hello, everybody. welcome to a brand-new hour inside america's headquarters. >> topping the news this hour, attorney generic holder facing quite a bit of criticism for his comments about arizona's immigration law and the fact that he glanced at it and hasn't read it. according to him, no. we're going to tell you about that. according to a lot of folks, he's becoming a liability to the obama administration. we'll have a share and balanced debate on that. >> also, the oil spill in the gulf is getting worse by the minute. the latest attempt to plug the leak, hits a snag. a live report and what the obama administration is now demanding from bp.

>> and today is peace officers memorial day. president obama paying his respects to police officers killed in the line of duty this year. we'll have is a live report on that as well. >> a lot is going on in the next hour. let's start with claims that new york is being short changed on terror protection funding. that is turning into a war of words between a leading republican congressman on homeland security and the secretary of homeland security, janet napolitano. after new york congressman peter king complained about funding cuts, secretary napolitano september him a letter questioning why more than a quarter billion dollars has supposedly gone unspent. he responded saying new york was unsuccessfully attacked at times square on may 1 and now it is also being unsuccessfully attacked by the obama administration with this cheap letter. molly henneberg is live in washington. nice to see you. so is there money that new york is not using as the obama administration is saying? >> reporter: hi, rick. good to see you. yes, homeland security secretary janet napolitano says there is.

275 million federal dollars approved going back to 2006 for port and transit security projects that new york city hasn't used yet the, according to the secretary of homeland security. she wrote in a letter to congressman peter king, quote, given the sense of urgency we all feel, we are focused on working closely with congress and our state and local partners to insure these funds are put to work quickly to address important security needs in new york city and throughout the state. secretary napolitano says her department is, quote, concerned that these funds are not being used. rick. >> we know congressman king very well here on fox. i'm going to guess that this is not something that satisfies him, is it? >> reporter: right. he said he met with secretary napolitano thursday morning and she never mentioned that $275 million. congressman king said if there is such a pot of money, it's probably being slowed down on the federal level. here is more.

>> any money that is not been used is because it's being held up in their bureaucracy and for them to take this cheap shot is really disgraceful. do you believe mayor bloomberg would be holding that money in the bank with all the terrible economic crisis that face us? >> reporter: as you were saying, rick, he called secretary napolitano's letter, a, quote, unsuccessful attack on new york. >> what about the governor of new york, david patterson, what is he saying about this debate over the funding? >> reporter: well, there has been a debate between new york lawmakers, republican and democrat, and the obama administration over overall anti--terror funding. the lawmakers saying the administration is cutting anti--terror funds. the administration saying, well, not when you add in stimulus money. governor patterson said in a statement today that new york needs, quote, sustained and predictable funding for security operations, but that disquote public squabble should come to a, quote, mutewell resolution.

>> thanks. now to the latest attempts to stop the oil leak in the gulf. bp is trying to connect a siphon blowout under sea pipe. setbacks delaying work today, but a bp spokesman says they plan to be back in operation tonight. listen. >> we're in the process of running the riser insertion tube, the method to contain the flow. this doesn't stop the flow, but it contains the flow. we hope to have that tool inserted by sometime late tonight. it's back on the sea bed. we did have to pull it back to surface yesterday to make some adjustments so that we could connect it properly to the pipe work that connects it to the ship. but we expect to begin operation of that equipment overnight tonight. >> coming up, we'll have a live report from the gulf, including controversial plans to blast chemicals into the well.

hopefully that will break up the oil before it reaches the surface. >> u.s. attorney generic holder catching some flak in washington. he wants to investigate arizona's new immigration law, but just this week, while testifying on it, he admitted to a congressional panel that he hadn't read it yet and that has critics looking back over some other controversial comments that the attorney general has made starting less than a month after president obama took office. listen. >> things racial, we have always been and continue to be, i believe, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards. he will be killed i bus or his own people so that he's not captured by us. >> that was in reference to osama bin laden. so those and a couple of other things that america's top law enforcer has said, like planning to try the 9-11 suspects near ground zero. that's caused the administration to back pedal at times and spin a little bit. is holder becoming a liability?

