get out of the country. this picture says so much this morning. a syrian woman carrying her son, suffering from a gunshot wound, trying desperately to get across that border. bill: what happened today, connor? >> reporter: the violence continued in syria. for the last 48 hour the area in central syria has been pounded by syrian artillery and rockets. this area has been hit hard the past 48 hours by syrian artillery. ban ki-moon urged and called on the syrian government to end the violence. the syrian rebels announced they wand an ultimatum. they want a return to the cease-fire. that seems unlikely considering what we have seen the past three or four days and the past week

since the massacre in houla friday. the united states signaled it would continue down the diplomatic path to end the bloodshed in syria. but right now the violence is expected to continue. bill: . there is a warning if diplomacy fails the wider region could be drawn into a bigger war. >> reporter: in israel there is a concern about what might happen next. susan rice was talking to the united nations saying if the larger diplomatic push fails, the wider region could be pulled into the conflict. the iranian government says if the united states or other

countries intervene militarily in syria, israel will be attacked. there is a concern about israel and iran in terms of the nuclear issue. there is a lot of concern in the middle east about what happens next. right now it is a diplomatic push by the united states and the diplomatic community and the u.n. this seems to be the on real option anybody is considering. right now military intervention is off the table for most of the international community, bill. martha: with that violence escalating by the day, we are getting more images of the civilians being massacred inside syria. the united states saying the assad regime must be dealt with. but the question now is what does that mean? we'll put that question to senator marco rubio.

bill: this news is just breaking. two americans kidnapped in egypt. the men reportedly taken as they were driving near a resort on the sinai peninsula. their captors demanding the release of a fellow tribesman. they are not saying much more than that. several other tourists have been kidnapped in the area, including many americans. most of them have been released unharmed. martha: a report that shows the economy remains sluggish. the labor department reported a spike in the number of folks coming in to apply for unemployment coverage. that climbed by 10,000 in the recent weeks to 583,000. also coming out moment ago.

the commerce department says the economy grew by 1s 9% in the last quarter. let's break it all down with stuart varney of the fox business network. let's tackle these weekly claims numbers first. >> reporter: may i suggest the real headline is that 1.9% economic growth rate for the overall economy. what this means with the unemployment claims number. for the third summer in a row the economy is weakening. we went from 3% to 2% and now we are in the 1% range. that is a clearly weakening economy. that's very bad news for the president's reelection campaign. now look at the jobs picture. that's equally worrying for the president. we have a spike in people

claiming unemployment benefits. layoffs in the month of may, private sector job creation also very weak. if you add it all up, what we have got is a slowing economy and the possibility that the unemployment rate now at 8.1% will actually go up before the election in november. martha: obviously this is bad news for the country and for people who are out of work. it also is an election year. when you talk about the summer and the summers we have seen the decline. it reminded me of the talk about a summer of recovery. was that last summer? >> reporter: it was 2010, 2011, and now 2012 the same thing is happening again. president obama has long claimed the economy is going in the right direction. it's tough to make that claim when the economy is clearly

weakening, going in the wrong direction. that's where we have it. bill: we have new details in a deadly shooting rocking seattle. surveillance video showing a gunman in a coffee shop moment after he opened fire. the 40-year-old man killed four people than ran. minutes later killing a woman and stealing her car. that set off an immediate manhunt for him. >> i saw two people on stretchers bleeding. it's not every day you see 50 cops with giant guns walking around the streets where you live. >> we had two tragic shootings that have shaken this city. it follows on the heels of tragic episodes of gun violence that occurred throughout the city. bill: police say he killed

himself as they approached him. bill: we could get a verdict at any moment now. jurors in theth day of deliberations. jonathan serrie back at his post in greens borrow. any indication how close we might or may not be? >> reporter: it feels like the movie "groundhog day." in theory this jury could reach a verdict at any second today. but yesterday the judge held a series of closed door meetings with lawyers on both sides to address a note she received from one of the jurors. though it's unclear what this latest juror issue was about, it's unusual for individual jurors to send such notes. >> a jury working together as a collective question. that question gets resolved and you get a verdict after that.

in this case we have had repeated notes from jurors that led to no apparent action being taken. >> reporter: . the former federal prosecutor speculate this note may indicate there is division inside the jury room. bill: there are four alternate jurors now, they will not be in the courthouse today. why is that? >> reporter: the judge dismissed them and said they could sit out the rest of the deliberations at home or outside the courthouse as long as they agreed not to discuss the case or watch media coverage of the trial. she said she had enough confidence in the health of the main jurors. the alternates are not allowed inside the jury room unless they

are picked to replace one of those main jurors. but apparently that will not be necessary. the alternate jurors had brought some humor to deliberations last week when thursday they started wearing shirts of matching colors. in is missing the alternates he said everyone in the courtroom will miss your cheerful faces. we'll regret not knowing the color for tomorrow. bill: jonathan, thank you. nine days of deliberations. what does it mean, if anything? martha: those are just a few of the big stories wore following in "america's newsroom." the increasingly rocky road between the united states and pakistan. should we continue to give pakistan $2 billion in u.s. aid?

rand paul joins us on what he thinks about that. bill: eric healedder telling black church leaders the sacred right to vote is under attack. martha: the nanny state unleashed in new york city. mayor bloomberg at it again. we have no transfats, no cigarettes. >> everything in moderation. that's a good idea to promote. >> i don't think it's the mayor's job to decide what sort of soft drinks people want to buy. ♪ [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors...

and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wideange of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering. support team usa and show our olympic spirit

right in our own backyard. so we combined our citi thankyou points to make it happen. tom chipped in 10,000 points. karen kicked in 20,000. and by pooling more thankyou points from folks all over town, we were able to watch team usa... [ cheering ] in true london fashion. [ male announcer ] now citi thankyou visa card holders can combine the thankyou points they've earned and get even greater rewards. ♪

martha: a horrifying crash outside a california high school leaves four people injured. police say a high school $junior ran a red light and plowed into

the students in a crosswalk. >> all i heard was students yelling run, get out of the way. i seen a car come and hit a girl up into the air. it hit so many people and papers flying everywhere. it was like a movie. martha: police say the teenaged driver was not under the influence an stopped immediately to help the victims. no word on if charges will be filed against him. bill: there are new developments in the case that pakistani doctor jailed for helping the u.s. my next guest is a senator behind the effort to cut off pakistani aid. rand paul. senator, good morning to you. why are you leading this charge?

