prospect that the rest of the crop will not be ready in time for halloween. the harvest were delayed. some of those companies might not get out of the ground, and some of those might not have time to turn orange. can you imagine? jane: i ink they say that every year. public pumpkin panic every fall. and even worry about it. jon: that is going to do for us. the "live desk" starts right now. [captioning made possible by fox news channel] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- martha: happy monday from the newsroom. trace: we are live inside the fox news room because this is where the news begins, and this is what is behind the news. we get the national news over here. this is the foreign desk covering the globe. the media desk right along here is where all the brand new pictures come in to fox news channel, and on the "live desk", those brand new pictures will always be on the right-hand side of the screen. in the top box, strong words

from the top u.s. commander in afghanistan saying that without additional troops in the next year, the war will end in failure, but now, the white house is apparently trying to buy some time. in the mailbox, despite 74 and cia directors urging him to step in, president obama says he has no plans to overrule eric holder's allegations of mistreatment by prisoners by the cia -- despite seven four and am -- foreign cia directors. in the bottom box, a little tussle at the white house over the definition of a tax on health care. the president says it is not a tax. others say it is, but did anybody read the plan? we did. we will show it to you. it lays it out very clearly. martha: we begin with chilling new detail on the three

terrorists suspects and what they may have been planning to do in this country. the investigation stretches from new york city out to colorado. first, this man is expected in federal court very shortly. we are watching that. investigators believe that he trained with al qaeda in the troubled areas of pakistan. the feds say that there were eight handwritten pages in his riding detailing on his computer how to make a bomb, and then, the text message that followed that reportedly read, "the wedding cake is ready." a similar code was used in the 7-7 attacks in london, which ws.sed a lot of eyebrows. you'll be in court alongside this man, his father. both men, as of right now only charged with making false statements to the fbi. the third counterpart to all of this was arrested in queens. he is the head of a local mosque. he will be arraigned in new york city within the hour.

we will take you there as well. officials said there were no specifics of time or place for the possible attacks, but the associated press citing officials speaking on the condition of anonymity saying investigators were worried about the possible use a backpack bombs on the new york city subway system, much like the attacks that we saw in london and in madrid. we go live to dendriform more breaking news. what is happening there today? >> -- we go live to denver for more breaking news. >> today, there will go before a federal judge to hear the complaints against them, the charge of lying to a federal agent. our cameras are here. you're all his attorney said to those of us waiting here was good morning. he had no other comment regarding the charge against his client, and that is expected to happen within the next couple of hours. martha: big question now is whether or not we will see more

to these charges then lying to federal agents. there is a feeling they are holding back quite a bit of information because they may have brought these people in sooner than they might have wanted to. >> exactly. there has actually been quite a bit of talk, especially over the weekend, over this one single charge that does not appear to be connected to terrorism. however, all the information that was released by the fbi over the weekend all points to some sort of possible terror plot. analysts are saying at this point, the single charge -- what it does is it holds them. it carries a sentence of eight years in prison, but it keeps them in place because the fbi has indicated that this investigation continues. it's there was a report this morning that we should expect to see at least three more arrests here in the colorado area alone. that is a huge development. tell me about what may have been

the targets. officially, the justice department is saying they cannot release information about days, times, and locations. we do know that zazi was at least research in places like giants stadium. fashion week was held there over the past week, as you know. according to some reports, he also had cell phone video of grand central station. these are areas where a lot of people are considered soft targets. because they do not have that strict security in place, and the public can come and go. martha: sounds like the kind of attack people have been worried about for years. trace: there is now breaking information in j the information ofaycee dugard. -- a new information in the case of jaycee dugard.

she told police that he never molested the daughters that he fathered with her and that he has not approached her sexually in neyear's. specially trained dogs brought in today showed interest in the same spot that cadaver dogs hit on last week, police today will be kind of honing in on that area. garrido and his wife are charged with multiple counts of rape and kidnapping, and investors are trying to find out if he may also be linked to the 1980's disappearances'. martha: now coming in, an unseen killer who escaped last week -- legally insane killer who escaped last week while attending a county fair has now been recaptured. he was captured on a highway in

south-central washington state. he escaped during a group outing last thursday. if you are wondering why he was allowed, that is a pretty good question police now say that he had planned this is caper in advance before this trip. he was committed to a mental hospital after he killed an elderly woman and set her on fire back in 1987 periods in a fugitive-like twist, he was captured by the same deputy who arrested him after his h 1991 escape attempt. trace: it is full steam ahead for president obama. the president kicking off a very busy week. first, he pushed health care reform on most of the top new show. he was taken to paris later today on and david letterman before he attends a meeting of the united nations general assembly. earlier today, he delivered a speech on the economy at hudson valley community college. >> as we emerge from this current economic crisis, our great challenge will be to

ensure that we do not just drift into future, accepting less for our future, less for america. we have to choose instead what past generations have done, to shape a brighter future through hard work and innovation. trace: the senior white house correspondent, major garrett, is live with us here in the newsroom. martha: he is here. trace: he is back on the world stage. a lot of progress is not going to be made easily. >> if you think back to the president went in april and then in july, they thought there would be a middle east peace plan on the table in september. there is going to be a meeting with the president. the israeli prime minister, leader of the palestinian state, but there is going to be no breakthrough. on afghanistan, the president's is looking at requests for more troops. will he get help sunday donations? probably not. will there be anything tougher

about sanctions against iran and its nuclear program? probably not. the european community saying we still need to negotiate and no sanctions. all of those things were held for to be coming together here in some timber. there are not carry the president want to go to copenhagen at the end of this year with the senate having voted for climate legislation. europeans are saying the americans are holding back. all of these same issues that bedeviled president bush are now the deviling president obama. why? because the united nations have other interests they are pursuing. they like this president, but they still have their own agendas. martha: all i could think was that in the prior ministration, nobody would be that surprised, but the whole premise, one of the main premises of the obama campacam was that he was going to reach out, that he wanted justice in order to solve the world's problems.