bob and cal thomas, both of these guys write a great column for usa today and we're always happy to see you. thank you for being here. be honest with me, please, how badly did you cringe when you heard eric holder admit that he had merely glanced at the ten page arizona immigration law? come on. >> i'll answer that question, but can i say this about this previous story? can peter king whine any more? i mean, i've never seen a guy that whines more than congressman king. he's unbelievable. >> congressman king is always very gracious with his time with us and while i have those two -- >> as long as i get in front of the camera before he does, it's a dangerous place. >> back to eric holder. come on. >> going back to holder, the attorney general is not expected to read every piece of legislation that comes out of state legislatures and on this one, he had people that gave him briefs. i don't suspect he should have been using it -- reading it.

i don't believe he's a liability at all. i think what he is is a lot of this stuff is taken out of context by the right. in the country, i don't think people care one way or the other. >> cal, this is a guy whose name was mentioned, has been mentioned as a possible supreme court nominee. i guess he could scratch that off his bucket list. that's not going to happen. >> no, i don't think so. here is where washington is today and this is why the public really hates it, no matter who seems to be running things and it would be nice if somebody actually was running things. in washington, if you're a member of congress, you can vote for legislation that hasn't been written and if you're the attorney general, you can try to enforce a law that he hasn't even read. this is what passes for leadership in washington? look, i think this is just amazing. most people get this around the country. as far as being a coward when it comes to race as the attorney general said last year, this country has done more in tenets to make up for the sinfulness of

slavery than any other country has done with a similar situation. so i don't know what he's talking about. now, he serves at the president's behest. i mean, if the president wants him and he apparently does, then that's fine. he can have him. but i do believe he's becoming a liability, especially on this terrorism issue. when congressman lamar smith asked him, look, wouldn't you say that radical islamic terrorism is a part of this? he asked him 12 times. and he couldn't give a declarative answer. that's scary. >> bob, you think about whether or not the president might want to replace eric holder, say with janet napolitano. then she has said some things since taking office that have not necessarily been received so well, like after the underwear bomber took place on christmas day, she said the system was working beautifully. does the president's cabinet have -- create problems for him and for the democrats heading into this midterm election in november? >> the answer is eric holder, there is no chance that he's going to get rid of eric holder and eric holder is still a

viable candidate for the supreme court at some point. leaving that aside, cal, when he said, he doesn't need to enforce this arizona law. in fact, this law is so unconstitutional and blatantly racist that it ought to be brought down and will be brought down by the federal courts, as far as i'm concerned. the other thing holder deserves as a man of color, to say something about we have had a reluctance to talk about race in this country. it has been a cowardly performance and we should not say that somehow we've done everything we can. we haven't. and i think he took a lot of guts to say what he said. i think eric holder is one of these guys who says what he thinks. >> i don't understand, bob, how something could be unconstitutional. the attorney general, like the president, swears an oath to uphold the constitution. that means the laws of the united states. this is a law -- >> this is a law of arizona. >> but the people are violating the law and the federal government wouldn't do anything about it and so governor brewer has taken it upon herself. there by, i think, elevating her in the eyes of the republicans

to a possible vice presidential pick in 2012. she's done a great job. >> the polls show, we just look at polls and i'll give you that you can find a poll that says whatever you want it to say. but polls show the american people did not want health care reform. they got it. polls show the american people are by large margins in favor of arizona's immigration law, and this administration is opposing it. are the democrats trying to lose in november? >> no, i wonder how many of the majority of those people read the law themselves? the fact of the matter is that oftentimes there are laws where it was medicare, social security, which were unpopular at first. it requires leadership. if you're going to go along with what the polls show and play this dodge game the way the republicans do, play with polls. but in the long run, this health care bill will serve this country well it and it doesn't

mean it has to be popular. it means it has to be right and it is right and it became unpopular because the republicana very good job on giving this, of turning it into a negative bill. >> cal, these are some of the things that democrats use to slam president bush for and republicans used to back him up and say that this was a president who didn't pay attention to the polls. this was a president, meaning george w. bush, who went and did what he thought was best for the country no matter what public opinion was. now you see president obama getting slammed for the same thing. >> there is a bulletin. they all say they don't pay attention to the polls. karl rove said bush didn't pay attention to the polls. bill clinton, the most polling president in history, he even polled on where he should go on vacation. they're paying attention to the polls. that's why you're going to see the president move back toward the center in some respect during the summer. i don't know where that will be. i'm not sure he knows where the center is. but i don't think eric holder, to get back the subject, is

