guantanamo bay. i'm gregg jarrett. >> heather: welcome to a brand-new hour inside america's news headquarters. suspects are accused of plotting the worst terror attack on u.s. soil, khalid shaikh mohammed is being arraigned and the case had been on hold since the obama administration failed in the efforts to move toward a civil case. now those are charged with 3,000 counts of murder is under way. katherine heritage is live in cuba with more. >> heather, thank you. it was clear right out of the gate the 9/11 suspect came in with strategy to delay the process. when they were first arraigned in 2008 they tried to take control by acting as their own attorneys, today they tried to take control by refusing to cooperate, by refusing to answer questions and by refusing to use

the earphones. five men looked much different than they did few years ago, khalid shaikh mohammed seemed to have lost a weight and his beard had been died rd it looked like with henna. one was brought in by restraints family who is connected with osama bin laden. there were also plenty of antics in court. one that lived with mohammad atta before the attack got up at one point and said, maybe they are going to try and kill us and say that we are committing suicide. aside from the antics and efforts to delay the process, serious issues were brought up. there were contentious back and forth between the military defense attorneys and the judge. one of them who represents an alleged banker he had gone a year without a dedicated transit later and he doesn't speak any

arabic. other allegations they are trying to keep the information is classified because it's embarrassing. there is legislate reason to keep it secret, they said. >> there really are sources and methods about future attacks and future dangers, again i understand the skepticism. it's not a justification to not disclose information because it is embarrassing or because it violates a law. >> reporter: to give you a sense where we are at this hour. we are entering our seventh hour of hearing and there is yet to be of an effort to get a plea to the charges. given the fact they are not cooperating it seems a forgone conclusion that a plea will not be entered at this time. >> heather: that is shame.

2,967 counts of murder. >> some of victims are watching and some are watching it closed-circuit television at military bases, take a listen to this. >> there is are a lot of family members, in guantanamo they walked out because they are saying hurtful things. you bring up memories of your loved one. my son is never coming back. i miss him terribly. you know what this will give me satisfaction the mastermind of terrorist attacks is brought to justice. >> i want to see the people that killed my sister face to face. you face your fight, that what we do in america. we bring people to justice like it or not. >> human side of me still i don't... i glad i don't know anything about that way of thought or that way of life.

i will not be terrorized in any way or change my life in any way because it changed or altered. >> gregg: we will be following this developing story beginning to end and keep you up to date with the latest. >> heather: an explosion of drug cartel violence rock ago mexican city. 14 headless bodies hanging from a bridge. less than three miles from a texas border. casey stegall is live in los angeles with more on this developing story. casey? >> reporter: a lot of graphic details we want to warn you, a total 23 people dead. this is last 24 hours, 14 of the victims were decapitated. their heads were placed in a cooler and left at city hall in

nuevo laredo, a mexican border stone's three from texas. hours before nine our victims hanging from a bridge overpasses. four of them were women. sadly it's become all too common of a scene in parts of that country especially in that city where there have been an increase in violence following a renewed turf war between three powerful drug cartels. those same gangs are fighting for trafficking routes south of that spot down near vera cruz. that is right on the gulf of mexico. its major port city a crucial port city for drugs to be shipped out. it's the same place last fall, 35 bodies were dumped on a main highway right in the middle of rush hour. earlier this week the bodies of three journalists will

discovered there wrapped in plastic bags on the side of the road in a drainage ditch. fourth victim one of the journalist's girlfriends. their funerals were held yesterday in mexico city and they are on high alert. mexico is one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists. in veroo cruz, seven have been killed in recent months. one happening less than a week ago when a magazine reporter was found beaten and strangled. obviously in light of all of this news, the u.s. state department has issued numerous travel alerts to american citizens traveling in to parts of mexico where there is drug related cartel violence have claimed the lives of more than 50,000 people in just the last five years. >> heather: thank you very much. casey stegall reporting live from l.a. thank you.

>> gregg: president obama launching his reelection bid today as the u.s. gets disappointing news reports on the economy. the president rallying supporters at ohio state university trying to convince voters there, especially young people that his policies are actually turning the economy around and he deserves a second term. president obama facing some rough times these days and still high unemployment rates. former president ronald reagan took on similar woes and despite of it he won against the challenger walter mondale. david utah kings joins us and live from washington. good to see you, david. look, they obviously, mondale and romney represent different parties, but in terms of the ability to attracted voters as challengers, isn't there a dramatic difference between mondale and romney? >> i think that is exactly

right. i think it's very fair to say that while barack obama may not not be ronald reagan. i think romney is going run in the center in the way that walter mondale never did. he embraced the liberal base from the start. he stuck with it. he gave a famous convention speech the next president will raise your taxes. i think romney is going to play a different game. >> gregg: jobs numbers yesterday were according to most economists highly disappointing but the president touted the fact it dropped from 8.2 to 81%. but today -- 8.1%. but today he cautioned patience. >> it took years to develop and the economy is still facing

headwinds. it will take the same, persistent efforts, yours and mine for america to fully recover. >> gregg: when november comes, is the trend line on jobs, assuming it's a downward trend more important than the jobs number itself? >> yes, think that is absolutely true. i think what he just needs to do is get even a few, an incremental increase in the number of people being hired every month and president will do just fine. i think what we should look at even more than the jobs number is overall approval number. one statistic to keep in mind, every president who has been at 50% or above in july who has run for reelection has won. the two presidents that weren't above that, first george bush and jimmy carter lost. i think the campaign is starting in earnest now and why he is

going after romney now. he wants to get that approval rating which is below 50% above that number by the summer. that is the trend line he is looking at. even if the unemployment trend line is going in his favor slightly, he should do okay in november. >> gregg: let's put this back up on the screen. reagan presided over the creation of 333 jobs during the same month, present he presided 115,000 jobs created. when you extrapolate that from april to april in each respective presidency, reagan created more jobs than obama each around every month for a year two to one. now, david, some historians say he worked closely with tip o'meal neal and he cut deals in the best interested of the public and helped speed the recovery. is that in your mind also a difference between reagan and obama who doesn't appear to be working with john boehner?