so not getting it? >> the obama administration will tell you that there are planting seeds. we are all saying, when is the harvest going to come? september. i guess they are still planting seeds. the fallback position for the white house on a lot of these things is you will not solve all of these overnight. is september overnight? no, but come next year, at some point, you have to push these things beyond theoretical and persuasion and negotiation and produce results. trace: what is the idea behind the hour on david letterman? >> have some fun and pull back and bea casual. the white house believes that it is always on full-court press. yesterday, all the sunday talks, the real message did not really get out there.

they did not say we are all over the map on afghanistan, missile defense, health care. tonight, they are going to try to be more comical, lighter, but the president is always pushing himself out there to be the central story. they do not feel they are risking overexposure. polling data suggest, however, that that can become a problem. martha: a whole hour. you have to be pretty funny for a whole hour. that is a lot of pressure. thank you. trace: 7 former cia directors urging the administration to drop the investigation into the cia investigation probe. why the white house refuses, and what the washington post is now saying about attorney general eric holder's role in this case. surprising new information next. plus, that is a hang glider crashing. you can barely street the strong waves -- you can barely see the

strong winds by the rocky cliff. the dangerous rescue attempts and the video to match next.

martha: very important hearing scheduled for right now at gtmo 4911 conspirators after the military judge granted the united states request for a 60- day delay now in the trial, and we are going to have more government reviews, so another

waiting period before those trials get back under in the middle box, there are new details coming out about the h1n1 slow virus vaccine. studies now say that children 10 and older will need just one dose, which is a big relief for parents to have to take them there, while younger children under 10 are still going to need two doses. in the bottom, the 747 carrying the space shuttle on piggyback -- always a sight to see -- landing just about an hour ago at the kennedy space center. trace: the administration is not backing down from its investigation into how the cia interrogates terrorism suspects under president bush, even the seventh former cia directors wrote president obama a letter, urging him to drop the matter, saying it could harm intelligence efforts in the future. >> i appreciate the former cia director's wanting to look out for an institution that they helped to build, but i continue

to believe that nobody is above the law, and i want to make sure that as president of the united states, that i'm not asserting in some way that my decisions overruled the decisions of prosecutors, who are there to uphold the law. trace: now, the "washington post" reports that eric holder never bothered to read memos from prosecutors who already look at these cases. what is the administration saying about holder not reading these memos? >> those memos came out in the bush administration, and officials say that attorney general holder was in fact briefed on them, but more importantly, they say, was last month's recommendation by the justice department's office of professional responsibility that a number of all listed prisoner abuse cases be reopened. they say holder study that carefully, that report five years in the making, and he suggested special prosecutor john durham consider a handful

of those cases, which he is doing now. holder said no one will be prosecuted for following the guidelines the bush administration laid down, eve e though some of those interrogation techniques have now been banned by the obama administration. holder also said that he would look at all of the facts, and some republicans say that promise suggested he would personally study the bush administration reports. trace: what cases specifically are being looked into? >> several cases we know about. one involved an afghan prisoner who died apparently of hypothermia after allegedly being beaten and chained to the floor of a prison north of kabul in 2002. a couple of others and a ball detainees -- involve detainees who died at abu ghraib. they're deciding whether new

evidence that has come to light since the bush administration decided not to look into those cases warrants reopening them. trace: thank you. martha: check this out -- a tricky and very treacherous cliff side rescue over the week and in oregon. look at that water down there. a hang glider clashed -- crashed into the shoreline. take a look at how the coast guard had to get to the cliff edge and tried to reach this man who almost looks like he is about to be sucked in and there. the helicopter did finally get close enough to trot down a rescue swimmer, and he got the hang glider. they both got hoisted up out of the serbs. thank goodness for that hang glider. the area is a very popular site for hang gliders to take off and land. what a great rescue. trace: it is. fox news has now confirmed the content of a leaked report on the war in afghanistan. the general on the ground is

calling for more tips, and the question is -- what does the president do now?

martha: the war in afghanistan takes center stage now after a new report from the general on the ground there is a leak. general stanley mcchrystal says in no uncertain terms that the war will likely result in failure. fox news has now confirmed the information in this report and that it is accurate. president obama often referred to afghanistan as the war we should be fighting and winning during the campaign. here is what he is saying now. >> the only reason i sent a single young man or woman in uniform anywhere in the world is because i think it is necessary

to keep us safe. whatever decisions i make will be based first on a strategy to keep us safe, and then we will figure out how to resources it. martha: this is an extremely important battle that we are fighting right now in afghanistan, as you both well know. lisa, i want to show you one of the quotes -- another one from general mcchrystal. lisa, what do you think he is asking for here? >> i think what is important is we see a bit of backtracking for president obama. in his interview yesterday, he openly questions whether fighting the taliban is necessary to halting al qaeda. for most of us following afghanistan, the issue has already been resolved, and in

fact, president obama himself said just a month ago that fighting the war in afghanistan was not only a war worth fighting but it was fundamental to the defense of the american people. the question is what has changed? i do not think we are any safer. what has changed is the political environment is getting tougher. support for the american people -- from the american people is starting to wane, but we need to see leadership. we need to see him demonstrate he is willing to appropriately week -- resource this war. martha: lisa touch on something very important. when the going gets tough, when people start to question, get nervous about committing our treasure, all of these young people to this fight, is it a winnable fight, and is it one that is important for american security? >> everything lisa said is absolutely correct, and yes, it is winnable. some people said iraq was not winnable by in 2006.