>> well, you know, i have a lot of sympathy for this doctor. i'm about the same age. i can imagine the courage it must have taken to help us get bin laden. he was one of the biggest mass murderers in our history. and i think he needs our support. we need to negotiate from a position of strength. i don't think the united states is negotiating from a position of strength saying please let him go. bill: you are also a doctor. but there is a senate panel recommending $33 million in cuts. which is far less than what you are thinking. what do you think about your colleague's idea. >> it's symbolic. they listen to strength. if you tell them month money we might get the doctor freed. i threatened to with hold the

egyptian aid because they were holding 16 americans and lo and behold, egypt let them free. i also authored legislation to grant him citizenship in the united states. bill: word from the white house is the administration is consulting with the pakistanis. why not allow that process to go forward? perhaps they are successful. >> sometimes quiet diplomacy can work but sometimes rattling the case and letting them know we are serious can help. i think in the egyptian case when i rattled the case it gave us more leverage. i would not release any aid to pakistan. i would make it all contingent on them freeing this doctor. they also have some egregious human rights abuses going on. there is a young woman waiting to be executed for allegedly

saying something improper about the prophet. bill: you managed egypt. you said this in a letter to president obama. the system of foreign aid is broken. i urge you to reverse the decision to provide aid to egypt until the politically motivated prosecution of american citizens is ended. but the first part about your statement is intriguing. the system of foreign aid is broken. what do you mean by that? >> when you think about it. look at africa, for example. mubarak in egypt was 60 $60 billion u.s. tax dollars at a time we are struggling to replace your infrastructure. what did he do with the money?

he stole it. in the congo, rhodesia and zimbabwe, they stole the money. the people don't get anything. the people don't have any run water and electricity but these dictators have some of the most lavish mansions throughout the world. bill: any success in the senate or is it too high a hill to climb. >> we'll see. some of the senators come up to me and thank me for rattling the cage. bill: democrats, too? >> democrats, too, but not many of them have the courage to vote for it. if you ask, 75% of americans say we ought to end the foreign aid. particularly sending foreign aid to our enemies is very insulting.

martha: there is some extreme weather hitting the midwest. take a look at that. we'll tell you where folks saw that. bill: he was one of the top football prospects in the nation. that was before he was convicted of rape and lost 10 years of his life. now his accuser admits she lied about all of it. brian banks getting his shot back on the football field. welcome to hotels.com.

summer road trip, huh? yep uhuh let's find you a room. at hotels.com, you'll always find the perfect hotel. cause we only do hotels. wow. i like that. nice! no. laugh...awe hmm nice huh ooh, yeah book it! oh boy call me... this summer, we're finding you the perfect place - plus giving you up to $100 at hotels.com

bill: from china, a driver plowing into five people on a motorcycle. some of them hit the windshield. police say the car went through a yellow light.

all five treated for injuries. but they are all going to be okay. all said to be recovering. martha: we have amazing video, severe thunderstorms. look at this mother nature lightning show. winds reached close to 70 miles an hour. then you have got north carolina where people are recovering from serious flooding from tropical storm beryl. good morning, janice. >> reporter: good morning. tomorrow is the official start of hurricane season. taking a look at satellite-radar we have the potential for stronger storms across the central u.s. like we saw in the video. we could see dangerous lightning, large hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes. you can see the showers and thunderstorms firing across texas up to the ohio river

valley. we think we have the potential for the worst weather in terms of hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes. so if you live in these areas play close attention to your local forecast. the other big story is the incredible heat across the southwest. do you believe we could set some records across this region? up to 115 degree. in mat roon shaded areas we are seeing high heat warning. people are advised to stay indoors and keep cool. 104 in las vegas. but much cooler across the northeast and the northern plains. so extreme temperatures for sure. martha: hot, hot, hot in phoenix. one of our producers was there. janice dean.

imagine what it will be like in august. bill: guess who's going to washington. why president bush is back at the white house. martha: attorney general eric holder blaming voter i.d. laws of suppressing the black vote. >> the achievements of the civil rights movement hang again in the balance. you can't argue with nutrition you can see. great grains. great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole. see the seam? more pcessed flakes look nothing like natural grains. i'm eating what i kn is better nutrition. mmmm. great grains.

search great grains and see for yourself. when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement insurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp... medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company,

helps cover some of the medical expenses... not paid by medicare part b. that can save you from paying up to thousands of dollars... out of your own pocket. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans... exclusively endorsed by aarp. when you call now, you'll get this free information kit... with all you need to enroll. put their trust in aarp medicare supplement insurance. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. the prices are competitive. i can keep my own doctor. and i don't need a referral to see a specialist. call now to get a free information kit. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. and the advantages don't end there. choose from a range of medicare supplement plans... that are all competitively priced. we have a plan for almost everyone, so you can find one that fits your needs and budget. with all medicare supplement plans, there are virtually no claim forms to fill out. plus you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts medicare. and best of all, these plans are...

the only medicare supplement plans endorsed by aarp. when they told me these plans were endorsed by aarp... i had only one thing to say... sign me up. call the number on your screen now... and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan. you'll get this free information kit... and guide to understanding medicare, to help you choose the plan that's right for you. as with all medicare supplement plans, you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts medicare, get help paying for what medicare doesn't... and save up to thousands of dollars. call this toll-free number now. bill: why is president obama going back to the white house? he will be there with his father. you will have two president bushes meeting with the obamas.

doug mckelway has the camera ready on the north lawn. >> reporter: president bush has kept an extremely low profile since he left the white house. but it will be difficult to keep a low profile as and his wife laura return to the white house for the official unveiling of their portraits. given the fact that president bush left the white house while the economy was in virtual free-fall and given the fact that president obama as recently as last week was intimating that he inherited the mess from the last guy, many are wondering about the awkwardness in today's meeting. >> i think what has been the case and will be the case is

that there is so much shared experience between so far the men and one date men and women who hold this office, that there is much to talk about that they hold in common. so there is not a lot of need to talk about where they differ. >> reporter: a former bush spokesman said president bush has been around politics a long time. he has been around how president's deal with each other and the schedule has all three presidents meeting with their wives for lunch at 12:10, that's obviously closed to the press. don't you wish you could be a fly on the wall in that meeting? the official unveiling of the portrait gets underway in the east room. the portraits will eventually be

hung in the foyer of the executive mansion. bill: you will be our official fly today. martha: u.s. attorney general eric holder telling a group of african-american church leaders that because of voter i.d. laws he believes one of the most cherished american rights is under attack. listen. >> i would argue that of all the freedoms that we enjoy today, none is more important or more sacred than the right to vote. i heard a consistent drum beat of concern from citizens who for the first time in their lives have reason to believe we are failing to live up to one of our nation's most mobile ideals and some of the achievements that define the civil rights movement hang again in the balance. martha: those are strong words. john fund joins me from the "national review."