>> i think that is huge difference. the degree to which washington is a different place from when i got here which was right at the end of president reagan's presidency, lasts two years and cannot be overstated. back when i first came here, bob michael was a player and very small republican minority. tip o'neill, jim wright worked with republican presidents on a lot of different issues, the degree of paralysis and dysfunction can't be overstated. >> gregg: david hawkins, thanks very much. good to see you. staying on politics, mitt romney the presumed nominee and speculation on who he will be pick as his running mate. a special series, running with romney, bret baier sitting down with a key swing state senator,

rob portman. >> john: he has entire series of that. >> heather: possible showdown in china and controversy over chinese activist threatening the two countries. did the obama administration mess this up? our power panel weighs? >> gregg: new violence in syria leading a cease-fire in tatters, raising questions what can be done to stop the bloodshed. david miller will weigh in. a party? [ music plays, record skips ] hi, i'm new ensure clear. clear, huh? my nutritional standards are high. i'm not juice or fancy water, i'm different. i've got nine grams of protein. twist my lid. that's three times more than me! twenty-one vitamins and minerals and zero fat! hmmm. you'll bring a lot to the party.

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>>. >> heather: welcome back. arizona governor signing a bill to cut off public funding for planned parenthood. supporters say the law is needed to no tax money is indirectly uses forward abortion services. >> morning training at kentucky derby cancelled due to thunderstorms. the derby will begin at 6:24 p.m. under mostly cloudy skies. stargazers anticipating

tonight's super moon event. it will be biggest and brightest of the year as it orbits bringing unusually close to earth. >> gregg: a series of explosions rocking syria despite a cease-fire between the government and opposition forces there. activists say a blast targeting a carwash killed at least five people in the capital city of damascus, reports of two explosions damaging nine cars. bomb attacks becoming more and more common in syria's two largest cities which have been spared the worst violence in the 14-month uprising. what is the next step. joining me now is aaron david miller, former advisory of six secretaries of state. great to talk to you. >> great to be with you. >> annan's peace plan seemed

shattered. do you think it was flawed in the construction or naive in it's goals or both? >> well i'm not sure it was naive. i think the former secretary-general made a judgment there had to be a way to stop the killing. the problem is if assad is part of the solution which is part of the presumption of the annan plan, it's never going to be acceptable, not to the opposition and not to much of the civilized world. after all, we're talking 10,000 dead and probably a lot more. so the reality with the regime determined to stay in power and opposition determined to remove that regime, it only provides both sides temporary respite to rearm and reload. >> gregg: there would be little question that assad has committed grave crimes against humanity. yet the white house press press

secretary, the world may have to admit defeat. >> it is clear and we will not deny that the plan has not been succeeding thus far. the regime has made no effort to take any of the steps required under the annan plan including moving toward the implementation toward a full cease-fire. if it continues the international community the going to have admit defeat and work a serious threat to peace being perpetrated by the assad regime. >> gregg: admit defeat? >> admit defeat with respect to the annan plan. the question is what is the international community prepared to do now? let's be clear. the only way the assads are going to be removed is through external military intervention. if the president of the united states believes that it is in the vital national interests of the united states to remove that

regime, by the way, it's not in the vital national interests, it is in our interests, then the president should get a strategy do it. to do it decisively and to do it quickly and do it comprehensively. if he isn't prepared to reach that judgment we should confine ourselves to economic and political pressure. the worst thing we could do is to go down the road of half measures. that is, i fear is precisely where we're going. >> gregg: the united nations has ruled out any military intervention that brought down libya's muammar khadafy. that is stopping the slaughter of innocent civilians, how is there a difference here? >> the principals may be the same but great powers operate

sometimes in a hypocritical fashion. libya had no weapons of mass destruction, no sophisticated air defense system and a tin horn can dpik tater with a tin horn army. syria has the opposite of all of that. so the costs of military intervention is very high. nobody frankly wants to pay them. >> gregg: because syria is supported by iran. do you think the obama administration is reluctant or afraid to put it in simple terms to do anything that might tangling to stop tehran's nuclear program? >> i think the administration has to set priorities. you are not going to get russian and clean support for both our approach to syria and iran. we're going to have to choose to try to determine what is more important, sanctioning the iranians and stopping the

nuclear program or getting the russians on board for a questionable intervention into syria. i know where i would come down, but it's hard to watch the blood and killing. >> gregg: the soviets aren't going to do that? >> no but we could harness the russians into a posture where they could bring additional pressure on the regime. one of the reasons assad is so comfortable now is because the russians and chinese refuse to abandon him. that is going to be very difficult to get moscow and beijing on our side on this one. >> gregg: soviets, i apologize, russians is what i meant. aaron david miller, thanks very much. >> heather: one of the most important choices a presidential candidate makes, who will mitt

romney choose as a vp candidate. our series looks at republican senator from a critical swing state that could very well make the grade. stay tuned. c'mon dad! i'm here to unleash my inner cowboy. instead i g heartburn. [ horse neighs ] hold up partner. prilos isn't for fast relief. try alka-seltzer. it kills heartburn fast. yeehaw! that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. fohalf the calories plus vgie nutrition. could've had a v8.

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>>. >> heather: bottom of the hour, time for the top of the news. all eyes on guantanamo bay. self-proclaimed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks arraigned today. >> gregg: new developments in the case of an arizona man police say killed four people and himself. revealing he was under investigation for domestic terrorism. >> heather: president obama officially kicking off his quest for a second term. accusing mitt romney are doubling down on failed economic policies. romney says americans continue

to struggle on the president's watch. >> gregg: there is growing fascination over who will be the republican vice presidential candidate as mitt romney inches closer to closer to brang up the nomination. fox news has been profiling several contenders. and here is one that could just make the grade. i happen to be watching colbert a couple nights when i was on and i was with my son who had been pushing me to go on. >> bret: rob portman the d not see the show to see how many people describe him. >> i would like to think i'm a serious legislator and trying to get things done. my goal is life is to get thinking done. it's not about sizzle for me. i think it's fine. america made a decision in 2008

to go with the president who did have sizzle. look he was kind of a celebrity. he also had a compelling message remember this, i'm going to bring people together to solve problems. didn't happen. didn't happen because he didn't have the experience. he didn't have the record. he didn't have the policies to do it. >> bret: so 2012 is the anti-sizzle election? >> i don't think mitt romney has any sizzle, don't get me wrong. i think he a dynamic guy. ann romney is dynamic. he is going to be well-liked as people get to know him better. it's like the olympics, he comes in with a huge financial problem turns it around not by a big ego by working as a group. that is what we need to do. >> bret: experience is something that portman has as well he has been a lawyer in the white house counsel's office to congressman

from cincinnati to u.s. trade representative and budgeted director under george w. bush. they see him as safest of safe picks for mitt romney. >> he gets along well with romney and he is from ohio so he could add a point or two there. he is also budget and you have a come built there. he is well verse order economic issues and somebody the press knows and is vetted. >> he was seen as budget hawk. he earned nicknames from president bush and some of them were revealed as he stepped down. >> although my title of director of omb, other titles came my way. dr. no. [ laughter ] >> tied wad. budget hawk. penny pincher and some not suitable for television audience.