this is going to come down to presidential leadership and wesson -- whether or not president obama is truly committed to winning this war. general mcchrystal has said a comprehensive counterinsurgency strategy is what will be most effective in defeating al qaeda and the taliban and bring stability back to afghanistan, and we believe that is central to the war on terror and keeping our country save. martha: i heard someone say earlier today that you either as the president have to put 100% commitment behind your general on the ground and do what he says, or you have to remove him. let's look at another cretaceous, and that i want to show you something from senator mccain. before i read it, this goes to general mcchrystal's believe in the wider effort there, that what needs to be done. he says --

so, lisa, he is talking about a wider program that gives people on the ground, with the insurgents, an option other than joining the taliban, right? >> absolutely. i think it is important to recognize that a reconciliation process for those less ideological committed insurgents, people fighting for money or out of fear, that there can be a process for them to join the political process, but this does not mean we are anywhere near any kind of negotiated settlement with senior taliban leaders and, most of whom are still in pakistan. what we have seen from the leadership is they believe they are winning, and they are in no mood to negotiate. i think what he is saying is we have tove t establish a better position on the ground before we can really even think about beginning to pull troops back. martha: john mccain's office sent us this reaction to what

the president said over the weekend. what do you think about that call from both of these generals to testify in front of the senate armed services committee that senator mccain is now asking for? >> i think that is absolutely right. we were very well informed, and general petraeus did a great job about explaining about their exigency, and we should give general mcchrystal the same opportunity to explain the strategy he believes will be in the best possibility of success, and a candid assessment of the amount of troops he needs. nobody should be putting pressure on that. we saw when that was down from iraq.

we need to resources properly, and general mcchrystal is an understudy of petraeus. he learned this counterinsurgency fight -- martha: before i let you guys know, i need a quick answer. when you look at general mcchrystal and what he wants to do, nobody has been able to win in afghanistan. can this general when the war in afghanistan? >> yes, if given the troops because he has the right counterinsurgency strategy. martha: lisa, do you agree with that? >> absolutely. he can win, and there's really no other option to overwhelming the taliban insurgency in afghanistan. martha: thank you so much. very valuable input. we want to hear what you think about this because it is a very pressing issue for our country right now. log on to foxnews.com. our question today is should president obama order more ground forces to afghanistan as general mcchrystal has requested?

it is an online poll. you can see how people are voting by clicking "view results" on that link. trace: if the government says you have to buy health insurance or pay a penalty, is it a tax or not? the president says it is not. and and sparking a little bit of a dustup. -- and answers sparking a little bit of a dustup. plus, critical information on a leak united nations report claiming that the swine flu battle is far from over. talk now of millions of deaths worldwide, and the united nations is now warning of widespread anarchy.

trace: we are back live in the newsroom. it is the bottom of the hour. we have brand new information on three big stories. tomorrow, the president meets with the palestinian president. mike is covering that for us in jerusalem. >> all leaders involved are trying to dismiss tomorrows meeting as a little more than a photo op that promises to pave the way toward future negotiations. it comes with the backdrop of what the israeli press has called the resounding failure of the white house to extract a settlement freeze out of the israelis or promise from arab states to take steps toward normalized relations with israel if israel makes concessions. netanyahu opposes governmentent

promises no concessions. mike trace: tobin live in the middle east. major healthcare reform live on the agenda for tomorrow. let's go to carl cameron live on capitol hill. >> it is the legislative calm for before the storm. the senate finance committee, which has been working on the alternative to finance reform -- they take up a new bill tomorrow that has mandatory health reform. it is a major battle with some 500 amendments looming and time running out. seemingly every single week another road bike. trace: carl cameron on capitol hill. today, a judge will decide if and muslim teenager, and run away, who fears for her life, must go back to her family. >> she will be in the juvenile courthouse behind me in about an hour, and one of the motions the judge will hear is one filed by her parents, asking for this

case to be dismissed and their daughter to be sent home two columns, ohio. the florida department of law enforcement as well as ohio investigators have both concluded that there is no credible evidence that her life really is in danger. she claims her father would kill her for abandoning islam. trace: that is brand new information at the bottom of the hour. martha: we are getting word of a frightening report from the united nations about how a outbreak of h1n1 could lead to anarchy in some countries. this report was leaked to the "observer." it says that the virus takes hold in some of the poorest nations, and millions of people could die, and it could lead to a breakdown of some of the economies that are struggling, and the report goes on to say that richer nations must be ready to step forward and pay for vaccines and antiviral medicines. trace: the president says that if you can afford health care, you have to buy a, a notion

