better schools, remember your own responsibilities.r the time you spend with your kids after dinner just might make all the difference.ff. for fox news reporting i'm tucker carlson. this is a fox news alert. five adults and eight children from a religious cult who disappeared and were suspected it of possibly taking part in a suicide pack of -- have all been found alive and are okay. the group had left letters saying they were anticipating some sort of an uh poke lip particular event and would soon see jesus and their dead relatives in heaven. >> we will be speaking live in moments from now with a sheriff in that case. just a short while ago, this dramatic moment at a press conference where the los angeles sheriff's department spokesman was updating the media on the latest search efforts. listen. >> this is important to note.

really? ladies and gentlemen, we just found them. >> alive? >> yes, they are alive and well and at a park here in the antelope valley. they are at jackie robinson park, and they are alive and well. i was just given that update. >> whitmore will be our guest and he will let us know about this organization and what they meant by they would soon join their dead relatives in heaven. i will be interviewing him live in moments from now. meantime, after over a year in captivity and a notorious iranian prison, one of three american hikers who lost her way on the iraq-iran border is back in america. she is here in new york will in fact, she just spokey united nations where she maintains her innocence in the uh fair. >> shane and josh do not deserve to be in prison one day longer than i was. we committed no crime, and we

are not spies. we in no way intended harm to the government or its people and believe a huge misunderstanding lead to our detention and prolonged imprisonment. >> her fiancee, shane and their friend josh remain in tehran's prison. also in new york city, prap not a coincidence -- perhaps not a coincidence, the iranian president meeting with the secretary general. this week he will be attending meetings at the united nations' general assembly. we go now live to washington with more. molly, will iran participate in any of the meetings on its nuclear program? >> secretary of state hillary clinton says it is not likely. even though members of the p5 plus one, an important group, the p5 plus one are the permanent five members of the u.n security council, u.s., britain, france and germany

will all be there as will iran. here is more. >> we thought that they were open to that. we certainly had indicated our readiness to meet. i will be meeting with my counterparts of the p5 plus 1 to discuss where matters stand. but as we are speaking right now, i know of no meeting that the iranians have agreed to attend. >> the u.n security council imposed four rounds of sanctions on iran because of the nuclear program which the u.s. and other nations is to believe create nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them. >> what does iran's president have to say about such a meeting? >> well, they always like to talk in diplo-speak, and who knows what they mean at the end of the day? but only din gnaw -- but ahmadinejad would not commit. he said in an interview, quote, we have a plan to discuss things, discuss issues. we have always been ready to discuss issues as long as it

is in the legal framework and based on justice and respect. he goes on to say, we believe that the united states is pressing the iaea, the international atomic energy agency, to take a political position on the issue regarding the nuclear program. once the iaea does that, its worth is worthless is ineffective. ahmadinejad says they are not blocking the iaea which is the u.n's nuclear watchdog group from inspecting its nuclear sites, but the iaea said last week that iran has blocked some of its inspectors from getting in and doing their work. greg? >> molly heninburg live in washington, thanks. hurricane igor on a collision course with bermuda. large waves pounding the island shore as it draws near and residents making final preparations before igor makes landfall. rick eleven ven that will is -- rick leventhal joins us

now. it is picking up, rick. >> yeah, deteriorating by the hour. you can see the piewm trees be -- the palm trees behind me whipping in the wind. but out there in the sea a different picture, violent, violent surf pounding against the rocks along the point. you can see the waves as they come ashore and bash against the ocean front restaurant there at the reffs hotel that -- the reefs hotel that has been hurt hard already. here is what that area looked like a few hours ago. here is a close up look at some of the violent waves that are already hitting bermuda's southern coast with the worst of hurricane igor still several hours away. we are seeing storm surge and some pretty rough conditions. the rough surf chewed away several feet of sand at the reefs hotel. you can see rocks exposed because the beach used to be several feet higher, up to the

base of the platform here, and the few hotel guests that are still here have been moved to the more secure area. the condos are high up on the cliff to keep them out of harm's way. >> and we are in that secure area, but i want to show you again where we are originally standing in the taped piece. down there to the right where you can see the water, and it looks like a water fall as the water hits the platform and drains off, that's where we were standing. it is no longer safe done down there. the railing has been busted off, and it is completely gone. anything on the coast at sea level will be hit hard by this storm. only a cat one and originally a cat four, but still making a direct hit on this island a few hours from now. >> wow, all right, rick leventhal, thank you very much. government spending, of course a huge issue driving voters this campaign season, and now inside washington

lawmakers are wrestling over real reforms. the house republican self-imposed one-year ban on earmarked spending is set to expire. will they renew this and should democrats do the same and make it an issue? brian donohue is a founder and partner of craft media digital and lee is a democratic strategist and former senior advisor to democratic senator harry reid. brian, earmarks are often sliped into a bill at the last minute. there is rarely debate. many not discovered until after the bill becomes law and we looked it up, up to $60 billion each and every year. wouldn't voters respond positively if republicans extended indefinitely their moratoriums on earmarks or banned them out right? >> i think voters would be open to that. i think they like when politicians in washington are

looking to get the fiscal house in order, especially after this administration's massive government spending and massive taxes. last year alone spending bills included off -- over 10,000 earmarks and some directed to for profit companies. and you mentioned $60 billion, that's all taxpayer money. you know what, the americans are fed up with this. that's why republicans across this country are running on this message of physician wall responsibility -- of physician -- physician -- f si cal responsibility. >> fox news spent a full year looking at earmarks. we had a one-our documentary showing that billions of taxpayer money is spent on projects that are either a complete waste of money or projects that help make lawmakers personally rich, democrats and republicans alike. when most americans regard government spending as out of control, and that's true for

most polls, in fact we will put our own fox news dynamics poll right now, almost half say it is extremely important to vote -- to their vote in the upcoming election. there is the number. why aren't democrats pushing for a complete end to earmarks? >> one of the very first things we did when we took over the house in -- the house and senate in 2007 was put together an ethics package. part of it was authored by then senator barack obama and it was to reduce the number of ear -- earmarks. we have cut them out and since 2007 we continue to cut back. >> it is not moratorium. i am talking complete moratorium for banning them out right. >> but, greg, keep in mind what they are doing. as soon as you say that, look what happened with the department of defense budget. when we said we wanted to target and put into place programs in which the weapons we are now using, everybody, both sides of the aisle said no, no, no. don't touch mine. republicans are just as

guilty. so, yes, reforms need to be made, but we need to remember some of these earmarks go to help pay for -- >> you agree republicans have done more to end earmarks than democrats? >> no. >> dl is a building -- there is a building in nevada named after harry reid at the university of nevada from his spending in earmarks. i know that is someone who you -- >> and there is a bridge to nowhere in alaska that sarah palin accepted the money for. >> i am the guy who spent a year, working on the earmarks documentary. and we targeted, brian, more guilty republicans than democrats on the earmarks. so brian let me stick with you. colin powell, republican, who endorsed barack obama said today that the tea party movement and republicans both need a bigger agenda. it is not enough to call for a stop to massive government spending. but take a look at this other fox news opinion poll, 59% of