>> critics in and out of republican party aren't laughing. charging that the bush administration is definitely not a good example of fiscal restraint. >> had is bush administration but also ballooned the national debt and some see that as a negative thing to be part of the bush administration and bring up the bush years in the current environment. what do you say to that? >> i was fortunate i guess to be part of good fiscal discipline. and came in 2006, 2007, budget i proposed was a balanced budget, can you believe that. a five-year balanced budget. it was hard to put together. it's hard but that is what we ought to be doing in congress. one over time that balances. so the year that i was there, 2007, the deficit was about one-eighth of it was today. it was $161 billion.

i would love to have those times again. unemployment was 4.5%. i did leave to go home prior to the financial crisis, that is when frankly revenues went down. spending went up. >> bret: so whether you hear president obama refer to the bush years and what was hand today him and the fact it was much worse than anyone projected. democrats often point to the bush years saying this is why there are so many problems now, what do you say to that? >> he inherited a tough economy the question is what do you do with it? we are living through the weakest recovery since great depression, we are 5.5 million jobs before the recession begin. in 1981 we had a tough recession four years after we had gained 6 million jobs association instead of losing 5.5 million we added

six million jobs. that is because ronald reagan took tough steps to be able to provide tax relief and get the economy moving again. i think almost four years later it's tough to say it was the other guy. >> bret: that other guy gets blamed for the sour u.s. economy according to recent polls including a fox news poll. some see a serious vulnerability with a direct tie to george w. bush. >> that is something that romney wants to avoid. you want people not talking about george bush, you want people to be talking about mitt romney. >> bret: most political watchers say portman has a midwestern appeal on the stump and can get down into the weeds of economic policy when prompted. he also sits on the powerful armed services committee. >> what do you think the biggest international challenge for the u.s.? >> i think it's still terrorism. if you look what is happening in

syria today. if you look what is happening around the world in the threat of global terrorism. it's very much there. >> he says the scheduled round across the board pentagon budget cuts is a top fear of his, as well. >> the secretary of defense it would be devastating to our military. it would hollow out the force. we live in a very dangerous world and we can't afford to make those cuts. >> he has three kids, he met his wife jane on a blind date. >> it didn't go that great. she thought i talked too much. she thought i would be a great senator because i could filibuster. i'm a methodist, i was a presbyterian before we got married. i was republican. so it was a good trade. jane became a republican and she was a methodist.

>> bret: what is the faith factor in your life? >> every day in a very fundamental way. i pray every day. it helps me. it works for me. it's just part of who i am and part of what motivates me and hopefully gives me a little direction. >> bret: what is something surprising that maybe somebody wouldn't have known? >> i have broken collar broken biking and dislocated my shoulder kayaking. i love that stuff. i like to hunt and like to fish. >> bret: which brings us back to sizzle. does it matter. >> he is one of nicest people in public life but not a flamboyant figure to jump into the public consciousness. >> key question does it matter to mitt romney? >> it's about what is in the mitt romney campaign's head in

terms of how they are looking at this race. if they think it's a risky yes, sir race, obama has got a lead financially, demographically in the electric early to college and wedged up against them, they are going to pick a bowleder to close the gap. if they think it's closed probably with portedman because you know you what are going to get. >> gregg: bret baier special series continues later today with a look at rising stars. he'll be talking with paul ryan coming up. >> heather: and obama administration taking some heat over handling of the diplomatic controversy involving a blind chinese dissident. is this human rights activist still in danger. our power panel will weigh in on that. and meet julia. a six-year-old character created

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>>. >> heather: welcome back. new concerns over a blind chinese human rights activist. chinese government saying the dissident will be allowed to apply to study in the u.s. accompanied by his family. some u.s. lawmakers say he won't be safe until he is on american soil. critics still questioning the administration's handling of the case start to finish. let's bring in the power panel. kimberly guilfoyle. k.t. mcfarland and lisa jackson. start to finish, is the obama administration to blame for what is has happened to this chinese

dissident? >> it's an unfortunate situation when we're dealing with foreign relations that the kha chinese government it's not going to go easily. could they have handled things better. certainly. if they were doing this for the first time, it seemed to be a lot of fumbling along way which isn't a good message to send to china nor the rest of the world. in the long run, faith and family have my concern. >> so all while hillary clinton was there. >> the administration totally blew it. this guy comes in, what this d they do? they are now in a situation where this guy is going to get turned back to the keen. anybody that thinks he is going to get a advice visa, they are naive. if you look closely what the clean statement they have

guaranteed nothing. he can apply through normal chance for a visa. he didn't have a passport. it's in the hands of local authorities. >> can you imagine what is going behind the scenes over this. >> what is really interesting me about this, how much leverage do we have with a country that has 26% of our debt. >> picking a fight with your banker. >> that is my point. not to mention, what is going to happen domestically. he is someone who is embraced by the anti-abortion activist here so i wonder what we'll see. but economic summit, these are our bankers, what are you going to do. >> i hope talked to the foreign minister about this, we are a country that has taken 500 million people out of poverty and how can you object to one person. so they say they are in the

right and we are meddling in their affairs. >> i don't see the same fight about currency manipulation. >> this is more complicated because these issues, i'm not saying he is not important because human rights are important. but we have a lot of other issues that don't get the headlines. >> it's a sorry situation to whief arrive on the doorstep. for him to arrive on our embassy door steps, hope we do our very best. >> heather: next topic, president obama's reelection campaign unveiling julia. the republicans say instead she is symbol of what is wrong with the obama administration. will the julia message stick with voters or turn them away? this is basically a webcast, if you haven't seen it. it was put out by the reelection campaign for obama. it takes this woman julia from

childhood all the way through her life. basically shows how she is getting government handouts all along the way. that is really what it boils down to. >> 307 of americans are not getting handouts are getting subsidized by the government. to me, i want to see this get bigger than julia on the web. this the fact is women are lost in poverty. we are locked in and we have a wide array, but if we wanted to talk about courting the women's vote. who hou do we courted ladies? who is going to wind up the democrats for our vote. i want to know who is going to pull me out of poverty. who is going to pay me for the work that i do. >> i find it chilling, because this notion, cradle to grave dependency on the government.

