tv Americas News HQ FOX News August 23, 2009 12:00pm-2:00pm EDT
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time. >> too bad! >> eric: from your analysis. >> long live robert novak. >> eric: liz, thank you. good to see you. that does it for us. i'm eric shawn. >> jamie: i'm jamie colby. the news continues in washington with shannon bream live for you right now. keep it on fox. thank you for joining us today. have a great day. >> shannon: new information today on what critics call the death book. it's a 52-page manual veterans affairs is using for end-of-life counseling for the nation 24 million veterans. critics say the message it gives to severely injured vets is hurry up and die. a top v.a. official who was injured in battle says it's not true. a prominent senator is calling for hearings. i'm shannon bream live in washington for the next two hours. all the new developments in the study were on fox news sunday with chris wallace. caroline shively joins us
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from washington with details. >> hi to you, shannon. the controversy is over a booklet on the v.a. website called "your life, your choice." veterans can use it to decide what they want for end-of-life care, to figure out how they want things handled by their doctors. one part of the booklet, it lists different health scenarios you can check off if they're acceptable or make life not worth living anymore. here are a few -- i live in a nursing home, i'm a severe financial burden on my family, i can not shake the blues. one critic says just because you live in a nursing home or are depressed it shouldn't be considered in ending your life. jim tooey says it could guilt elderly americans to end their life early. while the booklet is on the website, the v.a. says they're in the middle of revising it and a new one will be up next year. here is the debate on "fox news sunday." >> this is a slippery slope that makes people when you look at the document, it makes people feel like they're a burden and they should do the decent thing and die. >> all of our programs that are results of federal research are online for
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people to use as research purposes. but we clearly tell all the veterans please use any type of a tool that is most suitable for you and your loved ones. >> senator specter was also on "fox news sunday" and said he plans to investigate and if the facts bear it out he'll call a hearing for the veterans affairs hearing. >> shannon: interesting and surprising. thank you. the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff is expressing concern about eroding public support for the war in afghanistan. admiral mike mullen says afghanistan is still vulnerable to extremist. all of this as we wait for the result of the country's presidential election. millions of afghans voted despite significant threats to their safety. a u.n. commission says it's gotten 225 complaints about fraud and other issues. the u.s. special envoy for the region says the u.s. government will wait for ruling from the afghanistan monitoring body before trying to judge legitimacy of the vote. there are new signs that
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tension between north and south korea may be thawing. south korea held a state funeral for former president kim dae-jung. tens of thousands crowded outside the parliament building to pay tribute to the nobel peace prize winning leader. the delegation sent by kim jong il returned to porn porn bef porn -- returned to pyongyang before the funeral. they conveyed a message to their leader in a meeting yesterday. athens, greece, under a state of emergency. massive wildfire reached the suburb north of the greek capital overnight. 10,000 people have been forced to essentially run for their lives. undetermined number of houses have been destroyed and thousands of acres have burned. so far, though, no injuries have been reportereported. hurricane bill is still causing trouble on the east coast. the storm has gone past new england and headed to nova
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scotia. meteorologist rick reichmuth has the latest on the storm. hi, rick. >> hey. moving upwards, northeast and beginning to gain the forward momentum. you can see the eastern part of the country not looking that bad. we did see 3 1/2 inches of rain across some areas here of coastal massachusetts, cape cod and the island. winds never got above 25 to 30 miles an hour. here is the satellite picture, though. it pulls off toward the northeast. settles south of nova scotia. we will see this today and rough seas but past that, things will calm down. seas will get better throughout the afternoon. yesterday the worth of it, and today the seas will calm down. look at the path you see from the storm. that's where it started here across the areas of the atlantic. it's now pulled off and trying to follow what the model thought it would do. well-behaved storm. you look at it, everybody also stayed clear of land. stayed away of bermuda and
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now headed to the northeast. within two or three days heading toward the british ai isles. we still have rain across maine and a few showers here. but you can see the general motion pulling off toward east. it will begin to leave its tropical characteristics. it still has the same winds at 85 miles per hour, but in a tropical storm, the storm is right in the center. tropical and the wind field will expand out. the strongest winds are farther away from the center. that is what is about to start happening. behind it, here is the front that will go through. this saved the east coast yesterday. it will move through and we'll have more on the local forecast, the forecast across the 48 states coming up in a minute. >> looking forward to it. thank you, rick. >> shannon: the swine flu does not discriminate, even against nfl players. word came last night from the miami dolphins two of the players would not play in last night's game because of con terrificing h1n1. sean smith and jason allen
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sat out the preseason game against the carolina panthers testing positive for swine flu yesterday morning. meanwhile, classes at the university of colorado boulder haven't started yet but there are already reports of eight students caught the h1n1 strain. classes are scheduled to start at the university tomorrow. of course, we are closely tracking the h1n1 virus here at fox news. including new cases like the ones cropping up around the country, as college students head back to campus. joining us now via skype is emergency room doctor from the university of maryland medical school. dockero o et doctor, thank you for joining us today. >> my pleasure, shannon. >> shannon: start with the college students you live in close quarters and are on top of each other, how worried should parents be about sending college students back? >> communicable diseases like meningitis in the past have sometimes been rampant on the college campuscampuses. that's why the cdc is worried. tell your kids good hand washing techniques, don't
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share food, utensils, things with that. and be more careful. >> what about the younger set of students also heading back? some of them have already started. k-12 students that aren't living together but they're in close contact with other children, what should parents take for them? >> i think all the schools are getting prepared. they're going to have a lot of the anti-bacterial hand sanitizers, which is important. you have need to teach little kids to cover their nose and mouth when they're coughing. if you have a child that's sick and you need to tell your college students, too, if they have a high fever and they're sick they need to stay home. the cdc put out recommendations for the college that if they live close to home, pappas they should actually go home. so as not to spread it to everybody else. it spreads very quickly, we know from campuses here. >> shannon: talk about tamiflu. is it effective? should you try to get your hand on it or leave it to physicians to decide who gets it? >> as a matter of fact, it is
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effective. we want to keep it that way, because what is happening is there have been a few cases of some tamiflu resistance. if you overuse it, you will certainly get it. right now the recommendation is if you're a high risk patient, someone preg innocent or respiratory problem, if you're less than five years old, those people should get the tamiflu early. use it as a treatment. but not great prevention. and people who are healthy in other categories, you're okay with the swine flu. it's only reserved for the people who have high risk complications at this point of the swine flu. >> shannon: how worried should we be about the widespread problems? we're hearing from world health organization officials using the word pandemic and talking about exploding numbers that could be on the horizon. how worried should we be? >> it could explode. this was active in the summer in u.s. when most influenzas kind of die out. it spread rapidly.
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we need to be prepared, 20% of the work force is out at any time. if you have a sick kid, you can't send them to daycare. you have to stay home. and i think the cdc is asking colleges and businesses to be lax and liberal with the absenteeism rate, require a doctor's note to stay home or go out. we have to prepare ourselves for that. >> shannon: doctor, thank you for joining us via skype. enjoy the rest of your sunday. well, to stay on top of the latest h1n1 news, including updated information on the number of new cases that we are tracking, head to foxnews.com/health. we're constantly posting all the new information. right now, president obama is heading to martha's vineyard to take a family vacation and taking a break to sell healthcare reform to the american public. with congress in recess, many members are returning to the home district where they are getting an'reful from their constituents who are upset about the current state of healthcare reform.
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joining us now is congressman and physician bill cassidy of louisiana. thank you for your time today. >> they. >> shannon: what are your hearing from your constituents? >> they want reform, but they want different reform than that. they intuitively understand that this bureaucratic program is probably not the way to go long-term. particularly when they also read about the cost. they also when i explain it to them understand that a different approach, appropriate centered apoach may hit the sweet spot. reform we need without sacrificing liberty or driving up costs. >> what we're hearing for a lot of republicans is you haven't had a seat on the table and the versions throughout, that have been crafted and are floating around. now we hear from the democrats and republicans about the possibility of starting from are scratch. do you think that will really happen? >> the american people have spoken. i think i'm in awe and many of us are by just how engaged they've been.