americans think our national debt is the greatest potential threat for our nation's future. brian, maybe it is colin powell who does -- doesn't get it. government spending is the issue. >> government spending clearly is the issue. that's why americans are fed up. americans are not seeing anyone being helped, small businesses, local businesses, families being helped. they just see us writing more checks to the federal government and more special interests getting rich. there needs to be moratorium at the very least and republicans would be benefit and show a clear demonstration of fiscal responsibility if they ended earmarks altogether and came up with a new transparent way for funding local projects. >> would you agree with that, penny? end earmarks completely and any future spending on a state or local level has to be completely transparent with an up or down vote? >> it really is amazing to see

them elect these people. they put their faith and trust to come to washington and make decisions for them. but when they say we don't trust to spend in our own districts, this is fascinating to watch. one of the reasons the tea party movement -- >> that's where their jobs are. that's where we have creation of jobs and we are putting the weapon system -- they have to be built someplace and many are done through earmarks. >> shouldn't it be local revenue and state revenue? >> you are talking billions and billions. to put together a nuclear power plant, that is going to require some earmarks. >> make it transparent. don't slip it into an earmark nobody knows about. >> one of the very first things we did was put together a transparency where every earmark needs to be disclosed. that is democrats. over 3 million jobs were

created. >> that's unprovable, penny. but we will leave it at that. >> brian donohue, penny lee, thank you both and happy sunday to you. to afghanistan where officials are pouring over ballots from the country's parlimentary elections. they are also sifting through complaints of fraud. and it could be weeks before we have any results. connor powell is streaming live from kabul, afghanistan. connor? >> julie, afghan candidates and their supporters are filing official complaints and challenges under afghan law with the afghan independent election commission. it will be several weeks before they sort out the widespread irregularities that international observers say actually occurred yesterday during the parlimentary vote. yesterday they hailed the vote as a success. he admitted there were problems with the vote. it was far from perfect, but he said it was a much better vote than the presidential election that was fraud-riddled and ballot

stuffing last year. ambassador i cee nberry said it was a much better vote. it was an improvement. it was the type of progress the united states needs to see out of afghanistan, and he claimed that part of the progress was due in large part to the new u.s. strategy here in afghanistan. >> we can see progress being made. it comes slow. sometimes there are setbacks, but clearly yesterday if it was a good day for a democratic representative government of afghanistan to move forward, yeah it is a great day for america. >> now, both ambassador eikenberry and other officials here in kabul are urging caution, but this is just the beginning of a very long process. the vote was one part. but last year uh had lot -- a lot of the fraud happened after the election. international observers and western officials are watching to see what happens over the next couple days as afghan officials collect and begin to

count this vote. this is just the beginning of the process here. but so far western officials and particularly u.s. officials are very upbeat about the prospects of this election being better than last year, julie. >> connor powell, thank you very much. now to the economy in a new study that finds the biggest problem holding back small business is not what politicians like to focus on, taxes or too much regulation. the report by the national federation of independent business claims a simple law -- blames a simple law, low demand. people not buying enough stuff to get small business growing again. how much weight should a study like this hold? our senior visiting correspondent is here to explain it all. brenda, if it is not taxes or overregulation holding small businesses back and lack of demand, what should businesses do with this kind of information? >> well, i mean, it is pretty basic. if you look behind the headlines, if people can't sell their stuff they will not have as much money and it is a

vicious cycle. if businesses are not selling they can't buy. and in fact, capital outlays investment is at a rate 2349 last six months. the lowest rate hit a 35-year low. that is the vicious cycle. what it all comes down to are why are people not buying? the economy, unemployment at near double-digit percentage points. very, very difficult. people can't afford to buy and they are saving more. it is something the government is not do -- doing. remember, this low demand comes even though the government has spent some $800 billion to try to get people to hire and to employ. so it really comes down to what is going on in washington. >> as you know, this past week the senate passed a small stimulus bill that would create a -- $30 million for business funding and it will help companies invest and

hire. and my question then, if this is all true and the study is correct, is this all for nothing? does this mean that all of this money that's being dumped into the economy isn't necessarily going to uncrease demand? >> well,-- to increase demand? >> until we get employment under control and it does president seem the solutions that -- doesn't seem the solutions washington is coming up to is getting to that point, then yes. the study says a lot of the money has been basically a waste. but there are all the other parts, very interesting parts of the study i went through. basically small businesses don't want financing. they are too scared of what is to come in the economy to want to borrow. their financing is down, and they are not asking for much. all they want is to get cash flow. and a lot of them are doing that on credit cards. you know, there is more than the headline in this one. >> brenda, thank you very much. greg?

a desperate search ends with all members of a cult-like group apparently safe and sound. but why did they leave these notes which lead their loved ones to believe they were pea pairing for something tragic? we will talk with the los angeles sheriff's department coming up next. >> in essence they indicated there may be a journey to the next life. suicide was never used. the word is very important. mass suicide was never used. we are going to take our own lives, never used.

looking at some of the stories topping the headlines, admiral thad allen claiming bp's blown out well is effectively dead. the well is now sealed in the worst oil spill in american history. more tests confirm it and it no longer poses a threat to the gulf. bermuda residents feeling the affects of hurricane igor as they prepare for the storm to make land fall. it weakened to a category one storm, but it is expected to rip across the island with 85 mile per hour winds and flooding rains. british police releasing six men arrested on -- arrested.

somebody overheard them allegedly discussing an attack. no charges have been plot. members of a cult-like group that went missing in california found praying in a los angeles county park, all fine and alive. we are just getting this brand-new video of that group at the park where they were found. the relatives, worried sick. overnight, a massive search for these people. police feared the five adults and eight children were preparing for a mass suicide after the group left behind notes saying they were going to see jesus and deceased relatives in heaven. joining us now is steve whitmore, a spokesman for the los angeles county sheriff's department. thank you for taking the time. you had a really, really long night. as the night went on

overnight, and i guess originally when this news released was released it was not supposed to leak out i understand. >> it had nothing to do with leaking out or not leaking out. the good news is they are alive and they are yell. and all of the l.a. county sheriff's department, law enforcement and the community at large is finding them. by the way, if i may, the way we did find them was that a resident who jogs at that park, who goes and cleans up the trash saw the news report. you guys, the broadcast. he immediately responded and that was at 11:30 today. if i may characterize the letters left behind, if you read them, it reads like a will and test meant. right now the cult-like leader is a bit confused. we will send her for further evaluation. we understand that.