do civil rights hang in the balance. >> there was a lot of flowing rhetoric with little concrete facts. the american people profoundly disagree with eric holder. 80% support voter i.d. laws to combat voter fraud. 63% of african-americans believe that voter fraud is a serious problem. he's going against the grain of what americans intuitively understand. we want to make it easy to vote but hard to cheat. he abandoned efforts to help states clean up their vote were registration roles. we have states where 20% of the votessers are ineligible or dead. wisconsin has 3,000 dead votessers on their rolls. martha: 32 states that have

voters' rights bills on the books, this is a widespread effort to clean up the voter rolls as you put it and it looks like the justice department is working against that aim. >> you are right. these laws have been carefully designed. anybody who can't afford an i.d. gets one. if you don't have an i.d. you fill out a provisional ballot and you send evidence of your i.d. to the election officials later, your vote will be counted. bottom line, we have a voter fraud problem in this country. and we have many cities and states where there are more people registered to vote than there are people over the age of 18. we remember the acorn scandal. i think eric holder is on the wrong course and he many directing his justice department to ignore some of the laws that will make our ballots more secure. martha: yesterday, it was said

that this is inappropriate for the attorney general. he said this is a political movant attorney general should be above politics. >> we hear we should have a separation of church and state and we have the attorney general of the united states appearing before a bunch of ministers saying i want to enlist if you my cause of fighting these voter i.d. laws. that sounds like a lot of mixing of church and state to me. martha: downfundo -- john fund joining me. bill: 10 years after being accused of rape. 6nfl teams have invited him to a try out as a full scholarship offer to usc as a high school player when was falsely accused of rape. he broke down in court after

awas exonerate. he always maintained his innocence but he spent five years in jail. he was only cleared after his accuser admitted she made it up. he's planning to file a claim against the state. martha: there was not a dry eye in the house. he said all he ever wanted was his freedom. imagine spending five years in prison for a crime you didn't commit. do you think he has a chance? bill: mid 20s? probably his best years of development are behind him. it's always possible. 25, 26 years old. you get your speed back, you get your strength back. martha: there are older football players. bill: you won kerr how many skills you lose by sitting in a cell for so many years. martha: we wish him well.

we hope he exceeds everybody's expectations. good luck to him. this story got everybody buzzing. new yorkers are about to say goodbye to the super sized soda. the new york city mayor wants to do away with those giant soft drinks. he thinks they are the key to fighting obesity. is it the nanny state gone wild? bill: , just handoff my starbucks. >> they said early on that their objective in the campaign was to quote kill mitt romney. not literally but figuratively,a obviously. ntation. so at&t showed corporate caterers how to beer collaborate by using a mobile solution, in a whole new way. using real-time photo sharing abilities, they can create and maintain high standards,

from kitchen to table. this technology allows us to collaborate with r drivers to make a better experience for our customers. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ it's time to live wider awake. helping you do what you do... even better. only the beautyrest recharge sleep system combines the comfort of aircool memory foam layered on top of beautyrest pocketed coils to promote proper sleeping posture all night long. the revolutionary recharge sleep system... from beautyrest. it's you, fully charged. the economy needs manufacturing. machines, tools, people making stuff. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we need it now more than ever. chevron's putting more than $8 billion dollars

back in the u.s. economy this year. in pipes, cement, steel, jobs, energy. we need to get the wheels turning. i'm proud of that. making real things... for real. ...that make a real difference. ♪ changed for real. my life.aidsmake a real difference. i feel so much younger. my husband was able to hear little things again, like the laughter of our grandkids. it's amazing. i can have fun with my friends again. ready to reconnect with your friends and family? the aarp hearing care program provided by

hearusa can help you get back to living life. call hearusa... your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. aarp members enjoy exclusive discounts on a wide range of digital hearing aids for crisp, natural sound even in crowded environments, with a 90-day risk free trial from providers you can trust. i'm enjoying my freedom again. even conversations in noisy restaurants are easy. not an aarp member? join today. and then take advantage of the aarp hearing care program provided by hearusa. call hearusa ... and reconnect with your world today. martha: indonesian villagers finding the black box of a

russian plane that crashed five weeks ago. it killed 45 people onboard. we are awaiting the return of the spacex dragon capsule. it's due to splash down before noon eastern time. plus a powerful cyber weapon is child's play. flame was reportedly developed with the same computer language agriculture as angry birds. that the theme song, so they tell me. bill: do you know how much american productivity we lose to angry birds?

governor mitt romney telling me this week the president's campaign will focus on attacking him as a person. listen. >> i think that part of the president's campaign is -- directly through this campaign organization or through people who supportim in the media, is to somehow denigrate me as a person. they said early on that their objective in the campaign was to quote kill mitt romney. not literally but figuratively obviously. bill: while that's going on the obama team will go after romney's record in massachusetts. what about this now? monica crowley and christopher hahn. both are fox news contributors. good morning to both of you. we'll super size this big call. monica, what about it. politics, just the way it works? >> big gulps will be illegal in

new york city. mitt romney is right when he points out team obama will do everything they can to demonize him. they will go after his record as a job creator at bain capital and his record in massachusetts. but this election will not be about mitt romney. this is a referendum on barack obama and the last four years of his presidency. >> are you argue no matter what they say it comes back to jobs and the economy? >> absolutely. if they can go after his record as governor of massachusetts, however, he brought the unemployment rate down in that state. so if they want to talk about that, bring it on. bill: i'll play for you the rest of mitt romney's response to that. >> i think mitt romney is protesting too much. we saw we did to newt gingrich and rick santorum and herman cain under the radar. he is the master of the negative

personal attack. of course, the president is going to try to define him. any successful incumbent president has to define his opponent early on. ray began was successful as it, clinton was successful at it, bush was successful eight. the first bush was not successful eight. bill: you are argue we are just getting rolling. here is how the governor finished that answer in san diego. >> to somehow make me unacceptable that's what they want to do. that's the nature of the campaign. i'm a husband, father, grandfather, a business guy. i care very deeply about the country and that's why i'm running. my kids and grandkids. bill: that part of the mitt romney story has not gone public just yet. americans are about to know him. does this backfire or not. >> backfire on team obama?

i think so because mitt romney is a good man. he's a good person. he has a solid family. they are going to attack him personally that will backfire. the problem for team obama, the obama brand in 2008 was built on the notion of hope and change, that this president would be a different kind of leader and bring everybody together, he would sit above the petty politicking. now his only option is to run a scorched earth campaign against romney, against the republicans, against the conservative movement. because he cannot run on his record. >> he has a broad definition of what a personal attack is. when we talk about his experiences at bain and his failure as governor of massachusetts. that's not a personal attack. that's an attack on his record that he says qualifies him to be president of the united states. i don't think anybody is going to attack his family. he's a fine gentleman and we have no problem with him as a

person. but how he made his money and governed as governor. bill: a lot of those attacks have comeo come out. can we say they have been ineffective or just argue it's too early? >> i think they have been largey ineffective. this is team obama's logic. capitalism is evil. therefore private equity is evil, therefore bain capital is evil. mitt romney is evil. >> we love private capital. we just don't like the way mitt romney used it. >> his records are fair game. team obama will point out whatever they can dredge up with romney's record. but this election is not about mitt romney. this is a referendum on what this president has done because -- >> you define your opponent and his attacks fall flat.