really helping him a lot, especially on immigration. and look, there are an awful lot of legally here hispanics, bob, who are for this law. they came here legally and obeyed the law. they're against people who break it. >> gentlemen, 97% of the producers in the control room have told me that this segment is over. i got to go with that. >> fine. >> gentlemen. thank you so much. bob, cal. read the columns that these guys write together. enjoy the rest of your weekend. >> thank you very much. >> all right. the road to the recovery in housing market could be a rocky one. the good news is foreclosure filings dropped 9% in april. but an alarming trend is starting to take shape. according a new federal report, redefaults are on the size.

homeowners defaulted again after nine months. it's understandable in this economy, could that lead to another housing crisis? laura ingle is live. it doesn't seem like -- it seems like it's a no brainer. the economy is still rough. they still want make the lower payments. >> it is so tough for so many people. experts say that any drop in foreclosures is positive, but that the recent dip should not be seen as a trend. these new figures we're talking about come from realty track, which is a company that collects foreclosure data nationwide. reps say this one month figure really doesn't speak to the rough days expected to come. and remember, in april foreclosures were down 9%. many desperate homeowners are struggling to hold on to their properties through these loan modifications, which experts say adds up to a short-term solution for a problem that's overreaching. >> what a loan modification is doing, when somebody can't keep up with it, is prolonging the

inevitable and the inevitable being a short sale, or a foreclosure. >> those are the real estate business say the evidence shows the banks are right now just working through a large backlog of foreclosures, which is why we saw the numbers change. we could see a spike in foreclosure numbers once again. according to a joint report released this week by the office of the comptroller of the currency and the office of thrift supervision, the redefault rate of loans modified in the first quarter of 2009 was 51.5%. >> last year we saw the number of households receiving a foreclosure notice jump from 2.3 million to 2.8 million. this year we're forecasting somewhere in the order of 3.1 to 3.2 million households receiving a foreclosure notice, which would set yet another record. and it's likely that we will exceed that, at least marginally in 2011. >> if you've been feeling lonely in this redefault world, another interesting statistic we want to mention. more than half of the borrowers in the united states who hold on

to their properties through these loan modifications will default again within a year. that is the prediction. juliette. >> laura ingle, thank you. >> president obama taking time to honor the fallen heros among our nation's finest today. the president speaking to thousands of police officers gathered outside the capitol building as part of peace officers memorial day and the culmination of a week of events remembering the police men and women who have died in the line of duty. malini wilkes has more. >> it's a tradition going back nearly 50 years. law enforcement officers from all over the country gathering in washington for police week honoring colleagues who died in the line of duty. today president obama spoke at a memorial service at the capitol, thanking officers and their families for their sacrifices. >> you don't know what the next dispatch will bring. all you know is your duty to keep us safe, to keep our community safe, to keep america safe.

it is a duty you fulfill every single day. >> it just reminds me that freedom requires sacrifice that the protecter will never know. >> reporter: many officers told us they had to do more with less during the recession. earlier this week, president obama tried to assure police they will have the resources they need to do their jobs. he said $3.5 billion in stimulus funds have gone towards supporting local law enforcement, helping to preserve 4700 jobs. officers say when it comes to fighting crime, they can always use more equipment and manpower. >> hiring freezes are coming down. there are academies being cut back, equipment is being used longer. anything that can help with our mission from any level is appreciated. >> they probably could and could support us more by not letting the people out who hurt our loved ones and take our loved ones from us. >> reporter: the national memorial fund says 116 officers died in the line of duty in