she will go for further psychological evaluation. a couple of the other people there today have come in to voluntarily talk and will try to illuminate exactly what went down. time line, 1:00 a.m. saturday morning. 3:00 a.m. spotted by a deputy. 1:45 saturday afternoon they were reported missing. the husband's father saying we are concerned. >> i understand two husbands reported the group missing after one of the wives left a purse containing all their id's cell phones and the letter you mentioned. in the news conference you made sure to point out in nowhere in the letters did they threaten mass suicide. however, the words they used would indicate as such. that is why you guys went on the belief that perhaps a potential mass suicide was in the works. the letters essentially said they were all, and i quote, going shortly to meet jesus and their deceased relatives. are they commenting on these letters at this point? >> no, not at this point. as i say, it is going on right

now. that was an interpretation. if you read those letters, you can read into that. that's exactly what they may have meant. those were not direct quotes. we were concerned though. coupled with the two fathers coming in saying they may be under the spell, words they used, of this individual. reading and seeing the documents, the legal documents, letters, cash and in the letters, "would you please give this money to" so and so and have them use it to their benefit. things like that, yes, concerned. we responded that today at 11:30, all are accounted for, all seem to be okay. >> but here is the concern among many in the american public, while everyone is so relieved to know that all of these children are safe, most importantly, had these five adults carried out a mass suicide as police were fearing, what really would have happened is it would have been a mass suicide murder since there were eight children involved between the ages of three and 17. so my question to you is why

wasn't there ever an amber alert issued for the missing children? >> that's a very good question. and we will certainly get to the bottom to the answer. what was sent out was an emergency system alert, alerting the law enforcement community to look for this. your question was why wasn't an amber alert made public? that's a good question and it will be followed up. the l.a. county sheriff's department is not in charge of the amber alerts. but we will find out exactly why not. it is a very good question. the public needs to know. and they absolutely have a right to know when there is a possibility of harm especially to children. they need to know so they can help us. sans the amber alert. it was those public stories that these individual saw and called us at 11:30 today and we found them safe and sound.

that's the latest on sunday in palmdale, california. >> will there be charges against the five adults? >> right now it is under investigation. there are no criminal charges right now. but we need to investigate this further. we are interviewing two of the adults. as i said, the cult-like leader is going to go for psychological evaluation. she is going to be in a confined environment. there may be charges that come forward. we have to investigate this. obviously we will follow the law. i don't need to say that, but i will. what did happen exactly so we will find that out. >> were they all women? >> there may have been a young man, but there were three sisters so there may have been a young man and another woman, the leader. once again, that all has to be ferreted out. there were 8 kids between the ages of 3 and 17. also there were dogs that were

in these three vehicles. today when we came upon them they were sitting on blankets. some of kids were playing. when they came upon them they said they were okay and they were startled. we will find out more as the hours go by. >> was anything found that would indicate they would bring harm to themselves or to those innocent children? >> no, not at this time. >> so then at this point, what is the next step in the investigation. i understand they are speaking with the adults, but the bottom line sif two husbands who know their wives well, know their wives better than you guys do manage to call police, obviously they felt something was wrong and something was uh miss. they didn't leave their cell phones behind because they planned on coming back for them, do you feel you did -- and who ever found them -- did stop a mass suicide from happening? >> i don't want to speculate on that. the good news is they are alive and well. what i will tell you is the days and hours to come, the department of family services

will obviously check on the well being of these children. that's essentially and that's the essence of this, to make sure those kids as we move forward are going to be okay. there may be some restraining orders. there may be other stuff that happens. there may be charges. but let's wait and see as we move forward what exactly is going to happen. and we will certainly let you know when we know. >> please do. we look forward to hearing and are happy to hear the children are safe. steve whitmore, the spokesman for the los angeles county sheriff's department. thank you forking the -- for taking the time to talk to us. an american hiker freed from an iranian prison is speaking out. what she says happened on the day she and two other americans were arrested by iranian soldiers. her story is next.

it is the bottom of the hour and two car bombs are blowing up in two different neighborhoods in baghdad killing at least 31 people as commuters were starting their workweek. the attacks are the deadliest since the u.s. declared a formal end to combat missions in iraq. >> the ohio governor ted strickland getting a firsthand look at the damage left by a tornado. the twister tearing through a research campus of ohio state university on thursday reducing some of the buildings to rubble and scattering debris across a wide area. president obama and his family went to itch cho. they walked uh -- went to church. the last time he and his family attended church publicly was easter sun i ad, last april. and an american woman released after 13 agonizing months in a notorious iranian prison is now speaking out. sarah shourd expressing deep gratitude for her released, but saying she and the two

other hikers with whom she was imprisoned never committed a crime and their arrest was a huge misunderstanding. we go live to new york city. that's quite a misunderstanding, peter. >> it is, greg. sarah shourd made her first statement to the u.s. media after being released from an iranian prison after 410 days. speaking on behalf of herself and her two friends left behind she declared "we are not spies." she expressed her great thanks to the government and even spoke in arabic saying "praise be to god." she does not blame the iranian people for her ordeal and says she meant them no harm. >> i did -- i do not in anyway blame the iranian people for the pain our family and friends are suffering. i found iranians to be a diverse and generous people

defined by their fervent worship of god, their noble islamic values. like all of us they love their families, and they want to live in peace. >> she says she was just visiting a popular water fall in iraq when she accidentally crossed into the border into iran which she says was unmarked and indiscontinuing wishable. her eyes welled up, especially when talking about those she left behind. >> getting on the plane in tehran was one of the most memorable and most important moments in my life. but this is not the time to celebrate. my disappointment in not sharing this with shane and josh was crushing, and i stand before you today only one-third free. this was the last thing josh said to-before i walked through the prison doors. josh and shane felt one-third free at that moment and so did i.

>> doctors declared her healthy and she had to fly into washington today because all of the flights to new york were booked with travelers connected to this week's united nations general assembly. she got to the hotel in midtown manhattan where she just spoke from washington by car. greg? >> and obviously you hustled from the parker meridian hotel back to our newsroom. peter, thanks very much. >> thanks. well, tea party candidates , unexpected upset and voter outrage, not your average mid-term election. new polls out on some of the most critical races are coming up. next.

two people missing as a typhoon brings wild winds and heavy rain to parts of taiwan. those pictures tell the story. strong wind gusts knocking

rescue workers over as they help people trapped by the storm. winds are taking down several buildings and trees. the storm injuring hundreds of people as rushing floodwaters race through several villages. a huge week in politics shaking up election predictions for november. >> and let's take a look at the late e week's map showing the senate seats up for grabs by the senate party. and let's look at the new projections from the rasmusson report .com. they are going from democrat to solid democrat after kristine o'donnell wins the race. the co author of the book of how the tea party is fundamentally making our two-party system. i don't know why he is listed second and you are first as the author there, scott.