outline in senator max baucus's bill. critics say it would establish a mandatory tax. the debate led to a little tussle between george stephanopoulos and the president. stephanopoulos even read a definition of "tax" from the merriam-webster dictionary. here is the exchange right after that. critics >> say it is a tax increase. >> my critics say ev hing is a tax increase. my critics say i am taking over every sector of the economy. you know that. look, we can have a legitimate debate about whether or not we are going to have an individual mandate, but i absolutely reject that notion. trace: a former deputy assistant to former george w. bush joins us now. the former counsel to the house judiciary committee joins us as well. thank you both for being here. we could go to the dictionary, but you know what we did instead? we actually went to the bill. this is what it says on page 29, talking about the debate whether

or not it is a tax. it says -- it seems pretty cut and dried there. >> is sure does. the president cannot orient himself out of this one. if it feels like a tax, it says is a tax, mr. president, it is a tax. even the cbo says you cannot emblem of the kind of health care you want without increasing the annual budget and adding to the deficit. the president, in order to take the sting away from what is really going to hurt americans, is taxing. that is exactly what democrats are going to do. it is what they like to do. the government, more taxes. more of the same period trace: is this a fair statement? is that part of the reason that americans are having such a hard time buying into this, because they think the president is twisting the language of it to suit his needs? >> no, i think the opposite. i think this is actually a tax cut for somewhere between 80%

and 9% of americans. those of us who are injured pay somewhere between $900 or $1,200 a year in higher premiums because we are paying for those who are uninsured. what the president is saying is if you can afford to get insurance -- trace: but why not call it a tax? >> because it is not. it is a mandate, the same way you are mandated to get automobile insurance. we do not call that a tax, do we? as low as the cost of -- for us that actually do get health insurance. it involves personal response ability so you do not put your costs on to the rest of society to affect what is in fact a tax increase on them. trace: the president yesterday talked about the table chatter that goes along with this health care debate, and this is what he said. listen. >>f you look at the news cycle over the last week, you know, it has not been the sensible people

who very deliberately talk about the important issues that we face in the country. that is not the folks who are getting a lot of coverage. trace: i think he is talking about you, brad. i think he is pointing the finger at you. >> i hope not. trace: he is saying that nobody sensible is talking about this. clearly, there are sensible people on both sides that have their points. >> there are a lot a sensible people out there. literally, millions of sensible people have taken part in the debate, whether it be here on the capital in their own home states, writing of eds, calling their congressman, attending town hall meetings. that is what has influenced the debate on health care, the amount of reaction by average americans. the president has become the billy maze of healthcare. the guy is everywhere, but it is not moving the vehicle because the american people are not sure what they are being sold. trace: gillian, i will give you the last word.

>> republicans contended a play called -- politics. they do not have a plan, while the president continues to move to the center. this is actually reducing the government deficit, according to the cbo. the president wants to cut waste out of the system. the president is even open to a tort reform, something republicans have talked about. he has moved to the center. republicans would not come and meet him there. they would rather play politics, and at the end of the day, that will not help. trace: thank you both. martha: first, she said that it was a political and racist attack on a coin. now, the group's ceo is changing her two and a little bit showing the people get advice from a corn -- acorn employee is on how to skirt the law. why she is suddenly taking a very different stance and what it means.

trace: 17 minutes until the top of the hour. in the top box, one of the suspects arrested in the raid last week is set to appear in court sometime during next hour. in the middle box, the massachusetts state senate is again delaying a debate on a bill allowing the governor to appoint an interim replacement for senator edward kennedy. republicans to block the effort on friday again objected to debating again today. in the bottom box, the house is taking up the emergency legislation this week to help americans who are still jobless. this is good news for a lot. the bill would provide 13 weeks of extended unemployment benefits for thousands. it is expected to easily pass. martha: she is telling to clean house. acorn's chief executive saying that employees have been fired after that tend and prostitute undercover video service.

at first, she said the videos were a right-wing attack on acorn and its members, and even vowed to sue, but listen now to what she is saying about a story that first broke here on fox news. >> what did i do? immediately, these folks were terminated. those folks were terminated immediately. what did i also do? make sure that we have an independent review. make sure that we suspended and he walks in activity. we continue to make sure that all of our employees, if they are too stupid to understand that they are not reaching professional standards -- we terminate them. martha: all right, so what is that really going to lean on the ground in all of these acorn offices? >> we heard her say that. an independent outside auditor is what acorn promised to announce today, all in an effort

to clean up the scandal that has tarred the activist organization and threatens to end its federal funding. acorn is now under investigation in the wake of those videos. the fall of prompting them to now address those problems. as you heard, ms. lewis was interviewed on fox news sunday, and she vowed to hold the troubled organization to a higher standard. critics accused acorn of a variety of things, including mixing taxpayer money for a variety of purposes. on capitol hill, now, there are calls for hearings and for acorn to open its books, but when pressed in an interview, ms. lewis refused to say whether she is willing to make acorn's finances public. >> are you willing to open your books up? >> i am willing to do the work that i need to do, every single day. not be distracted. make sure that things that we do well we beef up, and things that we do not do so well, that we change and we reform. >> now, there is a call for the

fbi to investigate. that from the ranking member of the house judiciary committee. congress -- congressman smith told me of a widespread investigation of acorn is needed. >> we are spending $53 million of the taxpayers' money in the last five years on this organization. it just smells. that is why we need to have this full-scale investigation. i know acorn said they are going to conduct an internal audit, but an audit is very much too little too late. >> when we first broke the story about the tapes, acorn responded by saying -- fox news did not produce the tapes. we reported on them, and now acorn has had a change of tune. in one interview, ms. lewis thank the filmmakers for performing what she called a

good service. acorn has also accused the filmmakers of lives and manipulation, saying it questions the journalistic standards of the film and in their words, any purported news organization that chooses to run them. martha: what a turnaround. future developments there. thank you very much for reporting. trace: russian prime minister vladimir putin making good on a promise. he supervised the release of two snow leopards. the two big cats were imported from turkmenistan and. the other people in the pictures are from the international olympic committee. putin pledged to reintroduce the big cats to the region if russia won the olympic games, which it did. snow leopards were driven to extinction in that region. martha: and a crucial speech on the world stage. president obama addresses the world leaders this week. it is a huge week at the un.