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if we say my gosh, they've spoken, what do they want? what they want is something different, ideally as representatives of those folks we will come back in, if not completely start over, somewhat start over to incorporate their concerns. >> shannon: all three versions in the house, public option included. and that has been a real point for a lot of the folks at the town hall and other discussions. they're unhappy about that. the senate says it doesn't have the votes. at least republicans and democrats as well admitted they don't have the votes for a public option on the senate side. is it possible to reconcile the two different versions that come down the pike? or do you think the public option is truly a possibility of being stripped out? >> well, certainly, it's a point of being stripped out. again, as representatives of the american people, we hear from the american people are concerned about that. so i certainly hope that it's a possibility of being stripped out. what we all fear is that getting something through
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either through chamber is merely a matter of bringing it back to the back room where then the will and the work of the few people in the backroom will be done. forced upon the american people, again a top-heavy bureaucratic controlled product. that's part of the reason of why people are upset. >> they are afraid they get it through the backroom process, get out again and something to represent the will of the american people. >> congressman bill cassidy, also a physician, thank you for offering your special insight today. >> thank you. >> shannon: the countdown is on. the wildly successful cash for clunkers program ends tomorrow night. it hasn't been without a stick-ups as we know. some dealers want an extra week to get the paperwork in, because the online system they were using toe ing ting to reimbursement forms was down for a while. it's back up again. other dealers say they're having a hard time getting money promised to them by the government. despite that, the next guest
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says the program was put together in 60 days. james felt says it's successful if you look at it that way. thank you for joining us. >> yeah. i think if anything we should be singing the praises of the government. they got something done in a short amount of time. >> shannon: they are touting this as a big success, because it ran out of money so quickly, but others say it's proof maybe the government isn't the best at managing the high dollar products. which way do you see it? >> i see this in a sense of optimism that i think this is. when people have a new car in the neighborhood and see it parked in the driveway, they say -- it freshens the place up. gives a sense a little bit, they can ask about the car and get excited. then they say you know what? it's time for to us do something similar. the program did a great job of cracking the steel. i have been feeling for the last year in the oautomotive
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industry it's been a volcano, bubbling but hasn't blown through. i don't think it will recover, and we're not going to be back to where we were the last couple years but at least it's good solid business. >> shannon: what do you make of the numbers that came out this week, the list of the top five cars involved in cash for clunkers that only one american maker was on that list? you we see the toyota, honda, hyundai and ford is sandwiched in there. do you think it's negative for the program that should have been more focussed, requirement that the money be spent on american made vehicles? >> well, my personal view is that gets a little into funny space. now you tell consumer what is to do as opposed to prodding them in the back a little bit. when you look at the list, look at lists like this all the time from the work i do at intellichoice.com and that's a representative of group that people are buying when they look for fuel efficient vehicles. unfortunately, the domestic manufacturers don't have as many of those yet.
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i say yet because they're getting that way. i have driven products coming out in 2010 and 2011 and we're going to have better models in the space coming soon but we're not there yet. to have the corolla, civic, elantra in that space, makes sense, but at least there is one good representative up there. >> what about the dealers trying to get the paperwork done and being worried about getting reimbursed? are they unnecessary, unfounded fears or are they legitimate at this point? >> i think it's probably just a delay. dealers have been starved to be honest for the last couple of years and now they have a situation where things are happening and they're trying to turn the wheels as fast as they can to get it done. a little fear mongering going on to make them concerned about the delays. but i think they're just that, delays. the program came together in a short period of time. let it go through the motions. it will take care of itself. manufacturers, nissan, general motors, several said they'll front the dealers the
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money they have coming to them to make sure they keep the business going while they wait for the money to come from the government. i think, you know, everybody likes to look for doom and gloom. i'm the positive guy. this is a good program that is going to allow new vehicles to be out on the market, make neighborhoods look better and get more fuel efficiency out there as well. >> shannon: quickly, yes or no. i have to ask you. do you think there will be a cash for clunkers part duex? >> a grand question. my personal sense is no. i think the business is going to grab itself by the boot straps again and the economy is going to kind of raise up car buying again on its own. i think that we'll look back on the cash for clunkers i as just what was necessary at this point if time. >> shannon: all right. james bell, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> shannon: canadian police are ramping up the search for ryan jenkins the millionaire reality tv show contestant now suspected of murdering his former wife and leaving her mutilated body in a trash can. the hunt for 32-year-old ryan jenkins is focussed on areas surrounding vancouver and british columbia.
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the company met in las vegas in march and married within days. the marriage was reportedly annulled and jenkins is facing misdemeanor battery charges for allegedly hitting jasmine fiore. who was behind the unsolicited white house e-mails on healthcare reform? the obama managers names names and i.d.s the firm responsible. authorities tried just about everything, including the very graphic public service announcement, trying to persuade teens not to text and drive. and us adults, too, i'm sure. is the message getting through? we will show you new technology that tries a brand new approach at reaching teen drivers. so what do you think? i think i'll go with the basic package. good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. that's a-- tiny netbook. yeah, it's-- good-looking, lightweight. generally awesome.
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>> shannon: topping the news right now, hurricane bill is blowing past new england and headed for nova scotia. dozens of flights have been canceled at the halifax ai airport. it caused week of rough seas and delayed president obama's visit to martha vineyard by a few hours. they are concerned about waning public support for the war in afghanistan. speaking on "meet the press" mullen said the country is vulnerable to being taken over by extremists and called the president's new strategy in afghanistan a work in process. it looks like the shuttle discovery is ready for launch early tuesday morning. there will be a final review to address one outstanding problem. a failed tower controller that was replaced over the last week. the white house has revealed the identity of the private firm responsible for all the unsolicited e-mails on healthcare. it's a minnesota based communications company called gov delivery. it sends thousands of e-mails asking supporters to help knock down criticism of president obama's healthcare
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plan. several fox news viewers complained saying they never requested any communications from the administration. last week, the white house made changes to its website. apparently aimed to reduce the number of people who could wind up getting spammed. it's not clear how much gov delivery services cost taxpayers. we all know we shouldn't do it, but some of us do anyway. check your blackberry or cell phone out driving. a new study by virginia tech finds you are 23 times more likely to get into an accident if you text while you're driving. teens are some of the worst offenders. now, as courtney keeley reports, a company is getting creative in attempts to get through to them. >> this graphic safety message aimed at teaching teens the dangers of texting while driving is airing on tv in great britain and is all over youtube. but do scare tactics like this really work? jacquelyn hackett advocate for teen safety doesn't think
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so. >> we have seen enough movies and tv show that show things similar to the psa, and it doesn't have the effect with us anymore. >> she thinks teens listen to other teens. >> we need this to be a peer-to-peer effort. and students who are leaders in the school and making positive choices around dangerous and distracted driving to tell all the students in their community. >> some of my friends text when they drive, it's kind of scary. >> according to a recent survey, 68% of teen drivers admit to texting and 83% say they talk on their cell phone. but a new technology available on blackberries next week and coming to cell phones soon after can block teen drivers from texting. once the car hits 10 miles per hour, zoom safer responds to any incoming call or text with a personal message explaining they're behind the wheel and will be in touch shortly. >> they do all courts of things to update facebook and twitter and do other things while driving, play funny
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anouna announcements while driving they can share with them. >> safety&s are emphasized at drivers ed classes. they say 60% of teens killed in car accidents were hit by another teenager. >> what we stress is anytime you're going to take your eyes off the roadway, you're reducing your ability to control the vehicle by 90%. >> adults hope more teen drivers will get that message. in washington, courtney kealy, fox news. >> shannon: the man convicted of blowing up pan am flight 103 killing 270 people is released and goes home to a hero's welcome. now the head of the f.b.i. is speaking out forcefully to those responsible. we'll explain. more on that up next. he ran off with his secretary! she's 23 years old!