but at any rate, talk to us about the maps we just saw. >> the washington race will be alt more in the -- a little more in the democratic direction. we can see some other ships moving favorably, but the trend remains the same. not a single republican seat is expected to switch at this point in time. several democratic seats are in the toss up category. and of course the big news is delaware. right now kristine o'donnell is down by 11 points. >> it is a really important senate race and now it is a solid democratic. what happened in delaware? >> it was actually leaning republican. >> that's what i meant to say. >> it was the primary and a large part of the support came from activists who are really

hale with are ever -- really happy with the way it played. some people are thinking the tea party would play along and get mike castle elected. it shows that a lot of peel don't like the republicans or the democrats and they were perfectly happy to slap the hand of the republican leadership. >> scott, one of the defining issues for the upcoming midterms is extending the bush tax cut. what did you find? >> we found most warrant to extend them. and the majority would like to extend it for everyone, including the wealthy, but it is simple. a rt jo of democrats across -- a majority of democrats do not want the bush tax cuts extended for anybody. the majority of republicans and unaffiliated voters want it extended for all voters. >> is labeling the tea party member or tea party candidate a positive thing? democrat say they think it is going to actually backfire by

launching them as a tea party conservative. >> they say if you are called a tea party candidate that is a positive thing. 38% say negative. it is interesting when you look at the internals. republicans have a generally positive reaction to the term tea party, but some like the term conservative a lot more. the unaffiliated voters are split down the middle on the label t party. and some have a much more negative view. >> there are the various opinions that coincide with that. >> 70% of americans have a reaction to the term tea party which is amazing because we didn't know about this movement until over a year ago. it is now the most polarizing term in the debate. that suggests how vibrant this grassroots movement has

become. conservative is the most popular term overall. moderate is the one that evokes the least amount of reaction, and probably because people are not sure what that means. liberals are still the weak es and progressive. the rebranding is doing okay, but it does president -- it doesn't do well among unaffiliated voter. >> the tea party movement is changing the picture dramatically. it is titled "mad as hell" how the tea party movement is remaking our two-party system. tell us about this book. >> the book ban because so many people were dising the tea party. it was a true movement that has been bubbling be beneath the surface for a few decades. there will be several tea party senators in office next year, and the tea party is already changing the tax debate. the more we looked, the media and the political elite were

dismissing it. first they said it would be a passing fad and then they said it was astro turf and then racist. we begin to look at the concerns. the tea party move mnt has two broad -- movement has two broad concerns. one they want less government spending. two, they want washington to listen. one day you will look at your daughter and scream at her saying, stop. you need to listen to me. i know what is going on here. that's what the american people are doing. they are saying to the politicians, you have behaving like children. we need to scream at you until you stop and listen and then we can move forward together. >> that's how i talk to greg, and it doesn't work. i will have to read your book. >> that would be a great thing, julie. >> thank you very much, greg. we should go to marital counseling, you and me. >> it is just like being married. i have two wives. well, you have -- will you have enough money to retire? not if your pension gives out.

a troubling report showing many are relying on unrealistic returns for their investments. are you one of those folks? and what should you do to grow your nest egg? a private wealth strategy expert will be joining us. stay tuned for that.

well, a troubling new report of the "wall stree journal" show many are leaping on unrealistic expectations about our retirement nest egg. there a new survey that is revealing the median expected investment return from more than 100 public pension plans remains at just about 8%. that's the same level as in 2001. is that realistic? what should we be doing right now if you are in your mid40s or mid50s to prepare for retirement. thank you for injoing us. -- for joining us. are you surprised at the 8% pension plan figure? >> i am. i think it is high. i think it has been high. the problem with the pension plan is they have a much longer time frame. remember a pension plan does not entirely retire in five to

10 years like the people in the plans do. so they can afford to have a little longer time horizon. but i personally think they are set up for a little disappointment, and i am not certain it is the right risk management strategy. >> put up the next graphic here. what i think it says is that increasingly the s&p 500 company pension plans are being eliminated here. is it true mo americans will not get a pension because a lot of companies will not have them anymore? >> well, i think that there is -- we have seen that certainly over the last -- a generation before ours. everybody had a pension. that's all changed now. the dauphined benefit pension plans -- the defined benefit pension plans are gone and much will come from us. let's face it. a company that is funding a pension for you is putting their own money away for you.

if the companies are not having profits like they used to, they don't have it anymore. >> okay, so that means for most americans, don't rely on a mention. -- on a pension, it may not be there. so it is up to us. what do we do? >> it is time that we have to take a look at exactly where we are and get back to basics. really make sure you have your own custom fit financial and investment plan in place. for many people that have been disappointed over the last 10 years since the stock market has done jeer -- zero, you may have to make tough decisions. maybe you have to work longer and plan on working part-time in retirement. maybe you have to give up on nonessential spending. maybe, and most importantly, you are gonna have to save more. >> 401k? >> if your company has a 401k, one thing i have seen a lot of investors in 401k's have

stopped contributing as much because they don't like the fact their company has cut or eliminated the matching contribution. i don't think that's wise. saving money before it hit our paycheck and we get a chance to spend it, i think you really do need to put away as much as you can in that. >> isn't it funny that five or ten years ago people would have scoffed at a 5% cd return and now they would love to have that. i checked it out and i fell off the chair when i found out what i can get on a cd. michael seymore, you will be back hopefully to talk more about this. thank you very much. >> thank you. have a great weekend. back in 2008 a prominent democrat says colleagues don't think they will give them a victory because republicans lose. now they are asking does the gop deserve to win big this season because the dems deserve to lose?

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♪ activia captioning by, closed captioning services, inc. >> hello, i'm gregg jarrett, welcome to a brand new our of inside america's news headquarters. >> julie: i'm julie bandaras, hurricane ego, moving towards bermuda. >> gregg: world leaders converging for the u.n. general assembly including iran's president, mahmoud ahmadinejad.

and our own secretary of state, hillary clinton. we expect her to speak to reporters, a bit later, this hour. >> julie: and sighs of relief in los angeles county after a frantic search for members of a religious sect, suspected of entering into a suicide pact. >> gregg: we begin with intern woman jailed in iran more than a year. she's back on american soil, today, and declaring her innocence. sarah shourd speaking at a news conference, in manhattan and calling for the release of her two companions. still held captive in tehran, the 32-year-old, accused of espionage by iran, but, insisting that she and her friends are not spies. peter doocy was at the news conference and has returned to our new york city newsroom with more. >> after 400 days in a tehran prison, sarah shourd addressed a packet auditorium of people, and

thanked the religious leaders of iran and speaking on behalf of herself and fiancee and friends, who are still held captive, made clear, we are not spies. >> shane and josh do not deserve to be in prison, one day longer than i was. we committed no crimes. and, we are not spies. we in no way intended any harm to the iranian government or its people. and, believe a huge misunderstanding led to our detention and prolonged imprisonment. >> she said she was visiting a popular waterfall in iraq when she was arrested and that the border with iran was unmarked. she had to fly to washington this morning and drive to new york, because all flights to new york were booked with travellers connected to the united nations general assembly, and she said a doctor in amman has given her a clean bill of health and she spoke arabic at one point, saying praise be to god. she was very well spoken throughout her prepared remarks and, while sarah sometimes sounded emotional, she never

broke down, even when talking about those she has been forced to leave behind: >> getting on the plane in tehran was one of the most memorable and important moments of my life. but this is not the time to celebrate. my disappointment in not sharing this with shane and josh was crushing. and i stand before you today, only 1/3 free. that was the last thing josh said to me, before i walked through the prison doors. josh and shane felt 1/3 free at that moment. and, so did i. >> reporter: before she left the room i was the only one able to ask sarah a question and i wanted to know finish had a message for her fiancee, shane bauer who remains in jail and she shook her head and said no and departed the podium and embraced the mothers of her fee answer and friend and left the room holding hands with her mother. >> gregg: as we said in an introduction, the iranian president is here in new york city, united nations, general