2009. they say that's the lowest number in 50 years. rick? >> thanks very much. and former first lady laura bush making the talk show rounds promoting her new book, laura bush, an intimate portrait of the first lady. she's raising some eyebrows, saying she's pro-highway, pro-gay marriage. asking her thoughts on the president's choice for the next supreme court justice, elena kagan. listen. >> how do you feel about president obama naming elena kagan to be, if she's confirmed, the third woman justice serving on the supreme court at the same time? >> i think it's great. i'm really glad that there will be three if she's confirmed. i like to have women on the supreme court. >> you think it makes a difference? >> i think it does make a difference. i just like women to be represented in all pants of parts -- parts of american and

civic life. >> you can watch the interview tomorrow, check your local listings. >> new reports of a criminal probe launched in connection to last month's deadly mine blast in west virginia. the justice department apparently trying to figure out if there was, quote, willful criminal activity by the company that operates the mines. that company is performance coal, subsidiary of massey energy company, which owns the mine. last month f.b.i. agents interviewed nearly two dozen current and former massey employees. 29 workers died in the explosion. here is a story that everybody i talk to wants to talk about. this is the young dutch boy who was the only survivor of the libyan plane crash this past week. he is now back in his home country the netherlands. the nine-year-old, accompanied by his aunt and uncle issue was transported by med vac after being treated by doctors in libya for severe leg fractures. he's reportedly been told that his parents and his brother died in that crash. the plane went down just short of the runway in libya.

it happened on wednesday. 103 people on board the plane were killed and he was the only one who made it. >> there is a picture in the new york post and it's so heart breaking. he's obviously very injured and he just looks so sad and he looks so small. just so little. poor kid. the libyan doctors let him take a phone call from a newspaper in the netherlands. this poor kid is being grilled. hopefully things change once he gets home. flight controllers are deciding tonight whether to move the international space station out of the way of a piece of oncoming space junk. what does this mean for the shuttle atlantis that's also heading towards the space station? the latest on the space mission coming up. >> also, the world's next rocket scientist, engineers and greatest minds competing for huge cash prizes. are you competing? >> no. >> well, you're going to meet the young girl whose medical breakthrough won her the very

first prize in the contest, when we come back.

fox news alert. there will not be a triple crown winner in horse racing this year. looking at lucky has won the

2010 preakness in baltimore, maryland. this is the run for the black eyed susan. the race is over and the favored, super saver, who won the kentucky derby, came in second. looking at luckily came in sixth at the >> i think they're telling us it's time to go to the extreme weather center. the night the lights we want out in georgia was a popular song back in the day. last month it became a reality. storms knocked out power in fullon county, leaving it totally in the dark. hail and heavy rain, damaging homes and knocking down trees, power crews working on the roads lit only by their head lights. where are the storms heading

next? domenica davis is live and has serious news for us now. no joking around about this. >> yeah. no joking around because we're still looking at flooding here and it's down to the south. all the same places we've been talking about flooding for the past couple of weeks. no exception this weekend. low pressure system is dragging a lot of gulf moisture. unfortunately, scattered showers and thunderstorms stay in the forecast for the next several days. here is the rain that is pushing into louisiana. we have had a few tornado warnings, although tornadoes aren't the major threat with this. it's mainly the flash flooding and hail. we have seen already so far from louisiana up into the tennessee valley, some parts picked up three inches of rain and these cells are going to keep going in and out over the next few days. it's not over. the rain is pushing into knoxville. we have a few cells south of the nashville area. they're sags across the tennessee valley. it stays in place for the next couple of days.

waves of low pressure keep riding that and that will bring the moisture in. large hail, strong winds, isolated tornadoes will be the threat as we go through the balance of the weekend. juliette. >> thank you very much. was that andy griffith? did you hear that? >> i heard the theme of the andy griffith show. >> are we losing our minds? >> maybe someone in the control room is watching a different channel. >> 16,000 finalists of the intel international science and engineering fair descending on san jose, the world's largest precollege competition of its kind. these students aren't just vying for bragging rights, there is $4 million in prize money for up grabs. con continental mcshane has more new. >> reporter: it's not your grandfather's science fair. not when you have a 16-year-old from reno, nevada who has already gotten a grant from the department of homeland security. he's invented a device that can