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>> shannon: senator john mccain says the president must drop proposals for a government run health insurance option. it's the bottom of the hour. caroline shively is standing by with the top of the news. >> hi to you. mccain says americans are losing confidence in president obama's plan partly because of the government run health insurance, also known as the public option. speaking on abc "this week," the arizona republican said obama will have to drop it if he wants congress to agree on reform. mccain proposed obama meet with both parties to find area of agreement and make clear exactly what he wants. the first family will arrive on martha's vineyard later
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this afternoon, delayed their trip by a few hours due to weather of hurricane bill. residents are eagerly awaiting the first family arrival with the local vendors selling t-shirt with the president's family on them and cupcake and ice cream named in honor of the obamas. forecasters say hurricane bill is moving away from new england coast and closer to nova scotia today. detail analysis of the megapopular cash for clunkers has not been released yet but a quick look at the program reveals problems with reimbursement. supporters point out 500,000 new cars have been sold. millions of older americans will face shrinking social security checks next year. it will be the first time in a generation social security payments do not increase. by law, social security benefits can not go down but monthly payments will still drop for millions in the medicare prescription drug program because the premiums which are often deducted from social security payments, they're scheduled to go up slightly. those are the top stories now. shannon, back to you. >> shannon: thank you.
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the man behind the string of attacks on government buildings in baghdad this week has reportedly been arrested. iraq chief military spokesman says the man's confession will air on iraqi state television today. he went on to say they've arrested the entire insurgent cell. at least 100 people were killed in more than 500 others wounded in the six blasts that targeted government buildings. these and other attacks in recent weeks raised questions about whether the iraqi troops are ready for a complete u.s. troop withdrawal. >> the man responsible for releasing abdel baset ali mohamed al-megrahi, the lockerbie bomber is getting an'reful from the f.b.i. director robert muller. they released al-megrahi from the life sentence on compassionate grounds. in a letter released yesterday, outraged muller called the scottish minister decision "inexplicab"inexplicab "detrimental to the cause of justice. "he went on to say it would give comfort to terrorists around the world. we asked you at home what you
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think of the decision to release the lockerbie bomber. here is what you said on foxnews.com. 96% of you say al-megrahi should have died in prison. 78,000 people. compared to just 3% who say it was a compassionate move by the scottish court. you can weigh in on this viewer vote question at foxnews.com. keep in mind, these results are not scientific. the government may have to shelve one of the most effective tools in the fight against terrorism. federal judge ruled it's unconstitutional for the treasury department to freeze the assets of charities that are under investigation for aiding terrorists. what will it mean for the u.s. counterterrorism efforts? joining us now is intelligence expert and author joseph spender. thank you so much, joseph, for joining us today. i got to -- >> good to be here. >> shannon: i have to start by asking you, tell us how often it is that the charities are used as fronts? >> well, in the u.s., charities are used but not that often. the government has really only shut down i think eight charities for funding
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terrorists. not even a huge percentage of the funding of terrorism, but the whole program is one of the few ways that the treasure has to try to choke off terrorist fn isist financin. this is the first time a judge in the u.s. has ever shut down the charity efforts. it's part of a trend that's troubling. >> shannon: this came from a u.s. district court, basic level. it's certain i imagine to go to appeal. but in the meantime if they lose the tool, how important is it in trying to shut down terrorist operations in the u.s.? >> well, i think it's important for, for -- i think it's an important tool. my feeling is that this is part of a program put in effect in an emergency order after 9/11. it's important and we need
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it. but we're seeing a pushback on the part of the court here, what is with an is going to happen is treasury will have to modify the rule. it's a difficult problem. the evidence that the treasury has about this group, this charity in columbus, ohio, which they think is funding hamas, the terrorist group, the evidence they have is classified. the intelligence community will not declassify that. so the charity is unable to look at the evidence. they can't defend themselves. that is a tough issue. they don't have the money to hire lawyers because we shut them down without saying for sure if they're a terrorist group. >> shannon: there may have been more of an appetite for this thing after 9/11 when the emotions were running high and the need to protect ourselves was very important. do you think other courts
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will face the backlash after we pulled off of 9nin 9/11? >> that is also an interesting trend. this will not be the last time. i think this is the first in a series of court decisions in which the judges will say wait a second, the government can't just go after terrorists and terrorist financing without following due process. that means we all in a sense are looking at what happened after 9/11 and say the emergency is over now. we have to follow due process. like it or not, this is starting to happen. the government is going to have to refine the tools. basically say, all right, we have to work within the legal system, and get probable cause we won't be able to rely on completely classified evidence. how do we do this? this is a problem that needs to be solved. i think it will be fixed but it shows that there is a relaxation i think of concern
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and that's not -- i think we're going too far in the other direction. >> certainly the game is changing. joseph finder, thank you so much. >> thank you for having me. >> shannon: well, no room in the slammer means freedom for thousands of criminals in california. struggling economy and budget cuts leave some counties with no other option. fox's christina lee has more. >> reporter: no more room and no more money will soon mean this. for non-violent inmates serving time in state prison. >> they're anxious to get out earlier than they're supposed to. >> reporter: the state senate approved a plan allowing an early release for 27,000 inmates to reduce overcrowded state prisons. meant to save $1.2 billion. >> i don't think it's really a threat. it's just a sign of the times right now. >> everyone winds up being at risk. children, adults. just because there is a budget crisis does not meeb that the community as a whole, law-abiding people should suffer. >> reporter: those eligible include inmates over 60 years
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old, those with less than a year to serve, and criminals who have certain medical conditions. lieutenant michael stout says donovan correctional facility is over its limits by 2400 inmates. >> we'll see some of the reduction. again, without knowing the criteria, it's hard to say. >> we believe it is going to be some sort of monitored supervision. either through parole or electronic monitoring. >> reporter: lieutenant karen rumelli says overcrowding in state prisons also means a backup at the county level. >> we would just see them coming back out to community sooner than anticipated. >> reporter: it's too early to tell how many inmates will be let out of prison in san diego. >> i don't know where the politicians are coming from. they obviously are not even being considerate of their constituents. they could care less about us. >> reporter: the state assembly is expected to review the bill on monday. >> shannon: that was fox's christina lee reporting. she says another 10,000 inmates are expected to be released in july of next
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year. cash for clunkers has been a very popular incentive for many americans to go out and buy a new car. but unfortunately for other folks it was an easy cover-up. we'll tell you about a cash for clunkers crime up next. i never thought i would have a heart attack, but i did. you need to talk to your doctor about aspirin. you need to be your own advocate. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. you take care of your kids, now it's time to take care of yourself.
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to a category one storm yesterday, though it still managed to wreak havoc. turning upseas and creating dangerous riptide. senator mccain is calling for iraq surge approach to the u.s. fight in afghanistan. mccain wants the head of u.s. forces there, to give an exact number of troops that he safely will need in the war torn country. mccain says he's worried that mccrystal will be as be pressur to ask for lower troops than needed there. and in washington state, they have made effort in contains wildfires in the state. two homes and smaller buildings were destroyed in the blazes. georgia police are working the lead in the case of missing christie cornwell. they searched eight days searching for her before ending the search on wednesday. she is believed to have been abducted on the phone with hir boyfriend august 11. her family has set up a website asking for information and is offering a
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$50,000 reward. four inmates are in a hospital after riot at kentucky prison. friday night, inmates began fighting and setting fires that destroyed six buildings. officers had to subdue them with tear gas. sen other inmates have been sent to other jails due to the damage. they're not saying what sparked the riot. eight staff members were injured but none seriously. "forbes" magazine has list of most powerful women in the world and you might be surprised that secretary of state hillary clinton and first lady michelle obama didn't crack the top 30. number one is german leader angela merkel followed by the chairman of the fdic sheila bair. last year, then presidential contender hillary clinton ranked 28th. but dropped to 36th place this year despite becoming the head of the u.s. state department. michelle obama ranked 40th on the list this year and that's her first time appearing in a "forbes" ranking. the recession is hitting people where they live and
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where they store their stuff. when people can't afford the rent on their storage unit it ends up on the auction block. it could be a bargain hunter's gain or not. casey stegall has the story. hi, casey. >> hi, shannon. good to see you. with foreclosures and bankruptcies at an all-time high in this economy, it's no surprise that some people are falling behind on their self-serve storage rent. in fact, some countries -- some companies around the country, i should say, say they have seen a sharp increase in the number of people who can no longer afford to store their belongings. and laws vary in each state. in california, when a payment is more than 30 days late, the storage facility is able to auction off the contents of that unit once they have given notice. now the auctions are drawing huge crowds with people in hopes of finding some hidden treasure treasures. >> they have 30 seconds to look.