assembly meeting. but, is he commenting about this, peter. >> reporter: he is, and he said he views the release of sarah as a humanitarian gesture and in return for that he wants to see the united states release one of the 8 iranian prisoners that it has and there is no indication the u.s. will do that. but it's interesting, after sarah spoke the mothers of the two hikers who remain in an iranian prison spoke and they said they have requested to meet with mahmoud ahmadinejad while he's in new york this week, and again, no word yet if he'll do that. gregg. >> gregg: if you are a parent, you will do anything to get your child back. quite understandable. peter doocy, thanks very much. >> julie: more now on mahmoud ahmadinejad here in the u.s., ironically this morning he'll meet with u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon in new york city and mahmoud ahmadinejad will attend meeting at the united nations general assembly. molly henneberg is live in washington with more. hi, molly. >> reporter: julie, he'll be speaking to the general assembly

and you never really know what to expect when iran's president speaks, at the united nations. usually his remarks include attacks on the u.s. and israel and mahmoud ahmadinejad, who arrived in new york today, had said leading up to the u.n. general assembly meeting, that the multi-rounds of sanctions by the u.n. security council over iran's controversial nuclear program have been, quote, pathetic and said, these sanctions will definitely mark a new level of progress in our economy. we have turned sanctions around and created the opportunities out of this. mahmoud ahmadinejad also met today with u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon. as for the sanctions, hillary clinton says they have and will continue to affect the iranians. >> the information we are getting is that the iranian regime is quite worried about the impact on their banking system. on their economic growth. because, they have already encountered some tough economic

times. and, this is, you know, making it more costly. >> reporter: secretary clinton, who said thus far iran has not agreed to attend any meetings on the nuclear program, during the u.n. session this week, says iran needs to permits full nuclear inspections, by the u.n.'s nuclear watchdog group, the iaea. mahmoud ahmadinejad says his nation is not blocking those inspections but the iaea said, yes, some inspectors have not been allowed to do their jobs inside iran. julie. >> julie: molly henneberg, thank you very much. >> gregg: heavy winds and surf from igor lashing the island of bermuda d. bermuda, the storm is expected to make landfall later tonight. rick leventhal is there, live, in bermuda. rick? >> reporter: yeah, gregg, you might be able to see the palm trees behind me that are blowing in the wind. now has been reported at the

international airport at a sustained 61 miles per hour and 76 mile per hour gusts, hurricane strength gusts, though, hurricane igor is still a few hours from hitting the island, head on. i want to give you a look at the pierce ocean th-- fierce ocean g us and show the top of the cliff, there are -- we're 40 to 50 feet above the surface of the water and every so often a wave hits the side of the cliff and sprays up, 30 feet above that. powerful waves and look as the waves hit the rocks, you can probably tell that anything at sea level on the southern coast of this island where we are, is getting beaten pretty badly now, that, down there, is a beachfront restaurant, that has been closed since thursday night, because of a concern about the surge, tidal surge and waves and it is pretty much under water at this point, a fierce surf, not as bad as once feared but we're still a few hours away from the worst of the

wind hitting the island. igor was at one time a category- category-4, downgraded to a category one and will pound us tonight and into tomorrow and there is flooding, power outages and several thousand people, 10% of the idle without power, but so far are doing -- island without purr, but so far doing well, even in these conditions. >> gregg: stay safe. thanks, rick. >> julie: small business stimulus bill heading to the house. the senate passing the measure by a 61-38 vote, with two republicans crossing party lines. supporting the bill. but, will house republicans vote for it. joining us is a congressman from utah and martin frost, former texas congressman. thanks for talking to us, gentlemen. you know, republicans accuse democrats of not coming up with some sort of small business tax

break. for some 19 months now. democrats say republicans have not been supporting them enough in order to get something like this passed. so, i guess now that it has been passed, i mean, the bill has been passed, will republicans vote on it? i want to ask congressman, what do you think the outcome will be? >> well i think it will pass. democrats have the house and senate and the presidency and should be able to slam it through. for this republican, i plan to vote no. they are crating a mini-t.a.r.p. and it takes $30 billion to give out loans, and, that is just, a, not the proper role of government, and, b, not going to have the systemic change we need to drive the economy forward. >> julie: congressman frost why do you think republicans should vote for this. >> well, first of all, there's a great deal of hypocrisy on the part of republicans and they've said for months they want to do something for small business and here the congress is creating tax breaks for small business, and, waiving capital gains and the congress is providing money to community banks to make loans

for small businesses and republicans still can't vote for it and we're in a situation where republicans will not support anything. >> julie: the bill -- >> that is not true. >> julie: go ahead. >> that is not true. there are plenty of things we'd support but what is happening here in the market is there is regulatory uncertainty. capital is resistant to make investments, when you have the so-called bush tax cuts that are looming out there, which is the democrats are essentially saying we'll have a tax increase. we have the cap-and-trade legislation that looms out there, and can't seem to get a certain, no, hey, we're not going to do that in the marketplace and that would create regulatory uncertainty and then you have obama care which nobody hose how it will work and if you look at what happened in the senate, there were two amendments, one a research and development credit that woulas going to be offered and, i think it would have -- >> wait a second here. the bill would set up, as you said, a $30 billion fund, the government would invest in the independent community banks to encourage lending to small firms

and would also exclude from taxes all capital gains on sales of small business stocks. in total you would get tax breaks in the bill, totaling $12 billion. congressman, isn't that what republicans want, tax breaks? >> well, it's a mixed bag, there are some tax breaks that are good and i would support them and accelerated depreciation is good but i was opposed to the t.a.r.p. and opposed to the mini-t.a.r.p., taking $30 billion and creating a slush fund is not the proper role of government. we cannot afford to do it. >> julie: according -- >> let's face it. the republicans will not be for angle and their whole approach to the campaign is to vote no, on everything. and hope the economy goes into the ditch and be able to campaign against democrats, and not take any positive action and let me talk about the tax issue the congressman raised. the question is, democrats want to support continuing the tax cuts for everybody making under $250,000. letting them lapse for people over $250,000 and the "new york times" published a study on

this, yesterday. saying that almost none of the people -- tax breaks over $250,000 go to small business. they go a lot of wealthy people but not to small business. so, i don't really understand what the problem is here and i think the answer is the republicans don't want to vote for anything and will not vote for anything as long as the democrats are in charge. >> julie: according to a fox news opinion dynamics poll and i'll let you respond. i want to get it up here and maybe you can explain why the bill is such a contentious one. when asked about how to best subscribe their feelings about our nation's economy, 70% say they are nervous and 24%, confident and only 5% are mixed. so, congressman chaffetz, i guess at this point it would seem to me, with the bush-era tax cuts reaching an expiration date which republicans have been pushing forward and to be fair, here, they do expire at the end of the year, part of those