tell us what's inside cargo containers. >> what i've done here is developed a way for the united states department of homeland security to verify the contents of cargo containers and depending on the contents of that cargo container, it would emit a specific radiation signature. >> reporter: all of this by intel, whose ceo tells us that his company is investing $100 million per year on education. >> we've trained 7 million teachers around the world. that was the start of our program. it was the idea about how do you integrate computer technology internet into the classrooms? how do you get a better quality of math and science education? how do you use modern technology to help the teaching process? >> reporter: these types of investments are paying off. over 40% of the students here are americans. but there is no denying this is a multi cultural event. 59 different countries represented here. more than 1600 kids competing for $4 billion in prize money. the top winner leaves san jose

this year with $75,000. that winner, 15-year-old amy chow from richardson, texas. >> i'm working on a photo dynamic therapy. i designed a tool to reach internal tissues. >> she and all the other contestants have their eyes on the future. and companies like intel think this is their future, too. in san jose, fox business. >> nasa is keeping an eye on space junk orbiting near the international space station where the shuttle atlantis is heading right now. the shuttle blasted off from cape canaveral yesterday. scheduled to dock at the space station tomorrow. flight controllers are going to be moving the station if the debris poses a threat.

this is atlantis' final flight. after this, two remain. a possible new solution and a new snag in the gulf of mexico where crews are trying to stop the massive oil leak. david lee miller is live in venice, louisiana. david? >> reporter: rick, despite this latest setback, bp officials remain cautiously optimistic they are going to be at least able to reduce the amount of oil flowing into the gulf. this is the secretary of the interior said today, some of the smartest minds in the world are working on the problem. i'll have all the details when we come back.

saturday afternoon, bottom of the hour, here are your top headlines. the sole survivor of wednesday's plane crash in libya arriving back in his home country of the netherlands today. doctors say he suffered multiple leg fractures, but thankfully is expected to recover. >> british authorities warning of a possible new round of travel disruptions tomorrow.

that's because an ash cloud threatening air space once again. closures could last through tuesday. >> britain's new prime minister, david cameron, that's karzai, who had a meeting with cameron. theirs first face-to-face. they discussed the war on terror. there he is. an upcoming peace conference and strengthening ties between the two countries. the latest attempt to contain the gulf oil spill. crews are back at it after running into some problems earlier today. yet another round of problems. bp technicians trying to incerta while long tube into a broken pipe on the sea floor. this is the plan. you siphon the oil onto a tanker. david lee miller is live in louisiana. what do we know about the latest

setback? >> reporter: you make it sound so simple. but it looks like bp engineers and scientists continue to learn on the job. what did they learn in the last 24 hours or so? well, that mile long tube that you talked about that would go from this tanker into the pipe that is spilling oil into the gulf had to be aligned with a framework-type box. apparently it was misaligned. they couldn't align it using the robotic submarine. they had to take the structure above the surface, had to be realigned, now it is once again in place and they are going to attempt again to insert the tube into the pipe and siphon off that oil sometime in the next few hours. this is not a cure all. bp says it would only stop the spillage by about three quarters, a more permanent cure would take weeks if not months and probably require the drilling of an additional well. juliette. >> we're looking at the video of the oil literally gushing out. it's so unbelievable.

to think, it keeps going on and on, 24 hours a day. so in other news, the interior secretary toured a local wild life preserve today in that area >> is that right? >> reporter: that's right. the secretary of the interior, ken salazar, was here in the region today. he wanted to see what efforts were being made to stop the leak, as well as to clean up the gulf. one of the things he did, he went to a wild life rehabilitation center. he got a bird's eye view, if you will, of a pell can -- pelican that was coated in oil. workers at the rehab center were washing this bird. it is believed and expected they are going to save its life. a number of other birds, though, were not able to be saved. also today, the secretary brought with him a message from president obama at a news conference, he spoke about this administration's commitment to solving the problem in the gulf. here is what he said. >> we shall not rest. we shall not take a day off until we get this problem

resolved. we have been on this problem now going on 25 days. there are many different fronts on this battle. we're fighting them on all fronts and we are resolute in our effort to do everything we can to bring this problem under control. >> reporter: in another development today, the secretary for homeland security, janet napolitano, said that she wants assurances from bp that they are going to spend beyond the $75 million federal cap on what they might otherwise have as a ceiling on what's happening in the gulf. the company says it will pay all legitimate claims. the secretary of homeland security is looking for future clarification, exactly how big a check bp here is going to be willing to write. juliette. >> also what their definition of legitimate might be. thank you very much. appreciate it. >> financial news now, if you're in the market for a new home, it may be time to start looking.