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once they open the door, they look and close the door and then they start the bidding. so you can tell people get excited when they see something in the back they hope some no. one else sees. >> armed with the flashlights, bidders are looking for electronics, tools and jewelry out in plain sight. stuff that can be resold online or at swap meets for profit. folks pay as little as few bucks for whole unit or up to several thousand dollars. kind of like playing the lottery. sometimes you lose and sometimes you strike it big! listen. >> a friend of mine bought a storage unit over here and paid a couple thousand dollars for it. he saw a picture in there that was beat up. almost threw it away. went to show my friend and he said maybe we should take it to an art auction, maybe it's worth something. they auctioned it off for $840,000. >> $840,000. can you believe that? winners do have a few strict rules they have to follow. they have to clear out the entire content of that
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storage unit in 24 hours' time. they cannot pick and choose only the valuable items out of the lot. but shannon, folks say they're making an awful lot of money doing this. >> shannon: $840,000? my storage unit has the wedding dress and some ski outif its in it. >> stay on your payment. >> shannon: i will. thank you. the cou countdown is on for if space shuttle discovery. set to lift off tuesday for trip to international space station. as nasa gets ready for another launch it may be getting ready for a policy shift. the "wall street journal" is reporting for first time ever the space agency may outsource. proposals call for private companies to handle everything from transporting astronauts to ferrying cargo in orbit. no final decision on that has been made. >> shannon: this is a fox news alert. we have just learned that an american soldier has died in baghdad. the military says he died from combat-related injuries
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he suffered while on patrol. they're not releasing a lot of information at this point until the soldier's next of kin has been notified. iraqi officials say they arrested the man behind the deadly attacks behind the government buildings in the capital. chief military spokesman says the confession will air on iraqi state television today. and went on to say they arrested the entire insurgent cell. at least 100 people were killed and more than 500 wounded in the blast last week. >> it wasn't too long ago that energy drinks burst on the scene promising to give you that extra boost you might need to get through the day. now a new line of beverages that claims to do the opposite, to help you unwind from the grind. do they really work? and are they safe? we'll find out. having my identity stolen has taken more than money from me.
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>> shannon: if you're just tuning in to america's news headquarters, here are the stories we're following right now. scotland's justice minister the man responsible for releasing the pan am 103 bomber is being condemned by f.b.i. director robert muller. he freed the bomber from his life sentence last week on compassionate grounds. outraged muller called the minister's decision "debt pri mental to the cause of just -- detrimental to cause of justice." an ohio team who ran away from home fearing punishment for converting from muslim to christianity is in florida and they've ruled she can stay in foster care until a custody hearing last month. the girl's parents claim they never harmed her. authorities in greece ordered 10,000 people to evacuate from suburb threatened by wildfires. flames scorched thousands of acres. time is running out for the government's cash for clunkers program. the deadline is 8:00 p.m. eastern tomorrow night. for customers to buy cars and
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dealers to submit their paperwork. boarries about slow -- worries about slow reimbursement and computer hawks caused some dealers to call it quits early. >> the first go-around took us almost a week to get into the server to load our first deal at the beginning of this program. i'm a little nervous right now because i have $1 million in receivables outstanding and i haven't been paid for a car. >> shannon: even so, a lot of new cars were sold. here are the numbers from the cash for clunkers program. customers picked up more than 283,000 passenger cars, and when you add up the categories almost 200,000 trucks were sold as well. police say a phoenix man tried to take advantage of the cash for clunkers program to get rid of evidence in a fatal hit-and-run crash. 23-year-old timothy caseda appeared in court to face charges for leaving the scene of fatal accident and tampering with evidence. he hit a bicycle with misbmw two weeks ago and late they're same day told a
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dealer it was damaged while hitting a desert animal. we have all heard about red bull. someone here is addicted to them. not saying names. but they get your heart racing when you need a boost. now there is a new genera of drinks with the -- genre of drinks with the opposite effect. are they safe? we have the author of "diet simple,: 192 mental tricks, substitution, habit and inspiration." thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> shannon: let me ask about the relaxation drinks. what are they? what is in them? how are they supposed to work? >> we at the american dietic association fear people are risking their help and not seeking a genuinely healthy life when they rely on the energy shots and these calming shots. i consider them the uppers and downers of the new generation. >> shannon: are there chemicals, natural substances? should we be worried -- >> i call them chemical drinks.
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the uppers tend to be full of caffeine, the downers might have a come boundpound in green or mel t come pound to help sle. they could be addictiaddictive. they haven't been tested long-term. we're not sure of the dose what could be correct for each individual. but what we do know is small simple changes integrated in people's lives, adding a healthy breakfast before leaving the office, physical activity, that these behavior changes have lasting effects. and my clients, people who work with registered dietitians feel more energetic, they're more vital at work. they're able to relax and sleep better. within days, if not weeks of making very simple healthy changes in their lives. through nutrition and physical activity. >> shannon: the drinks are a bit of a crutch, then. if you use them to gear up and drink four or five red bulls for breakfast and get
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through the day and then something to have something else, a downer. like a drug like effect. >> they're like drugs. the compounds are herbs, often herbs or they are compounds that have been synthesized from tea. well, just drinking green tea calms people down and has many major health benefits. sometimes when you pull a compound from a food, you don't get the benefits of the whole food. there are some studies that show that this compound that is in the calming drinks, for instance, may have some benefit, but nothing has been tested long-term. and why not just drink green tea and live a healthy life? you can find a dietitian in your area by going to the american dietic association website eatright.org. in days if not weeks, my clients reduce their reliance on caffeine. have more energy during the day. they're happier and they sleep better. >> shannon: all right. caffeine is a hard one to give up.
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but i'll listen to you and try to do it. >> i recommend it. >> shannon: thank you so much for your time and for the information. well, a new controversy surrounding the popular whole foods chain and the healthcare debate. we're going to explain why some people are so furious with the high-end supermarket chain up next. . time to get the latte budget under control. mm-hmm. [ female announcer ] trying to be smart with the family budget? here goes the good old steam. [ pfffft! ] whooa!!!! [ female announcer ] let bounty help... because it cleans the mess with less than the bargain brands. it's thick and absorbent. and really durable. in lab tests bounty absorbs twice as much as the bargain brand. [ steam hisses ] why use more when you can use less? bring it. with bounty. the thick quicker picker-upper. and try bounty napkins. now with new prints. you all want to run your businesses more efficiently, so we've brought in a team of experts to help. one suggestion is to make your shipping more efficient with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service.
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hurricane bill sweeps past new england, hampering the first family's vacation plans. but as president obama plans for down time, the healthcare debate continues. a controversy that is brewing around what is being called the death book. earlier today i sat down with chris wallace, host of "fox news sunday" to talk all about it. a fascinating show today on "fox news sunday." they are always great but today brand new information i never heard today about the so-called death book.