if they don't trust him or believe hip it doesn't matter what mitt romney says. >> that hold true with most of the american people with regard to barack obama. >> most of the american people like barack obama. most of the american people don't like mitt romney. i don't think they feel sorry for him when he's sitting in a home with a garage that has more square footage than their homes. >> people aren't going to vote on likability. they are going to vote on pocketbook issues. bill: thanks to both of you. thanks, monica, thank you, chris. a bit later in our program we'll take you back to san diego and talk with ann and mitt romney. part two of my interview with them. this time on faith, his religion, what he wants americans to understand about what his faith means to him and whether he's thought about being

in the white house 8 months from now. we'll have that for you later this morning. martha: we want to update on breaking news we brought you earlier. the two american tourists in egypt who were kidnapped earlier today have been released. this is a pattern we have sooner. they were taken by bedouins. both of those victims of that kidnapping have been released and we are told they are unharmed. so that's good news. first came the smoking ban. then the assault on fast food chains. the transfats. now new york city mayor mike bloomberg wants us all to get in better shape. he's going to crack down on obesity. is he a nanny politician or public health crusader? bill: battleground wisconsin.

protesters are standing on the state's capital. the republican governor scott walker may be keeping an edge in his support to keep the job. we'll tell you how. from around the world... ...with the best math scores. ...the united states would be on that list. in 25th place.

let's raise academic standards across the nation. let's get back to the head of the class. let's solve this.

bill: house oversight and government reform committee getting set to hear questions about the administration's all of the above energy strategy. republicans have accused the white house of stifling exploration for coal and natural gas. martha: he band smoking in bars,

parks and beaches, exiled transfats from restaurants and forced fast food chains to post calories on their men use which i find helpful. now mayor bloomberg is proposing a ban of sugary beverages larger than 16 ounces. which would include this size we have at our set. my favorite place to drink them is moste theater. street vendors would also be band. it does not extend to diet sodas. tucker carlson the editor of the daily caller *. he weighs in on serious stories and this is at the top of his list. this is not diet. i told them get real coke. >> i meet your soda and raise

you a mountain dew. 24 ounces, yes. >> the basic question is what the government can tell you to do. if the government of new york can tell you how much soda you can drink iting a short trip from there to getting to you raise your hand before you go to the bathroom. it is about the limit of what adult can be compelled to do. and it's bad signs. there are some studies that indicate people who drink diet sodas are heavier than those who drink regular soda *. banning smoking causes obesity. megyn: if you open that door to what's in and what's out. it doesn't apply to diet sodas or fruit juices or dairy based drinks which includes milk

shakes. you could have a milkshake with has four scoops of chocolate ice cream. alcoholic beverages, you can get a big fat beer and nobody will bother you, but you cannot have one of these. they will be off limits. >> this is a species of class warfare. this is an out of touch risk guy with a napoleon complex that is offended that people are drinking sugary sodas. how out of touch must you be if you believe america's greatest problem is people are out of shape and unattractive. his concerns are fundamentally aesthetic. i can't believe how fat and ugly americans are. let's brand-new the sodas. martha: not smoking is a good

thing. and the anti-smoking campaign has done a lot to cut down smoking. we all wear seat belt. sotomayor would say, i think, it's not going to hurt us if we drink a normal size portion of soda. it's not a bad thing. stuff has gone the ridiculously huge in terms of portions. >> you ought to floss and getting tattoos that are visible is a bad idea. there are piercings that are bad choices. no one would argue you ought to drink 9 montana dews but you ought to have the choice as adults to make those decisions your self and not turn it over to an authoritarian figure like bloomberg. martha: thank you, buddy, we'll see you soon. this you can't have. that you can't have, either. that will be crossed off the

list. bill: he was put on leave after the gsa scandal. so why is he back on the job. find out in a moment here as we roll on. >> there are a couple small matters. [ music playing, indistinct conversations ] the charcoal went out already? [ sighs ] forget it. [ male announcer ] there's more barbeque time in every bag of kingsford charcoal. kingsford. slow down and grill.

martha: a new chapter in the gsa over spending saga. a top executive who is nicknamed the platinum big leaguer --

wonder why they call him that. apparently he's back on the job day, he's the guy on the right, david foley, one of the chief operating officers. he was suspended about a month ago for taking part in the $800,000 con convenience in las vegas that got way more attention than anybody wanted it to. i am martha maccallum. bill: i'm bill hemmer. foley jokes about the wasteful spending and later apologizes to congress, here is why. >> there are a couple of small matters. the motel would like to talk about paying for the party that was held in the commissioner's suite last night. martha: ha, ha, ha not so funny later on down the road. peter doocy joins me now. >> reporter: we know he was returned. he is back at the general services administration. the last we heard from the

deputy commissioner of the gsa's public building service, david foley publicly was around the time he was placed on administrative leave in the middle of april east was testifying before a congressional hearing about that crazy weekend in vegas, and he sounded at the time pretty remorseful. >> i want to start by apologizing. i was directly involved in the planning for the conference or any of the financial and contracting irregularities identified in the inspector general's report. i did attend two and a half days of the conference. there were things that seemed over-the-top but i believed they were not being paid for by government fund. in past con tprepsess items bike the text he'd does and after-hours party were paid for by individuals, not the taxpayer. >> the man back on the job at the gsa is not the man from the hot tub, that was jeffery neeley. he did not testify before congress after pleading the fifth and he left the gsa after

being on administrative leave as well. martha: foley the person you were walking to about prior to the man in the bathtub, was he punished at all before he came back to work? >> reporter: yes he was suspended without pay. and official told me on the phone that four workers remain on administrative leave and dave foley is the only one who has returned back to work. martha: thank you very much. we are glad you are at work this morning. good too see you as always. bill: governor mitt romney jumping to his highest favorite built of the new campaign a new poll finds this. his favorite built at 41%, trails president obama by 11 points, but as you can see over a month he's made up a lot in that poll. nearly all of romney's gains are coming from woman. he's up 13% average points last month. president obama has loss 7

points. martha: former secretaries of state condoleezzaa rice and george schultz endorsed romney at a fund-raiser last night, both arguing that they believe the governor is best suited to right the nation's economy and standing in the world. rice served george w. bush. and schultz has served eisenhower, nixon and reagan. bill: more of my interest ooh with ann coming up. with today's to go until voters cast their ballots, there was a new poll showing this is a tight race. scott walker wind hig lead over tom barrett, 7 points, said to be within the margin of error. mike tobin live in milwaukee, wisconsin. less than a week to go, what does governor walker say about the numbers? >> the walker camp is very happy

with the numbers. he has a 4% margin of error. that puts walker going into tonight's final debate with a lot of momentum in his corner. he's bolstered by recent job numbers that the walker camp pushed out a little bit early. since governor walker put his reforms into place wisconsin was down some 33,000 jobs. what they did was add on the most recent quarter, which shows a dramatic turn around and puts wisconsin up 27,000 jobs. mayor barrett's campaign says those numbers were dubious, only pushed out in front for political gain and had yet to be confirmed. a memo from the department of workforce development confirms those numbers. that bolsters walker, it makes it tough for barrett going into a final debate. fundraising numbers are showing that walker is dominating barrett in terms of raising