seemingly strange advice considering a lot of those tax credits for homeowners are beginning to expire. but there are market analysts who say that those tax credits may have been propping up home prices and that buyers now will be able to get even better tools. elizabeth prann is live for us. why are analysts saying that? are buyers getting better deals now? >> it seems they are getting better deals. they took a gamble and it seems to be paying off. at least metro atlanta weigh see home buyers who decided to pass up the federal tax credit. they're seeing home prices drop 10, 20, even $30,000 from their original asking price. here in the south it's a buyer's market because these listing agents have to move these properties, so they have to replace these incentives that were in place by the federal government, that we did see an uptick in march sales. that was the month before the deadline expired. home sales rose 27%, that's the

biggest increase in nearly 50 years. there is still a lot of inventory out there and a lot of demand. so buyers can still be a little picky. rick? >> what about all those tax credits, how much did that cost the federal government? >> well, preliminary reports coming from the cbo, congressional budget office, report that over the next eight years, it's going to cost the federal government about $4.6 billion. keep in mind, these tax credits will be doled out when buyers file for tax returns this time next year. the national association of realtors, they report about 1.8 million people participated in the program. rick. >> elizabeth prann live in atlanta. thanks so much. >> here is an interesting stat for you. experts predict solar power can provide a quarter of the world's electricity by the year 2050. so is the u.s. in a position to be the leader in this lucrative and growing industry? what needs to be done to insure our dominance in this field? here is a managing partner with an investment group. good to have you here, sir.

so basically in 40 years, a quarter of the earth's energy will come via solar power. does this seem likely to you? >> well, it's to be seen. obviously we can't make predictions what's going to happen 40 years from now. this is really a dollar and cents game. this tragedy in the gulf has really ignited the conversation which is very important. we need to have alternative solutions. but solar energy is very, very expensive. as a matter of fact, to kind of put it in perspective, if you look at coal, oil and natural gas, it costs 5 cents to create a kilowatt hour using those. it costs 38 cents with solar energy. so it's really seven times more expensive. it will take a long time to get really any kind of electricity, any kind of production out of solar severally because the dollar and cents. >> i think the lay person just thinks solar power, you put a couple solar panels up in your

house and there you go. how could that be expensive? is another issue technology, we're just not as far ahead as we need to be? >> we're not. we've doubled how much money is being spent. i think in 2000, the world wide, was $250 million. now it's $500 million. that sounds like a lot of money. it isn't a lot of money. we have to really dedicate quite a bit of money to this. now the question is, who is gog lead us? -- going to lead us? i don't think the united states, i do not believe the united states will be the leader in this area because it cost has tremendous amount of money and with natural gas being plentiful in the united states and with our economy as it is and with our debt as it is, i do not see the united states spending a lot of money developing this technology. >> that surprise has lot of people. we're a super power, we have the most creative, brilliant minds on the planet. and yet we're not -- you're explaining it. technology and the cost. are lawmakers doing anything? are there supporters of this

that are making any headway at all? >> yeah. there is a little bits and pieces of it, but it's really not coming together because natural gas prices are so low and so plentiful that we have a solution to some degree. but solar energy will come about. we're starting to see little bits and pieces of it, but i do not believe the united states will be the leader. an example, many years ago, we developed the high speed trains. europe did. >> why did we not develop it? cost and technology? >> completely. that's exactly what it comes down to. >> we'll check back in 40 years. glad to have you back on the program. thanks very much. >> when we come back, veterans returning home from war and more and more of those veterans are women. how well is the federal government meeting their needs when they get back home? that story coming up next.