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>> 51-pages. let me -- there you go. it is called your life, your choices. and this is an end of life counseling book that is given to all 24 million veterans in the u.s. it has been in existences since 1997 but it was killed by the bush administration and just last month we rein stated by the obama administration and doctors are told to refer veterans to it. what is troubling about it and why a fellow named jim touhy who was an official and advisor in the bush administration broke the story in an article in the "wall street journal" is it seems to at the least raise and some would even say steer veterans at the end of their life to pulling the plug. let me give you a quick example. page 21 is a work she's an woru have a variety of situations. difficult but acceptable.
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worth living but just barely or not worth living at all. maybe i could live through this but mostly i couldn't live through this. i am a severe financial burden on my family, i cannot seem to shake the blues. you couldn't legally pull the plug for any of those. the reason you pull the plug is if somebody is in a coma but it seems to be steering veterans in the idea that if you become disabled or a severe financial burden on your family that maybe you should do the decent thing and just end your life. >> it is amazing. what kind of response because i know that you had secretary duckworth on today. what kind of justification or response is there for this? >> tammy duckworth and high is a hero in other own right, now an assistant at the veterans
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administration. she says we put out all kinds of documents and she doesn't feel like this in any way pushes veterans to pull the plug to end their life if they get in an end of life situation. having said that, she says it is up for revision. but it is still, if you want to go to it and at this point practitioners, healthcare practitioners at the v.a. are instructed to tell patients this is a resource out there. it is still on the v.a. website. >> were you as shocked when you first heard about the information that started to bubble up. >> particularly in the context of death panels which is overstated. they are talking about reimbursing medicare doctors for end of life counseling but this is the actual document being used in one instance by the government. i don't even know why in the end of life document they are saying to people if being in a
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wheel chair or living in a nursing home does that make life not worth living. i don't know why that is a question you would ask a veteran. >> i thank you very much and i'm sure viewers do as well for bringing this information to light and explaining it and having a good debate today. it was certainly very enlightening. catch chris wallace's full interviews with jim touhy and tammy duck billio duckworth u s sunday" at 2:00 p.m. eastern. the president's healthcare reform plan may be in danger itself amid dwindling support and new questions about end of life counseling for our nation of veterans. i'm shannon bream in washington. more on out healthcare reform debate in just a minute. up and down the east coast, life guards on alert. hurricane bill may not have had
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a direct hit but an unseen danger now lurks in the waters. meteorologist rick reichmuth is at the financial weather center. what is -- is at the fox weather center. what is the latest, rick? >> the storm is gone but the rest of the afternoon we will see rough seas up and down the eastern seaboard. yesterday there was a fatality in florida from somebody who went into the water in one of the rip currents. stay out until tomorrow. tomorrow the weather will be much nicer up and down the eastern seaboard and a good day for the beaches. the storm pulling off towards the northeast. moving here right around nova scotia and still has winds at 85 miles an hour standed. it is moved at 33 miles per hour in the forward momentum. taking the energy and starting to see things clear out across the eastern seaboard. we still will have waves well above average and the riptides will be a big concern for the day today. this is a look of what we have seen of bill and what we are
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about to see. started in the atlantic and moved and avoided all land masses which is great news when you a category four storm, at least it was at one point. now, it is still a hurricane, category one. moves northeast and eventually off to the east and merges with another system and towards the area of ireland about three days from now. rain moving across parts of maine. that is pretty much gone. one more front to get through across parts of the northeast and we will talk about that at bottom of the hour, shannon. thank you, rick. gary heads up the national weather service in mount holling new jersey. thanks for being with us. a lot of people like go out and surf and they are drawn to the beaches and want to see what is happening. how dangerous is it for them to get in the water? >> right now it is still quite dangerous. as mentioned, there was one
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fatality. we have high rip current risks up and down the east coast. the waves are still making the way towards the shore. the heavy surf is not over and as long as those big waves are coming in that the hurricane created there will be an enhance the rip current rip. >> for those maybe at a beach that doesn't have a life guard or somehow sneak their way into the water or a thrill seeker of sorts, if you find yourself caught in one of the rip currents or rip sides how do you escape. >> it is a stream of water that is going out in the ocean and you have gotten caught up into it and a lot of times they are not very wide at all. basically if you swam 50 or 100 feet parallel to the beach, one way or the other, doesn't really matter you will probably get out of it and start swimming back in and use the waves to help push you back in. the thing you don't want to do is start to panic and head directly back into shore because then you are literally swimming against the current,
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like trying to swim upstream and you just won't make it. >> excellent advice. thank you so much. >> you're welcome. >> shannon: the man challenger to hamid karzai now says he has evidence that the election was rigged. he is calling the initial reports he received "alarming." although preliminary election results are not expected until tuesday at the earliest. so far, they have received 225 complaints relating to the presidential and provincial ballots. richard holbrook is urging patience until official results are announced. >> all rumors in afghanistan. let's wait for the independent election commission and complaints commission to reach their verdicts. we have disputed elections in the united states, there may be questions here, it wouldn't
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surprise me at all. i expect it. let's not get ahead of the situation. >> shannon: senator john mccain is calling for military leadership in afghanistan to use the same approach in iraq. he is urging military leaders to look at what worked in the surge. >> i think that he ought to do what general petraeus did and that is decide on what number he needs and we debate it and the president makes the ultramall decision. >> shannon: mccain says he is worried that military leaders will be pressured to ask for lower strap levels than they actually -- lower troop levels than they actually need. iraqi television broadcast the confession of a man authorities say masterminded a bombing in baghdad on wednesday. the iraqi military says the 57-year-old man was a senior member of saddam hussein's baath party. they said it renewed doubts
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about the iraqi government ability to maintain security in that country. the government is getting ready to launch a bold h1n also 1 flu vaccine ca campaign. >> a potential for a new wave of infections is expected to spread as the school season approaches. so, there has been a lot of debate going on within the federal government on how to proceed on the massive campaign to urge americans to get vaccinated for the h 1n 1 virus. the cost to get half of america vaccinated in monotocous go through the roof. right now close to $2 billion spent to buy up to 195 million doses of vaccine.
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one of the main fears, is that the h 1 n 1 virus might change while it spread which could then make the vaccination efforts useless. >> the virus may mutate. it may be that the vaccine that they are making for delivery in november won't even work against the new mutated swine flu. the main thing to remember is that it is a relatively benign infection for most people. >> and there is also other good news. the centers for disease control says this week that the h1n1 flu strain doesn't appear to be mutating through the southern hemisphere. the vaccinations will be voluntary according to the cdc. they ever saying you should get that shot and a regular flu shot as well.
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messages expected to be heard and seen even radio and tv ads, twitter, video podcasts and you tube as well. you will see the messages pop up in spaces you may not expect. shannon? >> shannon: two shots. >> flu shots on twitter. >> shannon: thank you so much. the healthcare debate took a turn today when chris wallace showed the 52-page manual used to counsel veterans on end of life issues. critics are calling it the death book. caroline shively has all the latest. >> the controversy is over a booklet on the va website called your life your choice. veterans can use it to decide what they want for end of life care. it lists different help scenarios you can check out if they are acceptable or make life not worth living any more. just a couple, i live in a nursing home. i'm a severe financial burden on my family and i cannot seem to shake the blues.
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one critic says that shouldn't be considered an end to your life and says that could lead to guiling elderly veterans into choosing healthcare options that could end their life sooner. they are in the middle of reviving the booklet and a new one will be out this year. here is the debate on "fox news sunday." >> when you treat individuals like their life has less worth because they have dementia, that is a dangerous slippery slope and the government shouldn't be talking about the quality of life and pushing people toward a predetermined conclusion. >> we clearly tell all of the veterans use any type of a tool that is most suitable for you and loved ones and there are many great ones out there. >> in another part of the booklet it asks have you ever heard any one say if i'm a vegetable pull the plug. senator arlen specter reacted to that, saying he plans to investigate. >> if it works out as i think
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it will, i would introduce legislation to prohibit the veterans administration from using any format such as the one we heard about today which pushes pulling the plug. >> specter says he thinks consideration should be given to suspending the plan pending hearings before the veterans affairs committee in the senate. back to you. >> shannon: the battle over whether healthcare legislation should contain the public option continues. now, one democratic congressman wants to organize a proreform rally in the nation's capital. joining us live, congressman fatta. tell us about the big rally you would like to see when everybody gets back from the recess and is here in washington. >> the federal government is involved in flood insurance, crop insurance, terrorism insurance, pension insurance. i'm saying we should have a public option. just like you could watch fox or watch public television. i think it is great to have that option available to you.