the government enabling to be addicted to the handouts. what happens? i would look back and say, okay, 40 cents of every dollar we spend is from the chinese, what happens when the chinese, we're not going to lend you that money for julia. what happens to all the dependent women or men? >> from that point, it offended me they chose julia, why not somebody else. i have to depend on the government. that is how i took it. >> i wasn't attended while i did not agree with the bailouts on wall street. wall street did happen. the fact that the government does enable us to have life, liberty and pursuit of happiness but i want to see a real debate about breaking the cycle of poverty for women. >> that is legitimate debate.

>> to me that is part of it. i want to get passed julia and get to jane doe and everybody who is struggling. >> i think we can agree with that. i share the concerns and we discussed this on the panel last weekend about helping women to lift themselves up, single mothers myself being one, there is a need. but i understand what k.t. is saying, we don't want to create a system of dependency to only rely on the government. we have had problems with the government and we don't know how that is going in terms of financing and these programs long term. what can we do to help people get out of it and not depended on the government. it can be really fragile at times. >> personal responsibility. go back to china. the fact is dr. king talked

about more than 40 years ago, our priorities are really throwing us. he said more than 40 years ago we would be here and be broke. we invested more and more than we do in peace. i want to see us grow up in our politics. that women are worthy of saving, women can take care of ourselves, but if we need help, give it to them. >> it the role of government. >> do we want a european socialized government or do we much a much more free market. >> heather: that will have to be another day. our power panel is back after a break and spirit airlines doing about-face after receiving a barrage of criticism for refusing to refund the ticket of a dying veteran. >> take each case on its own and make a decision, not have a blanket policy that just said we

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>> heather: hello, everyone. i'm heather childers. welcome it a brand-new hour inside america he's news

headquarters. >> gregg: i'm gregg jarrett. topping the news, the fight between lawmakers and the u.s. attorney general is really heating up. the house oversight committee accusing iraq obvious holder -- eric holder repeatedly stonewalling and lying to congress. the department of justice crying foul. we'll explain what happens next. >> heather: salame knoll la scare. what's behind the outbreak? >> gregg: a major update to a case that sparked nationwide outrage. spirit airlines refuse to go refund a dying veteran's ticket. now what the airline's ceo has to say for his company. >> heather: more than a decade after the horror of the september 11 terrorist attack, the biggest terror hearing in american history is underway today at a military base in cuba. a self-proclaimed mastermind, khalid sheikh mohammed and four other men charged with 3,000 counts of murder for carrying out the 2001 hijackings of four

airliners that were crashed into the world trade center towers. the pentagon and a field in pennsylvania. now more in guantanamo bay with the latest. >> right now we're on another recess. so the suspects can have prayers and we're getting indications from the military here that we're probably headed into a third session this evening because we've been seven hours into the hearing and there have not been any pleas from the men. it seems clear to me from my reporting that the men came to court today with a strategy to frustrate and delay the process. they've refused to cooperate with the judge. they refused to answer questions. and they refused to wear head phones to air the translation. at one point, the lawyer for khalid sheikh mohammed, self-described architect told the court, quote, not putting the head phones in his ears has to do with the torture he experienced. it is not a choice. that's reference to allegations in the c.i.a.'s interrogation program. also in court today, one of the

suspects, this is someone whose family was friends with osama bin laden's family. made a claim through his attorney that he felt the military prosecutors, the women, were not dressed appropriately. and one made a statement that he thought they would all be killed and the military would claim they committed suicide. aside from the antic, serious issues were raised in court. they have o do with how well the defense attorneys are being resourced in this case. for example, one of them complained they haven't had a dedicated translator for a year and the designateed attorney doesn't speak arabic. they make the claim that the military wants to keep information secret because it's embarrassing. >> there really are sources and methods about future attacks and future dangers. again, i understand the skepticism. it is not a justifyification to

not disclose information because it is embarrassing or because it violates a law. >> i was in court in 2008 when the menem first arraigned and they tried to take control then by acting as their own attorneys. clearly they're trying to do the same thing today by frustrating the process by refusing to cooperate. and what seems to have been lost in today's hearing is the fact that the charge sheet for these men is an inch thick and takes 66 pages to list all the names of the victims of 9-11. >> heather: that pretty much says it all. thank you very much. now for a little more context, on january 11, 2002, the first 20 detainees arrived at guantanamo bay, cuba, by air force cargo plane from afghanistan. a total of 779 people have been sent to the prison. most have been transferred out to other countries. 172 detainees are currently being held there. some other notable gitmo

detainees throughout the years include the man known as osama bin laden's driver. he was eventually transferred to yemen and later released. also the alleged mastermind of the uss cole bombing is still being held at gitmo. gregg? >> gregg: a horrific discover near the texas-mexico border, 23 people found dead in the city of nuevo laredo, mexico. nine bodies found hanging from a bridge. 14 human heads in coolers. the brutal massacre sparking fears of a new flair-up in the violent drug wars there. casey stegall live in los angeles covering it all. casey? >> the latest word out of mexico, very grim reminder of the war that is currently being waged in that country. get this, in the last five years, more than 50,000 people have died related to the drug cartel violence. we want to warn you, the video we're about to show is graphic. we tried to clean it up and blur out some of the more graphic