money, seven to one. bill: what has happened to the union membership in wisconsin? >> reporter: the dialogue about collective bargaining -- the dialogue here has long shifted away from collective bargaining. union concerns were not striking a chord with wisconsin voters poll after poll. you talk about the numbers in terms of union membership, numbers dug up by the "wall street journal" shows the largest state employee union is down in membership from 62,000 in march of 2001 to 28,000 in february, and you look at what has happened with the reforms put in place, what republicans here did along with governor walker is create new expenses for state employees, in terms of contributions for healthcare and for their pensions. amount the same time they gave them a cost-saving measure, they made the union dues optional, people are opting out of their

union dues. bill: big vote next week, mike tobin, thank you, live in milwaukee. martha: the khraoeupbd chinese dissent at the center of a diplomatic tug of carr between the united states and china at an event in new york at. he is speaking out over china's legal system. did he say anything about his relatives back in china? >> reporter: he did. he is worried that his family may be retaliated against in what he described quoting him now, in a frenzied way by chinese authorities. a little back story you might recall that he served five years in a chinese prison. he was under house arrest, and most recently he sought and received refuge in the u.s. embassy in beijing before coming to the united states about two weeks ago. he's speaking at this hour here in new york city, and one of the points he hit very hard is what

he described as the lack of rule of law in china. he talked about the people he left behind, his relatives, specifically a nephew who was attacked by a mob and after defending himself was charged with attempted homicide. here is what he has to say about his nephew, listen. >> my nephew really had no choice but to take a kitchen knife and fight back, and think about this. in the middle of the night, totally against china's constitution they broke into a home, harmed people and then robbed him. >> reporter: he went onto say that his nephew has been september isolated from his attorney and for that reason he believes he may be subject to torture. very quickly, martha, conspicuously not talked about, at least not yet the issue of abortion, one reason that he served time in prison is because he was a staunch opponent of china's forced abortion program and forced sterilizations something he has been an outspoken critic about.

martha: he certainly has. what did he say about his future here? how does he plan to spend his time here in the united states? >> reporter: well, once again he repeated his desire to attend law school, which he will do at nyu. he says he would like to learn english and he also talked about the fact that he would like to help the disabled. and he talked about the concerns of the disabled and how their needs to be more laws enacted to protect them. he said one day he would like to go become to china he talked about the government in china -- the chinese government cannot eup eupl imitate concern countries. >> we can't duplicate other democracies.

what's wrong with having our own democracy. >> reporter: he said he would only return to china if they could tkpwarpb fee my rights as a citizen. martha: thank you very much, david lee miller. bill: fox news alert a bit of a positive economic news despite the disappointing job numbers that came out an hour ago. americans seem to be spending a bit more money. retail sales are up for the month of may. major retail chains like targeted, limited, t. j. max reporting healthy gains from a year ago, higher than wall street expectations. we'll hang onto that for the moment. martha: a republican lawmaker offers a new solution in the controversial debate about giving citizenship to certain illegal immigrants. florida senator marco rubio is the son of cuban legal immigrants and he joins us with his reaction. bill: congress set to vote on a ban and abortions based on the sex of a battle.

democrats call it the next battle on the war on woman. martha: an incredible video of a dive bar becoming a literal whole in the wall, look at that, people sitting at the bar as that truck or van plowed through the window. oh, my. we'll be right back. >> there was a big boom. >> it looks like people are pinned in there. >> i happened so quickly. just hit the polls, bam, right to the bar.

bill: you know about the pickup lines in a bar, right? how about a pickup truck in a bar? check out the surveillance video, one plowing through a restaurant? st. paul, minnesota. five people pinned against the bar, witnesses inside. look at that. they were stunned, i bet. >> i've been in business a longtime, never had nothing like that happen. it was kind of a shock. >> when i walked in i couldn't believe there were people between the bar and the car. >> my girlfriend screamed as the

car went into the building. bill: six people taken to the hospital after this. right through the window and then the wall. police say some had some medical issues before the crash, all said to be a-okay in the end. martha: republican congressman david rivera is now introducing a version of the controversial immigration bill that's known as the d.r.e.a.m. act. it would give a select few of high achieving illegal eupl grants a chance to become u.s. citizens. he says the legislation is designed to help students who likely had no stay in their families decision to come to america illegally. we will talk about that, we are joined by florida republican senator marco rubio. his parents legally immigrated to the united states from cuba. senator, welcome. great to have you with us. >> thank you. martha: some of the components of the bill are that you can stay in the country for five years if you came to the united states by the time you were 16,

have a high school diploma and been admitted to a four-year institution. are you okay of that? >> i don't know the details of this bill. we take a very different approach. first of all the only solution for these kids up to now has been the so-called d.r.e.a.m. act. the d.r.e.a.m. act is not something i can support. many people don't support it because it would actually apply to people beyond the kids. we would take a very select group of young people who arrive before a certain age, through no fault of their own have found themselves here with documents. have lived here a substantial amount of time. graduated from high school and no criminal hrord, you would give them a student visa that allows them to go to school but doesn't give citizenship. at some point in the future, that is one of the things we were debating. they would have the right if they decide to and i think most of them will to apply for a green card but they will have to do it like anybody else, not through a special process but through the regular process. it's not like they'll never have access to a green card and citizenship but they'll have to do it like everybody else

through the existing process. that provides us a nonamnesty way to help young kids brought here through no fault of their own to do right what their parents did wrong. martha: including a path to citizenship. your bill, which you hope will come out at the end of the summer, right? >> the path to citizenship that ours would provide is a regular system not a special one. that is the difference between our approach and a the d.r.e.a.m. act. the d.r.e.a.m. act would create a separate path to citizenship. ours says after you have our nonimmigrant resident if you want to be a resident you'll have the right to do that but you have to do it like anybody else who has a nonimmigrant visa. we wouldn't have a special path for them. and that gets around the idea of encouraging people to do that in the future. martha: mitt romney says he's studying the bill that has been brought up. he stopped short of backing the g.o.p. version of the so-called d.r.e.a.m. act. is that good politics? is that where he should stand on

this or would you like to see him come out more forcefully, and say, yes, students who were outlined in this case, who came from columbia, the valedictorian of her class, she faces deportation, should there be a path for students like that. martha: >> mitt romney said he supports league aim congratulations. he wants to see reforms for the legal immigration system an said he wants to study the details. our bill hasn't been introduced yet. it won't be fair for me to ask him to take a position on a piece of legislation that has not yet been offered. there are questions about my proposed legislation that haven't been answered yet even for me. we are trying to figure out how many people this would apply to, how much money it would cost. we'll have the answer to those questions saorpbgs we will have a serious proceed proceedings al, then we can ask him with the opinion. martha: he has not been doing well in the polls among hispanic voters. 27%, that is not a number that historically can reatlantic

elect a president. what do you think about that? >> that will get higher has people learn about the issues. the number one subject in the hispanic is the economy. our argument is a strong one. we are suit porters of the american free enter surprise system. it makes it easier for people to do that. and the democrats and the president are undermining the free system. that number its going to change. ultimately the republican party has to commit to that in the long term, not just this election. i think this election is important in beginning that. martha: how useful can you be in raising that number. i'm not even going to ask you the vp president. you're following the process as you have said clear leave. how helpful can you be in raising that number. >> it's not just me. i think the republican marty needs to continue to layout the argument that we are the party of free event per prize and economic empowerment.