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and insurance, we will have dozens of programs in the private sector where we should have a public option because a lot of the insurance companies won't give you coverage if, for instance you were pregnant or if my wife was pregnant we wouldn't be able to get coverage at any of the private insurance companies because that is a preexisting condition. you should have the option of a public insurance. you don't hear farmers trying to get rid of crop insurance. we have terrorism insurance and we have other programs where we have seen the necessary tout make sure that there was an available insurance policy that the private sector was not going make available. >> you are a big proponent of the public option. representative anthony weiner out of new york has come forward to say if you try to strip it out and there is no public option you could lose up to 100 votes in the house. could that one turning point kill the entire measure on the
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house at least? >> you have three legs. the house, the senate and the white house. the house is going to insist on a public option. the senate is going to have its own priorities and the white house is going to have its own priorities. we we get to a final bill there will be a public option. people need to understand. there will be a range of choices. maybe a hundred different private sector insurance policies you can choose from in the exchange but one public policy available like a public university. you can go to the community college, you can go to a state university like penn state or if you have got the grades and the money you can go to a private university. this is what a public option will, it will be an opportunity, a choice available to the american public. >> shannon: if the government is setting the rules, with the public option have an unfair advantage against its competitors? >> what the administration has said and i think that the congress will agree on is that there will be a standard set of benefits that have to be
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available to you and through any of these options and that what we need to do is make sure that, you know, why should a pregnant woman be denied health insurance? that is what happens today with all of private companies. we want to make sure there is some place they can go to. if you don't get admitted to the private college of your choice, you can always go to the state university. we want to make sure that that option is available in healthcare. >> shannon: we will see you back here in september and watch for that rally. >> big march september 13th in washington and in your local city. >> shannon: we'll be there. thank you, sir. >> thank you. >> shannon: people on both sides of the healthcare debate took to the streets outside a whole foods store in austin, texas. they came out in reaction to the store's ceo who publicly criticized president obama in the "wall street journal." >> it is not what you expect to see at whole foods during the lunch hour.
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people on both sides of the healthcare reform issue voicing their opinion. a debate held here after whole foods ceo john mackie publicly criticized the obama administration healthcare reform on the pages of the "wall street journal" last week. now, single pay action a healthcare organization is hoping to sway customers away from the market giant. >> we are asking customers not to shop at whole foods until they take a stance in favor of single payor healthcare. >> not all agree with the boycott. just as many people showed up to defend john maki. >> long live whole foods. >> the idea that any one would want to organize a boycott to punish somebody like john maki or the business for offering an alternative for what they think should be done is ludicrous.
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it is terrible. >> some got angry. summer is a business analyst for whole foods,. >> 90% of team members are insured and the company pays 100% of their health gluiness she says boycotting stores is a way of penalizing the company and free speech. >> i think it is always useful to share your ideas and i think that is how we end up with, you know, the best country and the best government in the world. >> in the controversial column maki says obama's plan could create billions of dollars in unfunded deficit and maki outlines what he says is the better solution. >> and that was in response to president obama's call for more public discourse on the issue. >> a discourse creating lots of noise in downtown austin and one that this man says probably won't keep him away from the store. >> they are not losing your
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business? >> they are not going to lose my business. >> nancy zambrano bran reporting from texas. how some unsolicited e-mail ended up in some people's inboxes has been solved. we'll tell you all about it, when we come back. this is a honda pilot. and this is the all- new chevy traverse. it has more cargo space than pilot, including the most space behind the third row. and traverse beats honda on highway gas mileage too. more fuel efficient and 25% more room. maybe traverse can carry that stuff too. the all new chevy traverse. america's best crossover.
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suburb in greece because of a wildfire there. flames have seared thousands of olive groves in the region. the cash for clunkers program is scheduled to end tomorrow night. many consume ires have benefited from the plan but some auto dealers have reported frustrations with the reimbursement process from the government. much of washington takes a vacation in the hot muggy month of august and the president is no exception. within the hour, mr. obama and his family are expected to take off for the coastal gem that is a favorite defendant natio desr presidents. the president, is he ever really on vacation? >> he is never actually really truly on vacation. this is a coastal hot spot. one of the most covet places to spend vacation time in america. beautiful coastline. where we are is in front of the
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elementary school because that is where the press corps is stationed here so i can't show you beautiful pictures of coastline or boats or anything like that. just an elementary school. that is where we are so that it where it willle be. he has one intelligence briefer with him every day. he gets a daily intelligence briefing. he will also receive any updates from a traveling international security council staffer. he will receive be daily briefings on paper. during the staycation, not to receive a face to face briefing but he will be plenty of economic updates on paper. that is how the president will be president here in martha's vineyard. >> the family about hell of a >> we don't expect manyl be he. pictures at all of the
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president or the first family. we have been told it is possible the family and girls might go out for some of the favorite ice cream here on the vineyard but other than that and maybe a bikeride, we don't expect to see them at all this week. they want to keep themselves and their family time under wraps and we have been advised stay away from the girls and let them have a private vacation with the parents and first lady may shell and president obama. the media obviously will expect that. i'm not speaking for the paparazzi, they have their own set of rules. >> and they are more aggressive than the polite media. >> a little outing on the links with tiger woods. any truth to that? >> we asked the president that. ann mcginn asked the president on friday. he of the heading towards marine one and the sound is beginning to spin and we put the question to mr. president are you delegat going to play h tiger woods. here is what he said?