he will try to win support for a lot of things here at home as well. why he is doing now. and a very revealing book about the first family about to hit stores. how much the first lady contributed to her husband's campaign. how much was she a part of the way things worked clacks her part -- her opinion and hillary clinton as well.

trace: president obama facing a big test of leadership on the international stage. he will deliver a speech to the united nations tomorrow on global warming. this is an issue that the president has not gotten full support on at home. an issue that deals with not just the environment, but jobs and livelihoods. what is the purpose of the president's speech? >> the u.s. is the key player in

international climate negotiations because we are the largest economy. until recently, weaver the largest emitter of carbon. the u.s. did not signed up last major treaty on carbon emissions. president obama is likely to say this time will be different. >> president obama is going to reassure the rest of the world that the is united states once again back at the table in terms of the negotiation process for getting a global agreement on climate change. >> he says that mr. obama will say the lack of action by the u.s. congress will not interfere with the negotiations at copenhagen. without congressional action, do not expect the president to lay out any specific targets or timetables. trace: this might be a good time for a little context. why did the u.s. not approve the treaty in 2007? >> there were a lot of reasons. china refused to agree to

limiting agreements for itself. the senate voted 95-0. when is the last time you solve the senate's unanimous on anything? 95-0 to send a letter to the white house that said do not even think about sending us that for ratification. that is a lesson president obama has to have in the back of his mind. the europeans are worried about these negotiations. bararoso says he is very worried and the whole effort is at risk of what he called an acrimonious collapse. they are hoping mr. obama can breath new life into the progress. trace: thank you. martha: do you want an inside look at one of the most

fascinating marriages in america? we are talking about president obama and his wife, michele obama. there's a new book coming out by christopher andersen. he also did a book on george bush and laurel bush. this book is looking at the first lady's influence on her husband. for example, according to anderson, he said mrs. obama said to go with joe biden and skip hillary clinton. also that she was very supportive of the campaign slogan. anderson said the president thought it was kind of corny and it also talks about her concerns that their marriage would not survive his political ambition, which i'm sure every powerful political couple has had those kind of concerns. it will be excerpted in tomorrow's "new york daily

news." martha: i'd like it. i'm always baffled by people who think that women do not have a big influence in their husband'' careers. it is probably pretty interesting. he has written some very interesting biographies in the past. trace: we are following this terror investigation that led to three arrests over the weekend. there's new information on the plot the .

[captioning made possible by fox news channel] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- trace: there is no word it could have been the biggest terrorist attacks since 9/11. a hearing is about to begin at a federal court in brrt iklyn. i am trace gallagher. martha: we are expecting a lot of breaking news in the story. i am martha maccallum. a key suspect in the cross- country investigation is about to appear before a judge to two more suspects in the supposedl and ring are in denver. the terror plot reportedly targeted new york city. this investigation is getting bigger by the minute.

there are new details about what they were planning. david lee miller is outside the federal court in brooklyn, new york. talk to me a little bit about how these three men were connected and what brought this open. >> let's start with what many consider to be the centerpiece of the investigation, najibullah zazi. he is the afghan born man who drove from denver to new york city. the authorities say he did so with the idea that he was going to take part in some kind of terror related plot. the other is his father, and the other is a religious leader. his name is ahmad afzali. he also served as a funeral director. the fbi is alleging that all three of the defendants lied to them during the investigation. that is what they were charged

with. it is expected that we could see more suspects and more charges in the next few days. martha: it could be very telling if we start to hear that there are more suspects included in this supposed plot. so far, the people who have been arrested have said this is basically a big misunderstanding. >> if you were to speak to the attorneys representing the defendants, they denied any wrongdoing. an attorney arrived at the courthouse, the attorney for najibullah zazi, says that his client did nothing wrong. he has denied reports that his client participated in al-qaeda training in pakistan. and also, the attorney for the religious leader, ahmad afzali, spoke to reporters a few hours ag he said that his client is essentially a scapegoat. let me quickly explain to you

what he is alleging. the fbi has put forth charges that said ahmad afzali has worked as an informant in the past. and that he essentially told the two zazis that they were under surveillance. when speaking with the fbi, he denied having that conversation. now he has been charged with lying to the fbi gave his attorney now says none of this makes any sense. if he said he was engaged in a phone call that was monitored by the fbi, by what he then later lie and say the conversation never took place? that is one of the mysteries that we expect to learn more about in the courthouse behind me in brooklyn. the hearing is getting under way as we speak. martha: it is very curious that ahmad afzali would add one moment be an informant and then next decide that he would let these guys know that somebody is

listening to the conversation. talk to me about these raids. they did find a number of curious things that make this contention that it is all a misunderstanding a little tough to believe. >> that is right. in the past few days, we've talked about backpacks and cellphones that were found. and an electronic scale. these sound like pretty innocuous things, but prosecutors are taking the position that these relatively innocuous things could be dangerous if they are going to be used to make a bomb. the most disturbing discovery by authorities it was they found a computer. on that hard drive where bomb making instructions. najibullah zazi o de that