business tax cuts would include something in the bill, in other words, the bill would essentially be giving republicans what they have been fighting for. what more do you want to see in the bill, in order for you to vote for it? >> well, what i'm concerned about is the $30 billion t.a.r.p.-like slush fund that is not going to drive the economy forward. they are setting it aside for 12 months -- >> go ahead with the tax cuts is what you are saying and forget the fund? >> well, yes. there are parts of the tax cuts we actually like, and i think we can do so in a bipartisan way and as far as the so-called bush tax cuts i called upon the speaker as my colleagues have in saying let's have an open debate with an open rule and offer amendments and discuss this. it's a $250,000 threshold, and it does affect small businesses because, you -- if you are an s-corp or llc and have the pass-through income you will be affected by this. >> julie: that's a great pointed. every dollar over $250,000, many of these business owners who are

taxed every dollar, in other words, if you make $275,000, your tax -- they're taxed on the $15,000, you're in a higher tax bracket and the small business owners are employing the unemployed with the unemployment rate the way it is. >> look at the piece in the "new york times" in the business sections yesterday. a good piece said a lot of the people who net, that is net, after expenses, over $250,000, are sole proprietorships and don't even hire anybody, as the vast majority of small businesses don't net $250,000 and is a false issue and the democrats want the tax cuts to go forward, for everybody less than $250,000. per couple, and i think that is a good idea and i hope we have a vote on it and let the republicans offer an amendment to it when it comes up. >> we would be given the opportunity on the floor, let's do it. that would be great. >> julie: we'll have to leave it at that, jason chaffetz, thank you, congressman and congressman martin frost, appreciate you coming on, fair and balanced, thanks. >> gregg: some of america's biggest retailers are taking a

fresh new look at themselves, their customers and an untapped market. the department store industry is coming off its worst year in three decades. last year sales fell 11% and the trend is continuing, more and more eregula regulaerosion and, brenda buttner, senior business correspondent and anchor of bulls & bears. good to see you. i went to the mall the other day, actually to buy something for my daughter. who didn't want to go to the mall, oddly enough and she's 14 which i don't get but at any rate it tells me something, plus i have the -- had the whole mall to myself. why is it that young people seem to be turning away from that which they used to love, to convene and congregate. >> there's a bunch of reasons. many of them technological. i mean, their texting each other, on facebook and ordering on-line. but, bottom line, the department stores are really hit hard by

the next generation of shoppers, because they don't feel what is there is unique and uniqueness is critical to these young shoppers. so, they would prefer to go to the specialty stores, and, in the recession to the discount stores. also, it's not very easy to shop is what we're hearing from these young people. that you go in and there are 500 jeans, everything costs $25. and there is no sense they can go in and find something they can get and this are going to places like h & m and forever 21 and the department stores are really trying to change this. >> gregg: i read the story in the on-line version, appropriately enough, the "chicago tribune," and, up on the screen, they are echoing what you are saying here, brenda. generation-wide shoppers relish their uniqueness and create their own ipod play list and download individual ring tones for the cell phones and control their social groups on facebook and designed their own t-shirts,

on threadless, whatever in the world that is. you know what? i heard this also, from my 14-year-old daughter, and she is thinking about applying to be on a teenage advisory board, for a large department store. maybe that is what these department stores really need, to get some fresh ideas, from the very young people they are trying to lure. >> that's a great idea and, the department stores are trying to do that, many in the midwest and the department stores are doing a number of things to lure in these shoppers. they are having specialty cosmetics stands, like this kind of thing you would find at like a sephora. and, are trying to copy the hot topics and all of this and have specialized, very unique kind of clothing lines. even jcpenney and sears are trying to do that. >> gregg: material girl at macy's launching, obviously madonna and her daughter, lourdes and man, i read the

returns on that, they are making money hand over fist with that. everybody else should do something similar, i guess. >> they are going to the facebook, too, they have, you know, apps on iphones and are trying to reach the kids where they congregate, but it's a long time coming. >> gregg: the other thing is, better service. the same article in the "chicago tribune" on-line said nordstrom's is a huge exception to all of this. why? because nordstrom notoriously has great, great service and when i go there, they are there to help you, and kids like that. so, take a note, everybody. from nordstrom's. >> very true, yes. you know, they ignore us, those teenagers, but that he don't li-- they don't like to be ignored. >> gregg: you have two, i have two, we know what we're talking about, brenda buttner, good to see you. >> nice see you. >> julie: a warning to democrats, two years ago, get it together or face possible defeat in 2010, now one political analyst is now giving the same

warning to republicans as they look at this november and beyond, we'll talk to him, next. >> gregg: 13 members of a cult-like group disappearing. police fearing the worst. when, suddenly, they are found. you will not believe where they were, and what police now say they were up to. coming up. hey what's going on? doing t shipping. man, it would be a lot easier if we didn't have to weigh 'em all. if thosboxes are under 70 lbs. you don't have to weigh em. with these priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service, if it fits, it ships

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>> gregg: here's the headlines we're following, two car bombings in baghdad, killing at least 23 people, wounding dozens more. the blast coming at the end of the muslim holy month of ramadan, former secretary of state colin powell saying he does not know whether the u.s. is winning the war in afghanistan. he adds, however, the generals are claiming progress but it is hard to tell if the taliban is really being defeated, and the vatican, declaring the pope's four day visit to great britain a success. saying the pontiff was able to reach out to a nation angry at the church's sex abuse scandal. >> julie: in the 2008 election season, duvall patrick warned fellow democrats at the national convention they need a vision. take a listen: >> you and i know the american people have had enough. but, democrats don't deserve to

win just because republicans deserve to lose. if the american story is to have a chance, we need more than better programs and policies. we need better vision. >> there was massachusetts governor duval patrick, he was warning his fellow democrats that they need a vision. columnist michael goodwin is turning patrick's statement around, asking what the republicans need to do, to win in november, michael goodwin joins me now, a fox news contributor and "new york post" columnist, this is very interesting, because republicans, you are saying, need a vision in order to take back the house. there were so many different topics that we could tackle at this point. namely, let's start with the economy. where should the vision be when it comes to our economy? >> well, julie, quoting duval patrick's line there, because republicans deserve to lose in