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>> are you going to play golf with tiger? >> i'm going to play some golf. >> i'm going to play some golf that is what i know. of course, the president is going to play golf. we always expectd that he would. if golf royalty shows up maybe we will hear about it after the round. i suspect if we hear tiger's score we may not hear the president. >> let's hope he fares better than at the bowling alley, major. >> indeed. the obama administration hired a minnesota based communications company called gov delivery to send thousands of e-mails. several fox news viewers complained and told us about it and said they never requested communication from the administration. it is not clear how much gov delivery services cost you the taxpayers. nasa making one final review of the space shuttle "discovery." the seven member crew is
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preparing to launch on tuesday as part of a mission to deliver supplies and equipment to the international space station. speaking of space, turns out that one of the astronauts set up to go aboard the space shuttle "discovery" jose hernandez is mexican american and now mexico's president has invited the astronaut over for dinner. he says that he is happy that hernandez is putting mexico's name in space. israeli prime minister leavings tomorrow for meetings in europe just as a compromise on the west bank could be on the horizon. mike tobin is live with the latest. >> the hebrew press is running reports that the u.s. and israel are close to reaching a compromise on this israeli construction settlement on the west bank. the reason it has become a thorny issue is it takes place on land the palestinians want for a future state. new housing and more israelis
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on the west bank complicates the two state solution. therefore, president obama called for a freeze of all settlement construction resulting in the greatest tension between the u.s. and israel in decades. today, reports surface citing a meeting with prime minister nenanyahu. that would amount to 2500 new housing units. u.s. representatives, however, say they are consistent, calling for a complete freeze on construction of the west bank and nod adding any language. i have been told by a source in the state department will probably will be a compromise in the long run but information suggesting there is a final compromise between the u.s. and israel is coming from an american source. the prime minister is headed to the u.s. on wednesday to immediate with george mitchell. the top of the aagain da will be the thorny issue of
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>> hurricane bill pounced off the new england coast early this morning, bringing strong winds to parts of massachusetts. apart from some beach erosion and dangerous rip currents, damage was minimal and skies are expected to clear out the next few days. delayed by hurricane bill for a few hours this morning, president obama and the first family are getting ready to head to marthas this vineyard for a week long vacation. the president is largely expected to stay out of the media spot light during his stay. despite its popularity with consumers, the cash for clunkers program ends monday night. dealers report difficulty with reimbursement and an overwhelmed department of transportation website was down for a time on wednesday. buyers have until monday night to get the final deals done. a mandatory evacuation order lifted in washington state after firefighters made significant headway in containing a wildfire that burned some 6200-acres in the northwestern part of the state. at least two homes and some outbuildings were destroyed in
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the blaze. the cause is under investigation. those are your top stories right now. shannon, back to you. >> shannon: thanks, caroline. now, that hurricane bill is all but off the weather map, at least here in the u.s., blue skies are in store for the northeast. let's find out. meteorologist rick reichmuth is at the fox weather center with that and the rest of today's forecast. how does it look, rick? >> hey, shannon, i got to tell you a lot of the country is going to have one of the best days that you have seen in a long time. temps in the 70s and 60s across the central plains and around the great lakes. low humidity which is going to be such a nice break. it has been so sticky across the eastern seaboard. a look at the dew points that shows how much moisture is in the air. when you get the dark greens of 70 plus it is awful out there and that is what we have seen. by tomorrow we start to see the lighter greens move in and that is going to bring some very nice conditions. so monday, tuesday, wednesday, all across much of the eastern coast is going to be very nice. here is bill pulling off. but we have one little bit of a
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disturbance that has to get through here and that is going to happen tonight so we could see unsettled weather across parts of the northeast. at least a few showers and thunderstorms and then it is gone. a few across, florida, for the day today as well. focus across the west, really inactive recently. a couple of spots for severe weather. one across area of montana in towards north dakota could see maybe an isolated tornado, certainly some wind damage and some hail and one other spot down across parts of the southwest. arizona, california, up towards las vegas and the california river valley dealing with thunderstorms for your afternoon as well. shannon? >> thank you, rick. the family of missing georgia woman christy cornwell is hoping a website and reward will help police to uncover new leads into her disappearance. the 38-year-old woman is believed to have been abducted august 11th. georgia police spent eight days looking for her before they wrapped up their search on
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wednesday. canadian police are stepping up the search for jenkins. the hunt for 32-year-old ryan jenkins is focused on areas surrounding vancouverer and british columbiaia. the couple met in march in vegas and were married for days. once a sex offender served his or her time, finding a place to live can be a challenge. one man, a registered sex offender himself has made it his mission to find homes for people just like him. joining us on the phone is r.l. young. thanks for joining us today. >> my pleasure, shannon. >> shannon: you know that communities, many of them are rightly outraged. they have great fears about somebody joining the community. you say you are not doing this really to help the sex offenders.
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it is more about their families. explain. >> i get calls from the mothers of sex offenders and from the children of sex offenders asking me to please help them find a place that is legal and in compliance with the state laws so that their family member could be released from prison. in many cases they are not released at all if they cannot find a proper address or they are doomed to live homelessly wandering the streets at night which is not safe for the community. >> i understand you are in florida and i would imagine that allstates are different about the limitations they put on where you can live. why is it so hard to find some place to live? is it that you have to be away from schools or certain locations? are there not places that sex offenders can go? >> well, the state law in florida requires the sex offenders to live 1,000 feet from where children regularly congregate and that is quite difficult to find. but it is doable.
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however, ron book, a lobbyist here in florida lobbied for the increase of that zone to 200 feet and in many cases it included school bus stops. so, a sex offender in the state of florida in 67 approximately municipalities cannot live within 2500 feet or a half a mile from a school bus stop which makes it virtually impossible for a sex offender to live in those cities, counties or municipality. >> shannon: and we have a short time left. is it that you find a facility is, it basically a home or something else that meets the requirements that falls outside of the radiuses and then rent out the rooms or help people get into the homes? is that what the website is about? >> we find places that are legitimate and then according to what the offenders' needs are, help them get into that whether we front the money or whatever. >> all right.
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an interesting website and concept. we thank you for being willing to share your story. >> it is pl my pleasure, thank you. >> a physician in minnesota is doing hands on research into insurance. he has given up his plan in order to relate better to his patients. reports from maplewood, minnesota, next. a st. john's hospital in maplewood. >> getting better or worse. >> dr. will nickelson isn't sure what the best solution may be but knows the healthcare system needs fixing. >> i have seen the who are remember stories and have seen people lose everything. >> he is most concerned about patients who don't have access to an employer health plans. people who go without insurance try to find basic affordable healthcare on their own. >> i had patients ask me not to do tests that i thought were necessary because they feared
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their insurance would cover it. >> he elected to drop his health insurance. he went shopping for an appropriate individual plan to better understand the decisions facing so many of his patients. >> it is like buying airline tickets. you are not sure why one costs more than the other when they look very similar. >> the debate over healthcare reform has sparked anger, fear and hysteria at town hall meetings across the country. the kind of emotion that dr. nickelson insists is all too familiar. selves andk tolle to our sals d say welcome to healthcare. >> washington focuses on a public option, whether there should be a government run program. >> the options that we have aren't good enough. we need more options. >> he admits he isn't a health policy expert but believes everyone in the u.s. should have health insurance he. >> he is trying a different
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policy next month and reports his findings on his website and in so doing may maybe make a difference. >> i think we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard. >> shannon: that was paul bloom reporting. we are getting world that the marine one convoy is headed to andrew's air force base. the president and his family will be spending the weekend on martha's vineyard. they can expect pleasant weather when they arrive. residents have been getting ready with signs and special menus and even special ice cream street treats here all week. we have to watch and touch down and see if that is, indeed, the helicopter containing the first family. a lot of security measures going to a place when they are traveling. this is a live look at andrews air force base and looks like skies are sunnier here in the
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d.c. region and hopefully for martha's vineyard as well when they get there. we don't expect to see a whole lot of the first family. their young daughters air long and they want to treat this as ava base with privacy with maybe some bike -- as a vacation with privacy. it is a family getaway. although the president will continue to be updated and plugged into everything he needs to know. again, looking at the marine one convoy as helicopters land at andrews air force base. from here the family will depart for martha's vineyard. we will have much more after this break. (pouring rain)
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call now. >> shannon: welcome back. this is a fox news alert. we are looking live at andrews air force base. machine one has landed there with the first family onboard. we believe we should be able to see them departing there in a tiny bit. getting out and moving over to their accommodations that will take them to martha's vineyard. they will take a family vacation this week. it will not be political in nature. they should be trying to have some fun. there is arummer that the president may be -- there is arummer that the president may be joined by tiger woods on the links. it is a getaway for popular insiders and presidents. major garrett is there and will be following all the developments this week. there will be tight security there in massachusetts. we see the door opening now. and we will look to see if we