images. but just as you said, yesterday the bodies of nine people found hanging from a bridge overpass. this is just over the texas border. this happened on the mexico side, 140 miles east of corpus christi and about 160 miles south of san antonio. a short time later, 14 human heads were found inside of a cooler at city hall in nuevo laredo. this town has really become a ground zero of sorts for this drug cartel violence between three powerful cartels, the zetas, golfs and sinolas. one group will claim responsibility for a crime, then a rival gang will retaliate and so on and so on. the vicious cycle continues. a car bomb just set off last week outside police headquarters there. the situation in mexico not only dangerous for residents, but the journalists especially. as of august, more journalists

have been killed in that country than in the last five years than all of the war in afghanistan. this week, the bodies of three reporters were found down in the southern portion of the mexican peninsula near veracruz that. city is fairly far south. it's right in the gulf of mexico, right along the gulf there. it has seen wave of violence because it is one of mexico's largest port cities and so the cartels are sort of fighting for trafficking routes there. of course, in the last several years, as we've been reporting on this story, we told but how mexico's president calderon has tried launching a crackdown on this gang violence, but it's really been a futile effort, unfortunately, because the deployment of tens of thousands of federal police and soldiers on the ground and we're still seeing these waves of violence. it's something that a lot of people are talking about and a lot of people are looking at how

on earth we can put an end to the horrific things that we're seeing coming out of mexico. >> gregg: been going on for so long. how tragic. casey stegall, thank you very much. >> heather: turning now to massive roundup in egypt following clashes outside the country's defense ministry, authorities arresting over 300 protesters, according to attorneys. among those detained, 18 women. the protesters will appear in military court. they are accused of attacking troops and disrupting public order. we're told this is one of the largest mass arrest since the fall of former president hosni mubarak. >> gregg: we're learning now about an amazing survival story out of iowa today. a family's home destroyed after severe weather suddenly rolled through. the mom says she ran straight to her daughter's room and not a moment too soon. listen. >> it was like a whistle. it was like a really loud whistle and i ran from my bedroom down the hallway. i snatched her up and i had both

of them and as i turned around, as i got to her doorway, her window blew out. a few more second, she would have been gone. then i knew everybody was safe. and anything that was in there didn't matter. >> gregg: the nelsons are all okay, but they lost everything in the storm. >> heather: a new warning for dog owners. at least 14 people in nine states have been -- or at least 14 dogs have been sickened by shall know -- five people were hospitalized. no reports of any sick pets. health experts say people can get salmonella if they touch infected products. they don't wash their hands before eating or preparing their own food. the tainted dog food was traced back to a south carolina plant. there is now a recall in place for a number of brands made by diamond pet food. the plant was temporarily shut down, but has since opened. go to diamondpet.com for more

information about the recalled products. we are keeping an eye on the president. he's launching his campaign for reelection today. we saw him earlier on the campus of ohio state. he is now in richmond, virginia and he's going to be addressing sop of the students. mrs. obama is at the podium. there's a big crowd there greeting mrs. obama and the president in just a few moments. we'll be going live to that event and also we'll talk to andy card, who served in the bush administration as well. in the meantime, attorney general eric holder on the hot seat as congressional lawmakers move to hold him in contempt of congress for allegedly stonewalling the fast and furious investigation and maybe lying to the investigative committee. judge jeanine pirro will be here to weigh in. >> heather: a georgia sheriff opening a first of its kind jail just for inmates who are military vets. why this novel idea may be an

emerging national trend. >> gregg: and the energy issue taking front and center stage in the general election fight. who's got the upper hand from everything from the pipeline to fracking? we'll debate it next. >> how can we continue to subsidize the oil industry that's making record profits instead of investing in things like clean energy that will help shape our future?

>> heather: energy policies front and center this week in the political conversation. republican lawmakers calling for swift passage of the keystone pipeline africa -- after canadian oil giant proposed a route. while president obama moved to limit the use of diesel fuel. rival mitt romney in pittsburgh blasting the president for stifling energy production. take a listen. >> all of the above means you like all energy sources. but he's been anti-coal, anti-oil, antinatural gas, antinuclear, so how could he say he's for all the above? then i figured it out.

he's for all the sources of energy that come from above the ground. >> heather: so how could energy policy play in crucial swing states like pennsylvania and ohio? joining me now for a fair and balanced debate, the executive director of the american values institute, alexis mcgill johnson and chairman of civic forum for john mccain presidential campaign. thank you for joining us today. >> thank you. >> heather: alexis, i will start with you. this is kind of a loaded question but should our president allow environmental lobbyists to influence or dictate our nation's energy policy? what do you have to say? >> i could throw the question back to mitt romney and the question would be, should candidate romney be allowing oil lobbyists to be dictating his choice of energy policy. 'cause i think that's what's happening. i think what the president has done in his administration is actually focus on a lot of

challenges that the left -- driving oil production up and increasing it and the biggest increase it's had in years and he's actually been really, really thinking about long-term sustainability and alternative energy investments. he's more balanced than anybody that the opposition will put forth. >> totally disagree with you, alexis. president obama's policies from his opposition to the keystone pipeline to the attempts to limit fracking are driving up america's energy cost. basically gas prices have doubled under his watch. so energy is a key issue for mitt romney, particularly in the battle ground states of ohio and pen. the problem for romney is simple, it's hard to message and basically most americans lead busy lives and know nothing about it. thus, you're able to spin a web of half truths like the idea of production being up because of president obama. production of oil is down on federal lands which obama controls. so once again, there you go

again with another half truth. >> heather: i've got to tell you, what he just said is true and if you look at the partisan energy information agency, they will tell you -- the nonpartisan energy information agency, i should tell you, they'll tell you that the federal production, in other words, the things that could be controlled and were controlled under president obama's direction, that the production is down between 2010 and 2011 and natural gas, 14% and in oil, 10%. >> but in 2008 it has been the highest production that we've seen in years. so i'm not sure exactly -- >> heather: due in p part to a loft policies in place before, correct, ford? >> that is correct. but the production is up on private lands because of things like fracking. that's what president obama is trying to limit. if you limit fracking, you're going to drive am energy cost. hence, you'll hurt all americans because it goes from driving their car to groceries. you're killing america right now with your energy policy.