computer. he said that he downloaded that by mistake. he said that he tried to delete that. martha: that is quite a story. david lee miller, thank you. we are waiting for their appearancearan this courtroom. we will hear more about the tear robust and about the possible al-qaeda cell that they believe may be even larger. we will talk to the panel here. and also the quote that zazi te xted somebody that the wedding cake was ready. what did he mean? trace: the general in afghanistan says we could lose the fight without more troops soon. the assessment is a crucial factor in the president's decision whether to speasend moe americans to fight the a-year

war. jennifer griffin, what is the bottom line? >> general mcchrystal in this 66-page classified report -- basically, this was the assessment that everybody was waiting for from general mcchrystal about the way ahead in afghanistan. he talks about the need for more resources. resources means troops. he is asking for more troops. he says, a "failure to gain the initiative and reverse internet momentum in the near term, the next 12 months, risk an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible." he is warning that if the resources are not sent, there could be a possibility of failure. it is very clear from the sunday talk shows where president obama spoke to five the sunday talk shows is that president obama is putting the brakes on and buying some time as he

reassesses the strategy. he announced a new strategy on march 27. he said they would pursue counterinsurgency. that is what general mcchrystal was out there to pursue. now, president obama says he wants to reassess the strategy. trace: as i was reading through the report, but the thing that struck me the most was this alarming revelation about the afghan prisons and what is happening inside these prisons. >> it is quite stunning. in this classified report, general mcchrystal talks about how the afghan prisons have essentially become al-qaeda universities. of the 14,005 other prisoners in afghanistan, 2500, he estimates, are basically card-carrying members of either the diyala band or al-qaeda. -- either the taliban or al- qaeda. this is extremely dangerous.

they are becoming recruiting grounds. he gives examples of bomb plots that were carried out and recruited in these prisons. he is extremely concerned about the situation. trace: i know that general mcchrystal has said many times that time is of the essence. how long does the president have to decide? >> i can tell you from talking to sources at the pentagon this morning that there is some degree of frustration among commanders in afghanistan. frustration that the pace of decision making in washington does not keep up with the need for more troops on the ground. there is this dgap. there is an indication that the white house has asked that general mcchrystal and others hold off on requesting more resources, and that there is this pressure from washington, knowing how politically sensitive such a request will be.

president obama said he has not asked them to hold off on that. there is concern that time is of the essence. trace: jennifer griffin, thank you. we want to show you this brand new fox news poll. americans seem to be divided down the middle when it comes to the afghanistan war. 46% of people supporting the effort. 45% oppose the effort. martha: let's get to some of the big foreign policy moves that we expect to see ahead of the u.n. general assembly meeting this week in julnew york. ahmadinejad said president obama is wrong about his country's nuclear program. then you have president obama's decision to shelve a plan to missile shield in poland and the czech republic. steve centanni is live in

washington with more on this. how much will iran's nuclear ambitions figure into this upcoming meeting at tinge u.n.? >> a lot of people are worried about it. there is no meeting scheduled between the u.s. and in the iranian diplomats at these meetings. that will come later. it is a nagging problem for the united states. even though the iranian supreme leader insisted that western powers are misreading the situation. he says president obama is following the old u.s. policy of the brand iran phobia. at the same time, the president of theiran is under fire again for saying on friday that the holocaust never happened. it is always interesting to see

the iranian leader in the u.s. he certainly does get attention when he shows up. martha: we will be watching him and wondering what he thinks about the decision by president obama to shelve the planned missile defense sites in poland and the czech republic, which is linked immediately to what iran is building and what they might be sending out to other countries. >> some of applaud president obama's move, and others are condemning it. the russians are pleased. they felt it as a threat. president obama meets with his russian counterpart, dmitry medvedev, on thursday. certainly that will be on the agenda. it could lead to smoother talks between u.s. and russia on the arms reduction treaty they have been working on. that has been a centerpiece of

obama's effort to reset relations with russia. after six months of talks, the two sides remain divided on key issues. that will certainly be talked about a lot done in new york this week. martha: thank you very much, steve centanni. trace: attorney general eric holder is pushing ahead with his investigation of the cia, but now we're finding out that he never read any of the memos by prosecutors under the bush administration explain why they decided not to file any charges.

trace: in the top box, a kentucky football coach acquitted in the tragic death of one of his high school players has been cleared to go back to teaching. he will go back to class this thursday. in the middle box, jury selection beginning today in the trial of two people accused of trying to extort $25 million from john travolta following his son's death in the bahamas. travolta is on the list of 14 witnesses who could testify against the defendants. the prosecutors have not said if he will take the stand. in bottom box, we have new information about the h1n1 clue vaccine. study showed that children 10 years and older will need just one dose of the vaccine. 10 and younger will be two doses. martha: president obama says

that he backs attorney general eric holder's decision to investigate the cia. this is a hugely controversial decision. holder is considering charges for harsh interrogation steering the bush administration. we are now learning that attorney general eric holder did not read the memos from the prosecutors who had already looked into these cases. and in these memos, they explained why there was no need to bring charges. joining me now is former cia operative wayne simmons. how important would be to you that eric holder should have looked at this? >> yes, that would be very important.