2008 didn't mean democrats deserved to win and i asked whether that same formula applies now. obviously, democrats deserve to lose, because of the way they govern, but, do republicans deserve to win? and my answer to that is, yes, they do. not just out of default but because the damage that the democrats have done with their one-party rule and with their hard-left agenda, pushing, you know, everything through congress, essentially, on a party-line vote, really means that what the country needs now is just the answer no. republicans i think have been saying no to obama-ism lately and they were demoralized in the beginning and defeated by the 2008 sweep but now have gained their footing and what will follow "no" is yet to be determined. but the important thing is to stop the damage and the damage that is being done by the one-party rule where it has really lost the consent of the government. nothing the democrats are doing in congress now is supported by

the public. i mean, that is a phenomenon we have not seen for a long time, where you have the will of the majority being ignored, day after day on issue after issue. so, all the republicans have to do to begin is to take back one chamber and that is what i hope will happen in november. >> julie: okay, i just interviewed a republican and a democratic congressman and we basically went over the bill that would essentially pump $30 billion into small businesses, and would also include tax cuts, two republicans managed to vote for the thing, but, when i asked our republican congressman on the air, just now if he'd vote for it, he'd say no. it does include tax breaks, but apparently that is not good enough for republicans right now, the democrat who i had on, martin frost said republicans will vote no, no matter what and they actually see the economy being in the -- i was about to say a bad word here but in a bad place. as a good thing, that republicans are relishing this, because they'll use it to their

advantage, come november. >> right. that is essentially accusing republicans of being traitors and that is the democratic line, if you don't go along with us you are a traitor and that is essentially what barack obama and harry reid and nancy pelosi have been doing the last 18 months and, don't really need republican votes for almost anything, it is their problem is essentially with democrats. republicans can filibuster in the senate but that doesn't usually hold, but the problem for democrats, found is not republicans, it's the more moderate democrats, sick to death of taking these votes they feel are just to serve an agenda they don't believe in and of course these are the most endangered democrats, right now. as to the particulars of the bill, i do think there are legitimate arguments for it but i think there are greater arguments against it, to wit: it essentially depends on tax increases elsewhere to fund it and, secondly, none of these things are sincere about really moving the economy. they are just now, obama, i believe is grabbing at straws to try and look like a centrist and

to remind people why they voted for him in 2008 but in fact the run-up of the deficit and the debt i think are what people remember most about this term. they are not going to be fooled by last-minute conversions. >> julie: i have to bring up the tea party candidates because they're playing a huge role this time around. republicans are conservative -- becoming more and more conservative, rallying around tea party candidates and i guess the question is, tea party candidates, for example are africaing against, let's say, health care reform, they want part of that to go away. >> right. >> julie: they want to extend social security. they say if it were up to the democrats, that is going to run out. there are many conservative issues and right now, a lot of the american people almost wants the government to be more conservative with our money, considering the billions of dollars that have been spent and the millions of jobs that have been lost. how can the tea party candidates, i would march, i guess, rally around republicans and maybe help them find a vision for november. >> look, we just finished the primary season, and i think all

of the candidates are picked now, and, in some cases, it didn't involve tea parties candidates or candidates from outside the republican establishment. defeating the republican establishment candidates. you had it in alaska, had it in delaware and in other congressional races, as well. so, there is clearly something of a tug-of-war going on among those who are republican and even conservative to the right of republican. i do believe there will be -- it will be settled before november, that in the end, the republicans will win most if not all of these seats now sorts of in dispute among conservatives but i think the important thing is for the country as a whole to respond to this, and what the tea party is saying, and some of them, i agree, i mean, christine o'donnell and others don't make a lot of sense, to independent voters and it is independent voters who both parties have to appeal to now. neither party on its own has enough to elect anybody, really. it is the independent voters who

will make the difference in all the key districts. >> julie: very interesting. >> so i think the debt an deficit issues are big issues to the independent voters. i predict not without -- like i'm going out on a limb but i think most independent voters will voted against increased deficits and debt and vote for a more conservative fiscal policy. >> julie: michael goodwin, thank you very much, great to have you on, gregg? >> gregg: a frantic search for a cult like group and a number of children, comes to a sudden, unexpected end, casey steegel with the latest in palmdale, california. >> reporter: police thought they had a massive suicide plot on their hands and now, 13 members of a southern california religious group are safe and sound. the question is... are police buying their story? we'll explain in a live report, next here on america's news headquarters. [ woman ] alright, so this tylenol 8 hour lasts 8 hours.

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>> julie: this is is a "fox news alert." we are about to hear from the first time from a member of the

cult-like group that disappeared in california. that search ending this afternoon. police feared the group was preparing for a mass suicide. after they apparently left behind notes saying they were going to see jesus and deceased relatives in heaven and instead, deputies found them alive and well praying in a park today. casey steegel is live in palmdale california with more. and the good news is, everyone is okay, but, now, they are speaking. >> reporter: yes. that's right and also, julie, police have to sort out all of the very bizarre and confusing information here. the leader of the group tells reporters they went on these religious retreats almost every weekend and claimed they had no idea a massive manhunt was underway. and they also said they had no idea why family members got concerned and went to police, filing a missing persons report. in the first place, yesterday afternoon. now, the group of 13 was located, praying in a local park this afternoon. safe and sound.

they even had food, water and their puppies with them. no arrests were made because police say no crimes were committed but the group was characterized as cult-like by authorities. but the group says this whole thing is just one big misunderstanding, listen. >> don't you see me? i'm okay. my son, the dogs, everybody is okay. we each like you guys, we don't see nothing bad and we are okay. >> it appears to be an unorthodox approach to western religion. i think that would be a generic and accurate -- as generic and accurate as i can be right now. because we don't know what exactly their specific beliefs were. >> reporter: now, family members and police had been worried after the group left a bag before going to a prayer meeting, early yesterday morning. that bag contained cell phones and i.d.s and letters that said they were going to see jesus and

wait for an apocalyptic event and also saying good-bye and when reporters questioned them about why they left those letters and property deeds in fact in that bag they said it was a common practice they did when attending these particular retreats, in case the rapture happened while they were out on location. but, authorities aren't so sure and they say after reading these letters they sounded like more of a last will and testament and the group's leader has been put under medical care for psychiatric evaluation again as they try and sort through the information but, julie, the other members that were found in that park were allowed to go home and, again, police are pointing out no crimes were committed here, as they try and sort through all of this very bizarre information. >> julie: all right, casey steegel, thank you very much. a show down in alaska, republican senator lisa

murkowski speaking out against the man who beat her in the g.o.p. primary. tea party backed candidate joe miller, murkowski saying she's back in the race an miller saying her reentry will not change his strategy, jewel you kirtz reports from washington. >> reporter: the two term alaska senator is not giving up her seat without a fight even as influential republicans accused her of being a spoil-sport. she said her decision to challenge the republican nominee, joe miller, as a write-in candidate will not undermine the republican party and she used her appearance, also, on national tv to accuse miller, a tea party favorite, who was endorsed by sarah palin, of being too extreme. >> he is suggesting to us in my opinion, and in the opinion of many, many alaskan -- pretty radical things, dump social security, no more medicare and let's get rid of the department of education and elimination of all earmarks. >> reporter: high is firing back for the first time since the

victory turned into a three way general election race, two republicans against the democrat, scott mcadams, saying murkowski is out of touch with alaska and a desire by voters to slow down government spending. >> i think really she's just got a real disconnection from reality in thinking that the voters will support her. >> reporter: miller won the nomination by 2,000 votes, it was close and senator murkowski face is a tough job as a write-in for senate though the name is well-known in alaska, her dad was governor, voters have to spell out her name on the ballot and spell it correctly. julie? >> julie: all right. julie kirtz, thank you very much. gregg. >> gregg: in the show-me state, some wonder if the courts are showing too much beforehanding down a sentence, judges can now find out exactly how much that punishment will cost missouri taxpayers. $50,000 to imprison a criminal versus 9,000 for probation.