>> heather: alexis, i didn't mean to cut you off. >> i think we're making good points. i think his message being difficult around energy real because there are a lot of things that have to be taken into consideration when you develop an energy policy. it's not just about allowing fracking. it's also about doing very serious environmental scans that will understand kind of what's happening. fracking has been attributed to increase in earthquakes and tremors. we've also seen challenges around the keystone pipeline, concerns about whether or not those billions of gallons of oil will go through very sensitive areas near water aquafires. it's not that we can increase, there are other considerations that have to do with not just people paying what they pay at the pump, but also kind of what they're putting in their mouth and their children's mouths in terms of water. so it's a much more complex issue.

>> heather: what about the jobs that both will create? the economy, people need jobs and both of these things we're talk being in terms of fracking, keystone pipeline, these are creating jobs, people need them. >> that's absolutely right. i mean, jobs, debt and energy are the three foremost issues on the minds of americans. president obama's policy, whether it's on the economy, whether it's on energy are hurting the american middle class and all americans and driving up costs for everyone. and the biggest concern in the battle ground states, aside from the jobs and the national debt is the cost of the pain at the pump. frankly, president obama, whether it's the keystone pipeline or fracking, if he would give in a little bit on this, he would see a drop in the cost at the pump and i promise you, he would guarantee himself reelection. >> heather: keystone is not a jobs plan, it's plan to put money in the pockets of big oil and lobbyists. >> big oil, alexis, that's another half truth! >> heather: jobs alone in ohio, when you're talking about swing

states and this has been verified in ohio alone, ohio shale resources will generate 65,000 jobs. that's the shale resources. at $4.9 billion to the state's economy, by 2014. that's in ohio alone. there are a lot of states affected. >> that's exactly right. you're going to increase the number of jobs and you're going to relieve america's pain at the pump! look, whether it's the keystone pipeline or fracking, it's not going to solve our energy problems. what it's going to too is lower the cost at the pump. that is something that all americans care about because oil and natural gas goes to everything we do, from driving our cars to how much our grocery cost. if you want to actually make headway in america, you're going to relieve the pocketbook pain of the average american. >> heather: if we're talk being hope and change, maybe provide a little bit of hope, real hope of the thank you both so much. we appreciate you joining us. >> thank you as always. >> gregg: a fox news alert.

president obama officially kick off his campaign for reelection today, holding his first political rallies in the race for the white house. earlier he spoke in columbus, ohio. right now president obama speaking in richmond, virginia. let's take a listen. >> give your kids the chance to do even better. no matter who you are, no matter where you come from, no matter what you look like, no matter what your last name is. [ cheers and applause ] we believe the free market is one of the greatest forces for progress in human history that businesses are the engine of growth and that risk takers and innovators should be rewarded. but we also believe that it is best -- the free market has never been license to do take whatever you want, however you can get it.

we've understood that alongside our entrepreneurial spirit, rugged individualism, america only prospers when we meet our obligations to one another. and the future generations. we came together in 2008 because our country had strayed from these basic american values. a record surplus was squandored on tax cut force people who didn't need them and weren't even asking for them. two wars were being waged on a credit card. wall street speculators reaped huge profits by making bets with other people's money. manufacturing left our shores. a shrinking number of americans did fantastically well while most people struggled with

falling incomes and rising costs, and the slowest job growth in half a century. >> gregg: clearly the economy is what the president is talking about, although it's rather interesting that he criticizes wall street, since he's the beneficiary of wall street money, far more than lynns have been -- republicans have been. let's get reaction. you can listen more to this streaming live on foxnews.com. let's get reaction to the president's campaign launch from andy card, former white house chief of staff under president george w. bush. mr. card, always good to see you. >> great to see you, thane for having me on. president obama is talking an awful lot of hype in his speech. it's really not reflecting the reality of the world that he has been governing. and he's got an awful lot of regulations in his pipeline that when they come out will stifle the economy and that's one reason we have to pay attention to what he's talking about right now because he's sold us a bill of goods before and there is a lot of buyer's remorse in

america that said we didn't like what you have done. you promised us better than that and we don't like what you've delivered. >> gregg: speaking of promises, he famously promised that unemployment would never rise above 8% if congress passed his stimulus. of course, it was passed and unemployment went above 10%. but in fairness, the figure is trending downward, mr. card, to 8.1% as of yesterday. and he says, look, nobody knew back then, four years ago just how dire the recession would prove to be. you think that's a fair point? is that the kind of explanation that americans will buy? >> he actual hee made the recession worse by some of his policies. but also that 8.1% unemployment doesn't take into consideration the number of people who left the work force, aren't look for jobs anymore. if you were to count those people, it would be close to 9 or 10% unemployment. so he's got a lot of things to try to explain about his economic policies because the

numbers don't add up to the jobs that are needed to make a difference in the average american life. >> gregg: president reagan ran on the 1980 slogan, are you better off now than you were four years ago? certainly worked for him. it seemed to resonate with voters. yesterday, though, we may have gotten a peek at mitt romney's slogan in his open letter to the president when he wrote, quote, i have a simple question for you, where are the jobs? would that make a good campaign theme for romney? >> while it reflects the reality. the jobs have disappeared and the number of people looking for jobs have disappeared from the work force. and in the jobs that were created over the course of the last several years were many -- many were government-related jobs. not private sector created jobs that are going to grow this economy. there is a lot of angst, there is buyer's remorse and i think the president now has got a little seller's remorse. he's trying to change his story.