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get a chance to look at the first family departing on their official family vacation. they have asked for a little bit of leniency from the press and paparazzicy when they do arrive in massachusetts so their two young daughters can enjoy a true american vacation as most kids get to do with their family. still, having the little getaway before they get back to school. they were going to depart a little earlier but hurricane bill has been busy traveling up the east coast. there was no direct hit but it did kick up rough waves and a lot of problem there's. looks like you can see the president coming now and he is looking forward very much i would imagine to this vacation. a little bit of a getaway. the girls as well and first lady michele obama. in their summer attire, perfectly dressed for their getaway, their vacation and it will last all week. and as we said, major garrett there will bring us any
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developments. a lot of folks in the washington area and certainly up and down the east coast trying to make a getaway in august. very hot and humid here and politicians very much enjoy getting awa away for the august recess. family time in the midst of all the healthcare debate and all the many different programs he is working on. much needed down time for the first family. the locals are excited to have them. special mean yews and signs and ice cream -- menus and signs and ice cream flavors named after the first family will await them. it has been a popular get away for the clintons and many other families. we will wait to see if there is a public appearance by any of the local families getting together. most likely a family affair. the first family landing there
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and going from marine one to air force one as they now take off for their private family vacation for the week in martha's vineyard. >> america's frustration with healthcare reform is evident. the meetings are similar to the tea parties we saw a few months ago. now, a group is comining togetr to host tea parties across america. they are aimed at americans upset with government intrusion and waste. here is one of the organizers of the tea party express. radio host mark williams. what is the express? tell us what we will see? >> hi, shannon. we are a group of disorganized cats that we are trying to herd into one cohesive voice. leaving sacramento and hitting 35 or 36 cities now for a taxpayer march on washington onth of september -- on the
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12th of september. obama care, healthcare is kind of the focus. the healthcare issue has become a metaphor that has everybody from all corners of the political spectrum upset with this administration and government in general. government waste and government foolishness. concentrating on things that government shouldn't be spending on. spending $3 billion for cash for clunkers that they can't even manage to get the cash out to the dealers for rather than the essential services of this government. we find that as we are setting this up across the country and all of the groups and individuals come together that we have assembled what is essentially a political rainbow. we have people on both sides of every major debate you can possibly think of ho are all coming together on -- who are all coming together on this one issue and that is we have got to take our country back. we have to remind these people in washington for whom they work. we don't work for them. they work for us. and to tell us and to try to stuff down our throats massive
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socialist policies that not only do we not want but that will destroy this country, we are not going to put up with that any more. like howard beal said in network, we are mad as hell and we are not going to take it any more. >> you will be making 34 or 35 stops i believe it is across the country. if folks want to come out and take part they certainly can be a part of what you are doing. this has definitely struck a chord with people. why do you think this time around for some reason people do seem like they are willing could tomorrow out, to speak up and they are so angry this time around? >> well, i'm getting a feeling very much like i remember when i was a kid in the '60s and '70s and i hate to date myself like that. this country has a feeling right now from the people i speak with -- and i fill in for
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national talk show hosts and local talk show hosts around the country and i travel to speak and people all come to me with the same feeling. and that is that the government is not listening to them. the people in the government aren't listening to us. when we have the speaker of the house nancy pelosi, just three years ago praising nipple clip clad issues in the streets of san francisco, that is okay, but when working stiff americans show up to ask a question of their congressmen they get danced -- the congressmen danced on their head like barney frank did in dartmouth a couple of days ago, we are like wait a minute, we are the ones out here working, we are the ones paying these bills or are told our bills are being paid, they are not being paid. we have a $9 trillion deficit we are working with now and that is probably only the tip of the iceberg. our kids are paying for this while the printing presses run round the clock. this is out of control.
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it is insanity. and when people look at the obama care thing, they look at this and say we are in a lot of trouble. we are in a lot of trouble but for god sakes stop spending money and start listening to us. teaparty express is where it is at. >> folks will be listening as you gather steam and come here in september. the president and the first family are now departing for martha's vineyard. they are aboard air force one. taxiing out to take off on a nice day. much better weather waiting for them at martha's vineyard. more on their visit, up next. i never thought it could happen to me... a heart attack at 53. i had felt fine. but turns out...
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>> shannon: if you are just joining us, let's fill you in on our top stories. hurricane bill is leaving nasty weather in its wake despite being downgraded to a category one storm. rough seas and dangerous riptides continue to wreak havoc up the eastern seaboard, tens of thousands of mourners gathered in sout south korea to mourn the president of kim jae young. right now, the first family is is headed to martha's vineyard for a week long vacation by the sea. the trip isn't without controversy. at least one conservative group is buying local air time there to run healthcare ads while the president is on vacation. the president has devoted so much of his time to try to get the plan done for healthcare reform. iis the fight wearing him down and is there any indication that secretary of state hillary clinton will be asked to join
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the healthcare brigade. let me ask you, it sounds like if something gets done, both sides are conceding it may be a watered down version of maybe what the president initially envisionle. do you think that is the case? >> what we are witnessing right now is how sausage gets made and taking a look over the recess break at the town hall meetings and a look at members getting feedback from constituents, whether it is good, whether it is bad, what they are willing to accept and i think when congress comes back in september we will see, you know, a much different bill from what we may have originally seen coming out before august. >> i think she is right but it is so sad and daunting that you had the house bill go through three committees. education and the work force, ways and means and also energy and commerce and five democrats that went against the president then and i think that started the snowball effect. to talk about the town hall
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meetings, it is up to congress to educate constituents on what is in the bill. there have been several town hall meetings. there was one where we invited our congressman to speak at the event. he didn't. later he had the virtual town hall healthcare meeting. i think a lot of people don't have the understanding of single pay, amgying to be able to choose my own doctor versus preexisting conditions. i will think there is a lot of misnomers out there and the politics being played is making it worse. and that is from both sides. >> shannon: if you want to respond to that. >> i'm not a healthcare lobbyist, nor do i play one on television, no pun intended. we are looking at a difficult and complex policy. difficult and complex for many of us inside the beltway. you can just imagine the average voter, the average american insured who is trying
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to make sense of what is exactly going on. there are a lot of, you know, terminologies and people don't understand. >> people don't really understand. >> and it is so long. >> shannon: it is more than 1100-pages long. >> and then there is a lot of misinformation that gets out there and propaganda that gets out there. >> and that is why it is so important that congress goes out during this recess time, they are now being formed to talk to the constituents. go out and educate them. i think the wrong thing to do is bring the secretary of state hillary clinton on to help him, shannon, because look at 1993. in 1993. i think what we will see is this, a dumbed down version. i think we will see healthcare reform but if he does not push something through you will see 1993 again and you will see a lot of republicans being taken back from democrats if he doesn't get something through. >> let me ask you about the fact that there appears to be a divide within the democrats
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themself, especially on the house side. a lot comes down to the public option issue saying 100 or more members won't vote for any bill that doesn't contain a public option. it is so crucial for some, a dividing line. how do the democrats reunite and get on the same page which they have to do if they going to get something substantive passed. >> i think they will come together and make some kind of compromise among the caucus and come to some type of agreement for the american people. they recognize that overall something has to get passed and so what exactly the bill will look like, whether it will involve a public option, whether it will involve a co--op plan or something to that effect, it remains to be seen. you have the blue dog democrats who are more fiscally conservative and their concerns in terms of their constituencies and what got them to congress always has to be the primary consideration no matter what. >> you had maxine waters say if there there is not a public option in the bill she the not
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vote for it. >> and evan bayh. >> we have to wrap it up there, ladies. thanks for coming in. we would love to have you back as this continues to play out on the hill. shaq can swim, but can he swim as well as michael phelps? i'm guessing no. but he will take on the nba star next week. we'll tell you when and where, next. if you're taking 8 extra-strength tylenol... a day on the days that you have arthritis pain, you could end up taking 4 times the number... of pills compared to aleve. choose aleve and you could start taking fewer pills. just 2 aleve have the strength... to relieve arthritis pain all day.
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top of the news right now. as you saw moments ago live here on fox, the first family departed andrews air force base moments agoo. they are headed to martha's vineyard. he will still get his daily intelligence briefings and stay town date while he is off this week. in his first public appearance since getting his cast off, pope benedict appeared to be in good spirits. he broke his right wrist when
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fell last month. senator john mccain says the military leadership in afghanistan should take a page out of the iraq playbook. on abcs this this week he said he wants the military leadership in afghanistan to use the same aggressive approach general petraeus used in iraq. a los angeles police officer says a possible break-in at lindsay lohan's beverly hills home. lohan's home was the target of a burglary attempt also back in may. now, olympic swimming star michael phelps is going head to head against shaquille. shaq takes on the best athletes in their sports other than basketball. he file manied a segment where he competed against ben roethlisberger. also on the agenda,
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