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>> gregg: welcome back. courtroom drama is taking an interesting twist in the state of missouri. a system set up where judges now learn what a given punishment for a crime is actually going to cost the state. for example, a three-year prison sentence will run about $37,000 versus 6,000 for probation. now, a 30-year sentence for a murderer, a half million dollars versus, well, execution, certainly wouldn't cost that much. will knowing the cost to the taxpayer influence justice? should it? joining us now, defense attorney joey jackson, fox news legal analyst, mercedes colwin. good to see you both. merced mercedes, in western society there are four justifications in sentencing, retribution,

deterrence, rehabilitation, incapacitation. cost is not a factor. can you really put a price tag on justice? >> oh, absolutely not. you cannot put a price tag on justice. and i think it is out ranges rages -- outrageous their doing that and the judge will say, wow, look at that and it will influence them and i was a judge nine years and i was not influenced by outside forces but i was an appointed judge and these are elected officials, and it is very different, when are elected you are going to have taxpayers that will be pretty angry if their real estate taxes are going up. >> gregg: she has a great point. >>... i appeared before the great mercedes and she was a fine jurist and i think she'd want such information. >> gregg: not every judge is as good as mercedes was. >> naturally. here's what it is, does it influence justice? potentially but i think it makes it better and allows judges to factor in everything, we live in a society, right now -- >> gregg: anathema to justice!

>> oftentimes as a defense attorney i make the arguments for alternatives into cars racial. and, oftentimes -- to incarceration and it's not done because it's not political correct, punish those drug dealers -- hold on, maybe i can establish, your honor, not only will the program improve recidivism but it will be cost-effective. >> gregg: mercedes -- here's what the proceeding judge of the 13th judicial circuit court in missouri had to say about that. he's a member of the sentencing commission that came up with this. quote: it is almost foolish the not to look at it. in other words, the cost. we live in a "what's it going to cost" society now. >> he's foolish. >> gregg: what if a judge decides, you know, i don't want to get hit with criticism that i'm costing taxpayers too much money, i'll give this guy probation, instead of a

five-year term, and, the guy goes out, and he harms a member of society. because, the judge was worried about the cost. >> that is a realistic parade of horribles that can happen on any of these cases. >> gregg: the human cost. >> absolutely, and that is what we're talking about here. if you do the crime, you pay with time. i'm sorry. i don't believe in all of the alternative programs, because you know that some of these alternative programs are faulty. let's look at these revolving door situations, even out west with these starlets that get duis every other week and every month and these programs -- >> they are pathetic and, gregg, listen, some alternatives to incarceration work, and let's step back because the formula that is plugged into the cost analysis, it factors in the deterrent value and the past history of the individual defendant and factors in whether or not he would actually be a repeat offender and spits out a cost. is it a perfect model? no but i think it is foolhardy

not to -- >> gregg: do you think it is important to consider this? let me ask you the reverse of the harm to a member of the society. good member of society. what if a judge decides, you know, joey jackson, your client, instead of giving him a life term, i'm going to sentence hm l to death because it will be cheaper. how do you feel about it now. >> i don't think so, first of all, gregg, a judge will predicate any type of sentence upon this. it is a relevant consideration the judge can use -- >> that is the issue. gregg, he said -- >> listen, i don't think the judge is going to evaluate it and say, it is going to be cheaper for the taxpayers, therefore you die. >> you know what? if it's an election year... >> he'll factor -- >> gregg: he may not admit to it but he might do it. >> i trust the judicial system. >> joey, if it's an election year, someone pulls the lever

for the judge they'll think about how many people have i sentenced and maybe the aggravated assault, maybe i won't do the extra couple of years and let's reduce it a little bit -- because, the reasons why it is even done is because taxpayers are probably upset about it. >> gregg: we'll let that be the last word. i'll let her have the last word. >> thank you. >> gregg: she had the better argument, joey! as always, joey jackson, mercedes colwin, good to see you. >> thanks, gregg. >> julie: flu season is almost here and that means getting a flu shot and drug store chains are offering the shots, but, should you be rolling up your sleeves? find out next. i'm chef michael,

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>> gregg: next type you stop at the drug store your cashier may ask, would you like a flu shot with that. >> julie: is that a good idea, pharmacy chains are selling flu shots, so, should you buy? dr. marc siegel is a fox news medical contributor and professor of medicine at nyu medical center, and, am i saying that properly. >> you got that exactly right. >> julie: thank goodness and a member of our medical a-team, the most important title. and should we be going to the drug store? i mean, i'm used to buying over the counter stuff and get my understanding flu shot at the pharmacy? it kind of freaks me out. >> i have mixed feelings about it. the american pharmacists

association certified 100,000 pharmacists to give shots and they studied it and found out some have more time than doctors and may be telling you more about your health before hand and that is good. the bad thing: 10% of americans are actually going there. it is going up and the bad thing is, what if something goes wrong and you have an egg allergy or get sick and you can't get the flu from a flu shot, what if you get sick. >> julie: they will not test you for allergies at the drug store. >> they may ask you but not test you for allergies and may not know your underlying medical history the way i do. i prefer a primary physician give it if they have the time. >> gregg: it's funny, the subject came up this morning. my wife said, should i take the girls to get their shot and i said goes to cvs and you can get it there and i didn't think of the other things you just mentioned there but cost for a lot of people is really a consideration. isn't it. >> i want to bring that in, the pharmacy it is under $30 and your insurance covers it and you

go to the your yearly doctors visit and this is a special year. a lot of people have confusion about the shot because last year there was the swine flu which is now added to the flu shot. but, one concern i have, gregg is they are giving it out early this year, because they think we had an early year last year and we will not have one this year and it can wear off, it is only good for 6 months, now you should be getting it but i have had my supply since august and have not known what to do with it. >> julie: what do you do if you you see it on sale? in the economy when i see it on sale, i would go fear o for it. i like the bargain. what if it is a 2-for-1 sale. >> the issue of follow-up, i'm concerned about that and they are will trained and it's not a big deal, i'm concerned if something went wrong. >> gregg: is there a way to check out the pharmacy or pharmacist to make sure they are, you know, up for the job. >> that's a great question and the answer is, you want to go

somewhere where one of these people has been certified and i think you will more likely see it with your chain pharmacy like a cvs and walgreens, that is where i would go. >> gregg: good advice, dr. marc siegel. >> come to me if you don't have your flu shot yet. >> gregg: i'm rolling up my sleeve as we speak. that will do it for now. thanks for joining us. >> julie: and the latest in bermuda. we understand more than half of bermuda is without power. as hurricane igor closes in, we'll have the latest for you when i see you on the fox report, 7:00 p.m. eastern, will you inject me. >> i'm ready... >> julie: he needs something, note flu shot, maybe a sedative. >> gregg: i might scream a little! >> julie: baby! ngs. introducing one a day menopause formula. the only complete multivitamin with soy isoflavones to help address hot flashes and mild mood changes. new one a day menopause formula.

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