imagine coming to a crossroads in life and you have to make a life altering decision that will affect not only you but your family, and you are fortunate enough to have access to a brain help you make the rightnew and decisions. president obama has access to seven former dci's and he is choosing to support an attorney general who has obviously made a premeditated decision to go forward with these batonch hunt. why did he do that? as you said, he did not read any of the information as to why they were not investigated before. martha: president obama was asked about this over the weekend. he basically said you have to let the justice department do what it needs to do.

do you feel that because of the way the power works in washington and the president's oversight of the justice department, that is disingenuous in any way? >> it is not true. the president of the united states can end this with a phone call, and he should. it is utter nonsense for him to act as if he does not want to interfere with attorney general eric holder. we all know, because we are not stupid in spite of what this administration may think, we are not stupid and we know he can end this. as i said, he definitely should. there's nothing good coming from this and he is putting america's security at risk. martha: several former cia directors agree with you very strongly. they wrote a letter to the president last week. they said police stop this line of investigations -- they said

police stopped this line of investigations. are you surprised there has not been the response to that letter? >> as you know, there were seven. these are some of the brightest intelligence men that we have never had that are advising the president. for him to unilaterally dismissed the them -- as you pod out, it is disingenuous. it is not true. guys like me who used to run interrogations' will not run the interrogations' and go the extra mile. as i wrote last week, many of us are leaving the cia and want nothing to do with the interrogations' because we cannot afford to get an attorney to protect us when they come back to second-guess us in congress. martha: 27 years of that work at the cia carried out by wayne

simmons. thank you for sharing your thoughts today. we want to know what you feel about this. long gone g onto foxnews.com. this is an online poll. give us your thoughts as well. trace: it is right next to the picture of me. this is a very big week for president obama, as he prepares for the u.n. general assembly. how does he address the missile defense shield, afghanistan, and health care? our guest questions, next.

trace: 3 big story today from the white house. the president's decision to scrap a ground-based missile defense shield in europe and general mcchrystal's decision that he needs more troops to win the war in afghanistan. charles krauthammer, welcome to you.

>> if we get that, then this may be an intelligent deal. there's no evidence whatsoever we are getting anything out of the russians, who said only last week they will not support new sanctions. trace: to the war in afghanistan. i am sure you read this report by general mcchrystal. it is stunning to the bottom line is, we need troops, 30,000 to 40,000, and we need them fast. jennifer griffon is reporting today that it seems like the white house is trying to slow down the process, trying to slow down this process for as long as they can. one side says we need them and the other side says maybe we should pull back from the whole thing. >> what was in this report that a lot of people overlook is the date. it was given to the white house

august 30. we're now toward the end of september. the administration has done nothing. he has been sitting on this for almost two months. it is a situation in which general mcchrystal,, you will remember was appointed by obama himself, in which general mcchrystal says this is very urgent and we have to move right now. the strategy he is proposing is very simple. it is we're in a downward spiral of violence. with a surge of american troops that can be reversed, and if it is reversed, then you can have the afghan army successfully taking over. if you do not reverse it with a surge, we will lose. that's a pretty easy idea to understand. and obama is stalling, not because he does not understand this, but because he does not know what to do. trace: charles krauthammer,

thank you. martha: maybe some folks out there were getting a little tired of not hearing more about it. it is very interesting. that's a great point that it was given to the president almost one month ago. we have a chilling new details emerging now in this terror bust that began in new york city and stretched all the way to california. the alleged terror cell is now possibly getting bigger. federal investigators have reportedly not yet identified everybody who may have been in on this. who else is out there and what might they be up to?

trace: we have three brand-new stories. mike emanuel, the justice department says the terror investigation will go on. >> senior u.s. officials both at the white house and at the justice department are being tight-lipped over the terror arrests over the weekend. the court of forces are today in brooklyn and denver. it is an ongoing investigation and more charges are possible. senior officials say there's no specific information of timing or location of any planned attack. trace: terror suspect is about to appear in federal court in

brooklyn. david lee miller, what is the news? >> it is our understanding that at the building behind me, the federal court in brooklyn, the queens, new york religious leader is facing charges of lying to fbi investigators during this terror investigation. the fbi says the religious leader, a longtime informant, basically told the defendants other phone call was monitored tear y. his attorney says this is not true. trace: now to colorado, where two colorado terror suspects are about to appear in a district court. >> the attorney for najibullah zazi just walked out of the federal courthouse behind me. he would not answer one simple question thrown to him by reporters.

however, his client and his clients father are due before a judge in one hour to hear the charge of lying to a federal agent. trace: that is brand new information. martha: all these new details continue to come into the "live desk" the list of players in this terror plot may grow. we want to know what they're planning and what else may be in the works. let's bring in our panel to talk about these arrests and what it means for the safety of our country. welcome to both of you. steve, this strikes me as the first time in a long time that we have seen what may be the classic cell that we heard so much about right after 9/11. a group of muslims in this country with a radical beliefs. in this case, this young man, najibullah zazi, could come and go as he pleased. >> correct.