>> gregg: in addition to more spending and higher taxes, president obama's recovery strategy, if we can call it that, was described this way in today's "new york times" front page story. we'll put it up on the screen. the president has doggedly pushed piecemeal proposals that he says will improve the lives of middle americans -- middle income americans from hiring teachers and firefighters to streamlining the refinancing of home mortgages as a way to revive the broader job market. is that going to do it l card? >> no. that's rhetoric that is hollow because the policies aren't producing those results. and we've got a long way to go to get this economy back on track. but president obama's policies that are in place right now aren't going to create the opportunity for economic growth. the regulations that are in the pipeline that he wants to impose on our economy are going to make it even more difficult for us to grow the way we should be growing. >> gregg: the president is launching, as we saw a moment

ago, his reelection campaign today on two different college campuses. that's no coincidence. he's clearly trying to reenergize the youth vote that propelled his victory the last time around. more than that, though, if you look at some of the polls data, he is showing incredibly strong sizable leads among women in some of the key swing states. why is that? >> well, i'm not sure that's going to hold because women in america know the impact of job ons the economy and they see what it's doing to their families. so i think once they really pay attention to the policies that president obama has put in place, the ones that he is talking about putting in place in the future, they're the ones that will stifle economic growth and make it tougher for those families and those women to lead those families into a better live. >> gregg: you say the president's policies made matters worse and that his future policies won't do it. in fairness, let's look at mitt romney a couple of months ago. he came out with his new tax plan. there it is up on the screen.

this plan was analyzed by the nonpartisan tax policy center which says it strongly favors the wealthiest americans while raising taxes on the bottom 20%. mr. card, isn't that a very tough sell for most americans? >> you know, the process of getting taxes in place is one where congress has a disportionately important role. the ways and means committee in the house is going to be the one to write the tax package. the president will propose it. but president obama hasn't even been able to get a budget passed by congress and he refuses to really send one that's going to make a difference. so the fault with the democrats is that they haven't passed a budget under president obama's leadership. >> gregg: you wouldn't want to run a campaign that gets criticized chronically every day, day in and day out as favor the rich, would you? >> i want to see economic policy, including tax policy, that will stimulate economic growth in america. not stifle growth, but stimulate

growth. i don't want regulations that will be so burdensome that people can't go into business, can't take the risks of a small business that are going to create the jobs. that's what i want to see. i want the american spirit to be able to be realized by hard work and right now, the government is looking to be involved in everybody's life in every aspect and president obama wants to be in your life. >> gregg: andy card, always great to see you. thank you for being with us today. former chief of staff for president bush. >> heather: coming up, when warren buffet speak, people tend to listen. he's addressing thousands of shareholders at the annual meeting for berkshire hath away and giving advice on where to put your money. the hot tip next. >> gregg: spirit airlines changing its tune after refusing to refund the particular for a dying vietnam vet. a live report in three minutes. >> i thought i was getting a deal again and this is not worth it. >> that was the dumbest thing ever, that you have to pay to take your bag on the plane most life insurance companies

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>> gregg: bottom of the hour, time for top of the news. two u.s. senators will introduce a resolution supporting chinese dissident chen guangchen. he has been under house arrest for exposing human rights violations. >> heather: the super bowl of shareholder meetings is underway. more than 30,000 gather not guilty nebraska to hear from warren buffet. he says he's feeling terrific despite his recent cancer diagnosis. as for investing, he says that he may buy more newspapers. >> gregg: and wedding bells for two of the american hikers previously in prison by iran. they will walk down the aisle in san francisco today. >> heather: congratulations to them. a huge development in a story that we have been covering that sparked outrage all across the

country. spirit airlines taking flak to say the least for refuse to go refund the ticket of a dying vietnam veteran after his doctors advised him not to fly. now after the public backlash, the airline's ceo had a change of heart. laura ingle is live with more on this story. so laura, a big about face. >> that's right. you know, what a difference a few days can make. in a complete 180, spirit airlines' ceo is now personally refunding jerry's ticket in full and has announced the airline will donate $5,000 to the charity, wounded warriors project. this is after sparking outrage after refusing to reimburse him just a few days ago. the former marine asked for a refund after his doctor told him his cancer spread and he couldn't fly. the ceo said he should have bought the $14 travel insurance they offer and that repaying him would be, quote, cheating other customers.

here he is on thursday with an interview. >> we feel very badly for him, however, this is a country and a society where we kind of play by the rules and he didn't -- he he wanted to really not do that and that's really not fair to the 10 million other spirit customers. >> this is him now, releasing a statement that reads in part, quote, i did not demonstrate the respect or the compassion that i should have. given his medical condition and his service to our country. all of us at spirit airlines extend our prayers and best wishes to mr. meekens. i spoke with him earlier who says when he got the call yesterday, he at first thought it was a prank. he adds that while he appreciates the donation to wounded warriors, he hopes that the airline will review special circumstances like his on a case by case basis instead of applying that blanket no refunds allowed policy in future. heather? >> heather: maybe listen to your heart next time. thank you so much. spirit may have another pr issue

to deal with. did you hear about this, the airline announcing it is raising the cost of putting a carry-on bag in the overhead bin to a whopping $100. yes. you heard that right. the price for the carry-on rising from $45 to triple digit, possibly costing more than your ticket. that is if you pay at the boarding gate, if you pay ahead of time, it's just $50. >> gregg: i traveled recently, it was 25 for the first bag and $50 for the second bag and it keeps going up. >> heather: it does cost. >> gregg: one georgia sheriff is taking a new stand against a growing problem, claiming to open the first county jail dedicated exclusively to housing and helping inmates who are veterans. elizabeth prann has more. hi, elizabeth. >> hi, gregg. that south georgia facility houses veterans only in a jailed dormitory. so the sheriff can streamline aid and programs geared to helping out these former military vets. similar programs have been tried

in florida state prison, but never in a county jail. the sheriff says it could be an more emerging trend, especially in the area. >> the people, veterans get access to that programs that will address some of their concerns or needs. then when they transition back into the community, we don't have that problem. >> the population reflects the population of the community. so us being a military town, we have a lot more veterans probably than others that don't have a military base. >> one vet are ran we met returned home, suffering from alcoholism and getting himself into trouble over and over begun. he says until he received the assistance he's getting now, he said he will continue going back to jail, but says because of the

programs he is gotting, he will never return back to jail. >> unfortunately, we end up in situations like this. at least now we're segregate to do a point we can actually talk to one another and really iron out some of the situations we've had. >> now, studies show about one tenths of the prison population consists of male veterans, which is why the sheriff says if we take this issue head on on the front end, perhaps we'll prevent those men from going back to jail over and over again. gregg? >> gregg: elizabeth prann live in atlanta, thanks. >> heather: attorney general eric holder taking heat over the botched gun trafficking sting, fast and furious. congressional leaders are threatening our top law enforcement officer with being held in contempt. will the charge stick? judge jeanine pirro weighs in, up next.