i'd love to be a part of it, but all of uts have to including the nominee mitt romney. martha: he said we should arm the opposition, do you agree with that. >> we need to help the opposition get organized. martha: how would you do that. >> you would encourage turkey tow provide a safe-haven. we could provide food, medicine, lo logistical support to get military organized. once they are organized then i think we should encourage many of our allies who are willing to arm them, the turks, et cetera who are prepared to arm these folks. we don't even have to do it. martha: some of those arms might fall into the wrong hands, al-qaida, hezbollah, alike. some advised mitt romney to stay away from the topic, it's complicated to say arm the opposition. >> we need to get the opposition organized. if they are not that's what

creates chaos that al-qaida and islamic radicals can come in and take advantage ever the chaos that is happening. it starts with helping the opposition get organized. once they are organized and cohesive our allies will be more successful in arming them. not only can they defend themselves but overthrow the bashar al-assad regime. martha: befor this karl rove says this. you're a strong philosophical conservative with the ability to community that message in a way that goes across the political spec trup. at the bottom of that he says, but young. is that a problem for you? are you too young? >> i'm not talking about the vice presidental process. all i can tell you about age, however, is i get older every day. martha: don't we call. senator rubio, thanks so much. good to have you here. >> thank you. bill: truth in that, right. martha: that's for sure. bill: governor mitt romney will be the nominee for the

republican party and now america is getting to know him. in my interview with the governor and his wife ann earlier this week i asked him about his faith. >> i think people who are people of faith believe that there is a purpose greater than themselves, and for me there is no question i believe in a heavenly father, i believe in his son jesus christ, i believe in the holy ghost. these are features that i think are part of many people's faith in this country. bill: more on that as part two with governor romney and his family only minutes away. martha. martha: why one college says its students are getting wallopped by the president's healthcare law. coming up next. [ male announcer ] the inspiring story of how a shipping giant can befriend a forest

may seem like the stuff of fairy tales. but if you take away the faces on the trees... take away the pixie dust. take away the singing animals, and the storybook narrator... [ man ] you're left with more electric trucks. more recycled shipping materials... and a growing number of lower emissions planes... which still makes for a pretty enchanted tale. ♪ la la la [ man ] whoops, forgot one... [ male announcer ] sustainable solutions. fedex. solutions that matter. crazy, right ?

well, with this droid razr by motorola on verizon 4g lte, you guys can stay in touch. ( grunts ) cool. you can video call on skype... send photos. yeah, okay. yeah, let's do it. get $100 off any motorola 4g lte smartphone, like the droid 4 now just $99.99. verizon. you walk into a conventional mattress store, it's really not about you. they say, "well, if you wanted a firm bed you can lie on one of those. we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. wow, that feels really good! once you experience it, there's no going back. during the final days of the sleep number memorial day sale, save 50% on our innovative sleep number silver edition bed. sale ends sunday. only at the sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just $699.

bill: there is a new report, a bit of a slam against the president always healthcare law coming from a christian college in florida. they say student health insurance costs will double this year thanks to the affordable care act. charlie hurt a columnist from the washington times has been looking at this story. small school, clear water, florida, what is going on there? >> obviously, you know, every year when politicians face re-election they are always very careful not to do anything that might adversely affect their chances of winning re-election, and president obama did that with obamacare and made sure that most of the affects of obamacare would take effect after he faces re-election this november. martha: why are these schools acting now, then, charlie? >> i think what you have in this case is you have insurance companies are having to sort of make preparations for the

affects of obamacare when it does take place. what the result of that is is, they are going to raise insurance premiums. when they do that and students are relyingn the school for insurance their prices are going to go up. bill: this isn't just a raise, this is twice the price. here is a 19-year-old kid he says he paid $600 for healthcare coverage, just got a letter for $1,330 for the current year. now we've reached out to the school, if is what they say in part, charlie. as we indicated to our students in a recent letter the new insurance package is a good product that provides more coverage. the combination of more coverage for the student and greater risk to the healthcare provider results in more costs to the student up front. so are they getting more for their money or not? >> i would imagine that they probably are getting more, but, again, it's those mandates that the insurance company is preparing for that is increasing the cost of insurance.

and while that on paper may sound like a good idea and may sound like a good deal from assistance, if you're the guy, the student who is having to pay the bill and pay twice as much for a plan that you thought previously was perfectly acceptable, then it's not going to sound like such a good deal. bill: did you think these students are jammed? do they lose both ways? >> of course they do. and of course one of the big things that president obama intends to do with obamacare is to try to get all of these people onto insurance rolls, which of course is a very good effort, and that's what is probably going to be the long-term answer to fixing the overall problem, but it's not an easy thing to do, and of course it's going to be very painful for those who are paying the bills. bill: this is in florida. we saw another case a week ago at a college in ohio too. we'll see if the trend continues. charlie hurt, thank you, out of washington. >> thanks, bill. martha: some are saying that it could be a big uh-o for

democrats. this year's national convention is planned for north carolina. there are some indications that the party is not all that welcome. what is that all about? live from charlotte with the answer. bill: no good deed goes unpunished. a man trying to help a man down on his luck ends up in court littering. >> i rolled it up, the money to get it as far as i could so i could reach it to the gentleman, an touched it, it hit the ground. at that point he bent over and he picked it up. [ male announcer ] this is the at&t network.

a living, breathing intelligence helping business, do more business. in here, opportunities are created and protected. gonna need more woo demand is instantly recnized and securely acted on across the company. around the world. turning a new trend, into a global phenomenon. it's the at&t network -- securing a world of new opportunities. ♪ when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement insurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp... medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company, helps cover some of the medical expenses...

not paid by medicare part b. that can save you from paying up to thousands of dollars... out of your own pocket. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans... exclusively endorsed by aarp. when you call now, you'll get this free information kit... with all you need to enroll. put their trust in aarp medicare supplement insurance. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. the prices are competitive. i can keep my own doctor. and i don't need a referral to see a specialist. call now to get a free information kit. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. and the advantages don't end there. choose from a range of medicare supplement plans... that are all competitively priced. we have a plan for almost everyone, so you can find one that fits your needs and budget. with all medicare supplement plans, there are virtually no claim forms to fill out. plus you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts medicare. and best of all, these plans are... the only medicare supplement plans endorsed by aarp.

when they told me these plans were endorsed by aarp... i had only one thing to say... sign me up. call the number on your screen now... and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan. you'll get this free information kit... and guide to understanding medicare, to help you choose the plan that's right for you. as with all medicare supplement plans, you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts medicare, get help paying for what medicare doesn't... and save up to thousands of dollars. call this toll-free number now. bill: fox news alert, this crossing the wires moments ago, apparently a plane has veered off the runway. it's an american eagle jet at o'hare international airport in chicago. there is a sort of foggy shot of it this morning. there were no reports of injuries, that is the most important thing that we should point out right now. it is as a side note the same airline that had an incident at o'hare yesterday, a boeing 747

cargo plane clipped the rut tere of an american eagle plane at o'hare yesterday as well. reports say this plane today had problems with the landing gear. we'll keep an eye on that. no injuries to report. an update on the activity at o'hare this morning. bill: that will slow some things down, won't it? martha: yep. bill: earlier in the week i spend some time with part of the large romney family in southern california. our intent was to find out more about him and what makes him go. this morning we start with religion. in 2008 then candidate barack obama held a series of events where he made big speeches centered around race in america, religion in america, and he was able to draw -- use those events to draw a lot of attention to his message. have you given consideration to doing that about your own faith? >> well i give major speeches on topics of significance and have about once a week or once every

two weeks for the past couple of months and will continue doing so. as regards religion in america i gave a speech on that topic in my last campaign at the george herbert walker bush library. i don't know that i would add to that, or change it in some way. bill: i take it nothing is planned, or nothing is scheduled. but despite that, what do americans need to understand about how important your faith is to you? >> well people of faith believe that there is a purpose greater than themselves. and for me there is no question i believe in a heavenly father, i believe in his son jesus christ, i believe in the holy ghost, these are features that i think are part of many people's faith in this country. other folks have differing views. that shapes my view. i read the new testament and other scriptures that you holy in my view, that saeup my sense of commitment to my nation. i'm taught to be patriotic, to support the nation and follow the law. i'm also taught to care and

never other people. bill: a lot is made of your relationship with your father. not a lot has been said about your mom, lenore. she had three kids, and the doctors came to her and said no more, physically, it's not going to happen ever again. then along comes you. >> not exactly a normal kid but you know she had to take what she got. >> his mother absolutely adored mitt. it was the baby she never thought she would have. bill: i've heard about the relationship but the point is he wasn't even supposed to be here. >> that's right, yeah. >> what can i say? i think my mother found it hard when i fell completely in hro* with ann as a secret in high school and i had no interest in talking to my hotz and only interest in talking to ann. bill: that could be a challenge. you handled it as best you could. >> i think a lot of mothers go through that. bill: you've said that you've never had a serious argument in 43 years of argument. >> there are places we disagree,

of course there are places where we disagree. we don't yell and slam doors. >> on the surface do you expect me to believe that? >> we don't yell and slam doors. >> we don't scream. bill: when it comes to policy or issues, is there disagreement? >> well i don't think we are ever exactly on the same page 100%. >> would you name one? >> no, i'm not going to name one, because i don't think that is important. i'm not the one running for president, this guy is. and i completely support 90% of where mitt is. bill: there is a possibility as we sit here today that you could be in the white house in eight months. we talked about that. >> yeah, we've spoke ben that. spoken about that. we talked about what happens in that circumstance, are we prepared for that. which things would ann focus on. which things would i do. we talked about how our life would change. i think it's almost impossible to imagine how your life would change in this circumstance. >> i believe if mitt wins the

country wins, if he loses, the country loses. we are at a real fork in the road as to what direction this country is going to go in. and i really believe that there is a sense in the country that we are in danger and that we have got to turn this country around. bill: now you wonder what the other 10% is. martha: i'm wondering what the other 10% is. bill: i continue find it. maybe in time we will. much more about his times in the olympics in south lake, 2000, 2002. his time at bain capital. and his governor of massachusetts which you know will become a big deal starting today with the other side, the obama team. we'll post a lot more stuff on our web page today and over the weekend so you can check it out for yourself. you see the partnership, it is clear and obvious every time you sit these two down. martha: it is clear that they have thought about what it would be like. he is so right nobody can understand what that is like to live in the white house until it actually happens to you, and it is the most exclusive club in america.

we'll see a couple of those gentlemen who have been in that club today at the white house. it's a unique bond. bill: i found it surprising that he answered the question that way. so many times we ask politicians yet, no it's just about the next campaign, it's just about the next campaign event. he is a man who has been prepared all of his life and this is another ebbs ample o example of it. martha: absolutely. hind sight is also 20-20, when democrats picked charlotte for their summer convention it seemed like a good idea. candidate barack obama put north carolina in the blue cal um back in 2008 and the president's advisers believed that he would win north carolina again and certainly he may. it's really too early to tell. but some recent big developments in the tar heels state satisfactory left some democrats a little queasy about this choice. senior national correspondent john roberts joins us live from charlotte with more on this issue from the tar heel state. hey, john. >> reporter: good morning to you, mart that. it was a year ago reb that the democrats chose charlotte for their convention.

since then the first weapon state legislature in a hundred years has settled in. the unemployment rate still remains the fifth worse in the nation and the state passed a very strong constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage days before the president came out in favor of it. additionally the democratic governor here is not standing for re-election and the republican contender is leading in the polls. all in all the indicators are not about good for the president in november. a lot of people are beginning to wonder, was it such a good idea to have the democratic convention here? >> it seemed like a good idea at the time. it sent the right message for democrats, that they were going to fight. as it has happened, with lots of different events, including the gay marriage referendum, and the fact that some polls now have romney leading in north carolina, maybe it wasn't the best place to have the convention. >> reporter: president obama is even seeing a split, martha among african-american voters who came out in surprising

numbers in favor of that amendment banning same-sex marriage. martha: just thinking about it, some democratic groups are not happy that the coon srepbg convention is in char love. why is that and what do they expect to do about it at this point? i guess not too much. >> reporter: not too the democratic national committee says we will continue to have it here. the two groups in particular are unions and the gay rights lob lee. unions because this is a right to work state, the smallest union representation of any state in the nation. unions have withheld contributions to the democratic convention. the dnc is trying to bring in union labor from outside of the state to appease them. gay rights groups petitioned the democratic national chitty the other day to remove the convention from charlotte because of that same-sex marriage amendment vote. the dnc standing fast wants to retain its toe hold here in the south. ralph wood house told me that the republican notion that the sky is falling for obama in north carolina just isn't true.

>> we only won the state by 14,000 votes in 2008. we know it's going to be neck-and-neck, but what the republicans are saying is going on there is not in fact the race is tied, we have the advantage of having the convention there which should give us a boost going into the fall. >> reporter: the obama campaign says it can't go become to the old elect toerl map, it has to brunch off into new directions. the president has a tough go in north carolina in november. martha: it's a long way off. we have five months before that big day. john, very interesting. we'll see how it shakes out in north carolina. john roberts, thank you. bill: the dragon capsule getting the official go for de orbit burn. this is the first private space ship to reach the international space station not run by nasa now, in it's early stages heading back to earth after its historic mission.

splash down for the spacex in about an hour from now. considered a milestone as nasa moves away to the back seat and the private companies to ever to the steering wheel. martha: cool pictures. coming up a showdown underway in the house right now. as lawmakers debate a bill that would ban gender-based abortion. >> today the three most dangerous words in china and india are, it's a girl. we can't let that happen here. martha: a fair & balanced debate in minutes. bill: also, it is prom season, fancy dresses, sharp tuxedos and a breathalyzer? meet the zero tolerance policy in one school district. >> these kids have no conception of getting in a car, they think they are invincible. maybe they'll think twice about it.

martha: a showdown underway in the house of representatives

right now over a controversial bill that would ban gender-based abortions. choosing a boy, choosing a girl during the early stage of the pregnancy. moments ago republicans wrapped up a news conference saying that the bill is necessary, they believe, to preserve the civil rights are unborn children. but democrats say that they believe the bill violates women's rights. >> today what we are going to vote on is whether or not in the land of the free and the home of the brave that we are going to allow little girls to be killed before they are born simply because they are little girls. >> this war on women continues, and this. quite frankly, is a shocking battle in this war. it really is shock and awe. don't get me wrong, of course we all are opposed to sex selection based on gender, that's not what this is about. this is about women's healthcare and gender discrimination. martha: another very emotional battle in this area.

so jean monahan joins me now, family rear search council. and dr. kathleen london is a practicing physician. a lot of people would listen to that introduction and say, is this a growing problem in the united states of america where people are opting to choose abortion if they are not happy with the sex of their child? >> right. and we know of course that the problem is worse in asia, that nobody is going to dispute that. but it is a growing problem in the united states. looking out of reports coming out of the centers for disease toll and prevention on live birth say the disparities between boys and girls of certain populations can't be argued. it's not naturally happening unfortunately. martha: dr. london do you agree with those studies? >> the statistics do not indicate that the u.s. has a problem with sexy hrebgs abortion. the sex ratio that are the number of baby boys per thousand baby girls has been decreasing

over the last 30 years. in 1983 there were 1,052 boys for every thousand girls in the u.s. in 2009, 2,048 were born forever thousand girls. this does not suggest that there is any -- >> we are talking here about specific ethnic populations within the unitesse united states. nobody will argue that the live births reported from the cbc of certain populations that something is not wrong there. >> we always say we are going to do the bans based on civil rights protection. but they've not had any impact on the entrenched gender by as that is underlying this practice. that's what needs to be addressed here. we need to be -- in other countries this you look the bans were not only ineffective but they further exacerbate the gender discrimination. martha: let me ask you this. there is a dispute over whether or not it is an increasing problem in this country. is it not something that we can

all agree on that it's wrong, that a doctor -- if somebody says i want another sex so i can decide whether or not i want to carry this child. do you believeth thickly a doctor should never carry out an abortion based on that decision making. >> none of us would agree to that, americans don't. 98% of a borings occu abortions occur long before we know what the sex of the child is. this is not turning into a huge problem. >> blood tests are showing especially overseas, but also here in the united states they are a little bit more expensive but we can despecht sex chromosomes at at a much younger age. at ultrasound it will be 16 to 20 weeks of development. through amniocentesis or blood test you can defect the gender earlier. martha: the argument from the other side is that this is being used as a way to curb abortion tpwh-s this country, and that it's not an issue that has

seriously is escalating in the united states of america. is itxby is escalating in

jenna: new polling out today showing a tightening race for the white house especially in some of the key battleground states. that is always important. we will talk to two candidates who are facing off in texas, a very important race for the senate and both of them are with us today. we'll see you at the top of the hour stphaoeut is as much a pa. bill: it is as much a part of

school as the textbook and the number two pencil. when did the spit ball become criminal? this kid found out the hard way. we are taking liberties, next. son, and then i have eleven grandkids. right when you see them, they're yours, it's like, ah, it's part of me. it's me again. now that i'm retiring they all have plans for me. i'm excited. crazy, right ? well, with this droid razr by motorola on verizon 4g lte, you guys can stay in touch. ( grunts ) cool. you can video call on skype... send photos. yeah, okay. yeah, let's do it.

get $100 off any motorola 4g lte smartphone, like the droid 4 now just $99.99. verizon.

bill: his school said what he did was criminal an was charged with three counts of assault. for that a 14-year-old freshman found himself booted from school earlier in the year, and his crime, the spit ball. douglas kennedy with more on our continuing series, taking liberties. what is up with this guy. >> reporter: i know you were a spit ball shooter, bill. bill: confirmed. >> reporter: the u.s. ranks 15 in reading and 31st in math globally but we're kicking honor students out of school for shooting spit balls.

>> this is pretty crazy. in 2010 andrew michael was suspended from his virginia high school, the charge violent criminal conduct for using a weapon at school. now the weapon you supposedly used was a pen like this and the violence you supposedly committed was shooting class bic spiplastic spit balls. >> i had a pen and got plastic balls from home i made the stupid mistake of taking them apart and shooting people with them. >> reporter: he says criminalizing normal student behavior is not right. john white says the spirit of the american teen able boy in particular is i can extinguished by what he calls dehumanizing zero tolerance policies. >> we are raising up a generation of people who are going to be very compliant and

afraid to step out of line. >> reporter: this attorney disagrees claiming zero tolerance at schools is necessary, especially after the shooting at columbine. >> we have weapons like a gun, we should know it's a weapon. then you have weapons like a pen. >> reporter: wait a second, aren't we going too far when we are criminalizing shooting spit balls. >> when that spit ball takes out your eye tell me whether or not we've gone too far. >> he will have a record for the rest of his life for having a dangerous weapon. you're talking about a kid shooting spit balls. >> reporter: he says zero hol dance policies are turning american schools into police states and it's not good for america's future. that's it, bill back to you. bill: we talk about how that stuff sticks and hangs around for a while. douglas kennedy, thank you sir. martha: the drag and spacex cap tule ready for splash down in under an hour from now. the first commercial trip to go to the space station and back,

pending a landing in the pacific. we will take you live there when it returns to earth. we will return in a moment. that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. fohalf the calories plus vgie nutrition. could've had a v8. so i wasn't playing much of a role in my own life, but with advair, i'm breathing better so now i can take the lead on a science adventure. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator, workintogether to help improve ur lung function all day.

advair won't replace fast-acting inhalersor sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. if you're still having difficulty breathing, take the lead. ask your doctor if incling advair get your first fl prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. ing

martha: got the quiz on o'reilly after that. taking off to go do london for the queen's jubilee weekend. some are calling this the greatest pr coupe in history. people were against it. they have made a huge comeback. this will be ice on the. bill: they love her though, right? martha: love her, absolutely.

bill: they will love you, right? martha: because i can do the wave. bill: who knows more about royality and the u.k. you don't need researchers. you have it all in your head. martha: watch for that sunday morning. we'll do that live from london. cheerio. jenna: start off today with a fox news alert. we'll bring you outlive to chicago's o'hare international airport where a plane veered off the runway. we have a little bit more information now. it was an american eagle flight 4069 headed to tulsa and turned back around to return to o'hare because the a report of gear and mechanical problems. we don't have much visibility as to what those are at this time but the jet apparently had trouble with its landing, touched grass and went back onto the pavement. so some scary moments probably for the passengers on board. we have no word of any injury. that is a g