thanks to those who risk their lives every day so that we can live in freedom. today is armed forces day and american tradition since 1960. president truman created the day to honor our brave men and women serve not guilty all five branches of the military. so to the many thousands protecting our shores here at home and serving overseas, we here at fox news channel would like to express our heartfelt thanks tore your service. >> here, here. more and more those serving in all branches of our military are women. the ranks of female veterans getting bigger as more return home from wars overseas. but going from combat to civilian life can be challenging. veteran affairs department ramping up its efforts to improve the health care for the female vets. casey stegall is live in los angeles. good to see you. what has the v.a. noticed when it comes to female veterans specifically? >> reporter: rick, they've uncovered pretty disturbing trends because so manumea family

veterans -- female veterans are coming into the military, the v.a. is looking at how the women fair and specific needs that they might have. real quickly, some numbers for you. 15% of all veterans are women and that's nearly 1.8 million across all of the branches. the u.s. department of veteran affairs is noticing that more women are homeless than their male counterparts. 11% compared to 7%. women veterans three times more likely to get a divorce. they're also diagnosed with ptsd, posttraumatic stress disorder more frequently, and listen to this, 40% of women are seeking services from the v.a. as opposed to 22% of male veterans. there certainly is a niche that we understand is only going to grow as more and more women join the ranks and that is why the v.a. is looking at how to better assess the needs of those people who are serving and giving their

lives for our country. >> all right. so they're identifying the needs. how are they addressing them? what are they actually doing to help these females? >> reporter: as you know, the v.a., the whole v.a. system is set up to cater to very specific needs of a veteran. if one loses a limb at war, they have programs for amputees, for example. and that's what's happening with the women. they formed special outreach programs that track these female veterans, making sure that they're redid he go grating back into -- reintegrating back into society okay and the most important special all women clinics are opening up at v.a. campuses all around the country. not only meeting psychological needs, but also physical health needs for those women as well as they say this is something that's growing and should become more of a priority by the federal government, rick. >> an important story. thank you for bringing it to us. >> in these tough times, it's tough to stretch your vacation

budget, so we have the best hotels for your money from "consumer reports," coming up right after the break.

summer is almost here. it's time to start thinking about your vacation plans. picking the right hotel to make or break your entire trip. >> tell your dad that, rick. so how do you know if your hotel budget is really being spent well?

"consumer reports" tested out a whole bunch of them from the super ritzy to the lower ones. let's start with the fanciest hotels, who came out on top? >> she likes those. >> the ritz carlton was number one in the fancy hotels. they're pretty ritzy. up to $400 a night. >> is it easier to get a deal naumov that it's summer and a lot of, i don't know, rooms are open? >> it's easy in a lot of places. last year as many as half the hotel rooms were empty. so people have a lot of room to bargain. >> i want to talk about bargaining in a minute. you say it does pay. you can get a better deal if you haggle a little bit. >> absolutely. in our survey, 80% -- people who haggled were successful 80% of the time at either getting a reduced room rate or free room upgrade. >> what do you say? are there lines for that? can you do any better? >> can you do any better is the number one line. you can be more aggressive if you want to. but very often that will get you

something. >> the best luxury hotel? >> renaissance chain was very successful there. but there is a lot of good ones there. pretty much in that category, you're safe. >> the best upscale hotel, 'cause we're doing the high end hotels. we'll put that up real fast. the homewood suites. let's jump down to some of the other price points, 'cause the best moderate and budget hotel, what did you find? >> the drury inn and suites among the moderate. the only one that stood out among the budget was micro tel. >> i never heard of them. >> i had not either. but they're doing something right. people look for them. >> let me ask you, a couple seconds left, budget hotels you found are not necessarily as advertised? >> no. people were pretty dissatisfied with them in terms of value. our suggestion is move up to that next category, the moderate hotels. it's only $10 a night more. may not be anything more and you'll be happier. >> these travel web sites, expedia and other stuff r they

helpful? >> you can do very well on some of those. often you don't know exactly what hotel you're staying at and it may be a nonrefundable rate. if your plans change, you could be out money. >> how do you know where to go if you don't know what hotel you're staying in. >> your dad would take you on trips and no hotel. >> we did a great job. >> thank you very much, "consumer reports," always nice to have you and that does it for us. >> it was good seeing you again. fox report is starting right now. thank you for joining us today. have a good weekend. i just want fewer pills

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