he is an american citizen. we have a cell. we do not know if it is self directed or receiving orders from somewhere else. it could be either. it does appear that we have a classic cell preparing for an act of terrorism. we have a lot more to learn, obviously. martha: we are told that they gave false statements to the fbi. they have also been very tight- lipped about what they know so far about what these three were planning, according to this investigation. my mind goes immediately to the question of interrogation. this is a very delicate investigation. >> sure, is certainly is. it reminds me of the 1993 attack on the world trade center, which also had ties to afghanistan, al-qaeda, and a local mosque. this one now is a mosque

apparently a frequented by afghans and those of afghan dissent. again, you have an islamic mosque at the center of a local terrorist plot. martha: there are reports that there were backpacks and bomb details. when you think about the london bombings and the fear that gripped the subway system, and now we're learning in may have been in the works here. >> you are right. this is an example of very good work by the intelligence authorities, by our law enforcement

trace: what do we know? >> we know they are really counting on the haitian authorities. they knew that they could not go to haiti until he was found. now they have their answer. the youngest of them, just 11 months old. and the mother

just seven, five, and six-years old. all in one elementary school. what a loss there. now, he was picked up by haitian authorities. back to you. trace: thank you. martha: we are getting some breaking news from catherine herridge, who was at guantanamo bay today, reporting that the 9/11 consider jurors who were held at get mel are refusing to come to the courtroom.

we will bring you the breaking details on that. she has a lot of breaking news from geitmo. will a judge ordered her to be sent back to her family in ohio? we are waiting to see what will happen to this 17-year old. she fears that her family could kill her. she leshe a muslim facith to become christian trip she's afraid that she would become the victim of an honor killing. we will get a live report

trace: we have breaking news coming out of gitmo. a military judge granted a new 60-delay. now, a bizarre twist. the man acting as their own attorneys have now refused to

come to court today. catherine herridge is streaming live from guantanamo bay. what happened? >> i cannot think of a better word than a trace situation. we had a couple of very interesting developments. the judge has granted a 60-day continuance to the administration, which was a foregone conclusion. we have the clearest sign yet that the judge will do nothing with the 9/11 if conspirators until the obama administration pulls the trigger and finally decides that they will take the case, or transfer it to a federal court. the judge said he would not make any rulings until november 16. that is when the current holder will run out on the case. perhaps one of the bazaar components, the 3 9/11 conspirators, including khalid shaikh mohammed, co are representing themselves, they refused to come to the courtroom

today. they asked that their stand by lawyers represent them. they filed a motion that the 9/11 conspiraonsors wanted to fe them. if you find that confusing, i did you have a good sense of the atmosphere in the courtroom today. trace: it seems to me, if you are supposed to be in the court, you show up for court. >> that was one of the arguments that was before the judge today. the prosecution said it is the position of the u.s. government that the 9/11 conspirators should be required to be in court every time, and that the judge could order that. they felt that if they refuse, the judge should order that they be forcibly extracted from their cells. the judge declined to do so. trace: we should also note that those detainees would also like

some movies, some harrison ford movies. catherine herridge, thank you. martha: this is a story we have been following closely. it is the battle for custody of a teenage convert. 17-year-old rifqa bary ran away from her home in ohio. she said she was afraid she would be the victim of an honor killing, that her parents were so upset that she converted to christianity that she was afraid for her life. an investigation by florida police reveals some very interesting information about all of this. phil keating is live in orlando, fla.. will this be packed to capacity? >> we certainly expect that. some of the christian advocates who have been supporting rifqa bary for the past few months have started to arrive. the court has set up an

additional room for an overflow crowd. they are anticipating a lot of people, just as was the case two weeks ago. the judge certainly still has to decide whether the evidence supports that she is potentially having her life threatened by her father. martha: what evidence have they discovered that my substantiate that claim? >> there's plenty of evidence that florida investigators have discovered which really justifies rifqa bary's claim that she has abandoned islam and is now a christian. she's featured on youtube in some new videos, very passionate about her love for jesus. they have also spoken with a pastor couple here in orlando and they actually housed rifqa bary for two full weeks while no

one knew where she was. >> she said it would you please pray for me that i do not deny jesus christ in the face of death? those were her exact words to me. >> that is the stance from the supporters of rifqa bary. the law enforcement has found no evidence whatsoever to substantiate the claims by rifqa bary that's because she has abandoned itslam she is now going to be the victim of an honor killing in columbus, ohio. the governor of florida wants her to stay in foster care until this is resolved. the governor of ohio has said he wants her sent back to ohio. he says the ohio department of family and protective services can easily handle this

themselves. martha: what a terrible, a difficult situation for this family all around. phil keating, thank you. trace: a missing persons case, apparently they have found some remains in a long time missing persons case. we will get you that information on the other side of the break. first, the terror suspect has just finished. that is a live look outside the brooklyn courthouse. the terror suspect has just been to court. we will give you an update on what happened there,. coming up. .

trace: we do have a live look in brooklyn. we have the attorney for ron

kuby talking about an appearance in court for the terror investigation that is said to be the most serious since 9/11. information about fashion week, held last week in new york city, as well as on giants stadium. we will bring you information when it comes out about the hearing, what happens there. david lee miller is still outside the courthouse, and we will get an update from him, moments away. martha: authorities now say that they have found the remains of missing oregon girl brooke wilburger. this case started back in 2004. police say that the honor student was abducted in may of that year. the corvallis police department is holding a conference at 4:00

p.m. pacific time to announce where her remains have been found. and take a look at this. looks like a photograph. there is the picture. it looks like a photograph, right, trace? do you know what it is? it is a painting. this artist does a lot of work like this.

martha: you do not need to be an art expert to appreciate this. take a look at this. this is a woman looking through a shower door, and it looks like a photograph. it is a painting. here is a little boy playing in a pool, in case you could not figure that out. the book like photographs, don't they? they are not. according to the artist, they are paintings. she said there are no special tools used. it is pretty cool. tra: