this got so out of control? >> i can't say that. i know that his lawyer and himself have said they look forward to moving on. >> did he tell you anything else about his -- how he met the president and how he became friends with him? we just have a few seconds left. >> actually, yes, he told me that he first met the president, he hosted a party for him and michelle obama on martha's vineyard when was running for senate. and he had dinner with him at the beginning of the presidential campaign as well.

>> did he tell you when thinks this beer will be had at white house? >> he said very soon but he doesn't have a date yet. >> thank you very much, tracy. >> thank you very much. >> for bringing us up to date. the observance of ramadan is just two weeks away. while many muslims are preparing to celebrate, others are bracing for trouble. i'm jennifer griffin, stay right here. do hits, air life denver takes off... their night-vision goggles keeping the rescue mission safe... and powering those goggles-- the only battery air life trusts: duracell. trusted everywhere. for me to keep my bones strong but even with calcium, vitamin d, and exercise, i still got osteoporosis. i never thought i could do more than stop my bone loss. then my doctor told me i could, with once-monthly boniva. boniva works with your body to help stop and reverse bone loss. studies show, after one year on boniva, nine out of ten women stopped and reversed their bone loss.

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some u.s. employers are bracing for conflict with the muslim many employees it. it all started during last year's ramadan observance when muslim employees went on strike because they said they were being treated unfairly by employers. this week's celebration starts in two weeks. >> meat packing plant swift fired more than 100 other islamic employees during ramadan last year after they went on strike because the company didn't allow break for prayer precisely at sunset. the sunset prayer break following an all day fast is one of the five players of islam. >> many filed complaint. >> not only here but happened over other states where there is a lot of muslim employees. >> swift told fox news it wants to avoid similar problems during ramadan this year and already installed foot washes and devices for religionly prescribed cleansing and agreed

to push back a prescheduled break by 30 minutes to make it closer to sundown. last year the eeoc received complaints against muslim workers nationwide. more than double the number a decade earlier. if you work in the united states legally you are protected by federal laws that prohibit religion discrimination. ablyoyers lust reasonably acome -- must reasonably accommodate the religion practices. >> they can say i'm not obligated because it would impose an undue hardship. >> the university of denver assistant professor and former labor attorney tells fox news federal courts consider three things in deciding if an employer has made reasonable accommodations. doal terntives exist, has the company made good faith attempts at accommodation and third, what is the competition doing. a nearby cargill meat packing plant had no disruptions during

ramadan. they said they attempt to balance employees' needs with productions and schedules. as for maria, she now works for denver public schools, an employer that allows her to break for daily public prayer. we all make spelling errors but when your are signmaker it is doubly bad. a new highway shine in wisconsin only has four words but three are missty misspelle. it misspells the name of three towns and misspells the word business. the only word spelled correctly is business. glenn beck weekend is next. tune in tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern for live coverage of alaskan governor sarah palin's farewell. she formally hands over the reins to the lieutenant governor at a picnic in fairbanks, alaska. some five thousand residents