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>> gregg: fallout in the fast and furious investigation. congressman darryl issa now laying out his case of contempt against attorney general eric holder in the failed gun running sting, sending out a draft letter to his colleagues that says in part, for over a year, the department of justice issued false denials and given answers and intended to misdirect investigators. the department of justice denies claims of being uncooperative. jeanine pirro, host of "justice" right here. is he more interested in grabbing headlines or is this a legitimate inquiry? >> it seems based upon the fact that this investigation has been ongoing for some time that issa is trying to get to the bottom facts here. there are 12 categories out of 22 that holder's office has not responded to and there is something like 8% of the number of pages that the congress has

asked for that have been handed over by the department of justice. here is the issue: we call it fast and furious. it seems that the congress people are furious about holder's refusal to cooperate -- >> gregg: they're always furious. in the last six administrations, 12 administration officials have been held in contempt of congress and you know what? what happens? nothing. >> well, but you know, like attorney general janet leno in 1975 who was cited for contempt, the bottom line is, you don't want your legacy to contain a contempt order of congress. that's serious stuff. >> gregg: some people regard it as a badge of honor. karl rove, harriette myers. >> but at the end of the day, what you have shear a borrowed patrol agent who is dead, because the department of justice allowed 2,000 ar 15s to walk across the border with nothing connected to them other than we'll find these guns in a homicide scene. the problem is that no one has been fired. no one has been accountable. eric holder, although he has

testified at six or seven hearings said he didn't know, then he did know, then he didn't know until then, but now he knew sooner and we're only finding this out because congress is getting information in response to the subpoena. >> gregg: the administration always asserts executive privilege and the lawyer under privilege law says there is a presumption of privilege and it's almost impossible for congress to disprove it. in one case, can you remember the case? u.s. v nixon. >> that's right. but here is the problem, every one of those people who claimed executive privilege, it hasn't worked. that's not a problem! what that means is you can't hide behind executive privilege. if congress wants the information, they should be able to get it. eric holder runs the department of justice. here is the question: they've got the draft order. are they going to pursue it? this is, as you say, an election year. this may be something where boehner may have given his

approval, but issa wouldn't have done it unless he had the votes. the question is, do they pull the trigger? >> gregg: then it gets litigated and it goes to the court system and it's a collision of interests, executive branch versus the legislative branch. you know what? nothing ever comes of it. >> sad part is, brian terry is dead. the whole file has been sealed. how is it that a homicide file is sealed and why hasn't this case come to trial? is this a ruse to make sure this information doesn't get out before the election? so there are a lot of issues here, but i think that unless and until justice hands over everything that congress wants, it's going to keep going. >> gregg: they're not going to do it. "justice" with judge jeanine, check it out tonight. thanks very much. 9:00 p.m. eastern right here on the fox news channel. heather? >> heather: coming up, four core states could determine your next president. we'll show you which ones and

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>> heather: time to the race for the white house. the latest polling from

rasmussen reports focusing on what it calls four core states or key states, florida, north carolina, ohio, and virginia. >> gregg: and in a new survey of likely vote increase those states, there it is, president obama holding a slight lead over mitt romney, 46 to 43% right on the edge of the margin of error. let's bring in scott rasmussen. good to see you. how long is the president held a lead in the swing states? >> well, he's been narrowly ahead now for several weeks. these numbers are close because the race nationally is close. you got to put this in perspective. they have 75 electoral college votes. if mitt romney wins all four action he'll probably be president. if barak obama picks off one, what's a good chance of keeping his job and if he wins two, he's certainly to be relie detectorred. but people are getting so wrapped up in these counts, they're missing the bigger picture. there is still a long way to go. if yesterday's jobs report is an indicator of things to come and the economic news is bad for the

next few months, the president's numbers will go down in the core four states and nationally. he will have a hard time winning. if the economic indicators move back up, he's very likely to keep his job. >> heather: scott, it's hard to believe, but one week ago or one year ago this past week, we recognized taking down osama bin laden. our navy seals moved in and accomplished that feat and congratulations again to them. but how do americans feel about the war on terror and are we now winning a year later? >> 51% now say the u.s. and its allies are winning the war on terror. only 11% say the terrorists have the edge. these numbers are as good as we have ever seen. lot of optimism, a lot of feeling that al-qaeda has been hurt by the actions of the last several years. but it's also important to recognize that the american people don't think that the war is over. eight out of ten say the war on terror is still going on of the half believe it's at least possible there will be another terrorist attack in the u.s.

over the next 12 months. 16% think that's very likely. >> gregg: the president is engineering the withdrawal of troops from afghanistan. a popular move? >> very much so. 53% would like all the troops brought home right away. but most support the president's plan announced from afghanistan last week. where there is some concern is the troops that will remain behind. we have said we want to continue to support afghanistan. some reports say as many as 20,000 troops might stay behind. >> heather: what about this, this past may 3, thursday, it marked the national day of prayer, which actually was enacted into law in 1952. it surprised me, didn't hear a whole lot about it this year. how do people feel about that and should the government get involved in the national day of prayer? >> two out of three say it's appropriate to have a national day of prayer, to have the government recognize it. 24% say it's not.

these numbers aren't all that surprising given the fact that faith played a big role in american life from the very beginning. it's also important to recognize that 62%, three out of five people, say it's very important to maintain a separation of church and state. they think the clear boundaries between the two strengthen both sides. >> gregg: i was listening to the interview with snort -- senator rob portman, he says he prays every day. what about most americans? >> most americans say they pray every day or 60% say they pray at least once a day. this could mean sitting down and saying grace before a meal or it could be a one sentence hail mary prayer, could mean something more significant. senator portman, by the way, is a little unusual in that women far more likely than men to pray on a daily basis. >> gregg: isn't that interesting. scott rasmussen, great to see you. fascinating stuff as always. thank you. >> heather: thank you very much. >> thank you. >> heather: that does it for us. rick folbaum and arthel neville take over at the top of the

hour. >> gregg: and we'll see you back here tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. eastern time. happy cinco de mayo. have a great weekend, everyone. bye-bye. >> heather: bye does aspirin even work on headaches?

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>> rick: hello p welcome it a brand-new hour inside america's news headquarters. i'm rick folbaum.